Undeniable Love {Shirbert Fanfic}

Chapter Four - Love Notes & Misunderstandings

Gilbert's POV
     Anne just confessed her feelings to me. How am I supposed to react? She doesn't even know I heard! I want to scream back at her, confessing my undying love for her and the fact I have been attracted to her since the day we met. Like a magnet. That sounds too desperate though and I really do not want to scare her off again.
     I decide I must step out and talk to her, for sitting here and watching her mumble to herself might make her think I am a creep. All of a sudden, I hear a stick crack. It wasn't from me though, so who else is hear? I turn my head quickly, searching my surroundings for the culprit. I look back at Anne to see looking around, terrified. The color has drained from her face and she looks as if she has just seen a ghost.
Anne's POV
     I am caught up in my thoughts when the sound of a stick cracking quickly drags me out of them. Fear sinks in me as I look around at the space in front of me, trying to see who is there. All of the possible things it could be makes my knees shake in terror. Crunches of snow can be heard as the sound slowly gets closer to me. I want to run, but it's like my legs are glued in their place. I cannot move a muscle.
     A sound comes from behind me and I swiftly turn around. Relief comes over me as I see my fox coming up behind me.
     "Oh it's only you! You scared me." I say, fully aware of the fact the fox cannot understand a thing I say.
     "Well, I should be going now. I've had enough anxiety today. Goodbye dearest fox, I hope to see you again for you are definitely a kindred spirit." I say to the fox before going back the way I came from to return to Green Gables. Hopefully Marilla is not to frightened by my absence.
     I skip the rest of my way home, happy and unbothered. I will not let ignorant Josie Pye get to me. I am not clay and she cannot mold me into the person she wants me to be. Oh how lovely it would be to use clay! I've seen Cole use it for his absolutely delightful sculptures, but never once had the pleasure of having the cool, smooth feeling against my own hands.
     When I finally get home, the sun is starting to set and Marilla is about to start dinner.
     "Hello Marilla! Oh what a lovely time I had today after school. I took an exquisite walk into the forest and sat by a small, captivating pond. Oh, and I also saw my beautiful fox! They are for sure a kindred spirit. Although I do not know the gender, I know they would make a perfect addition to our group of fellow k.." I say to Marilla, rambling through all my words and adding my usual amount of expression before she cuts me off
     "For lords sake child, hold your tongue!" She says, shaming me for my constant chatter.
     "Yes Marilla, I apologize." I say, smiling at her.
     "You are forgiven. Now clean up, tonight the Gilbert Blythe, Sebastian, and his wife Mary are coming over so we need to get started on supper." she says to me in a strict tone.
     'Gilbert's coming over tonight?!' I think to myself as I feel redness rise to my cheeks.
     "Yes Marilla." I say quickly, putting my head down so she cannot see the blush on my face. I go clean my hands, wondering why feelings have to exist.
Gilbert's POV
     Once Anne leaves the forest, I wait a few minutes before stepping out from my hiding spot and making my way back home. The only think I can think of on my way back is how gorgeous & astonishing Anne is. She is such a breathtaking girl, and she likes me! I need to find a time to talk to her about it, I just pray she doesn't slap me or run off.
     I open the door to my front house to be greeted by Bash and Mary.
     "Finally. We've been waiting for yuh boy. The Cuthbert's invited us over for supper t'night." Bash says to me in a tone that says 'get ready!'
     I nod my head and quickly rush up the stairs to prepare for dinner. I want to look my best for Anne this evening, now that I know she feels the same as I do.
     Once I am ready to go, I rush back down the stairs. I quickly put my coat, hat, and scarf on since Bash and Mary are already prepared to leave. We head out the door and make our way over to the Cuthberts, my heart pounding rapidly in my chest at the thought of being able to see Anne.
Anne's POV
After helping Marilla with dinner, I go to my room to get ready for dinner. I decide to wear a casual dark green dress with a turtle neck and wooden buttons going down the front. I undo my braids and run my fingers through my hair before grabbing out two dark brown, silk ribbons. I do my hair into two loose braids and put the ribbons in before going back downstairs to set up the table.
Marilla rings the bell to let Matthew know dinner is ready and I set up the silverware. A light knock is heard from the door and I can feel my heart start to race. I quickly run over to open the door, greeted by Bash and Mary. I smile at them and say hello while I open the door for them, looking back to see Gilbert entering right after them. He goes by me and my cheeks heat up from the close proximity as he takes his coat off and I close the door.
We all sit down, Matthew at one end, Gilbert at the other. I am next to Gilbert and Marilla. Across from me is Mary and next to her is Bash. Now that everyone is settled and has their food, it is time to say prayers. I connect my hand with Marilla and turn to see Gilbert eyeing my with his hand lies out for me to grab. I hesitate but take it, considering it is prayer time and would be rude not to. As soon as our skin touches, I feel tingles erupting in my hand. I wonder if he feels it too? I start the prayer.
"Dear gracious, heavenly father, I thank you for all we have tonight. The food, the company, the clothes on our backs and the roof over our dear heads. I pray to keep the ones we hold dearly close to our hearts safe and anyone who is going through a difficult time right now will ease out of it with help from you. We bless this food and this house. In Jesus name, amen." I say loudly, using as much emotion as I can.
As we say amen, everyone opens their eyes and unconnects their hands, starting to eat. I resentfully take my hand away from Gilbert's and start to eat my food. Throughout the dinner, the adults talked and laughed. I chim in everyone once in awhile, offering my thoughts or causing some laughter. Whenever I speak, I can feel Gilbert's eyes on me, his stare lingering even after he looks away. We make eye contact a few times, but each time I quickly look away.
I need to get rid of these feelings, for I could never wound Ruby or hold the guilt of leaving her with a broken heart on my shoulders. Also, I highly doubt he would ever feel the same and reciprocate my feelings.
     Once supper is over, I say goodbye to Bash and Mary before walking over to Gilbert. He is speaking with Marilla so I wait a few minutes before they are done and he walks over to me. I wonder what they were talking about? He smiles at me, quickly glancing over me. I smile back.
     "Thank you for coming over for dinner tonight." I say to him, trying to act natural and cool. I almost stutter a few times, but make sure to keep my voice straight.
     "It was our pleasure! Thank you for having us, the food was delicious." he says back to me, smiling genuinely before walking out of the house. I watch as their silhouettes disappear into the distance before closing the door and going upstairs to get ready for bed.
Gilbert's POV
     Since I, sadly, did not have a chance to speak with Anne alone tonight, I came up with a different plan. I will write a small note and put it into her coat pocket tomorrow before school. I will have her meet me in town after school infront of a small store at 4 o'clock, before I take her on the actual date. I already set things up with Marilla tonight to make sure I have permission to take Anne and everything goes perfectly.
     I go to sleep very happy, knowing I will finally be able to speak of my true feelings to Anne and maybe even court her. Oh how wonderful that would be. I can barely fall asleep from all of the excitement running through my veins. Finally a drift into a slumber, my dreams filled with sweet Anne.
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Gilbert's POV
     I have just awoken and it is finally time for the master plan. I woke up a little earlier today to make sure I look extra nice and have all of my plans ready to go. Once I am ready for school, I rush my way to school. I cannot hold back the excitement anymore. Anne is the only one I have had my eyes on for over a year now and I cannot wait to let her know how I honestly feel for her.
     Once I get to school, I see Anne sitting at her table talking to Diana. I take off my coat and hat before taking out the small note and quickly attempting to slip it into her pocket as I go by her jacket. Billy comes rushing through the door, scaring me a little but I have already dropped the note in so I am sure it has reached its destination.
     School goes by pretty quickly. Throughout the entire day, I try to act more affectionate and generous towards Anne, being extra nice. I do not know if she picks up on the hints, but I surely hope she does! During lunch time, I could hear some of the girls squealing and someone say something about a date, so I assume they're talking about the note I gave to Anne. I did not directly address her in it, which probably was not the most intelligent thing to do, but I did make a small carrot drawing on the back of the paper.
     After lunch, a lot of the girls keep staring at me and giggling. Every once in a while they whisper something to eachother. I chuckle as I watch this all go down, glancing at Anne every now and then to see her whispering to Diana or looking down at her board. She looks rather sorrowful, I wonder why?
Date Time
Mystery POV
     I make my way down town, my heart beating rapidly inside my chest. My palms are sweaty and My face is bright red from the cold temperature and my nervousness. I am so afraid. I just pray I do not make a fool out of myself in front of Gilbert. How awful that would be.
     As soon as the girls showed me the note, I started mentally preparing myself. I could barely even look at Gilbert in fear of blushing furiously. Once I got home after school, I prepared myself, making sure I look perfect. Only the best for Gilbert, who I never EVER thought would return the feelings I have for him.
     I turn the street corner to see him standing exactly where he said to meet. It is only a little past 4 now. I deeply breathe in and out, trying to calm myself down and finally work up the courage to walk over. Once I decide it is now or never, I slowly walk over. He is looking the other direction as I come up to him, lightly tapping his arm as I feel a blush creeping up my next.
     "H-hi Gi-ilbert!" I say, stuttering over the words. I blush even more, so embarrassed. My stomach erupts with butterflies when he turns and looks down at me. I feel like I am going to pass out from all the overwhelming feelings!
     He looks down at me, very confused. He looks disappointed as he doesn't even try to hide his bewilderment. He opens his mouth to speak, sounding so surprised as he says my name.
     "Ruby...?"
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Hi guys!! Sorry if this took so long haha I just couldn't find the time to write it. Everytime I finally sat down to write it, I got interrupted :( but I hope you guys liked the chapter!!! Next chapter is going to have lots of drama lol ;) Also I'm so sorry if this is sloppy or has any mistakes, it is very late and I am so tired. I'm going to re read it though in the morning and fix any errors, before writing chapter five!!! :)
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7/30/18
2307 words