𝐄𝐍𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐍𝐓𝐄𝐃 ᵍⁱˡᵇᵉʳᵗ ᵇˡʸᵗʰᵉ

37

༶•┈┈⛧┈♛ ♛┈⛧┈┈•༶

"I'm Gilbert. Gilbert Blythe."

- Gilbert Blythe

---

Gilbert remembered the first day he met Charlotte Wells like it was yesterday. 

He was sitting at his desk in the school house, reading over his homework when the doors burst open. A small girl with piercing blue eyes and long dark brown hair stood at the doors, before throwing her basket and coat on the ground in the cloak bay. 

It was the third day of school for everyone, but he had seen this girl before. He had seen her working on the Cuthbert's farm, or trailing behind Matthew when he rode into town to buy supplies. 

She simply dusted off her brown pants, grabbing her slate and marching into the building. She paused as a blonde girl in a purple dress stomped towards her. "Why are you wearing pants? You're not a boy."

The brunette leaned down, rubbing the bottom of her shoes. "Why is there dirt on your lovely dress."

Josie Pye glanced down at her clean dress. "There's no dirt on my dress."

A shriek left her throat as the girl smeared her hand she had wiped her shoe with along the front of Josie's dress, leaving a trail of brown dust. Gilbert watched as the girl simply smiled at her, before rolling her eyes and sitting down at the desk in the front. She pulled out her slate, finishing the homework.

Gilbert stood from his seat, walking to stand over her and watch the work she was doing. He held his hand out for her. "I'm Gilbert. Gilbert Blythe."

"Charlotte Wells." She looked up at him, raising an eyebrow as he stayed put. "You can leave now."

Gilbert glanced over her slate. "Before I leave, just letting you know you got number three wrong."

In that small second, Charlotte's bright expression dimmed, her eyebrows lowering into a glare directed right at him. "I don't need your help."

"Really?" he asked. "Because-"

"Go away, you're annoying me."

Instead of being insulted by the comment, a small smirk stretched along his lips. He knew then what his new favourite hobby would be. "Your nose goes pink when your mad."

Charlotte continued to glare as he walked away, knowing that her reaction to the comment was the funniest thing he had seen in his life. Right then, he decided his favourite activity was to see how annoyed he could make her each day. Some days, he decided to leave her alone, until he found her weakness. Her education. 

He quickly figured out, telling her she was wrong was the thing that annoyed her the most in the world. That and continually talking when she wanted to be left alone. He made it his mission to irritate this girl as much as he could because he found it funny. 

As he grew older, he continued irritating her. At first it was because her eyebrows lowered and her tiny fists clenched, but then it was the fact for a moment, her attention was on him. On days she didn't turn up to school, he had no idea what he would do that day. At lunchtime, he had nobody to randomly talk to when he felt like it. 

He just thought he liked annoying her because she looked like a grumpy toddler, but then he realized he liked the attention. He liked when she looked at him, he liked when she yelled at him. He liked her. 

He liked the way he was the only one that was able to turn her cheeks red. 

And as he stood in the ruins of her story club, he scolded himself for not realizing sooner. 

I regret spending so much of my time hating you. Maybe if I hadn't I would have realized it sooner.

His eyes aren't the color of the ocean, but I feel like I drown every time I look at him.

Gilbert stood outside the wrecked story club, the small shack still broken to pieces. Several of Charlotte's writing were still scattered around the area, the ones she had missed when she tidied up.

His eyes scanned over each and every page he found. He didn't know why he was here, all he knew was that something had made him trek into the woods until he found it.

Five pages were in his hands as he crouched down beside the destroyed house. He grabbed another as it fluttered in the wind until it landed at his feet. His heart clenched at the words written on the page.

I told Whiskey about you.

In that moment he knew. It wasn't Winnifred. It was her.

It had always been Charlotte.

---

20/03/2024

short chapter but its so GOODODD. 

gilbert get your head out of your ass it's not a hat and ask out our charlotte. 

alsooooo. guess who just published the first chapter of my newest gilbert book. Hope to see some of you guys there. 

Jerry is next on the list, i did not forget about our favorite farm boy.