Gilbert noted, Anne was becoming more and more beautiful every day. Their relationship still a secret he yearned to tell the world they were together but knew he must wait. They spent more time together as friends studying then as beaux. He wasn't even sure anymore if she blushed at his gaze, his smile, his wink...Yet the more beautiful she got the more male attention she received. He couldn't object to it, yet Charlie Sloane was trying for Anne's affections. His stomach crawled with envy whenever he did it. How was it fair that someone who barely knew Anne could flirt with her so openly, yet he loved her and still was not allowed to call her his beau in front of everyone? But every time he stopped by Green Gables Marilla's watching eye reminded him, if she found out they would be separated. But he was 17 years old now Anne turned 15 in March, he knew the time was nearing where they could be open about the true nature of their relationship, if there was still one, was there one?

He moodily went outside to lunch time and watched as Charlie flirted with Anne. Was she receiving it? She smiled at Charlie something raised in him. His hazel eyes felt green with jealously as Charlie stroked down Anne's arm lightly. He burned inside and felt sick. He got up from the tree he was under he couldn't handle this anymore he walked away from the scene, being back in so soon Miss Stacy looked up.

"Is everything okay Gilbert?" She asked.

"Yes Miss Stacy." He replied rather mechanically. "I'm just not hungry, can I get on with these sums?" He asked.

"don't you want to wait for Anne?" She asked.

"No." He said shortly. She's clearly not waiting for me anymore.

Anne in the meantime was highly uncomfortable getting advances from anyone but Gilbert. She remembered his embraces were never forced, she never felt uneasy with him. Yet something about Charlie made her despise the attention. He had tried to feel her arm before, she hadn't been sure what to do so had uncomfortably smiled at him, when she had found Gilbert in the crowd of school mates he had walked towards the school house and not looked back. Help! She had thought.

"Well what do you say?" he asked her.

"ermmm" she replied.

"About going to the concert together, I could come by and get you."

Anne felt sick. She looked at him and all she could see were goggle eyes and his humour wasn't anything special. Oh there was nothing wrong with the boy, he was just Charlie, and it made Anne uncomfortable for him to be flirting so, especially considering who her beau was.

"Oh I really can't Charlie I already have arrangements made."

The school bell finally rang Anne practically ran into the school room. Anne sat down next to Gilbert relieved to be near to her beloved. His head down on the work he had, she admired his curly brown hair, always messy, always out of control, oh but she loved it. When they were alone she would (she decided) play with his hair and he could play with hers, so intimate, such closeness, she'd missed that, it had seemed like months and months since they had been close, alone. It was now almost May. They had been so busy with school there had been no time for sweet murmurings to each other whenever they had spent time together it was working. Between trying to fool people into believing they weren't beaux so spending more time with other people and concentrating on passing to get to queens, they had barely touched base in such a long time since the winter recital and dance. She loved his beautiful features which had over the last months turned into a Young Man's face. Masculinizing him further he quickly had become the most handsome man in Avonlea and everyone said it, it wasn't just inside her head! She reached her hand across to his knee which he quickly jerked out the way. Anne was confused she tried to establish eye contact with him but his head remained down and working. She moved her leg under the table next to his he immediately moved his legs to the other side of his chair.

Has he started on these sums without me? She thought looking over at his work. She silently got her work out looked a moment to the front of the class and saw Miss Stacy looking over concerned. She didn't want to make a scene that way they would be sat separately.

They worked in silence for a few moments. Anne's eyes stinging with tears. She needed closeness to Gil and he was giving her a very cold shoulder and she didn't know why. She couldn't even look at her sums. She tried one last time for his attention "Gil.." she said shaken "I need help with these." She pleaded.

"You know where the teacher's desk is Anne." He said without looking at her. Her head back down she slowly made her way to the front of the room.

"Miss Stacy, can I ask for your help on these?" Anne asked quietly.

"Have you asked your partner?" This was the standard question Miss Stacy always asked her students upon coming to her for help.

"Yes Miss Stacy." She said sadly. "He said to ask you."

Miss Stacy could see Anne was almost in tears. Had Gilbert and her quarrelled? She found it difficult to believe after all this time any sort of argument had formed between the two. She knew they hadn't came in the door together after lunch but this wasn't unusual. She lead Anne to the back of the class and out the door for a moment.

"Anne is something the matter?" Miss Stacy asked her. "Have you two quarrelled?" She asked.

"No Miss Stacy, I don't know what the matter is. We've been chums all year getting on with work you know we don't let it affect our schoolwork. I don't know what's wrong." Anne said breaking into tears. Miss Stacy hugged her young student. "I felt horrible coming inside at lunch time and he won't even acknowledge me, I asked him for help and he just told me I knew where the teachers desk was. I swear I've done nothing Miss Stacy."

"Oh its okay Anne, don't you worry. Oh dry your eyes, we shall go back in and complete those sums together."

Gilbert had continued his cold shoulder treatment the rest of the afternoon and the next day. By this time Miss Stacy was worried. Anne had cried again during lunch break she had heard her round the back of the building where Gilbert and her used to meet. But apart from that had kept her head down. They were technically keeping their promise of working but she hated to see her two favourite students so sad. The change in her demure was obvious. She watched carefully as her Queen's students packed away their belongings, she saw Charlie approach Anne.

"Say Anne do you want to walk home together? We can compare notes on Latin if you like?"

Miss Stacy watched as Gilbert shoved his belongings into his bag a bit harder than before, she also saw behind his turned back Anne look longingly at him as if to get permission from him, when he didn't respond she turned back to Charlie and nodded sadly.

"Gilbert might I have a word please?" She asked before he reached the door, the rest of the class left the room. He turned on his heel and stood before her desk "Gilbert what is going on?"

"Nothing." He said gruffly looking at his feet.

"I see." She said then gave a huge sigh. "You need to be more careful with your books Mr Blythe the way you were shoving them in your bag you think you had a something against them."He stood in silence. "You know you have a study partner for a reason, if there's any problems..."

"I don't want to work with Anne anymore." he muttered.

"Alright Gilbert now I know there is something wrong. I asked Anne the other day and she said you hadn't quarrelled?" Gilbert remained silent. "Then what is it Gilbert, because Anne is broken hearted. She doesn't know what she has done wrong."

"She wouldn't." he finally replied.

"Alright Gilbert Blythe you snap out of it and tell me what the matter is or you'll have lines for a week."

"This has nothing to do with school, you can't..."

"Oh but I can. Its affecting your school work and another students school work. She was in tears after lunch yesterday and at lunch today Gilbert did you even notice?"

"She has no right to be the one in tears." He snapped.

"Because..." Miss Stacy probed.

his calm countenance came back a little as he quietly said "Have you noticed how beautiful she is?"

Miss Stacy smiled. "Well I can't say its escaped my notice."

"And how everyone wants to be near her?" Gilbert was trying to avoid the direct problem.

Miss Stacy nodded and realised the problem. "Especially other young men, am I right Gilbert?" He didn't say anything but looked at his feet. "Like Charlie?" she asked. She held back a laugh. "Oh Gilbert you have no need to be jealous, when he asked her to walk home today she looked to you before giving an answer."

"He was flirting with her and she smiled." he said in his defence.

"well I can't say what happened but have you asked her? she may have been keeping up pretences, I thought no one was suppose to suspect you were together?"

"They aren't."

"so can you really blame Anne for some attention off other boys, you said yourself how pretty she is, if you noticed you can bet others will. And your not exactly innocent of receiving other girls attention, Anne could easily get jealous if she allowed herself to."

"What if she chooses one of them instead of me?" he asked quietly his own insecurities now exposed, he felt a little vulnerable in asking.

"If you had been looking you would have noticed she doesn't want anyone but you." she smiled. "Gilbert I have some homework for you." she said grinning. "I want you to go to green gables and make up with Anne, ask her how she feels before jumping to conclusions about her feelings."

He smiled. The first smile she had seen in a couple of days "Do you want an essay on it?" he said teasingly.

Miss Stacy smiled further. "A simple nod in the morning will let me know the assignment is complete, for extra credit a smile on Anne's face would be appreciated."