An: Creator of Magic: You're right. Fred is not the one for her. But, she thinks he is because he's easy for her. I think that Diana wouldn't really want to meet someone new. She would be too scared to. She will realize, but she just has some more growing to do.
Thank you!
"Jerry!" Diana was shocked. Why was he here in the house? He seemed just as confused as she was.
"Are you alright, Diana?" Jerry asked. His eyebrows were raised. She caught her breath and stepped away from him.
"Yes, I'm fine," Diana just notice their hands were intertwined. She let go immediately, trying her best to hide her slight blush. Why was she blushing? She tucked her hair behind her ear. "What are you doing here?"
"Diana!" Anne came running into the entryway. She hugged her tightly. Diana was grateful for this embrace to break some of the tension. "How did it go?"
"How did what go?" Jerry asked. Diana was all shaken up.
"It was just tea with a friend," Diana smoothed her dress. "It was good. I think I'll do something again with them soon."
"That's fantastic," Anne smiled before her eyes went to Jerry. "Oh! Um...Marilla stopped by for a surprise visit. This time she brought Jerry! Isn't that wonderful?" Anne put her hand on Jerry's shoulder.
"Yes," Diana unpinned her hat. "We met at the door. How are you doing Jerry?" Awkwardness hung in the air between the three.
"I'm doing well," Jerry nodded. He also filled out some more since the last time Diana had seen him. His eyes darted around nervously. Diana was hoping she would never have to see him again, but here he was.
"Anne," Marilla came into the entryway. "Oh, Diana. You look so pretty. I see you took good care of the brooch after all." Diana was pleased Marilla wasn't mad that Anne had lent it out.
"Yes," Diana started to take it off and hand it to Anne. "I better return it before anything happens to it." Once it was off, her shall fell from her shoulders and onto the floor.
"Here," Jerry picked it up and handed it to her. Their hands touched in the brief exchange. Diana felt a slight shock where they touched. She didn't really like the feeling, but it lingered there for a long while.
"Well I had just sent Jerry out to put out our cases," Marilla pointed to the suitcases. "We'll be staying at Josephine Berry's actually. She had requested us to bring Jerry sometime. Matthew and Jerry's younger brother will be taking care of the farm while we're gone. Rachel's feeding them, so I thought we would stay tonight and take the train tomorrow." A bell rang.
"Supper's ready," Anne looked at both of them. "I'll see you both tomorrow. If Cole is home from art school please let him know I miss him and he should come to visit. Oh and I miss Jo." She hugged them both. Marilla put on her cardigan and grabbed her case.
"We will see you girls tomorrow," Marilla stepped through the opened door. "Have a wonderful evening."
"It was good seeing you, Diana," Jerry said before grabbing his own case and closing the door behind him. Diana pinched herself, hoping that this wasn't real, but it was.
"I'm sorry," Anne put and hand on her shoulder. "If I would've known Jerry was coming I would've given you a word of warning."
"No," Diana shook her head. "That's alright. I'm totally okay with it." The last time the girls discussed Jerry, it was almost the end of their friendship. The two walked into the dining room. The girls were all chattering about but stopped when they came in.
"Please sit down," Mrs. Blackmore gestured to their seats.
Later that night, the girls all sat in Diana and Anne's room. Anne had to admit she felt guilty for the awkward interaction between Jerry and Diana. For a moment, they all sat on the beds quietly. "I knew it from the look on your face," Ruby shook her head. "It went terribly." Diana was staring at the candle again. Anne kept wondering what was on the raven-haired girl's mind
"Not at all," Diana snapped out of her daze. "It was quite lovely. He even wanted to go out again."
"Then why aren't you jumping up and down from joy?" Josie asked. She was tying hair ribbons for her loose curls. Anne knew why, which brought her a pang of guilt.
"Because I barely believe it's real," Diana smiled. The girls giggled. "It was a fantastic time."
"Well you know what comes next," Tille raised her eyebrows.
"What?" Diana played along.
"You'll have a suitor to come to visit you," Jane laughed. The others joined in.
"I wouldn't know about that," Diana shrugged, "It was just one tea and maybe a kiss on the hand." The girls squealed at this.
"Oh, Diana!" Ruby exclaimed, "This is serious." Lily came into the room. She did a couple of hand motions towards Anne.
"She says Mrs. Blackmore will be around soon," Anne got up from her bed. "Goodnight girls." They each said their goodnight to each other, leaving Diana and Anne alone.
"What will be your plans for tomorrow?" Diana asked after a brief moment of silence.
"I'll probably have an adventure in town with Jerry and Marilla. If Cole's home perhaps go to visit him. Would you like to join?"
"I don't know," Diana admitted. "Wouldn't it just be awkward?"
"Well you did leave things very untidy," Anne folded her arms as she laid down. She was still a little upset that Diana hadn't even apologized for hurting Jerry, but she didn't want to push things too far.
"I've grown so much since then," Diana nodded, "I could at least apologize to him, but it won't change anything."
"Sure it will," Anne began to turn out her lamp. "You're moving on, and so will he, but it'll be easier if he knows that you're sorry for how you left things. It's not like he's an alien. We're all people, I'm sure he'll understand." Diana didn't know if he would understand. She was an apple, and he an orange. Anne may say they're all people, but they were different breeds. He seemed to only know so little of the world of facts. She knew she couldn't have ended up with someone that wasn't like her. It was just unnatural.
"I suppose I'll give it a try," Diana got herself into bed. Her thoughts consisted of wondering what she would do the next day. Without a solution, she drifted off into sleep.
The next day, Diana had decided to go to Aunt Josephine's house to visit Cole. Marilla had come over to tell them the news this morning. After church, Anne, Ruby, and Diana all went over to the mansion. As Diana knocked, the butler swung the door open. Diana almost jumped back in surprise but was caught between Anne and Ruby behind her. "We've been expecting you ladies," he said with a small grin as he stepped aside for them to walk in.
"Funny to see you here," a voice called from the stairs. Cole walked out of the sunlight to reveal himself. Anne squealed and ran to embrace him. He picked her up and swung her around. Diana and Ruby both took a step back to avoid Anne's boots. After Anne was done both of the girls gave short embraces to their friend.
"I assume our guests have arrived," Josephine Berry walked into the entryway with her cane. "From all of the high-pitched squealing, I knew I had to come to see if a chipmunk had gotten in." Everyone laughed. "Lunch will be ready shortly. You may all wait in the parlor where our other guests are." They all followed her into the plush living room. Jo and Marilla were both sitting in separate chairs. Cole, Anne, and Ruby all sat on the couch, leaving Diana to sit on the love seat next to Jerry. She sat stiffly next to him, making sure they didn't touch. There were a few moments of silence before Anne finally spoke.
"Please tell us everything Cole!" Anne begged. "What's it like to go to school off the island? And an art school no less! It must be a magnificent place."
"It really is," Cole began. "They're many beautiful statues in the courtyards. The halls are decorated with flowers and it's just wonderful. I feel like I truly belong there."
"I'm glad you've found your place," Diana said with a kind smile.
"Speaking of places," Cole said slyly as he turned to Diana, "I heard about you going to the tea shop yesterday?" Ruby and Anne both bit their lips in order to not smile. Diana could feel her cheeks getting warmer along with a wave of embarrassment when Jerry looked at her. She scooted closer to the edge of the love seat.
"Well," Diana tried to keep a pleasant smile on her face. "All I can say it was delightful."
"That's it?" Cole raised an eyebrow.
"She's leaving out the fact that she was with a man!" Ruby's voice was filled with glee. Diana's mouth dropped. Anne's eyes widened as Ruby and Cole giggled. Jerry shifted uncomfortably in his seat next to Diana. A wave of guilt flushed over her. Ruby hadn't known about her and Jerry, and neither did Cole. Anne and Diana exchanged worried looks.
"Is that true?" Jerry asked quietly.
"Uh yes," Diana said in a low voice. She didn't look at him in the eye. "Fred Wright just asked me to join him for tea. Just some casual conversation between old schoolmates."
"Well, I know the Wright's have a fine line of gentlemen," Marilla added. There was a long silence.
"I think dinner should be about ready," Jo got up from her seat. "Diana, could you help me fold the napkins. I always love the way you put them into swans." Diana felt so relieved.
"Yes," Diana practically sprinted to the dining room. She already started folding the red cloth before Aunt Jo could even close the door behind them. The old woman then turned to her niece.
"I must say that was an awkward situation." Jo stood still. Diana continued to fold like she didn't hear anything. "Something with that farm boy?"
"It's nothing," Diana shook her head.
"That wasn't nothing," Jo crossed the table to her. "When you live this long you can just tell when two people have grown apart that were once together." Diana dropped the napkin and swallowed the lump in her throat. Once together.
"I would never court a farm boy," Diana tried to laugh it off, but she knew she wasn't playing her best. "It would never happen. Never." She cut herself off before adding another never. She faked a smile and looked up at Jo. Her face was cold. Diana felt she had no choice but to confess. "Again." She finished, dropping her act and gleeful expression.
"It must've been serious if there was still this wall between you," Jo clutched her cane.
"It wasn't serious," Diana shook her head. "We dated for a few weeks. He's just a farm boy and I need a man to-"
"To be what?" Jo demanded. "Smart in the ways of science? Elegant and rich? Dull? Since when does money matter in love? Surely, it helps, but in the end, it's never worth it."
"We're just different breeds of people," Diana shook her head again. "It's not right. Diabolical really."
"You must be forgetting my way of life," Jo shrugged. "I like people to be different. That's why I took such a liking to Anne girl." Diana thought about the party. There was a great variety of people in attendance. Diana had even learned about Jo's late lover, Gertrude. She had come to accept that information long ago, but she did have to admit that Josephine had different thinking when it came to matters of the heart.
"It doesn't matter if he's different or not. When we talked I just never felt like we were on the same level." Diana recalled the breakup. "I broke his heart, not in the right way. I'm sure that's why he's resenting me."
"When you say the same level are you saying he talked down to you?"
"No. He just didn't understand the topics very well. He never went to school." Diana explained. "But I just feel bad for how we left things. I didn't even treat him like a person. But the harm is done now."
"That's where you're really wrong, Diana," Jo reached out to her niece. She pushed back some of her raven hair. Diana met her aunt's eyes. "There's always time to make things right. Because the best thing you can have in life is no regrets."
Song Suggestion: Forgiveness (Ari Posner & Amin Bhatia)
...
Throughout supper, Diana wondered whether she would apologize. Aunt Jo's words had really implanted themselves into her brain. She just replayed the breakup over and over again. She was too harsh, and the tears in his eyes didn't make it any better. He kept saying how he was no good for her, and she let him say it. It just wasn't right. She couldn't keep seeing Fred if she still had this unsettling feeling.
It was that night when Marilla and Jerry were about to leave, did Diana make her move. They were going on the train tonight and wanted to say a final goodbye to the college girls. Anne would go with them to the station, Cole would escort her back. Diana had been doing her homework when she heard Jerry's voice echoed in the hall.
She had come out the door, but it was too late. Jerry, Anne, Marilla had already left. Diana's heart skipped a beat. She didn't want to run through the door, Tillie, Ruby, and Josie were all standing there. Diana quickly went back into her room. She didn't know what to do, she couldn't let Jerry leave yet. She paced until she saw the window.
Diana climbed through it and got onto the porch. It wrapped around the house, so all she did was run around to the front. The three were just leaving the steps. "Jerry!" Diana called. He turned to her voice. He looked at her with his protective brown eyes, making sure she was safe. She tried to ignore the little flip her stomach did when he did this. Anne and Marilla gazed with confused expressions.
"Diana?" Jerry called, slight confusion in his voice.
"Can I speak with you, please," Diana straightened and smoothed her skirt. For a moment, she had lost her manners.
"But, the train-"
"I think I can handle your bags," Anne said, cutting in.
"It leaves in a half-hour, I'll save you a seat," Marilla fumbled with the tickets but then handed Jerry his. The French boy nodded before turning to Diana. There was a dim light from the lantern on the porch, but she could see the little stubbles of hair on his chin. As he stepped onto the porch, Diana turned and led him to the back where her window was.
She climbed inside to grab her jacket, but then went back out to find Jerry leaning against the rail. There wasn't much light back here either, but Diana did not want to be seen by the other girls. She shifted uncomfortably. Her gaze didn't meet Jerry, the whole thing was just awkward. "What did you want Diana?" Jerry's voice was cold.
"Jerry I-" Diana was at a loss for words. She just felt so guilty, after all of these months. She had treated him so poorly, and he was still hurt. Her biggest mistake was looking into his eyes. Those eyes. She had seen everything in them. Joy, playfulness, passion, concern, and most memorably, hurt. She lost her breath for a moment, blinking back the pooling water in her own eyes.
He took a step forward, hesitating to reach out to her. "I'm sorry." Tears were starting to flood. She couldn't keep it together for much longer.
"What?" His voice was now soft and tentative. A nervous pain pinched her stomach. She used to love when his voice was soft, now it only made her feel more guilt.
"I hated the way I left things I-" Diana tried to blink back her tears. "I was scared that I would hurt you. I never wanted to hurt you."
"But you did," Jerry said quietly. The night's breeze tickled the back of Diana's neck. "I knew I was never good enough for you."
"I don't think I was good enough for you," Diana said suddenly. She didn't even think, she just said it. Maybe emotionally she wasn't good enough for him. He had cared so much for her, and she didn't feel the same in return. Or at least that was what she thought. "I mean, as I said before, we're different people. The way we viewed things was just different."
"I didn't have a problem with it," Jerry shook his head. "We still were just two people who were together. I enjoyed our time together. But you think that facts are more important than feelings." His words cut deep in Diana. She still could leave his gaze. His eyes were like magnets, attracting her attention.
"I'm sorry," Diana let a single tear fall. She could bear to look at the hurt expression on his face. She already knew it too well. She kept her eyes on the floor as the tears rolled down her cheek slowly. She didn't expect Jerry to say anything, but then she felt his hand on her cheek. His pointer finger brought up her chin so she would look at him. His thumb gently swept the tear away. Their faces inches apart. His hand still cupped her cheek.
"I forgive you," Jerry practically whispered. Diana's heart fluttered. Their eyes were still locked as they moved closer. The heat was strong between the once lovers. But then, Diana realized what she was doing. She couldn't let herself fall again. She refused. She just didn't want to do that to herself again- to Anne. She could never guarantee a happy future with Jerry. Diana stepped away from Jerry. His hand fell from her face. In the dim light, they both blushed a slight shade of pink.
"You better go catch your train," Diana tucked a stray raven hair behind her ear. She looked from Jerry to the floor, but then her eyes settled on Jerry. His eyes fell on her as he straightened.
"I better help you in," Jerry said as he propped her window open. She climbed inside while clutching his hand. When she was safely inside, she turned to him. "Goodnight, Diana."
"Goodnight," Diana said in a low voice. Jerry hadn't let go of her ungloved hand. He raised it to his lips and kissed the back. It was a whole different sensation than when Fred kissed her gloved hand. It was enough to make Diana's cheeks heat up.
Jerry took one last look at her before turning into the night. Diana watched as he rounded the corner of the house. Diana lifted her hand and pressed it to her heart as she leaned against the wall. She somehow felt giddy, but then she snapped herself out of it. She was with Fred, and she could continue seeing him without feeling guilty. But a feeling still lingered inside Diana, and she chose to ignore it.