Chapter 23
When Anne was given the all clear to leave her room, Henry promptly presented her with a pair of Tommy's pants and a shirt since the eleven year old was much closer in size to her than he was and informed her to put them on, she was going to learn to swim.
Anne looked dubiously at the garments and said, "I can't wear Tommy's things. His shirt would never fit over my-" blushing she gestured vaugely to her chest area and Henry blushed as well not having considered that she had something there Tommy did not.
"Well the pants will fit, and it is important you don't have a heavy skirt dragging you down, " Henry said confidently and then muttered, "and maybe you can wear something else on top."
"I suppose I could wear my old shift shirt with them as a sort of bathing costume," Anne mussed. "Your really going to teach me to swim, Henry?" Anne asked her eyes shinning with excitement.
"I am, and Gilbert's gonna help. Don't you dare protest, Anne Shirley, he's a better swimmer than me and its important you learn to swim. Now get ready," Henry said and turned and briskly walked way before allowing her a chance to argue.
Anne watched him go with stunned eyes. She would have to thank Gilbert while wearing boy's trousers, could anything be more humiliating? But Anne knew it must be done. But at least she would learn to swim she thought gleefully. When she had expressed to Henry that it wasn't fair he got to learn to swim and she didn't, he had declared it wouldn't be proper because she was a girl and if she wanted to learn she would have to find another girl to teacher her. She was utterly dismayed to find out that despite living on an island, none of the girls she knew could swim, it wasn't considered ladylike they had assured her.
…
Gilbert waited for Henry and Anne near Barry's pond in the same spot he had taught Henry the basics of swimming. When Gilbert spotted two trouser clad figures headed towards him from the direction of Green Gables, one of them with a shape no school boy had dancing around excitedly red braid swinging, he blushed bright red and groaned. Henry would kill him if he could read the thoughts going through his mind Gilbert was certain, but seeing Anne in trousers was a sight he was entirely unprepared for. He did his best to wrench his mind from what Anne was wearing, and concentrate on the upcoming swimming lesson. By the time the duo arrived in front of him he was careful not to look in Anne's direction, not completely trusting himself not to look anywhere other than her face.
Anne though stepped forward before anyone could say anything and boldly, but her nervousness apparent, said,"Thank you for saving me, Gilbert. It was very kind of you. I, I'm sorry I broke my slate on your head and well everything else. I don't truly hate you, not anymore. I hope you can forgive me, and that maybe we can be friends,"Anne said sticking out her hand to shake, her eyes wide and full of fear at being rejected
Gilbert though didn't graciously shake her hand, or as Anne expected, laugh at her. He grasped her slim hand eagerly in both of his and declared with a large grin, "It's about time you let me be your friend, Anne. We are going to be great friends, just you wait and see."
Gilbert felt like he could do anything in that moment. Anne had finally agreed to be his friend. He didn't promptly relinquish her hand, having it finally in his, he intertwined her fingers with his own and pulling her towards the water said, "Are you ready for your first swim lesson?"
Henry watched them go, knowing he had been momentarily forgotten by his best friend in his euxbrance to finally have at least Anne's friendship, a stepping stone to the something more that Gilbert wanted.
"Yes!" Anne said with enthusiasm. "Who knew all I had to do was almost drown for Henry to relent about teaching me?" she said with a laugh.
"Anne!" Henry said crossly. "You could have died. It isn't funny. Don't joke about it."
"I'm sorry," Anne said instantly contrite.
Shaking his head Henry said,"I'm just glad you are okay. I shouldn't have insisted you could only learn from another girl. When I think about it, we're lucky you didn't attempt to go off and teach yourself last summer."
"I hadn't thought of it," Anne said honestly. "But it would have been a wonderful idea."
"No it wouldn't have," Henry said firmly, ignoring the fact that Gilbert was still holding onto Anne's hand and watching her with adoration on his face. How Anne didn't see it was a mystery to him, but he knew that Anne being Anne was perhaps just to scared to see it yet. Someday, he supposed, she would be ready to see it and really open her eyes and see Gilbert standing there brimming over with love for her, but until she did, he figured, she was likely to remain blind to it.
"First rule of swimming," Gilbert said speaking up. "No going in the water alone, Anne. Its too dangerous. You have to have somebody with you, at least for now. Maybe someday when you have been swimming for awhile, but for now, no going alone."
"He's right," Henry agreed. "I followed the same rule last summer. A novice swimmmer doesn't belong in the water alone."
"Okay," Anne agreed far easier than either boy had expected her too. Having almost drowned though, and not wishing to repeat the experience, Anne could easily see the sense in what they said.
After explaining the basics of the movements of swimming to Anne on land, Gilbert deemed it was time for them to get in the water. Anne enthustically dashed toward the water and started to wade in, gasping at the cold. Gilbert with visions of her accidentally finding the drop off in her enthusiasm rushed in after her catching up to her and grabbing her hand when she was waist deep.
"There's a drop off, Anne" Henry called out as he went splashing after them both.
"Oh," Anne said eyes wide and sparkling, her cheeks turning rosy from the cold water and excitement. Poor Gilbert stared at her forgetting that he was supposed to be teaching her to swim.
"Don't just charge in," Henry admonished her. "Wait for us next time."
"Okay," Anne agreed beaming at him, undeterred by his admonishment. "What now?" she asked Gilbert.
"Uh," Gilbert said his brain feeling like mush still holding her hand in the water.
"Shouldn't we go in deeper to swim?" Anne asked.
"You've got to first learn to float before you can go swimming around," Henry said. "I'll show you how and then you can try. Sound good, Gil?" Henry said smirking seeing that his friend seemed to have forgotten the swim lesson entirely. Henry had been counting on one of them showing Anne how to float and the other helping her, but he had a vague notion that after finally earning Anne's friendship Gilbert was in no state to leave her side, probably worried that if he did so Anne would disappear and therefore Gilbert was not up to demonstrating the necessary skills.
His mind finally registering what Henry had said as Henry moved off, Gilbert gave a strangled cry. He couldn't help Anne float, he thought with panic. That would involve touching her, Henry was absolutely crazy and he was going to murder him for subjecting him to such torture.
Seeing what Henry did, Anne attempted to copy him but had no success, until she felt Gilbert's hand on her back helping support her and his voice sounding a bit strange, offering her instructions on what to do.
"Your doing great, Anne!" Henry called cheerfully. "Isn't she doing great, Gil?" Henry asked his best friend with a mischievous smirk.
"Just great," Gilbert ground out. He was going to kill Henry Mack for this, Gilbert thought savegly as he did his best not to glance down at Anne, knowing that if he did so, he would likely do something, like kiss her, that would really give Henry a reason to beat him up and Anne to rescind her offer of friendship and break another slate over his head. And Anne's entire attitude seemed to have changed toward him now that she had accepted him as her friend, softening and dropping her prickly protective exterior. If Gilbert hadn't already been in love with her he would have fallen the rest of the way, now having her innate sweetness directed at him.
Finally unable to take anymore of what was torture and bliss, Gilbert declared the swimming lesson finished for the day. As all three headed for dry land Gilbert did his best to avert his eyes from Anne. Once on dry land, Henry seeing that Anne's wet clothes were clinging to her in a way that was definitely not okay, threw the blanket he had brought with them around her.
He and Gilbert usually just dried off in the sun, but he had thought as a girl Anne may need a blanket to towel off with. Hearing the splash of Gilbert jumping back into the water as he did so, he couldn't help the laugh of mirth that escaped. Gilbert was likely going to kill him. This certainly wasn't one aspect of the swim lesson he had considered, much like he hadn't considered that Anne wouldn't be able to wear Tommy's shirt. After she had pointed it out he had felt rather stupid not to have realized it. He had realized in the water that Gilbert was struggling with the attraction he felt for Anne, but it had been a foreign concept for him, seeing it was Anne, and hadn't thought much of it other than how funny Gilbert's discomfort was until he realized just how Anne's clothing clung to her, then he had felt like a right royal idiot. He still found amusement in Gilbert's predicament, but felt a little guilty too.
"You stay here and dry off, Anne. I'm going to go for a quick swim with Gil," Henry said.
Swimming over to his friend who eyed him warily, Henry said apologetically, "I didn't quite think it out, did I?"
"That was bloody torture," Gilbert ground out.
"I'm awful sorry about it. Next time I'll help her and you can demonstrate."
"I was a perfect gentleman!" Gilbert protested vehemently. "I can help, Anne."
"I thought it was torture," Henry ribbed his friend teasingly.
"It was, but even if she is like a sister to you, you don't need to put your bloody hands on her," Gilbert said, his agitation showing in the fact that the cursed.
"She's my sister, if not by blood, by bond. You can't possibly be jealous?" Henry said gaping.
Gilbert's response was to groan and duck under the water. Resurfacing he said with clenched teeth, "I'm jealous every time she lays her head on your shoulder or wants your help weaving a flower into her hair. I know you to are like brother and sister and it isn't like that, but still."
"So we continue the swim lessons?" Henry asked quietly after a moment.
"Yea," Gilbert agreed his vocie equally quiet. And then sending a spray of water at Henry, he said, "Couldn't you have warned a fellow she would be in trousers? And how'd you get her past Marilla dressed like that? It's practically indecent!"
"Didn't tell Marilla," Henry said laughing. "I just knew her skirts would drag her down and thought trousers would be more practical. I had one of Tommy's shirts for her as well but well, she pointed out it wouldn't fit and—"
"Don't," Gillbert said diving under so he wouldn't hear Henry explain why Tommy's shirt wouldn't fit Anne. He was well aware of why Tommy's shirt wouldn't fit Anne. After the days swimming lesson he was a bit more aware than normal and cursing that awareness.
