A Winter's Ball

Chapter Ten: What A Waste Of A Lovely Night

Anne's imagination seemed to be failing her of late.

"What?" Anne said utterly confused.

Everything seemed so unpredictable now.

"I wrote the note, Anne. Billy lied." Gilbert answered staring deeply into Anne's eyes.

It's impossible. Anne thought.

"No you didn't." Anne said, shaking her head.

"I did, Anne. I wrote it."

"No. That's impossible. Why would Billy lie? How did he know to wait at the back of the Rushdon? Explain that."

Gilbert sighed. "I'm not certain. But Anne, I wrote the note. I swear."

"Prove it."

Gilbert took a deep breath and looked down at his feet. He put his hands in his pockets and recited the contents of the note, each word he knew by heart, "Anne Shirley Cuthbert, if you would grant me the honor of being my pair to the ball, I would be beyond grateful. Meet me behind The Grand Rushdon where the ball is being held. I'll be waiting. Sincerely, Your secret admirer."

Anne's breath caught in her throat, her heart speeding up once again.

"T-that doesn't mean anything. You could've read it when I wasn't looking."

Gilbert sighed. "I put it on your table at lunch while you were eating. I was supposed to ask you personally when I gave you the apple but seeing as you were with your friends and you hardly took the apple, I decided against it for fear I'd embarrass you. So I decided to write a note instead. I figured you'd immediately throw away the note as soon as you saw who it was from so I just left it anonymous. I know how your curiosity can get the best of you so I was certain you'd come."

Anne's lips parted as if trying to say something but no words came out.

"I even drew a small apple at the back. I thought it would um, serve you a slight hint." He said rubbing the back of his neck by habit.

"What? I never saw..." Anne said trailing off. She unfolded the note which she had hidden inside her wrist sleeve and turned the paper over. Surely enough, Gilbert's words proved to be true; a small apple was scribbled at the lower right corner of the note--a detail which she had missed.

She looked back up at Gilbert who was watching her intently. Anne felt as if all her words have been wiped clean off her nimble mind and thrown off into the depths of the ocean.

"I meant to ask you to the ball, Anne. I truly did. But then you told me to ask Ruby and I just didn't know how to confess to you. I just wanted to make you happy, and I thought asking Ruby would do that. But I was still determined to stay true to my words and meet you at the back of the Rushdon. So I did. I left Ruby at the table and gave her cordial so she'd be occupied. I said I'd be back. I was supposed to meet you then and there but I was so nervous. I spent ten minutes just pacing about the other side of the ball room." He nervously stifled a satirical laugh. "When I  finally summed up the courage, I went to the back of the Rushdon and then....you were there...with Billy....then you--"

"Ran away." Anne said, finally speaking.

"Yeah," Gilbert whispered breathlessly.

"But...I don't understand. Why would you want to ask me, you hate me."

Gilbert chuckled looking down at his shoes. "You really are oblivious, Anne."
He looked back up, locking gazes with Anne and as much as she wanted to look away, she couldn't seem to. Her eyes were magnetized to his and it lit every single part of her ablaze.