AHEAD BY A CENTURY - ANNE WITH AN E

1. The State Of Affairs

"Anne." Spoke Gilbert Blythe; responding to her name, the Auburn-haired girl swiftly turned, resulting in her wild, yet bouncy braids giving Gilbert a good smacking in the face, leaving him taken aback.

"Sorry Gil-"

"Anne." They spoke simultaneously, both of their once-pale complexions growing scarlet in response to their synchroneity. They exchanged a prolonged glance, analytically gazing into one another's eyes, without realising that Gilbert's school books had been knocked onto the ground as a consequence of her braids striking him. They both dropped down in an attempt to collect them, their heads colliding, excruciatingly so.

Groaning, Anne clutched her potentially bruising fore-head as Gilbert rubbed his protectively. Gilbert, upon acknowledging Anne's equally agonising head, outstretched his hand for Anne to take and he pulled her up. Their wide eyes yet again became interlocked as they stood for what seemed like an eternity, yet it must've only been seconds, still within each other's grip.

"Are you okay?" Anne spoke to him, the concern in her voice increasing with pitch.

"Nevermind me. Are you okay?" He replied worried that he had harmed her in even the slightest.

"What is going on here?" Mr. Phillips appeared, sternly as usual. It was incredibly unlikely, no, impossible that he actually cared even minutely, but he had to assert his authority as frequently as possible.

"Just an accident. Sir." Gilbert answered, his head still aching terribly.

"Blythe, you and Miss Cuthbert go home, you'll just waste my time by attempting to learn anything in that state." Phillips called out without an ounce of concern for the presumably concussed students. "Dismissed." He then followed.

Diana rose out of her chair intending to be of aid for Anne; "Not you, Miss Barry. Just Miss Cuthbert and Mr Blythe." He said, trying to write the date and lesson title on the blackboard. Diana gave Anne a sorrowful look and waved half-heartedly as Anne and Gilbert departed from the school building.

"Do you think Gilbert is alright? He looked so hurt." Ruby Gillis asked Diana as class resumed.

"I sure hope so. Anne too." Her grim facial expression lingering.

"He's ever so courageous!" She declared.

Meanwhile, Anne and Gilbert were strolling their way through the late-summer field which was essential on their way to and from school. A kaleidoscopic array of wildflowers brushed against their legs as they clutched their chalkboard and books to their chests in silence. The sun glared over them igniting Anne's hair like it was the wick of a candle.

Gilbert couldn't help but adore her harmonisation with nature, her eyes, when reflecting the sky appeared almost oceanic, her lips were soft with a strong likeness to rose-petals. Nature simply enhanced her appearance, it appeared her adoration of the earth was not unrequited.

"I must be getting home so Matthew and Marilla can ensure I'm still intact." Anne stated as they neared the woods.

"No need," Gilbert replied, "I am an aspiring Doctor after all." He smiled, a self-deprecating chuckle escaping him, before leading Anne down his usual route home.

Not long after the duo reached the Blythe residence, which due to Mr. Blythe's death seemed empty and unloved, which Anne could only imagine, reflected Gilbert's innermost feelings. Gilbert sat Anne down on a likely neglected chair, as there was no need for him to use the entire set now that he was the only occupant of the house,  in the kitchen before gathering essentials for doctoring; A Cold, Damp compress (cloth), A roll of bandages and some tea for boosting morale after the drastic turn of events.

The two sat awkwardly as Gilbert held the cloth to Anne's bruised, bloody and aching head. Their bodies close, they both felt uncomfortably awkward yet longed to comfort each other, he bandaged her calm, yet still agitating bump on her forehead; smiling and looking deep into her azure eyes. Anne, avoiding eye contact, was looking down at her hands which were resting on her skirt, fiddling, to avoid his attentive gaze.

Although Anne's wounds had been attended to, Gilbert's head was still throbbing sorely.

"Thank you, Gilbert." Anne said unusually quiet, her voice not expressive itself as passionately as she was notorious to do.

"Please. Call me Dr. Blythe." He joked, lightly chuckling at his remark. "Are you okay? Is your head still throbbing?" He asked fiddling with her bandage.

"No I'm fine. But your head..." she said dramatically yet sadly.

"I will survive." He smiled and poured Anne a cup of tea. It was dreadfully, painfully quiet for the passing ten minutes. Ticking could be heard over the deafening silence of two of Avonlea's finest young conversationalists, time was barely passing yet each second in each other's awkward presence felt like a lifetime.

"Sugar?" Gilbert pierced the silence.

Anne appeared startled. "I beg your pardon?"

"Sugar? In your tea?" Gilbert repeated.

"Oh um, two. Please." She said, and they sipped tea peacefully. The tea provided an acceptable, but not rude, excuse to remain silent and unknowing what to say after she had emptied the cup of its contents, she pretended to still have tea left and continuously sipped the air that now filled the vacant mug.

"Either that teacup is refilling itself or you're avoiding talking to me." A light smile yet again appeared on his handsome face. "Are you sure you're alright? You are usually extremely talkative and argumentative but today, you're.. unlike yourself."

" I don't know. I just feel different." Anne said, finally looking up into his deep, emotional eyes.

"Good different or bad different?"

"I'm not quite sure." Anne said honestly. "New different."

Another, awkward silence awoke and crept into the kitchen where the two teens sat.

"So what shall we do? You're not expected home for another 4 and a half hours. And we're missing out on our much valued education." Gilbert broke his way through the recurring silence.

"I suggest we educate ourselves." Anne proposed thoughtfully, her mind returning to its previous, imaginative state.

"What shall we learn today?" Gilbert joined in, unsure if they were truly going to learn or play an imaginative game. That was often the case when one was in the presence of Anne Shirley-Cuthbert, one never truly knew what was real and what was pretend.

"We shall participate in a creative writing class." Anne spoke, picking up her ink, pen and book. Gilbert went and fetched his school supplies on the kitchen counter, where he had placed them when they arrived.

They spent the next 2 hours spread across the kitchen, engrossed in their novels.

Hours passed and Anne grew to the end of her short novel and began to peer at her surroundings and her curious eyes couldn't help but fall on Gilbert, looking ever so intelligent and rather handsome while writing. His pupils swelled with emotion with each word he scribbled. After a few minutes Gilbert met Anne's eyes and said "Shall we read through each other's work?" At first Anne was hesitant about sharing her tragic story with him, not used to feedback from anyone besides her dearest bosom friends, but gave it to him all the same. She sat and marvelled over his thoughtfulness and his deep writing, as Gilbert was with Anne's.

"Anne! This is... Extraordinary, the best I've ever read." Gilbert sighed, wishing she'd say the same for his, yet knowing deep down, he would never meet her standards of writing.

"Gilbert. Yours surpasses my expectations by a million times." Anne smiled.

"Did you just. Compliment me?" Gilbert smugly smiled and blushed.

"don't get used to it." Anne laughed.

"We're back to our usual self now, are we?" Gilbert said laughing too.

Without realising, their chairs had inched closer due to them evaluating each other's writing and now sat so close they were practically sitting on the same chair. Gilbert stared at Anne's, pale, rose lips and leaned in-