The next day, a sunny Monday afternoon, found Anne strolling down the cobblestoned streets of Kingsport after her shift at the library, wearing a high necked blouse with her favorite green skirt. She was headed to the hospital to get her stitches removed, as Gilbert had suggested the previous day.

Thinking back on the previous day left Anne with a dreamy smile on her face as she recalled the minutes after their surprise kiss in the foyer of Paddy's Place.

"So what now?" Gilbert asked tentatively, his arms still looped tightly around her waist, once they finally came up for air. She looked into his dear face. He looked hopeful though uncertain. His dark curls were mused from her wandering hands. Emboldened, she gave him a saucy grin.

"I want you to kiss me again."

"Your wish is my command." They didn't need words after that. Anne tried to poor all her feelings, feelings even she couldn't put into words, into the kiss. She willed him to understand. She hoped this meant he felt the same way. Gilbert's lips detached from hers and started a slow trail down her neck. She moaned softly at the sensation and gripped the back of his shirt. Suddenly she realized just how soaking wet they both still were. She gently pushed him away, his eyes flying up to meet hers with a look of concern. She smiled to reassure him as she grasped his hand and silently led him up the stairs.

"Why Anne are you trying to take advantage of me?" He asked cheekily as he followed behind her. She led him to the small linen closet and tossed him a fluffy towel.

"Just making sure you don't catch your death in those wet clothes." She brought her own towel to her soaking wet hair and rubbed away some of the moisture. As she lowered the towel from around her head, she caught sight of Gilbert peeling away his now unbuttoned shirt and her breathe caught. It had been years since she had seen him shirtless. In their school years, the girls had snuck down to the lakeside one summer afternoon when the boys were swimming. She had giggled right along with the rest about the skinny, shirtless teenage boys. They were all gangly limbs back then, even Gilbert despite his being older than the other boys. Today, shirtless Gilbert Blythe was a thing to behold. In place of the gangly limbs were well muscled arms, honed by years on the football field at Redmond. His formerly smooth chest was now peppered with dark hair and her eyes followed the path of dark curls over taunt muscles that lead down into his trousers. Cheeks hot, she returned to toweling off her dress as best she could. Thankfully the light cotton fabric was drying quickly. His voice surprised her.

"So which room is yours?" He asked curiously. Her eyes flashed and she snapped her towel at him for his cheekiness.

"Gilbert Blythe! You know that is impolite. What would your mother say!" She scolded him. He laughed, unperturbed by her ire.

"Given that I recently spent the night with you unchaperoned, I doubt this would be my mother's biggest worry." She blushed, realizing he was right. They weren't exactly staying within the bounds of propriety this summer... not that she had it within her to care. They were both intelligent adults and could do as they pleased. She pointed to the closed door at the end of the hall and his eyes followed her gesture with a smirk.

Now a bit drier and once again fully clothed, they made their way back down to the parlor for a cup of tea to warm them up. Sitting together on the sofa, Anne could feel some nervousness rolling off of Gilbert as he stared into his teacup. She nudged him to get him to look up into her eyes.

"What is it Gil?" He took a deep, shuddering breath.

"Anne, this afternoon has been a dream. But what next? Do you really want to give this a go?" He gestured between them as he said it. She could see the anxiousness in his eyes. She suddenly knew- everyone had been right. He truly cared for her. She recalled a quote she once heard that fortune favored the bold. She reached out to grasp his hand.

"I do if you do." Joy spread across his features then. He set his own teacup down before cupping her face and planting a searing kiss on her lips. She soon abandoned her teacup as well to bury her hands in his hair. The rest of their afternoon involved very little talking as they explored this new physical facet of their relationship. When Gilbert reluctantly left to return to his boarding house, Anne caught sight of herself in the mirror by the door. Her hair was messy from Gilbert's fingers and her lips were swollen from his final searing kiss. There was the beginning of a small red mark on her neck and the top button of her dress was undone. She was thankful to be in the house alone because it was very clear what she had spent the afternoon doing with Gilbert Blythe and there was absolutely nothing proper about it. She felt branded by his actions but felt nothing but heat in her core as a result.

She struggled to wrap her head around how far things had progressed in one afternoon. Only this morning, she had been moping over their argument and tonight, she knew what it felt like to kiss Gilbert Blythe.

Later that night, safely tucked away in her little blue room, she had given in to the heavy heat that had been plaguing her center since their afternoon rendezvous. Imagining Gilbert's hand instead of hers, she unashamedly brought herself to a shattering climax. While she slept, he had a staring role in her dreams as well.

She shook away her thoughts of the previous day as she entered the hospital and gave her name to the receptionist. The kind woman informed her that she had an appointment, much to Anne's surprise. Gilbert must have made it for her, knowing what time she got off of work. The thought caused a smile spread across her face as she was led into the same small exam area as before. She sat on the small table, waiting, with the curtains drawn around her. She could feel a few butterflies in her stomach and her heart began to pound a little bit. The prospect of seeing Gilbert again was exciting but also nerve wracking. What would she do if he had changed his mind or decided to forget yesterday had ever happened? Lost in her distressing thoughts, Anne failed to hear the approaching footsteps. At the sound of the curtain sliding back, Anne looked up startled. Gilbert stepped into the room, a giant smile on his face and a small tray of tools in his hand. Neither spoke as he set the tray down beside her, their eyes locked together. Suddenly he stepped up in front of her and leaned down to plant a soft kiss on her unsuspecting lips. Relieved that he seemed to still feel the same way, she threw her arms around his neck and kissed him back with passion.

"Well good afternoon to you too," he joked with a smug grin after pulling back slightly. His arms were wound around her back and hers were still looped around neck. He glanced down at her neck, eyes sparkling with mirth.

"That's quite a high necked blouse for a hot summer day," he commented lightly. She smacked his shoulder lightly.

"Well maybe someone should have kept their lips to themselves yesterday." He looked back into her eyes with a roguish grin.

"I didn't exactly hear you complaining yesterday." Her cheeks heated at his words, knowing he was right. She had enjoyed his lips on her neck immensely. Until this morning she had rampaged around her room trying to find a blouse that would cover the small red mark. Suddenly they heard voices coming closer. Both suddenly conscious of their surroundings and the thin curtains being their only sheild, they broke apart. He moved over to the tray to cleanse his hands with carbolic acid and then turned back to her, holding a tiny set of scissors in one hand and a set of tweezers in the other.

"Ready to have those stitches out Miss Shirley?" He asked with a grin. She nodded at him and he took her hand in his before leaning over it to gently snip the small threads ever so carefully. She took the opportunity to appraise him, as he was so focused on his task, every inch the serious aspiring doctor. His curls were restrained with pomade today, to her slight annoyance. She so preferred his wild, untamed curls. He wore a white coat over his grey shirt and trousers, already exhibiting the wardrobe of his chosen profession. She watched him deposit the scissors back in the tray before leaning closer to start pulling the threads with the tweezers, his face so close she could feel his breath on her skin. She could not resist the opportunity to tease.

"Do you need glasses old fella?" His eyes snapped up to hers, glinting with humor.

"At merely 24, I find I hard to believe that I am the old fella around here."

"Compared to my precocious 22 you sure are." He rolled his eyes and turned back to his work, muttering something about age and wisdom under his breath. She so often forgot about the years between them. They had grown up as if they were equal in age due to his time in Alberta. Despite this, it had been one of her favorite things to tease him about throughout the years of their friendship. While she was musing, Gilbert has finished removing the threads and set his tools back down on the tray with a metallic clink.

"All done. I must say, it has healed nicely and I'm not sure you will ever be able to see the scar in a few weeks," he smiled at her, tone matter of fact.

"I must have had a wonderful doctor," she replied flirtatiously. His cheeks grew a touch pink at her praise. He came back to stand before her, taking both her hands in his and looking down into her eyes lovingly.

"I have to study tonight but could I come over tomorrow night?" He asked quietly, knowing how thin the curtains were. She leaned up to place a soft kiss on his lips.

"Absolutely." After another kiss or two, Gilbert regrettably had to return to his other duties and she made her way home. She was so happy she could nearly burst. Upon arriving home, she was delighted to find a thick letter from her dearest bosom friend Diana waiting for her.

Immediately following the end of the spring semester of college and before they started their jobs, Anne and Gilbert had traveled back to Avonlea for a brief weekend for the wedding of Diana Barry and Fred Wright. After an extended three year engagement, Anne had been overjoyed to stand beside her oldest friend as her maid of honor while she married dear Fred. Gilbert had been Fred's best man and in hindsight, Anne was certain that the time they spent together surrounded by love and all things marriage had hastened her epiphany about her feelings for him. She remembered standing beside Diana in the little Avonlea church while she said her vows and feeling Gilbert's eyes on her. It was a sign she had missed at the time but now realized showed his feelings for her as well. She could help the direction of her thoughts then as she pictured the two of them on a similar day where it was not Diana and Fred professing their lifelong devotion.

She shook away her wayward thoughts and quickly settled into the parlor to read the first letter from Mrs. Diana Wright.

Dearest Anne,

It was with my great pleasure, that I send you a letter on my new stationary marked with my newly married name. Married! Can you scarcely believe it? It does not seem so long ago that we were mere girls and now I am a married woman!

Marriage is everything I hoped it would be and more. It is so lovely to finally, after 3 very long years, to not have to say goodnight and part at the end of the day. Instead, I cook dinner for my HUSBAND and read in the parlor with my HUSBAND and then go to bed beside my HUSBAND. It is still so new and so strange to call him that. Fred has been an absolute dream. He has yet to do anything but praise my cooking, he comments on the cleanliness of the house at least twice every day and he surprises my with wildflowers at least once a week for our table.

Now Anne, I write this part of the letter knowing that you are my most curious friend as well as my most trusted and I do plead that you burn it after reading. Remember when I told you my concerns after how my mother warned me about the marriage bed? She was so very wrong. It is delightful. Nights are a married woman are not very restful but I would not have it any other way. Unsurprisingly, the first time was very awkward and a touch painful. However, it gets better and better each and every time. I find myself so thankful that our little house has no close neighbors as I can't even contain the sounds that escape me in throws of ecstasy.

Now I must confess, Fred and I were not entirely chaste in our engagement. After all, it was an exceptionally long 3 years. We had let our hands wander a bit through that time and I am so thankful we did for it made everything that comes after marriage so much less frightening. As your old married friend, I can now offer your matronly advice. When you find the man you think you will marry, don't be afraid to bend the rules of propriety a bit to ensure you are comfortable with each other.

I hope you are enjoying the big city this summer. I know how you wish to be independent and earn your own money and while I respect it, a summer an Avonlea just isn't the same without you. I miss you so desperately and no amount of letters can replace your bright company. I do hope you are faring well on your own- I know you are strong and capable but I still worry. I feel better knowing Gilbert is in the city as well so you at least have a friend in case of problems. Maybe it is my marital happiness talking but I can't wait for you to find the same form of bliss. Perhaps this summer you will find a male suitor? Maybe one with dark curly hair who has loved you since our school years? I would so dearly love to see you as happy as I am with Fred. You are nearing graduation and just think- next summer it could be your wedding!

I know you are probably rolling your eyes at me as you read this but truly Anne- be open to love. It is one of the greatest things we can seek in life. I must go start dinner now for my HUSBAND (I had to one more time) so I look forward to a letter from you soon!

All my love, your bosom friend,

Mrs. Diana Wright

Anne smiled sadly as she read the warm words from her dearest friend. She missed her so much while away in Kingsport. She took refuge in the fact that she was living her dreams and Diana was happily living hers and that was all Anne could ask for. She couldn't help but giggle at Diana's naivety; while at school, surrounded by progressive young women, Anne had heard much more about sex than Diana's careful words in this letter. She appreciated Diana's attempt all the same. She wished that Diana had possessed the same ambitions as herself and had been able to experience the wider world outside of Avonlea but she respected the more traditional path her friend had sought in life.

She glanced back over the words again, blushing as she thought back over the last few weeks. What would Diana think if she knew just how far Anne had been bending the rules of propriety? She imagined that Diana would not approve, having never been outside of the bubble of Avonlea society. But she also knew that her friend was not prone to harsh judgements and would likely just wish Anne the best. She may not be as ready for marriage as her dearest friend but she did see it in her future. Maybe not next summer as Diana hoped, but someday soon. She laughed right out loud at Diana's utterly unsubtle reference to Gilbert. If only she knew just how thoroughly she was considering Gilbert as a suitor... considering his mouth, his neck, the softness of his curls, the hardness of his chest... she shook her head to try to clear away the memories of the long kisses they had shared over the last 24 hours.

As she sat with paper and pen to reply to Diana later that evening, she debated telling Diana just how her romantic prospects were currently unfolding. She longed to discuss it with her oldest friend but she also hesitated, knowing the pressure that would come from letting others into the world she and Gilbert has barely begun to explore. She opted to keep the news to herself for now, not wanting to get Diana's hopes up. She wasn't even sure herself what the definition of her and Gilbert's new arrangement was, let alone did she feel ready to describe it on paper. Further, she wanted to talk it over with Gilbert before she passed along any news that could set the gossip mill in Avonlea ablaze. She felt it would be unfair to infer anything that he was not prepared for and have their families at home set expectations for them they may not be ready for. She was enjoying what they had and the privacy and independence of being away from home allowed them freedom while they explored what being more than friends meant.

She closed her letter by simply assuring Diana that she was open to love and hoped a suitor came along soon. It was close enough to the truth for now.