Chapter 14: Lost Hope

Anne went home from the restaurant that night feeling lost, lonely, and confused. She couldn't believe that Roy allowed his family to torment her like they did. He claimed that he loved her, but was he just saying that? Was he in love with the idea of love? Was she? Anne stopped and thought about it. All her life she wanted someone to come and sweep her off her feet and take her away. Roy was like that in a way, but Anne found herself wanting more. It wasn't as satisfying as she thought it was. Maybe her ideals were wrong to begin with; she didn't know. Before she could do anything else, she heard someone banging on her door.

"Anne, it's Roy. Please open up."

Oh boy, she thought. Should I get it, or should I not?

Roy kept banging on the door, so Anne decided to open it to make him stop. "Yes?"

"I wanna talk. Come up to the roof with me."

"No."

"No?"

Anne shook her head. "No."

"Please? Just hear me out," Roy pleaded.

She sighed. "Fine."

Anne followed Roy up to the roof and stood at the exact same spot she stood when she first met him.

"Anne, I'm sorry for tonight," Roy said. "I've been thinking about what you said, and you're right. I should have said something to Mom and Dorothy and Aline, and it was wrong of me to have kept quiet. You mean a lot to me." He took Anne's hands and put them into his, and she turned to look at him. "You're unlike anyone I've ever met before, and I love everything about you. I want to spend the rest of my life knowing you and your secrets." He got down on one knee and pulled out a box in his pocket. Inside that box was a flawless diamond ring. "Anne, will you marry me?"

Anne put her hand over her mouth and closed her eyes. She had always dreamed of a moment like this, but something in her heart told her otherwise. A tear trickled down her cheek.

"Anne?" Roy asked. He didn't know if this was a good or bad sign.

"I'm sorry, Roy, but I can't marry you," she managed to stammer out.

Roy got up on his feet and was stunned. "But...but...why?"

"You want someone who will love you and care for you and will treat you like a king."

"That's not what I'm looking for -"

"I want someone who belongs in my life. We live in two completely different worlds, Roy."

"But I don't understand - "

"It's for the best. You'll know what I mean ten years down the road from now." She hugged him and kissed him on the cheek. "Thank you for everything that you've done for me. I'll never forget you." She turned and walked back down to her apartment, leaving Roy standing all alone on the roof. He didn't know what to say or do or think. All he knew was that she had rejected him, and he had let her get away.

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Roy left Kingsport with his family without saying goodbye to Anne. Last night had been tough. His family had no clue what went on, and they apparently didn't care. They still didn't understand why Anne had left the restaurant so suddenly; they thought they had done everything right. After dropping his mother and sisters at their respective houses, he returned to his dorm at Redmond. Gilbert knew there was something wrong when he saw Roy removing the picture of him with Anne near his bed.

"Roy, is everything all right?"

"Yeah," he replied.

"How'd your trip go?"

"Okay."

Gilbert knew he was lying due to his body language, but he didn't push it. "That's good."

Roy was feeling uncomfortable. "I'm gonna go out for a bit. See ya later, Gil." He walked out of the room.

That's funny, thought Gilbert. He was raving about Kingsport and his family before he left, and now he acts all bummed out and removes a picture of Anne from his bed stand.

Refusing to personally interfere with matters, Gilbert sought out the help of a special friend, Phil Gordon, and hopefully, she would tell him what was going on.

"Hello?"

"Phil, it's Gil."

"Hey! It's nice to hear from you! It's about time you called me! How are you doing?"

"Good, Phil. Anyway, I have a favor to ask of you."

"Ask away, mi amigo."

"I know you know Roy really well, and he just came home from his trip to Kingsport looking depressed. There's something bothering him even though he won't tell me. I knew something was wrong when he removed the picture of him with Anne from his bed stand."

"Something must have gone terribly wrong. What do you want me to do?"

"Ask him what happened, but don't tell him I told you to do this."

"You can count on me, Gil. Why don't you meet me at the hangout in an hour? I think I can find Roy by then and can tell you your answer."

"Sounds good. Thanks a lot, Phil."

"Bye."

"Bye."

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Phil started on her mission by searching all of Redmond for Roy, looking at the usual spots but was out of luck. He was nowhere to be seen.

"Where are you, Roy?" asked Phil.

After running around the campus a few times, she eventually found him sitting on the steps to the Redmond library and moping.

"Roy, what are you doing here?" she asked.

"Hey, Phil," he greeted without any expression whatsoever.

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing."

She took a seat next to him. "Oh come on. With that tone in your voice, I know there's something wrong."

"Well, all right," he admitted. "Maybe there is something wrong."

"Like..."

"A rejected proposal."

"What!" Phil was shocked. "Did you pop the question to Anne?"

"Yep."

"And she said 'no'!"

"Yep."

"Oh, Roy. That's terrible! What happened?"

He told Phil the previous day's events, starting with the introduction to his family and ending with he considered to be the most humiliating moment of his life.

"I don't know what to do now. I love her though, but I guess I'll have to let her go if she wants to be happy."

"You're a good guy, Roy. Hang in there." Phil patted him on the back. "I'd love to stay, but I have to run some more errands. I'll talk to you later."

She went off happily to the popular Redmond hangout and looked for Gilbert. She knew she shouldn't take pleasure in another person's pain, but she couldn't help herself. With Anne rejecting Roy, that meant Gilbert had a chance. Phil found Gilbert sitting in a corner waiting for her.

"I found him," Phil said.

"What happened?" Gilbert asked.

"Roy went to Kingsport as you know to introduce his family to Anne. Things went horribly wrong, and Anne stormed out at dinner. At the end of the night, Roy apologized and then proposed."

"Proposed?" Gilbert's mouth hung open.

"Yes."

"Oh my gosh." He sat there, dumbfounded.

"Gil, listen to me!" Phil put her hands on his shoulders. "Anne is not engaged!"

"Whew." He breathed a sigh of relief. I'm still good.

"That explains why Roy removed the picture. He didn't want anything reminding him of her."

"Oh." A smile escaped from Gilbert's lips. "Thank you, Phil."

"Don't mention it. I would have scooped anyway because I'm curious like that."

Gilbert laughed. "I know you are."

"You still have a chance with her, Gil."

"I know, but..."

"But what?"

"What if she turns me down again? She already rejected me twice!"

"That was different. She didn't know any better. I know you're gonna think I'm crazy for saying this, but going to Kingsport might have helped you out."

"Huh?"

"She has time to figure things out. Without Roy and Morgan and Jack, she wouldn't have anyone to compare you to." At that moment, Phil's cell phone rang. "Excuse me for a moment." She picked up the phone. "Hello?"

"Phil, it's Anne."

"Anne! How are you?"

"Not too good. Roy proposed to me last night, and I rejected him."

"Aww. You poor thing."

"At least two out of the four guys that were bugging me are out."

"That's true."

"Now I have Jack and Gilbert left."

"Speaking of Gilbert -"

At that moment, Christine Stuart ran into the room and screamed at the top of her lungs.

"I have a ring! I have a ring!"she shouted.

"Who is that?" asked Anne.

"Christine Stuart," Phil replied.

"Christine? She has a ring! And Gilbert's there? She's engaged before I am!"

"Anne, let me explain -"

"Gilbert Blythe is engaged to another woman? I can't believe this!"

"But Anne -"

"I can't talk right now, Phil. I'll talk to you later." She hung up the phone.

"No!" Phil cried. "She hung up."

"I guess that ruined my chances," Gilbert said sadly. "I'll see you later, Phil."

"Gil, wait!"

It was too late. Gilbert had all ready run out the hangout.

"No," Phil whispered.

"What's the matter?" asked Christine.

"I think Gilbert's chances of getting Anne are slim to none right now."

"Oh no. I ruined everything, didn't I? I didn't mean to! My fiancé Jim finally gave me a ring after being engaged for one year."

"Engaged for a year?"

"Yes. Jim didn't have any money left over after beginning his practice as a doctor, but he wanted me to marry him anyway. I accepted and patiently waited until I could have my ring. That's why I was so happy when I ran in here; I didn't know you were on the phone with Anne."

"It's okay, Christine."

"I feel so bad though! I know how much he loves her."

"I wish there was something we could do to make Gil go back to Anne again. He's still scared of being rejected."

"I know. Maybe I should talk some sense into him."

"That could work, and if that doesn't work, then I'll talk to him."

"Sounds like a plan." They shook on it. "I'll go find him now."

"Okay."

Christine hurried off to find Gilbert and hopefully convince him that Anne truly was the one he should be with.