Prompt/Request from a Tumblr User: "Anne or Gilbert ask the other to a dance."
A/N: I am way to impatient to write a longer fic which eventually leads into the dance part, so I am going to leave this Part 1 here in the meantime, and I would like to assure people who might be confused about certain references *the kiss* cough cough, it'll all be answered!
Never had Anne ever experienced such delight as when she heard the news of a ball fast approaching this coming season. All of Avonlea had been invited to the momentous occasion, even the simple Anne Shirley herself, by her dear friend Diana Barry.
The two bosom friends sat outside their school house near a quaint stream, sound of which was drowned out by their gaily conversation. The weather was rather pleasant, despite it still being springtime, but warm summer was forthcoming, along with the most exciting events of the season. However, it was still quite chilly due to it being very early in the morn, they had decided to beat most everyone to school, the Barry's had not sent their invitations yet and they simply had to discuss it for themselves without any meddling distractions.
Anne couldn't help herself from imagining a great stallion, saddled by a most pleasant and wild chap, meandering the wild daisies and dandelions in its wake along the fields before her now. Perhaps on his way to escort a blushing Princess Cordelia to a most outstanding ball. Her majesty would no doubt fashion her most impeccable white dress, as only the most refined of individuals could afford to do so, and she would appear as if a bride, a long embroidered veil afloat with the wind upon her pretty head.
Anne was awakened from her most agreeable daydream by Diana, "Oh Anne, you must do your best to convince the Cuthbert's to let you attend! Tell Marilla it is to celebrate your first year in Avonlea. I won't tolerate it without you," she said with undeniable conviction. According to her, the dances had always bored her to no end, there was a strict schedule for all the festivities and she always had to dance with the most disagreeable and uncoordinated of young men, "My ankles always pain me for days afterwards and all of my dresses have been ruined due to their tireless ungainliness!"
Anne mused if Diana had ever been given the pleasure to dance with one gallant and very much missed Gilbert Blythe. Well, mostly missed by all the girls, especially Ruby, Anne had much more important things to concern herself with. Like learning how to sew, embroider, cook, bake, and keeping up with her school studies of course; however that was hardly a challenge for her now with Gilbert's absence.
Diana wretchedly replied that she hadn't, he never could attend due to his father constantly being ill. Anne's thoughts travelled to her conversation with Gilbert after his father's funeral and all the times she had obtained a taste of what it must've been like for him to have to endure such a painful turn of events.
She knew not of his personal turmoil and she had been through enough of them to last her an entire lifetime, even then, she had been careless and oblivious.
"Its water under the bridge."
Gilbert had graciously forgiven her, so she eventually approached some sort of redemption.
And so she left the wings of such dark and painful thoughts as Anne refused to be bothered enough to mind the notion of being inconvenienced during a ball, surely Diana was exaggerating, her spirits simply couldn't be dampened by much of anything, "Oh Diana, at least appreciate the fact that you've been able to attend grand balls before! I have never even been in the general vicinity of one, much less attended once in all my years."
But Anne wasn't currently lamenting herself for her many woes, as she often took a lot of her leisurely time to do so, because now that Gilbert had entered her thoughts, she couldn't seem to expel him once more. Sometimes, on very rare occasions, Anne liked to imagine a myriad of different adventures Gilbert could be set on, sometimes he was captaining a most threatening ship overseas as a brave pirate. Other times he was engaged in combat with appalling drunkards, usually protecting the helpless.
Anne also pictured Gilbert in his more superficially tranquil and pensive moments, when all else fell away and he was left with only himself and his thoughts and the sea and she wondered if he might have also ever stopped to think about what she might be achieving during these six months apart. Did he ever remember their almost kiss? Would things have turned out differently for them? Did he feel the same raw almost impossible pull towards her as she had felt during their unaccompanied and shared moments?
She always felt guilty after having such judgements, for she must be the least of his concerns and with good reason. He mustn't have many positive recollections of their time together, not after she had treated him with such persistent ambivalence for so long. No, but he must think about his father frequently, then did ever cry out to the injustices in this world?
When he is alone in the darkness of night, in the shadow of all the grief and suffering that had plagued him, is he ever fuming in the face of the universe, in the face of God even?
More often than Anne would like to admit, she worried for Gilbert Blythe and mourned his boisterous laughter, tongue-in-cheek attitude, compassionate fleeting looks and stares she caught when he thought she wasn't looking. In truth, in her plight towards overlooking Gilbert, her actions had the most contrary effect in her. There is no ignoring someone who always stays near you, in thought or in heart and soul. There's simply no alluding it.
"Please, we're only fourteen years young," Diana teased, breaking Anne's reverie once again, while she committed a rather apparent burglary of Anne's lemon slices, "So you're coming?"
Anne played coy for a few beats, relishing in Diana's impatience as she leisurely bit into her scone. Staring off towards the vast and greening fields before her, Anne discerned a most familiar figure making his way towards the school in the distance, "Diana, the most bizarre apparition is currently deceiving me…surely it must be," Anne gasps, rotating her friend's head right around to face the clearing and the dark-haired young man moving steadfast for them.
Now tanned skin, the brightest of hazel eyes, illuminated by the morning sun, taller in stature, his face longer and with more dimension, but the same wistful dark and curly locks. It certainly must be him. The only way for her to improve upon this sight would be for him to be atop a magnificent stallion, then this would certainly match her fantasies. Quickly now, all about the ball was forgotten in puffs of smoke in the figure's wake.
How could it be?
The odds of such an event. Today of all days, during this conversation, right here and right now. Anne desired nothing other than to call out to him, to jump and wave her arms as if a bird in flight after being caged for so long without being in the know of having been behind bars at all, but in spite of such fervent desires, she couldn't find the strength to move an inch.
"Well speak of the devil…" Anne gasps, overcome by her sudden urgency to move to scream, to do something adventurous and free.
"Anne!" Diana chastised, perturbed by her language. Quite literally, she pulled Anne up from her contemplations to stand alongside her. She cupped her hands over her eyes to shield them from the incoming sun, "I see him too," she smiled, excitedly turning to Anne.
Gilbert wears a very light-green colored shirt, which even from afar, Anne could admire how lovely it compliments his eyes; his clothes are a striking contrast from his coats, hats, scarves, and sweaters he used to wear from this past winter. It suits him, Anne thought, he seems lighter, which doesn't deter from his immense presence.
"Do you think he's noticed us yet?" Diana asks, her chocolate eyes as bright as ever, matching Anne's own internal excitement. Oh how she struggles in maintaining a cool composure over herself.
"Maybe you should go welcome him back for the both of us," Anne whispered, turning down towards her packed breakfast in her quick attempt to excuse herself from the situation, "I'll just go…"
In all of her musings, Anne had never the courage to imagine the event of Gilbert's return. Well, at least never like this, never during a beautiful Friday morning, with the sun glistening off of the trees and their leaves and her eyes and his own in such an attractive fashion… No, she imagined him simply appearing at his desk one day, beside his friend Charlie, pencil and paper at the ready, head slightly tilted towards her at all times, as if a curious bird, always observing.
Just… come back someday.
Diana grasped at her hands and unceremoniously pulled Anne away from her things, "Don't do this. Don't throw away every day you spent with him after his father's death. Don't throw away all the progress the both of you made together as friends at last. You worked so hard to amend things between the two of you, so don't toss it all away."
"I'm not running from anything," Anne said, pulling herself away.
"I never said you were running, but that certainly does match your behavior," spoke Diana, her eyes wide, revealing Anne's own fearful ones. Anne hadn't raised herself to ever be frail or timid or scared or to ever run away. Diana couldn't have spoken truer words, Anne valued Gilbert very much and didn't want to escape him. All she wanted was more time.
She needed time to think about what to say and most importantly what not to say and she couldn't do so now and not here. Exclusively because their eyes had inadvertently met across the clearing, sending Anne into a shuddering frenzy in her skin, stomach, heart, and soul. Gilbert's dark brows furrowed as he himself examined her and she found a hint of recognized as the telltale signs of a grin began to appear upon his expression.
"I'm positive he sees us now," Diana pointed out, straightening her lovely yellow dress with the most puffed of sleeves and tried to busy herself with Anne's as well, but she knew not much could be done with such a plain gray dress, at the very least it was new.
"Diana, listen to me. I am about to engage in what might seem to most as an improper and unladylike act and so I will trust in you to alert me if you see anyone else coming to the school and to not make this into more of a spectacle afterwards as I will deny all recollection until the day I shall perish," Anne vowed as she handed her friend her flower adorned hat without further deliberation on her actions.
"Anne, you're frightening me," Diana said, clutching Anne's hat and books, but Anne was no longer paying her any attention, as she took a most deliberate breath in order to calm her nerves. Gilbert had begun to wave in their direction, his sweet curls twirling in the wind, he was holding a set of books under his arm, which Anne recognized as her own.
Before she had time to second-guess her feelings, Anne began to run out into the clearing towards a very perplexed Gilbert, defying all expectancies around her of how a lady ought to act, and she ran as if a fiery blaze were assaulting her feet and she didn't care if her braids were becoming undone against the sweet wind's current because she only cared for what she wanted and wanted to be unrestricted and rash in this moment, for the hurt of missing Gilbert Blythe had just crashed down onto her.
And then from one moment to the next, Anne halted only a mere foot away from Gilbert, breathing heavily now, her chest rising and falling in the space between them. He was so close to her then, his eyes searching hers and Anne boldly met them in kind, still struggling to catch her breath and from this proximity, she could discern his now tautly tanned face, causing the green in his eyes to become more prominent, reminding her of the bottomless emerald lakes throughout Avonlea. Gilbert seemed both immensely surprised and endlessly inviting, the corners of his mouth grew taut and lose in question, but neither had he spoken then.
Yet, Anne couldn't seem to expel words or movement and stood still as a tree in the face of a most unlikely kindred spirit.