Gilbert managed to make his way through his next two classes, despite the intimidation he faced from teaching a group of girls. Gilbert felt like an outsider at Kingsport Ladies College because of his gender, and he was beginning to become paranoid about the constant giggling and staring and whispering the girls were doing in class. Was he the subject of their continual chatter? He certainly hoped not. The last thing Gilbert needed to deal with was a schoolgirl trying to court him.
The only thing that kept Gilbert from resigning from his position was Anne. In the minutes leading up to lunch, Gilbert struggled to keep his eyes off of his pocket watch as he anxiously waited for the minute hand to strike the twelve so that he could enjoy an entire hour picnicking with the love of his life.
Gilbert decided that the picnic would be located along the banks of Kingsport Lake near a small, wooden pavilion. Thankfully, the weather had cooperated with him that day, as it was a fairly sunny afternoon with comfortable temperatures.
That morning, Gilbert had made a trip to the general store, which was only a short walk down the road from his boardinghouse, and purchased the food for the picnic, including lemonade to drink, bread, jelly, and peanut butter for sandwiches, and cake for dessert. He neatly organized all of the food into a woven wooden basket, along with a lawn blanket to place on the grass. He kept the basket under his desk all morning.
After what seemed like centuries of waiting, the bell finally chimed, signaling the beginning of the hour-long lunch period. Gilbert walked out of his classroom faster than his students, finding himself unable to control his childlike excitement. Anne was waiting for him at the main entrance of the school, just as they had planned. She blushed as Gilbert walked toward her, a goofy grin on his face.
"Are you ready for our picnic, Anne?" He asked, his eyes twinkling with anticipation.
"Of course, Gilbert," Anne said, smiling in return. "But please don't be so obvious. Katherine can likely hear us from her office!" she giggled.
Gilbert bravely reached for Anne's hand until he was firmly grasping it, signifying their unison. He squeezed her hand reassuringly as they walked together out the door of the building and across the street to Kingsport Lake. The sun was at its peak position in the sky that day, with a few white clouds visible toward the horizon. The waters of the lake were quiet and undisturbed, and the slight summer breeze gently swayed the lithe trees on the banks of the lake back and forth. The songs of the robins and the bluejays and the whippoorwills could be heard from the forests surrounding the lake.
Gilbert decided on a shady spot for the picnic under a giant cherry tree on the banks of Kingsport Lake. As he spread out his blanket, Anne chimed, "Oh, Gilbert, wouldn't it be lovely to sleep in a cherry tree for a night under the moonlit sky? It's always been a dream of mine- ever since I can remember."
"It has?" Gilbert asked, eyeing the light pink canopy above him. It wasn't the tallest of the trees around Kingsport Lake- in fact, it was rather dwarf-like in comparison to the towering pine tree next to it. But it was indeed a beautiful tree, Gilbert decided, with feathery light buds the color of Anne's lips...
He cut off his thoughts then and there, forbidding himself from thinking of Anne's lips while in the presence of the aforementioned person, especially if the effect that such thoughts on him were to become visible to her!
Attempting to distract himself, Gilbert placed the picnic basket in front of him, gently opening it up and taking out the neatly folded, red and white checkered blanket. He unfolded it and smoothly laid it on the ground, ridding it of crinkles and creases.
Meanwhile, Anne was busy going through the food that had been packed in the basket. "Oh, Gilbert, you packed lemonade!" she said delightfully, pulling out the jar. "It's my absolute favorite!"
"I thought you'd like that," Gilbert said sweetly, smiling at Anne.
"So, how was your first morning at KLC? You seemed to have survived alright. No injuries or impairments, at least as far as I can see!" Anne teased as she took a bite out of her peanut butter and jelly sandwich.
Gilbert let his head fall back as he laughed. "I never knew that girls could be that hard to teach," he admitted. "The boys were always the troublemakers at Carmody, never the girls."
"You'll learn the game soon enough, and the reigns will eventually be back in your hands. I know it's intimidating at first. But it must be even more so for you, since I have been hearing many of my students commenting on how you're as 'handsome as a prince!'"
"Ah, so that wasn't just in my mind?" Gilbert said, chuckling.
"I guess it's the one thing that my students and I agree about!" Anne snorted, blushing at the fact that she indirectly called Gilbert "handsome".
"Well, you can inform them that the 'handsome prince' has already committed himself to a redheaded princess," Gilbert said sincerely, his eyes deep with emotion and thoughtfulness. His breath was taken away at the sight of Anne, especially how the sun's rays seemed to intensify the redness of her hair.
Gilbert slowly reached his large, strong hand forward and caressed Anne's cheek. He then trailed his fingers upward and tucked her stray strands of hair behind her ear. He then reached his hand behind her back and pulled her close to him so that their faces were only an inch apart.
Anne felt her heartbeat quicken because of Gilbert's embrace.
"Can I kiss you, prettiest Anne?" Gilbert asked in a husky voice toned by his desire.
"Oh, Gil..." was all Anne could manage to say as she let her lover's lips fully capture hers.
They were both lost in the moment, unaware of their surroundings and lacking a sense of the passing time. All that mattered was that they were together, free of all past grudges and complications. That moment seemed to be lusciously simple yet dazzlingly unexplainable at the same time. The feelings that Anne possessed as Gilbert's lips trailed down her neck were so strong and passionate and newfound that she couldn't seem to control them. As Gilbert ran his hands up and down the sides of Anne's body, it was as if all of his hopes and dreams and wishes were being magically granted to him right then and there, for everything at that moment just seemed right.
Finally, after being engulfed in the kissing for a few minutes, Anne reluctantly pulled back. She found herself practically breathless, yet alive in some indescribable way that she had never felt before. Gilbert found himself in a similar state.
After several moments of attempting to absorb everything that had just occurred, Gilbert finally broke the silence.
"I...that was...it was incredible..." he managed to say as he tried to regain his composure.
"I know I'm usually stubborn, Gil, but...I would be lying if I didn't say that I thoroughly enjoyed that," Anne cooed, still under Gilbert's spell. She felt her cheeks flush as she gave into Gilbert and admitted her feelings for him.
"Does this mean I'm courting you now, Ms. Shirley?" Gilbert asked humorously, a smile creeping up on his lips.
"How is this for an answer?" Anne asked as she leaned back in, kissing Gilbert again at her own accord.
"Mmm..." Gilbert groaned in response to Anne's actions as he closed his eyes, wondering why he even bothered packing a picnic lunch after all. In fact, there were even sweeter things in life than lemonade and cake, he soon learned. Much sweeter things, indeed.
A/N: I apologize immensely for not updating this story in months! Now that I'm on summer break, I should have more time to continue this story. Thanks to all of my fans who have prompted me to continue writing. I hope you enjoyed this chapter, and expect another chapter soon.