wondrous • gilbert blythe

heartache

DEDICATED TO -aliisha BECAUSE SHE JUST STARTED WATCHING AWAE ly bae <3

Gilbert's tracks had led to a small lake, not too far from his home. Adelaide had only traveled for a short period of time before she found him, sitting on a log, staring out into the frozen water. She could visibly see the pain he was in; the way he was slouching, his hands running through his curly hair. She frowned and decided to walk up to him.

"It's a little cold for a swim, I believe?" Adelaide asked him, and Gilbert barely turned his head to acknowledge that she was there. She sighed and sat down next to him, placing her fragile hands onto the cold bark next to his. Warm clashed with cold as their hands meet, and Adelaide gently lays her head down onto his shoulder.

"How- How did you get through it?" Gilbert stammered out with strain in his voice. He was referring to the time that her father had passed away, a time not too long ago.

Adelaide was silent for a few seconds before she actually spoke.

"It was hard, I thought that my life was over. I felt that I had nothing left living for, especially since my mother made it her goal to shut me out." Gilbert shifted his eyes down to look at the girl that was leaned against him.

Maybe she was his reason to live.

Feeling his eyes on her, she looked up to see deep brown eyes that were full of hurt. But, she was sure that her green ones had just the same amount of raw emotion in them as his did.

"I feel like this isn't real; like I'm numb." Adelaide searched his eyes when he spoke again, seeing them fill up with tears. She could find the right words to say, so she looked away and let her head fall back onto his shoulder.

After a few more minutes of silence, Gilbert took his arm from around the small girl and stood up. He didn't meet her eyes, for he didn't want her to see him crying.

"I- I have to go. Thank you, Ad. I guess I'll talk to you later." Gilbert sent a soft, sad smile her way before taking off into the woods. When he was out of sight, Adelaide let her tears flow. Of course things couldn't have been good for more than a week, life just did not seem to care for her currently.

Adelaide glanced at the lake, admiring how nice the frozen ice looked. It was only a thin layer- any pressure could break it. Whatever fell through would sink, and probably not be able to find its way up again.

With a frown on her face, Adelaide tossed a small rock from the ground with all of her might into the center of the lake. Small cracks formed around the rock as it pierced the top layer of ice. Within a few seconds, the rock finally fell through. Adelaide smiled at it and wiped the tears from her face.

Taking one last look at the new small hole in the ice, she trotted off towards home.