All Chapters of My Mountains, His Sea: Chapter 1 - Chapter 10

I had always been a little slower than everyone else, no matter what I did.By the time I submitted my college application, there was only one minute left before the deadline. After that, my decision would be final.The thought of spending the next four years nearly 1,900 miles away from Ryan Walker made my heart ache.Before I could shake off the sadness, my phone rang."Wendy Hayes, do you have any idea what time it is? You're still not ready?"Jack set the get-together for six. Everyone's waiting on us. Can you hurry up?"Ryan's voice was edged with impatience.I jumped to my feet and ran for the door. In my haste, I scraped my leg against the chair, but I did not even stop to look.Even after hurrying as fast as I could, all I saw when I reached the school entrance was their car disappearing down the road.I stood there, stunned, until my phone rang again.The call came from Ryan's number, but Claire Morgan was on the other end."Sorry, Wendy. Our ride got here, and the driver said

My face burned with embarrassment, and beneath the table, my hands curled into fists.Ryan must have noticed how uncomfortable I was, because he set his glass down with a sharp thud. "There's nothing to read into. The three of us are just friends.""Oh, just friends," Jack drawled.Claire hurriedly waved everyone off. "Come on, stop teasing us. My mom said I wasn't allowed to date until college."Her attempt to explain only made everyone more excited."Oh, so the only reason you two never got together was that Claire's mom was strict? Well, high school's over now. This is the perfect time to tell her how you feel!""Exactly! You're obviously into each other. Come on, Ryan. Don't chicken out!"More and more people joined in, but Ryan remained silent."Wendy, why do you look so upset about Ryan telling Claire how he feels?"My mind went blank.Before I could figure out how to respond, one of Claire's friends spoke up. "Ryan, a real friend wouldn't get upset if you started dating someone

Ryan spoke up beside me, sounding guilty. "Wendy, don't get the wrong idea."We didn't tell you because you're afraid of the water. We weren't trying to leave you out."We'll all be at Eastbridge University this fall anyway. Over winter break, I'll take you anywhere you want. It can be just the two of us, without Claire."I looked up at him.His eyes were bright, as though he truly believed in the future he was describing.The words I had been holding back rose to my lips. "Ryan, I'm not going to...""Ryan, have you seen our photo booth pictures? You didn't leave them with the security guard when you showed them to him, did you?"Claire's alarmed voice cut me off.Before I could take the photo strip out of my bag, she grabbed Ryan and hurried away with him.A few minutes later, Ryan texted me.Ryan: [Claire dragged me into the photo booth while we were waiting for you. I'll take some with you later, just the two of us.]Ryan: [It's getting late, so I called you a ride. Here's the licen

With Maya and Ethan by my side, I had a wonderful time climbing the remaining four mountains.Just as they had promised, neither of them rushed me once throughout all five climbs that summer.The moment I started to feel tired on the trail, they would immediately call for a break. "We're exhausted. Let's rest for a while."When it was time to order food, they were in no hurry either. They would study the menu, look up reviews of the dishes, and then discuss the options with me before deciding what to order.Once they noticed the eczema on my hands, neither of them mentioned it. They simply made sure none of the foods I needed to avoid ever appeared on our table.They were so thoughtful that even when photos of Ryan and Claire occasionally appeared on my Instagram feed, I no longer felt lonely.Whenever Claire sent me one of her usual bragging messages, I could simply ignore it.Even when Ryan occasionally posted little things he knew I would like, I felt nothing.Ryan: [One more gift f

I had no idea what I'd said to set Ryan off.His face flushed as he shot to his feet. "At least you know your place!"With that, he stormed out and slammed the door behind him, leaving the suitcase of gifts behind.I looked at the remaining space in the suitcase and thought for a moment.Then I gathered every gift Ryan had given me over the years, including the rabbit charm I carried everywhere for comfort, and stuffed them all into the suitcase.It was so full that I could barely zip it shut.I told Mom to wait until Ryan called her the next day, then take the suitcase back to his house.Then I grabbed the luggage I'd already packed and left.I headed to the airport for my flight to Southridge.Once again, I made it just in time.But this time, no one was there urging me to hurry.The only message waiting for me was from Ethan.Ethan: [No need to rush. Just be careful. If you miss this flight, there's always another one. The university isn't going anywhere. Besides, Maya isn't even aw