FEM READER
I was sitting on the porch of Anne's house, the two of us engrossed in the books we were reading. I looked up from my book for a brief moment and saw Jerry pushing hay in a wheelbarrow across the yard. He saw me looking at him and waved shyly. I returned the wave before bringing my attention back to my book. Some time passed before Anne spoke up,
"Marilla has just called me in for dinner, would you care to join us?"
"Oh, no thank you. Tell Marilla I said goodbye." I said, standing up and brushing off the skirt of my dress, absolutely dreading the walk home.
I waved goodbye to Anne as I began my walk home.
"Y/n! Wait!" I heard Jerry call from behind me.
I turned around to see him putting his hat on and running to catch up with me.
"May I join you?" He asked, out of breath from the running.
"Of course." I said smiling.
"How was your day?" He asked.
"It wasn't bad. I'm sure Anne has told you about Josie Pye and her mean friends." I mentioned.
"I think she has mentioned the name before." He said, laughing.
"It's probably all she talks about." I joked.
"I know why they are mean to her but why are they mean to you?" He asked.
I paused, embarrassed.
"No reason, just petty behavior." I lied.
"Oh, alright then." He said, averting his gaze from me to the path in front of us.
After a few more minutes of walking, he spoke up again:
"Would you like me to walk you home?" He asked blushing.
"Jerry, I appreciate the offer, but I can't ask you to do that," I replied, trying to get off the topic of home.
"Would your parents not like the idea of someone like me walking with you? I can leave now if that is what you want." He said gloomily.
"No Jerry, it isn't that. I just-" I quickly grasped his hand and looked at him. I couldn't even finish what I was trying to say without letting a tear fall.
"What's wrong?" He asked, wiping my tear away.
"I live alone actually. My parents passed away and I don't usually talk about it. Normally I live with my grandmother but she has been in France for quite some time now." I admit.
"I'm so sorry, is there anything I could do?" He asked, giving my hand a squeeze.
"No, but thank you," I said, squeezing his hand back.
We walked a few more minutes hand in hand before either of us said anything.
"If you're living alone, do you eat dinner by yourself?" He asked.
"Yes," I replied shyly.
He looked at me intently,
"Can you do something for me?" He asked.
"Of course, what is it?" I replied.
"Come have dinner with my family, please." He requested, practically begging.
"As long as I won't be a burden," I said timidly.
"Of course not, my family will be so happy to have you!" He replied excitedly, taking my hand the two of us ran to his house.
When we arrived, I saw the faces of children pressed up against the glass, their smiles evident when Jerry came into view. They sprinted from the window and out the door to greet him, arms open for a hug. It took them a moment to notice my presence.
"Jerry, who is this?" One of the little girls asked.
"This is y/n. Y/n, these are my brothers and sisters, Alexandre, Sandie, Ella, Max, Alice, and Charlie." He informed me, pointing to each one of them with immense pride. They all seemed to be younger than him.
One of the younger girls tugged on my skirt. I looked down to see her face smiling up at me.
"You are very pretty, like a princess!" She exclaimed before skipping away.
I giggled and turned to Jerry who seemed slightly embarrassed, I walked closer to him and linked my arm through his before entering the house. When we walked in, it was quite small, but it was cozy. It felt like a home and not just a house. There was so much laughter and love floating in the room. I looked around and saw Jerry's parents.
"Jerry, who is this?" His mother asked, smiling at me.
"This is y/n, she is a friend of the Cuthberts'. She is currently living on her own and I didn't want her to eat dinner alone, I hope it is okay that I brought her." He said shyly.
"Of course it is, the more the merrier." His mother expressed, pulling me into a hug. (Which I happily accepted)
We sat at the table and ate as the siblings all conversed about their day.
"I must say, after living alone and cooking for myself, it is so amazing to eat such a good meal with wonderful company," I said, smiling at Jerry's parents.
"You are welcome anytime." His father said, placing a hand on my shoulder before resuming his meal.
After the plates were all cleaned up, I was collecting my things to leave when Ella approached me.
"Please don't leave, please stay for the dancing!" She begged, grabbing my hand.
"I don't want to overstay my welcome," I told Jerry.
"You're not overstaying at all, please dance with us." He said, his eyes smiling.
"Well alright," I succumbed to the smiles and the laughter to stay a bit longer.
Mr. Baynard began to play music for us to dance to, the family was laughing and spinning all over the room. It was a wonderful sight and I watched as Jerry danced with his siblings. The amount of love he showed them made me think about how much I liked him. Jerry skipped over to me and extended his hand out for me to take.
"I must admit, I'm not a very good dancer," I said honestly.
"You probably haven't had enough practice." He teased, pulling me to my feet.
His hand fell to my waist as the other held on to my hand. The two of us skipped around the room while everyone was clapping. It was an exilharating feeling like it was only the two of us in the room. The two of us locked eyes, it seemed he was feeling the same way. When the dancing ended and it was time to put his younger siblings to bed, Jerry offered to walk me home.
I took his hand and led the two of us out the door. We walked in a comfortable silence until we reached my house. We walked up the stairs slowly, not wanting the evening's events to conclude. We stood in front of my door for a moment before I finally spoke up.
"Jerry, I can't thank you enough for the incredible evening. I have never had so much fun in my life." I confessed.
"You're welcome anytime, please come more often. My family loved you!" He said with a chuckle.
"I loved them. It was so nice to be in good company." I said.
"You're good company, y/n." He replied quietly.
I quickly pecked his lips before going inside my house.
"Goodnight Jerry!" I whispered before closing the door.
I watched him walk down my steps with a smile on his face, at least the feeling was mutual.
