Chapter 15

Gilbert eyed Anne, who appeared trapped in conversation with Charlie. The Lambs formal was fast approaching and he had yet to ask Anne to go with him. He hadn't imagined his first date with Anne would be his frat's formal. And he admitted to himself that if he did convince her to go with him in the next three days, that she wouldn't consider it to be a date. The more he thought about it, the more he considered that if he was to succeed in having Anne as his date, he would have to phrase it as not a date, but as a friend doing a friend a favor. It was a dejecting thought. He, Gilbert Blythe, couldn't ask the girl he had fallen in love with to be his date unless he asked as a friend. He knew his feelings for Anne would never be those of the friend zone, but was willing to settle for now if it meant he got to have Anne on his arm, in any capacity, at the formal.

Taking a deep breath Gilbert approached her and Charlie. His eyes widened as he unmistakably heard the other boy ask Anne out for Saturday night, the same night as the Lambs formal. Anne's own face took on a panicked look and she appeared frozen in fear. Thinking quickly and hoping she wouldn't kill him Gilbert said, "Anne! Just wanted to talk to you about our plans Saturday!"

"Saturday?" Anne said confused and then quickly catching on she said, "Yes! Saturday. We have plans Saturday. Lots and lots of plans. Terribly sorry Charlie, " Anne said relieved she wouldn't have to out right reject the boy and hoped Charlie would take the hint and not proceed in his plans to ask her out.

"You have plans with Gilbert?" Charlie asked his face dropping.

"She promised to help me out. I needed a date for my frat's formal and Anne just loves any opportunity to dress up," Gilbert said drapping his arm around her.

Anne turned wide surprised flashing eyes on him. Seeing her expression he quickly said, "As friends. It's a friends thing."

"Oh, well maybe next weekend," Charlie started to say but Anne quickly cut him off saying, "I'm so glad you caught up to me, Gilbert. I wanted to confirm tiimes with you."

"Times with me?" Gilbert asked carefully, still uncertain if Anne was about to kill him or not.

"For Saturday," Anne said slowly, like she herself couldn't believe what she was about to do.

As Charlie walked away, Anne let out a relieved sigh. "I owe you one. I was really really dreading what was about to happen. Though I suppose I've just delayed it. I finally understand what Mrs. Lynde meant about Sloanishness. It really is a thing."

"In every generation," Gilbert said grinning, amazed at his luck."Glad I could be of service."

"This isn't a real date though," Anne said warily. "It is just two people helping each other out, right?"

"Right-o," Gilbert quickly agreed.

"I assume you need a date for this shindig to save you from one of the Pyes? Or is it both of them this time? Or can you really just not get a date?" she teased. "What happened to the boy that bragged to me about all the girls throwing themselves at him?" she asked laughingly.

"Told ya,I'm not interested in catching any of them. Don't worry though, I know this is just as friends," Gilbert told her.

"Acquaintances," Anne argued.

"Oh Anne, we've moved so far past acquaintances, " Gilbert reminded her, teasingly,"We are practically, what is it, bossom friends? Kindred Spirits?"

"You are not my bossom friend, Gilbert Blythe," Anne declared hotly.

"That's because I'm something else entirely, Anne-girl," he said smugly, leaning close to her. "You just haven't figured out what yet."

"You're insufferable," Anne grumbled.

"And I'll pick you up at 6 Saturday," Gilbert said hopefully.

"It's not a date," Anne reiterated.

"Duly noted," Gilbert agreed pleasantly while Anne regarded him suspiciously.

"So let me get this straight," Ronald said with amusment. "Your dream girl is finally going on a date with you-"

"Non date," Mick chimmed in with a snicker.

"Yes. But it isn't a date," Ronald agreed. "And you agreed it isn't a date." To which Gilbert nodded."But you are still determined to get her a corsage of her favorite flowers?" Ronald clarified. "But you've never bought your previous dates-"

"Now those I think we can call non dates," Mick interrupted. "Those girls asked Gilbert to the formals freshman year. They were just hoping to hook up with him, of course he wasn't going to buy them flowers. This is his Anne. Of course he wants to put in the extra effort for her. Just friends or not. Our boy needs us. And our experience. He has an opportunity to impress her, Ronald."

"If you two are done mocking me," Gilbert said testily.

"We're not mocking you," Mick protested. "Okay well maybe a little," he amended with a shared glance with Ronald. "But we do intend to help you."

Gilbert nervously pulled at his tie again as he prepared to knock on Anne and Diana's door. Before he could raise his hand and knock for real this time though, he heard giggles from behind him. Turning around he saw the excited eyes of Ruby, Jane, Stella and Priscilla staring at him.

"Knock already," Stella commanded. "You been out here almost five minutes. Pretty soon your hair will be a complete disaster and your tie will strangle you, or I will."

"Look, it isn't that easy," he started to say when Priscilla brushed by him and pounded on the door in question shouting, "Open up, Shirley!"

Gilbert gaped when Anne opened the doorway, rendered speechless by the sight of her all dressed up.

"You look gorgeous," Ruby said excitedly.

"I don't know how it is possible but you are even more beautiful now than the last time I saw you," Gilbert said finding his voice.

"The last time you saw me was earlier today and I had just finished a work out," Anne reminded him remembering how awful she must have looked flushed and sweaty.

"And I love you in yoga pants," Gilbert said grinning.

"You're crazy," Anne said rolling her eyes.

"Only about you," he said winking.

"Come on Don Juan," Anne said. "Let's get going."

"First, I have this for you," Gilbert said presenting her with a corsage made from Lillies of the Valley.

"But," Anne protested, ready to remind him this was just two acquaintances attending together and not to get any ideas. Anne was unfortunately very aware of Gilbert's reputation, particularly thanks to the Pyes. She told herself the reason she agreed to go with Gilbert in the first place when he saved her from Charlie was because she wished to irritate the two cousins who were constantly belittling and irritating her. Deep down she knew that the Pyes weren't the real reason, but wasn't ready to admit she liked Gilbert.

Gilbert pulled Anne in closer to him as the song switched to a slow one. When he held her in his arms like this it was hard to remember that this was supposed to be a just friends non date. What he really wanted to do was slip away from the crowd to somewhere quiet, just the two of them and explore Anne's lips with his own. He settled for breathing in deeply the scent of her shampoo and placing a feather light kiss to her hair. Quite a few of his frat brothers had insisted on a dance with her and he knew many of them spent their dances pointing out his finer qualities. He wasn't sure if they were helping or hindering him with their antics, but with Anne in his arms right now, he didn't really care.

To his dismay though as soon as the song ended Anne pulled away and shortly after nervously announced she needed to get back to her dorm room. Gilbert insisted on walking her all the way to her door, despite her protests of it being unnecessary. Anne quickly stuck out her hand for a handshake and thanked him for a lovely evening, looking like a deer ready to flee. Gilbert grapsed her hand and rather than shake it, brought it to his lips and kissed it. Anne yanked her hand back and let out a garbbled, "Goodnight, Gilbert," as she quickly opened her door and disappeared inside where a grinning Diana, Phillipa, Stella, Priscilla, Jane and Ruby awaited her, eager to interrogate her and find out if her feelings for Gilbert had undergone a material change. To their disappointment she continued to avow that he was not her type, much to Phil's chargin and Diana's disbelief.

Anne had been appalled at herself when she had found herself wishing to lean in closer to Gilbert as they danced and her imagination going so far as to imagine him tenderly kissing her hair during their last slow dance. It had unnerved her that she could once again be finding flirtatious Gilbert Blythe who didn't even know the word commitment attractive. She was determined she should only be attracted to her soulmate, who certainly wasn't a hair pulling flirty Don Juan.

...

Gilbert was aware that something had changed with Anne the night of the Lambs' formal. She was jumpier than usual at the beginning of the week after it, but to his relief she settled back down by the end of the week and things had almost returned to normal. Though she did occasionally regard him warily and with unexplained hostility particularly if the two somehow ended up alone, a circumstance she did her best to avoid.