Anne and Gil lingered in the garden for a few hours. Sitting closely together on the benches, they recounted the years they'd missed and occasionally ducked behind a tree for a quick embrace. Anne couldn't seem to hear enough of his voice, feel enough of his warm hands, see enough of his smiles.
It had been ages since she'd seen him smile so much. She could hardly measure her joy at being the source of his smiles now, but she couldn't help but feel guilty for having stifled them before. His sadness over the past two years was largely her fault.
Anne quickly shook that thought from her head. Gil would hear none of her self-disparaging remarks or incessant pleas for forgiveness.
"Anne," he had sighed, cutting off her fifth apology of the hour. "I won't hear one more cut against yourself! I don't need your apologies anymore—I just need you!"
She smiled at the thought and brushed her hand across his cheek—earning herself another of his smiles.
When he finally dropped her off at Patty's Place, it was well into the afternoon. The sun had warmed and the wind breezed more quietly through the bright green leaves. Gil needed to run a few errands that afternoon, but he invited her to his apartment for dinner that evening.
"Not sick of me yet?" Anne asked, smiling cheekily.
"Not yet, but I do think we should test my limits as much as we can," Gil replied, leaning forward and kissing her. "So get used to seeing me as often as possible. And I'll let you know when I start getting sick of you."
"Sounds like a plan," Anne smiled.
"See you tonight," Gil said, before turning and practically skipping toward the gate.
Anne sighed dreamily, leaning back against the oak door, and stared after Gil.
He had just disappeared around the corner when the door behind her was jerked open. She tripped backward and landed on the prickly welcome mat.
"Well, well, well," said Phil sarcastically, leaning against the doorframe and staring down at her friend. "If it isn't our little lovebird, back from her 5-hour date. Let me guess—you went to a cute little coffeeshop and stared into each other's eyes the entire time?"
"It was a park, actually," replied Anne indignantly, pulling herself up and rubbing her backside.
Phil, Pris and Stella huddled around the front door with knowing smirks on their faces.
"Get your little butt in here and spill," Phil said, grabbing Anne's sleeve and hoisting her inside.
"We've been dying here," exclaimed Stella, who pulled on Anne's other sleeve and guided her to the kitchen.
Priscilla slid in front of the stove, grabbed the kettle and began filling it with water.
Phil and Stella pushed Anne into her customary chair at the craggy, chipped breakfast table, before taking their usual seats. Pris settled the kettle onto the burner and jogged over to the last open chair. The three women turned to look at Anne expectantly.
"So…." Pris said, clearing her throat and tilting her head toward Anne.
"So…." Anne began, pointedly averting her eyes and dusting forgotten toast crumbs off the table. "What would you like to know?"
Pris, Stella and Phil looked at each other, their mouths gaping open.
"Everything!" They said in unison, before bursting into individual, overlapping inquiries.
"Why did you turn Roy down?"
"Well, it's rather complicated—" Anne started.
"What didn't you tell us about what happened at Di's wedding?"
"Just a couple, little details—" Anne began.
"Did Gil know you were having doubts?"
"I can't say if he did or didn't really—"
"Shhh! I need to know just one thing," Phil projected her voice above the clamor. "Did you have sex with Gilbert Blythe last night?"
Anne blushed deeply as her three friends gazed at her with suggestive grins. Before Anne could choke out an answer, a high-pitched whistle startled all the girls. The kettle was shooting hot steam into the kitchen.
"I think the kettle's saying yes," Pris quipped as she stood and walked to the stove.
"So…." Phil prompted, not easily distracted. "Did you? I've been wondering all day!"
Anne exhaled deeply and brushed her auburn hair out of her eyes.
"We didn't," Anne replied finally, as Pris set the tea tray on the table. "We could've—but we didn't."
"Could've?" Stella prodded, leaning forward as she stirred her tea.
"We talked about it," Anne said, miming a sip of her obviously-too-hot tea to buy herself a moment. "Last night, we talked about it, and Gil said he'd rather wait until I was completely ready."
"Such a gentleman," Pris sighed romantically.
"So you weren't ready last night?" Phil said, rolling her eyes at Pris and cutting straight to the point.
"It wasn't that I wasn't ready," Anne explained. "It was just—everything was so sudden! Within an hour, I realized I wasn't in love with Roy, said no to his proposal, realized I really wanted Gil, ran across town, declared my love for him and heard him declare his love for me!"
"Well, you'd heard that last one before," Phil smirked, before Anne flicked drops of hot tea at her with her teaspoon.
"I mean, yes, but it was different last night," Anne said, smiling slowly. "It was the first time he said it when I was dying to hear it. All the other times, I could hardly stomach the words. I couldn't hear Gil admit to what I was fighting! But last night, it was like… my whole world started over when he said it. Nothing from before mattered anymore. And after hearing him say it and seeing how he smiled when I said it, I was ready. I would've! But he didn't want anything to be a regret. So much had happened, and he didn't want me to feel ready in the moment and not in the morning."
All three of Anne's roommates looked at her then, without a hint of jest or sarcasm.
"We're very happy for you, Anne," Stella said, gently. "Gil has always been the one for you."
"I know that now," Anne said, blinking back bittersweet tears. "All of you, thank you for supporting me all these years. I know I've been blind and stupid, and none of you have ever judged me for it."
"Of course!" Stella said, her own tears forming as she jumped up and hugged Anne. "You keep the rest of us from falling apart! We had to support you."
"And you weren't stupid," Pris began, leaning over to embrace Anne, too. "You can't know the ending at the start."
"Oh, honey," Phil said, rising from her chair to join the group. "Of course we judged you! We just did it when you weren't in the room!"
The four roommates all laughed at that, and in the arms of her friends, Anne felt peace.