scope for the imagination //awae//

two

"Caught me staring in your eyes, and I'm not usually like this but I like what you're doing to me."

It had been over a week since Gilbert last saw Anne at the library. His boss knew he worked as much as he could just to see her, but Sebastian always let Gilbert pick up extra shifts. He, like everyone in Avonlea, knew that Gilbert and Anne were inexplicably, wholeheartedly, head over heels in love with each other, so he tried his best to help them both realize it.

Bash may have been his boss, but first and foremost they were friends.

Gilbert pushed the cart along the carpeted floors as he headed towards the classics section.

Anne's favorite, he thought to himself. Gilbert closed his eyes and sighed. It's not like he was so oblivious as to not realize his feelings for Anne, but saying it aloud scared him.

As he restacked the books, he remembered Bash's words.

They were out in Trinidad on vacation getting lunch when Anne suddenly texted him. He opened his phone with a goofy grin only to hear Bash interject, "What're you smiling at Blythe?"

"Nothing—it's Anne. She's just a friend." he locked his phone.

"Yeah a friend that makes you smile and act like a moke," Bash joked. "Be a man. Only a boy can't admit his feelings."

It had been over 3 months since that vacation, and well over a year since he met Anne. And yet, he couldn't stop thinking about her. No matter what, the strong willed girl always managed to worm her way into his thoughts. It was as if they were bound together by strings that tied them to one another.

And though it was easy for Gilbert to admit his feelings in his mind, it was considerably harder to do so out loud, much less to her.

He clenched his jaw, forcing himself to focus on work. He glanced at the clock, and noticed he had gone a slight bit into his lunch break.

Gilbert notified Bash of his leaving and was greeted by the chill of the October winds. He thought about where to go during his break as he hadn't taken one in a while. He typically spent it talking to Anne at the classics nook or to Bash in the back room. But as Anne was nowhere to be found in the library and Bash was busy, he had no choice but to venture out for himself.

He ended up stumbling upon on a quaint looking cafe after wandering out of the plaza where Avonlea Library was located.

The cafe was called Green Gables and had an adorable woodland theme. The building itself looked like a cottage, and the inside was lit with fairy lights strung up across the room twisted with branches. The tables were all wood, and the seats as well. Each table was adorned with a mason jar filled with coiled fairy lights, which looked as if there were fireflies caught in each jar. In short, Green Gables was positively magical.

In his awestruck stupor, Gilbert did not realize there was a pair of curious eyes set on him from behind a thick book.

Anne watched Gilbert, a million thoughts filling her mind at once. She hadn't seen him for only a week, but it felt like much more. No matter how much she tried not to think of the curly haired boy, he managed to invade her every thought. She thought that by avoiding him, she could get over whatever she was feeling towards him.

And yet the time apart only made the impact of seeing each other again much stronger.

Gilbert's hazel eyes finally found her blue ones, and this time there was no stopping the storm of emotions between the pair.

He gazed at her, trying to decipher what was going on through her head. He pierced through her built up walls with one look, determined to know the truth.

Her eyes locked with his and it was though time had stopped for her. She was captivated by his eyes which seemed to have darkened and tell her that he was not going to let her go no matter what.

She shivered visibly, but stood her ground.

He noticed, and almost dared to crack a smile but refrained.

Gilbert's eyes never left Anne's as he weaved through the tables to where she was seated.

"Hey carrots," he smirked.

a/n: don't be a silent reader plz!! I love feedback of any kind :))