Chapter 37
The day wasn't to different than many others. Anne had insisted they study outside to enjoy spring. Henry was watching her and Gilbert argue as usual as they waited for Stella and Phil to join them, when he saw it happen. Anne stopped speaking mid-sentence, her eyes went wide and then she slowly blinked.
"Anne?" Gilbert said in concern. But Anne's response was to only blink again and then blush rosily, before stating she was okay, but had lost her thought. Gilbert had winked and told her, that was because she was wrong, he was right, and she couldn't be expected to keep a thought like that floating around.
Henry felt the grin on his face and wondered how Gilbert had apparently just missed what had happened. Anne had finally really looked at Gilbert and saw him clearly and had tumbled head over heels in love with him or perhaps more accurately she realized she was in love with him.
"Sorry I am late!" Stella said hurrying over. "What did I miss?"
"Everything," Henry said smirking. And then he gave a significant glance the direction of Gilbert snd a blushing Anne.
Correctly interpreting Henry's message, Stella latched onto Henry, pulling him to his feet and declared, "I just remembered I left one of my books in the hall. Do be a dear Henry and escort me back."
"Love to," Henry said cheekily as Stella practically dragged him away, Gilbert and Anne regarding them with confusion.
"Tell me," Stella comanded as soon as they were out of ear shot.
"There isn't to much to tell," Henry said with a smirk, knowing Stella wouldn't be satisfied with that answer
"Henry," Stella said in a warning tone
"We were all sitting there. They were arguing as usual. Anne all Anne like and Gilbert looking at her in that besotted way he does and Anne stopped speaking mid-sentence. Blinked at him a few times and blushed," Henry said finishing with dramatic emphasis.
"What did he do?" Stella asked excitedly.
"Ask if she was okay. She said she had lost her thought and he made a glib remark about him being right and her being wrong," Henry said nonchalantly.
"Anne finally really looked at Gilbert and fell in love with him and he didn't even notice?" Stella shrieked.
"Shhhh," Henry hissed glancing around to see if anyone had paid attention to her shriek.
"How could he not have noticed? Since when does Anne lose her thought?" Stella demanded in agitation.
"I know. I guess he's just been waiting for it to happen for so long he didn't realize. "
"You have to tell him," Stella announced.
"Me? I have to tell him? Why me? I'm pretty sure Anne should be the one to tell him," Henry said flabbergasted by her suggestion.
"But she won't tell him. Not if she thinks he only sees her as a friend," Stella argued.
"He proposed at the end of Queens," Henry said exasperated. "How can she think he only sees her as a friend? Poor chap is still waiting for her answer."
"He what?" Stella yelped. "How could Anne not tell me about this? And how do you know?" Stella asked suspiciously.
"I was there. Of course after proposing he kinda turned it into more of a question of whether he could ask her to marry him someday when they were older," Henry said rubbing the back of his neck.
"What aren't you telling me, Henry?" Stella demanded."And why were you there if Gilbert was proposing to Anne. I know your close to both of them, but that is a little to close."
"I had gone to find them, ya see, cause Gilbert had gone to find Anne since we had seen her leave. And well when I saw them, one thing lead to another and I punched Gilbert. Again," Henry said guiltily. "And then he just sort of popped the question while he was laying on the ground. I think he'd been holding those two words in for almost three years ever since she broke that slate on his head."
"You can't expect Anne to go up to Gilbert and say, I'm in love with you, please court me now, even if already told her he loved her. He did tell her he loved her, didn't he?" Stella asked seeing Henry shift nervously.
"Er, not in so many words," Henry admitted.
"You have to tell him," Stella said firmly. " Don't you see he proposed, without telling her he loved her, and then has gone on acting like a chum, at least in her eyes. She likely thinks he didn't mean it, or that he regrets it."
Henry's eyebrows shot up with understanding and without answering whirled around as if to go tell Gilbert right then. Stella grabbed his collar, halting him and hissed, "Not right this second you idiot. I can't believe what I put up."
"I'm not so bad," Henry said with a grin.
"Well Phil should be headed this way soon so don't say anything, or she won't be able to help but announce something to both of them and that would be about as romantic as Gilbert proposing after being punched."
