It had now been 333 days since Gilbert left Avonlea. He left without saying goodbye. You two had been dating since you first moved to Avonlea and started school. After Gilbert's father died, you began to visit him more often. You knew he was lonely and he was acting differently. He was more shut off, not just from you but from everyone he was friends with. You knew that this didn't feel like home to him and you felt like that was your fault.
That guilt only worsened when he left, without saying goodbye. At first, all you felt was sadness, but that sadness turned to anger. You had never felt this angry in your life, you wanted to scream at him and punch him. This was not possible as he was far away and didn't know where. You wished you could at least send him a letter, find out where he was, or if he was even alive. This thought worried you all of the time, what if he never came back? You pushed these thoughts out of your mind as you packed your suitcase.
You and your mother had decided to go on a trip to London, to visit your grandmother. You packed all of your best clothes as fast as you could. You put packing off until the last minute, as per usual. You were beyond excited to go to England, hoping it would maybe take your mind off things for a while.
You and your mother set off for your trip, and once you arrived you were amazed at all of the sights. Avonlea was beautiful, but this was like nothing you had ever seen before.
"Isn't it beautiful, y/n?" Your mother asked.
"It's the most beautiful place I've ever seen, I can't wait to tell Gil-" You started, before realizing what you said. You tried to get him off your mind, but you just couldn't. You let a tear slip before quickly wiping it away. When you arrived at your grandmother's house, you were amazed at the beauty of the building. Walking in, you were met with a beautiful winding staircase as you saw your grandmother walk down gracefully.
"My darlings! You're finally here." She exclaimed.
"Grandmother, I've missed you." You squealed, running into her open arms.
"You must be famished, let's have something to eat, shall we?" She questioned.
You nodded vigorously, trying to ignore the grumbling in your stomach. You followed her into the dining room with a gorgeous marble table covered with food. You all took your place at the table, with your grandmother asking your mother about life in Avonlea. She turned to you.
"So my darling, tell me about your friends in Avonlea!" She asked curiously.
"Well, there's Anne. She's always quite curious and she has such a way with words. My best friend Diana, and this boy named Moody." You explained.
"They sound lovely. Is there anyone special in your life?" She asked.
You glanced at your mother and let a tear slip, saying nothing.
"What, have I said something wrong? What happened?" She said worriedly.
"There was this boy, Gilbert. He was my love for 2 years until his father died. He had been acting differently around everyone, shutting people out. Shutting me out, which was something he never did. Have you read Pride and Prejudice grandmother?" You asked.
She gave a nod, and did not say anything.
"Well to put it in clear terms, he was the Mr. Darcy to my Elizabeth Bennet." You described.
She placed her hand on yours and said,
"What happened?"
"Well, as I said earlier, Gilbert's father passed away and he was shutting everyone out. One day when I woke up to meet him at his house to make him breakfast, all of the furniture was covered and dusty. I peered into his bedroom window and saw a stack of his books laying on his bed. I knew that it was so unlike him to just get up and leave. I also knew that he was lonely. I fell into a state of sadness and I felt guilty. I realized I didn't have to feel guilty, because he left me." You explained, crying.
Your grandmother said nothing, you wondered if it was because she didn't know what to say. You pushed these thoughts aside as your grandmother brought dessert out, it was your favorite. Halfway through your dessert, you heard a knock on the door. Your grandmother placed her napkin on the table and walked to the door. You heard some muffled talking for a while and a door closing.
"My lovelies, we have a guest!" She shouted.
You and your mother glanced at each other, wondering who it could be. When your grandmother reappeared she had a boy with her. Someone who looked very familiar, it was Gilbert. You immediately rose from the table.
"What are you doing here?" You asked, getting emotional.
"We should let them talk." Your grandmother suggested to your mother. They left the room quietly.
"I was on my way home to Avonlea, and I needed a place to stay. This house seemed warm and safe, so I knocked." He explained.
You both stood there staring at each other until you broke the silence.
"Why was I not good enough?" You asked, unable to hide your tears.
"It wasn't you. You were not the reason I left. My father always wanted me to see the world, I felt like I owed it to him." He reasoned, walking around the room.
"Gilbert, I think I need to sit down." You said.
"Okay." He put one of his hands on the small of your back as you walked towards the living room. The feel of his hand on your back was faintly familiar but it was missed. You both sat down on the couch.
"I just don't understand Gilbert, why didn't you say goodbye?" You pleaded.
"I was scared that you wouldn't let me go." He confessed.
"I would have never stopped you from fulfilling your dreams, but I wish you would have told me you wanted to see the world." You spoke calmly, taking hold of his hand.
"See, the world needs to be explored. My father always said that, but you have to understand why I did it." He pleaded.
"I do, but you left me. YOU LEFT ME GILBERT WITHOUT ANY SIGN OF YOUR LEAVING! I HAVE NEVER BEEN SO ANGRY IN MY ENTIRE LIFE. I WASN'T EVEN SURE IF YOU WERE ALIVE. HOW COULD YOU LEAVE ME?" You sobbed, falling into his chest.
He gently stroked your back as you cried. It wasn't so much that you were angry at him, but that you missed him and that you needed to be with him. As you cried, you felt his tears hit the top of your head.
"I should never have left, especially without saying goodbye. You're my world, I should never have left you." He stated.
"Do you really mean that?" You asked, still letting tears slip.
"With all my heart." He said, wiping the tears off your cheek.
You stood up and took a blanket from the closet and laid down next to him on the couch. He lifted his arm so you could snuggle underneath. You laid your head on his chest and covered yourselves with the blanket. You felt him play with your hair and kiss your head every few minutes.
Within a few minutes, you felt yourself drifting into a deep and loving sleep. Gilbert watched as you slept and he kissed your head before drifting into his own sleep.
