𝑰'𝑫 𝑭𝑶𝑳𝑳𝑶𝑾 𝒀𝑶𝑼, shirbert

07. 𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝒓𝒖𝒔𝒉 𝒕𝒐 𝒈𝒆𝒕 𝒕𝒐 𝒉𝒊𝒎

"GILBERT! GILBERT!" Anne Shirley Cuthbert yelled as she approached Aunt Josephines, the place he was temporarily staying at.

She saw the door open, and the boy flung out of it, shutting it behind him.

"Anne? What's going on?" He asked, and she grabbed his hand, making a run back to the train station.

"We have to go to green gables! I'll tell you why on the train, but we have to hurry!" Anne said, as they ran into town.

"Why are we in such a rush?" Gilbert slightly shouted over the noise of the streets as the train station came in sight.

"We don't have much time to get to green gables and back!" Anne said as the two slowed down. She sighed in relief when she saw Diana, Jane, and Tillie with the tickets.

Anne and Gilbert went up to them, and the five of them boarded the train. Anne and Gilbert were breathing heavily as they sat down across from each in a seat. Diana, Jane, and Tillie sat a few seats down.

"So, why are we in such a rush to get to Green Gables?" Gilbert asked, staring into Annes eyes.

"Well, um, you see Diana and Jerry had feelings for each other last year. It did not end well. Diana wants to rekindle their friendship right away and maybe in the future...well you know. Sorry for literally dragging you here..." Anne said, rubbing the back of her neck.

"It's alright, I get to spend more time with you, don't I?" Gilbert asked, a small smirk on his face.

Anne's cheeks flushed pink and she shyly nodded. She looked to her right and saw Diana, Tillie, and Jane looking at the two.

"Do Matthew and Marilla know? About us?" Gilbert questioned.

Anne turned to look at him.

"No. I haven't gotten the chance to tell them." She said, playing with her fingers.

"Do you think if I asked permission they would allow me to...court you?" Gilbert asked, and Anne choked on air.

"Well, uh, I suppose they would allow it." She hid her face in her hands, as it was very red.

Gilbert laughed and reached forward, taking her hands off of her face. She smiled at him. He took her hands up to his lips, and lightly kissed her knuckles.

She looked at him, speechless. She dropped her hands down, but Gilbert brought one hand back and held onto it.

Anne looked around and noticed a familiar old lady looking at them.

"Mrs. Lynde!" Anne said, mortified. Rachel Lynde stood up from her seat, and went over to them. Anne scooted over and Rachel sat down.

Gilbert attempted to avoided eye contact with Mrs. Lynde, but she was staring at him. Her gaze was intimidating to Gilbert and he wanted to avoid it at all costs.

"Hello Mrs. Lynde, how are you?" He asked, letting go of Anne's hand, which she quickly flung onto her lap.

"I'm doing alright, Gilbert. How are you? I see you and Anne are getting comfortable." Rachel said, a hint of "All of Avonlea will know about this soon" in her voice.

Gilbert and Anne were silent. Diana noticed Mrs. Lynde sitting with her friends, and noticed the awkward tension in the air.

"Hello Mrs. Lynde!" Diana spoke up, waving to her. Rachel looked towards where the voice came from and saw diana, Tillie, and Jane looking at her.

"Hello Diana! How is queens?" Rachel Lynde asked, finally moving seats towards where the girls were sitting. She squeezed into the seat next to Jane, ready to go on about gossip for the rest of the train ride.

Anne let out a breath she didn't know she was holding. Gilbert ran his hand through his hair, sighing.

"Everybody's going to know by sundown." Anne whispered, annoyed at Mrs. Lyndes gossip tendencies.

Gilbert got up from his seat, and sat next to Anne. He took her hands, rubbing his thumb over the back of her hand.

"It's alright." He said, under his breath. Anne looked up at him and smiled. He looked down and smiled back. She rested her head on his shoulder, and closed her eyes.

They stayed in that position until they felt the train come to a stop.

"Anne, we're here, we have to go." Gilbert whispered, not knowing if Anne was asleep. She slowly stirred, lifting her head off his shoulder.

She yawned, stretching out. The two got up, and headed straight for the isle, not having anything to grab since it was an unplanned and very short notice trip. Diana, Jane, and Tillie stood up, grabbed anything that belonged to them, following Anne and Gilbert.

"How are we getting to Green Gables? It isn't exactly a short walk." Tillie asked, as they all headed down the trains stairs.

"Borrow a carriage and a horse?" Anne said. When nobody spoke she groaned, and started walking. Gilbert, Jane, Diana, and Tillie quickly followed her.

They walked and walked until they found a carriage and a horse attached to it. She recognized the person near the carriage.

"Matthew!" Anne cried, and ran towards him. He looked and smiled, seeing his favorite red-headed girl running towards him.

"Why are you here? You weren't supposed to come home until Christmas!" Matthew exclaimed as Anne jumped into his arms.

"Um, Diana needs to talk to Jerry." Anne said, and Matthew looked behind Anne, seeing Diana, Tillie, Jane, and Gilbert behind. They all waved. Gilbert's heart starting pounding in his chest.

"Ah I see, well everyone hop into the carriage, we'll be there soon." They all hopped into the carriage, shutting the doors. They felt the carriage start moving and relaxed. The carriage was a tight squeeze, but it was the best option they had.

"So what's the plan? We get there and you talk to him, and then what do we do? What if they don't have any tickets back to Charlottetown? Wow, we didn't think this through!" Jane said, her voice starting to show hints of panic.

"Hope for the best?" Anne replied, shrugging her shoulders.

Time passed as they all sat in silence, the carriage getting further and further to Green Gables. Finally,
Diana decided to speak up.

"We'll figure everything out when we get there, which will be soon, because we're almost there! Oh no, what if Jerry doesn't want to talk to me?" Diana asked.

"It's going to be fine, Diana." Anne said.

The carriage stopped, and Matthew opened the door for the them. Diana was the first to get out, running towards the barn. Jane and Tillie followed her, trying to keep up with her pace.

Gilbert got out, and held his hand out for Anne. She accepted it and hopped out from the carriage. She looked up at him and they held their gaze for a few moments.

Matthew cleared his throat, and snapped Anne and Gilbert out of their trance.

"Um, Matthew, may I speak with you for a few moments...alone?" Gilbert gestured to Anne, and she got the message, running off to find her friends.

AUTHORS NOTE
ahhh this is the longest chapter i've written and im happy w/ it!!