Anne with an e- a new version of the story

Chapter 54 - GoodByes

ANNE

Anne stood in the kitchen and looked at a complicated recipe she had found in Marilla's cupboard. It had been some time since she had decided to start cooking different dishes again, and every week Anne searched through Marilla's French recipes for one that would satisfy her subtle interest in perfecting her baking skills.

She was extremely skilled when it came to making cakes, but when it came to other types of baking, her performance left much to be desired. No matter how hard she tried, the taste never quite lived up to her expectations, even though Gilbert, who was always taken as a guinea pig for her experiments, said that everything was wonderful, Anne suspected that he only said this to make her happy, and she had to admit that Gilbert was a great partner even at these times. It was amazing the way he encouraged her in everything, and this encouraged her to continue even if the results were not as satisfactory as she had hoped.

It had been a month since Gilbert had taken the test for the college scholarship, and she was still in that dizzying wait. Although he appeared calm, Anne knew that all this serenity hid within him a swirl of emotions. Gilbert was not a person who made his feelings completely clear about the things that affected him, but Anne had learned to understand the small signs that he unwittingly let show in some situations. That euphoria that sometimes took over him without her expecting it, he talked too much, gesticulated too much, was always involved in some project at school or outside of it, dragging Anne with him to everything he decided to dedicate his time to.

Anne didn't mind, because she found it fun to participate in everything with Gilbert, besides learning a lot, what worried her was that Gilbert was overloading himself with things to avoid thinking about the final test results for fear of frustrating her expectations, and when it came to Gilbert this was not a good sign.

She thought about the trip to the beach they had taken three weeks ago. The magic had taken over and they had spent the weekend in a wonderful, idyllic place. Gilbert had managed to surprise her once again, and because of his creativity and initiative they had an unforgettable time.

They returned to each other on Sunday evening, even more in love, if that was possible. Anne could not remember ever experiencing anything like this. Her life before revolved around her dreams for the future, the stories she made up, the person she wanted to be. She still had the same dreams, only now they had expanded to include Gilbert, the college she also wanted to attend, the house they built together, and the children they would conceive.

These were dreams that she and Gilbert shared and that they often discussed in between kisses. Being Gilbert's wife was everything she wanted, and she kept imagining what their life together would be like. Often alone in her bedroom, Anne imagined herself tending a garden full of roses, or preparing a wonderful afternoon coffee while waiting for Gilbert to come home from work. They would spend winter evenings around a fireplace, curled up in a comforter in the living room, and in summer they would make love on the beach, repeating over and over again the experience she had had with him on her birthday.

She could still remember the sound of the waves that cradled her sighs as Gilbert took her beyond the stars. The contact of the sand on her skin and Gilbert's lips in her hair, their hands intertwined in the hour of love, and that light pulsing in her body that even now gave her goose bumps. She would never tire of Gilbert's kisses, just as she would never forget his face.

Anne came out of her reverie and went back to concentrating on the recipe on the table. This was definitely one of the most complicated recipes she had ever prepared. The ingredients she had chosen had names she had never seen before. She would need Marilla to help her this time.

- Anne, are you home? - it was Diana's voice calling her.

- I'm here in the kitchen. -Anne answered.

Diana came through the door, her face flushed as usual, for she was always running around like a hurricane, always seeming to have a million things to do and very little time to do them. As soon as she found herself in the kitchen with Anne, she took the elegant, ribboned blue hat off her head and threw it on a chair nonchalantly.