All Chapters of The Morning After, I Heard Him Call Me Practice: Chapter 21 - Chapter 30

Dad asked whether the shoes needed their own box so they would spare the books, then went out.Back in my room, a little space had opened on the bookshelf and at the bottom of my closet. Ryan’s things had occupied only a few places, yet I had grown used to seeing them. Their presence had made his next visit feel certain.I moved my textbooks onto the shelf. There was space left over, and I let it stay.When Dad returned, he said Ryan’s mother had answered the door. She took the box, asked how my packing was going, and sent him home with cookies she had made.Mom held up the tin. “Would you like some?”“Put them in the kitchen,” I said. “She makes good cookies.”Mom gave me one. We sat at the table and talked about getting around Los Angeles and finding a grocery store near the dorm.Halfway through her cookie, she said, “I used to think we’d worry less if you and Ryan went to the same place.”“And now?”“Now I’m learning to trust that you can take care of yourself somewhere new.”I smi

After the call, I sent Ryan’s mother a picture of the room. She said it looked bright and reminded me to keep drinks away from my laptop.Our belongings were still scattered across the floor. I had moved in.Classes kept me busy. The night before my first presentation, I rehearsed until my throat went dry. My palms still sweated the next morning. Before we left, Mia took my outline and made me run through it once more.“Slow down,” she said. “When you’re nervous, you talk as though someone might steal your turn.”Afterward, the professor said we had prepared well. I reached for my phone and nearly searched for Ryan’s name.I sent the news to my parents and Grandma instead. Dad replied with a clapping emoji. Mom asked whether I had bought myself a treat. Grandma wanted a picture of what I had worn to present. I answered them all.That evening, Mia helped me choose a small cake. She said finishing something that had scared me deserved a celebration.“Are we buying cake every time I manag

Dad took my heavier suitcase, and Ryan carried the other one. As we walked toward the parking lot, Mom asked what I had eaten on the plane. I had managed a few bites before falling asleep. Ryan glanced back at me, then put the suitcase in the trunk.In the car, I told my parents about the fire alarm that had gone off twice in the middle of the night at our dorm. I described the shelf Mia and I had assembled backward, then told them how Ethan had led the hiking club back to our starting point.Dad laughed. “You still let him lead?”“We do. Someone else carries a map.”“Wise,” Dad said.Ryan sat in the front seat and listened. Sometimes I caught his eyes in the rearview mirror.I used to save my funniest travel stories for Ryan on the drive home from an airport. My days in Los Angeles had already been shared with others, and I enjoyed telling my parents about them now.At home, Ryan helped unload the suitcases. Mom invited him in for tea, and he looked at me.“We have unpacking to do,” I

I thought about it.“We’re getting to know each other.”Ryan studied me. “So he’s interested.”“We enjoy spending time together,” I said.“You’ve known him a few months.”“That’s why we’re taking our time.”His expression tightened. After a moment, he said, “Be careful with people you meet out there.”“I will.” I met his eyes. “Time alone doesn’t tell you everything about a person.”Ryan flinched. Mia called me in for a photo, and I returned to the living room with my water.She had come over that afternoon while she was home in Boston for the break. When she saw Ryan follow me into the room, she rested a hand on my shoulder as we gathered for the picture.Grandma and I stood in the middle, with my younger cousins crowded in front. Ryan was nearby, though he kept his hands at his sides. Mia sent me the photos afterward and asked whether I wanted to share one with Ethan.I chose the one where Grandma had the biggest smile.The break passed quickly. I shopped with Grandma and spent two d

One day, Mia and I came out of the library into a light rain. Ryan stood under the overhang holding an umbrella.“I checked the forecast,” he said. “I knew it would rain here today.”Mia quietly pulled two folding umbrellas from her bag. Ryan looked at them and lowered his.“Please check with me before coming by,” I said.He nodded.Mia stayed quiet until we were back in our room. She opened her wet umbrella in the bathroom to dry.“I know he may have meant well,” she said. “You’ve already asked him to stop.”“I know.”“You can say it plainly.”I paused while wiping rain from my bag. “I worry I’ll sound harsh.”“Think about whether he’s heard you when you’ve said it gently.”Later, Ryan sent flowers to the dorm desk. I saw his name on the card and asked the staff member to arrange for him to collect them.She knew me and checked once more. “Are you sure? I can keep them here while you think about it.”“I’m sure.”She marked them for return. I could still smell the flowers as I left the