after you

no dress rehearsal

there was a brief moment where anne felt as if this was some sort of cruel joke, this wasn't reality.

it couldn't possibly be true.

pinch

anne knew deep down that she wasn't dreaming, that this was her real life.

she just stood there, frozen, watching gilbert stare at this random girl with such interest, as if he was listening to every word she was saying. hanging off them as if they were the only thing between his world and the after one.

it was if it was life or death to him.

anne tried not to panic, she wanted to storm in there, yell at him or maybe she wanted to go in there and just cry. either way it was taking everything inside her not to go inside the tea shop that he had promised to take her to one day.

then it hit her.

she had been standing out there for far to long and she would die of mortification if gilbert had caught her. so like did every so often, she ran away from him. she ran straight to his dorm.

***

in tears she paced back and forth around the small room, "fred, i just don't understand who is this girl?"

with a calm look he extended an arm to her, "describe her to me, i'm sure it's not what you think, alright?"

"she uhm has exquisite raven hair that's- that's on the shorter side i think and she had these beautiful blue eyes and she was dressed in a pastel purple dress" she said while trying to remember the girl who may or may not be a threat to her relationship with gilbert.

she couldn't tell if she wanted fred to say he had known this mysterious girl or to say that he didn't.

on the one hand, if he knew this girl than there might be a perfect explanation for the hand holding and the gazing. but on the other if he knew her, that may mean that gilbert has been growing close to this girl and she may have feelings for him and that he may return them.

on the other other hand if he didn't know her that might mean that she was just a stranger and gilbert was just being a gentleman like always. but on the other other other hand maybe they ran into each other and he likes this new girl better than anne.

that's why when fred said, "i don't think i know her, but i'm sure it's not what you think" anne panicked again.

she was trying not to think lowly of gilbert but how could she not right now?

after he hid winiferd so well while sharing intimate moments with her, how could she not be suspicious of his actions sometimes?

she trusted him with her entire heart but she did not trust this new girl.

"but what if it's exactly what i think!" she exclaimed as she plopped herself onto gilbert's bed, "how can you be so sure he's not involved with her too?"

with a slight smirk fred responded, "because all he does is talk about you"

a blush erupted from the redheads face as she registered the words he had just said, "all good things i hope"

"all good things i promise" he said before muttering, "even things i never wanted to know"

"what was that?"

"oh nothing"

"fred, you have-" but before anne could even finish her sentence the door swung open.

anne was too suprised by the door opening so fast, to see his face swiftly turn from the depths of despair to euphoria. unluckily for gilbert, fred had noticed though.

"annie" he said with the widest smile he had ever given her before rushing to her, "what are you going here? is everything alright?"

a giggle had erupted from her lips before she had embraced the poor worried boy, "i just missed you was all so i thought i'd suprise you gil"

"we'll render me suprised" he said before leaning in to finally kiss her once more.

"ahem, i'm still here by the way" fred said with a teasing annoyance, "can you two love birds go somewhere else?"

gilbert rolled his eyes before he grabbed anne's coat and took her outside.

but before anne left the room she saw fred mouth the words, "told you so"

Hey y'all!! any theories for who this mysterious girl may be??

i'll give you a hint: she's a crucial person in gilbert's life right now :)