Close Proximity -Anne With An E-

Chapter 9| another rainy day.

For the rest of the day, Anne tries her hardest to act like nothing's changed between her and Gilbert. But the times when Gilbert's hand briefly touched hers, or he brushed a strand of hair out of her eyelashes, she couldn't breathe.

Gilbert and Anne go walking through the woods, absentmindedly keeping up a casual conversation. As they walk, their hands keep on brushing against each other, eventually Gilbert just takes her hand in his, causing her heart and breathing to completely stop, her throat suddenly parched.

The snow has started to melt, due to the rainfall from the night before, the world preparing for spring. Anne tries to take her mind off of her and Gilbert's intertwined fingers by marveling at the last of the ice frozen to the trees and the leaves covering the forest floor.

Gilbert mentally slaps himself for being so forward, but he doesn't move to let go of her hand. The sky decides to pour out unknown amounts of water, picking up where it left off the night before.

Anne pulls her hat down further down over her ears. Gilbert looks at her through the rain, he nods his head in the direction they just came from, "Shall we go back?"

Anne nods, laughing softly. Her dark hair sticking to her wet forehead, and droplets of water dripping from the top of her head. Gilbert steps closer, brushing the hair away from her cheeks, letting his fingers linger.

Anne looks up into his eyes, her mind racing, Is he going to kiss me? Her mind replays a time when she was in her room with all her friends from school, talking about kissing, "Why must the girl wait for the boy?" she had asked, "If I wanted to kiss a boy, couldn't I just... kiss him?"

All the other girls had said no, it was improper, you must wait for the boy. So she sits, and waits for him to make a move.

Gilbert has always seen Anne as a girl who says and does as she wants, so when she doesn't kiss him, he takes it as, she doesn't want to.

The both of them turn back towards the house, dejected. Though, neither of them let go of the other's hand.

When they get back under the protection of the roof, Anne laughs, taking off her coat, "Well, that downpour came out of nowhere."

Gilbert nods, peering out the window,"It rained for hours last night, how does the sky still have this much rain left to give?" Anne comes behind him, looking out over his shoulder, making his heart stutter.

She laughs breathily, "That's an enigma."

Gilbert turns his head, their noses almost touching, Anne smiles, "I've always loved the rain, the petrichor, the thought of the world being cleansed."

Gilbert turns, so he is completely facing Anne, he lifts an eyebrow, "As I recall, you were afraid of it last night."

Anne rolls her eyes, "Of the thunder, not the rain."

Gilbert laughs, "Right. Sorry."

Anne looks into his eyes, feeling as though his irises have taken her to a different world.

Gilbert can only think of his rejected kiss. His heart breaks, she doesn't want to.

At the thought, realizing how hurt he is at her rejection he realizes, Oh no, I think I'm falling in love with Anne Shirley-Cuthbert.