ANASTASIA had taken upon Marilla's invitation to go to Christmas dinner at Green Gables. She wore her best dress. It was specially made for her, Jack had gotten it for her birthday. It was beautiful lilac colors, pretty pink flowers decorating the skirt. Her long hair was pulled back by a matching lilac bow, auburn curls flowing down her back.
She sighed, stepping away from the mirror. She quickly walked down the stairs, pausing by the door to pull her jacket over her shoulders, her blue scarf wrapping around her neck.
"Bye Jack!" She yelled, hurrying out the door and into the cold winter air. She waved to Gilbert and Bash who were not too far away, running over to greet them. She smiled widely, resting her hand on Gilbert's arm.
"Ah, Anastasia, you are looking very pretty today." Bash commented, earning a happy smile from the girl. Gilbert's eyes were glued to her face until she glanced back at him. He cleared his throat, gesturing in the general direction of Green Gables. Anastasia could tell he was flustered.
"We should get going," Gilbert spoke, wrapping his arms around Anastasia's. The girl smiled wider at his action, a slight skip in her step. Green Gables came into view soon after, and then they were standing at the front door, Gilbert knocking quickly.
The door was opened by Matthew, the older man's gaze straying towards Bash for an unusually long amount of time. Marilla came to the door soon after, a large grin on her face. She stood next to Matthew, nodding at them all.
"Merry Christmas to you three." She spoke merrily. Gilbert nodded his head, his grip on her arm tightening slightly. he glanced over at her quickly, his lips turned up slightly.
"And to you."
"Do come in." Marilla gestured for them to come into the house. She gave Matthew a look, Anastasia holding back a giggle at the exchange. Anastasia slid her arms away from Gilberts, pulling off her scarf, the material soft under her fingertips.
"Matthew, this is Sebastian," Marilla spoke, gesturing to Bash. Anastasia strayed loser to Gilbert, her fingers gripping onto the material of her scarf. She didn't know why, but she was suddenly very nervous, her words stuck in her throat.
Gilbert took notice of her tense posture, his fingers brushing her own. She moved the scarf out of the way, intertwining their fingers. Anastasia kept her gaze towards the ground, a grin still plastered on her face.
"Please, call me Bash." Bash responded to what Matthew had said, something Anastasia hadn't heard, "Oh, what a lovely home. Nice and warm."
Anastasia glanced over at Gilbert, a grin plastered on her face. Gilbert raised an eyebrow, pushing lightly at her shoulder. The brunette girl rolled her eyes, tugging off her coat, placing it on his arm, a mocking smirk placed on her lips.
"I think you can get them for me, right?" She smiled, moving to stand next to Bash, who was pulling something from his jacket. He pulled it out of the piece of clothing, outstretching his hand towards Marilla, a bottle of spices clutched in it.
"My, how very kind of you." Marilla smiled, studying the bottle in her hands. A short awkward silence covered the room, Anastasia playing with the ends of her dress, Gilbert watching her movements carefully.
"It's curry."
"Curry?"
"Yes, it's a blend of fantastic spices."
"Oh, why thank you." Marilla gushed, still slightly confused by the bottle. Anastasia sucked in a deep breath, her hand reaching for Gilbert's once again, squeezing lightly.
"It's good for stews."
"How nice," Marilla spoke, glancing up at Bash, "We eat a lot of stews here. Oh, won't you sit down?"
