Only one disagreeable incident marred that winter.
Anne heard a knock at the door. Assuming it was Gilbert as they had chummily agreed to meet that afternoon for a gentle debate sparring and sharing their opinions with each other, it promised to be a lovely afternoon, they would probably end up lazily lounging on the floor, Gilbert playing with her hair with one hand and holding the book with the other as they enjoyed the magic of the fictional world losing themselves in it. She threw open the door to find not Gilbert but Charlie Sloane standing there.
"Charlie!?" she asked startled. "What a surprise! Won't you come in?" she asked him.
He dutifully did and entered the parlour.
Charlie sat bolt upright on Miss Ada's most dearly beloved cushion, she felt her heart drop! Oh she would need to do some heavy fluffing of the cushion once he had gone.
"How are you finding Redmond Anne?" he asked her.
His tone confused Anne greatly. They HAD spoken since coming to Redmond, usually with the other Avonlea chums around her and of course Phil. What was he doing? "Oh very good, did Gilbert tell you I'm going after the Thornburn scholarship?"
"No, no he didn't." They fell silent again. Anne's forehead furrowed her bottom lip bitten, what was wrong with him. "Anne, I want you to become Mrs. Charlie Sloane someday." He blurted out.
Anne looked at him in horror. "What?!"
Coming after Billy Andrews' proxy effort, this was not quite the shock to Anne's romantic sensibilities that it would otherwise have been; but it was certainly another heart-rending disillusion. She was angry, too, for she felt that she had never given Charlie the slightest encouragement to suppose such a thing possible. But what could you expect of a Sloane, as Mrs. Rachel Lynde would ask scornfully? Charlie's whole attitude, tone, air, words, fairly reeked with Sloanishness.
"Now I need you to hear me out. Firstly, my proposal comes from the fact that you really have no one in this world, and you know you and I always made good company. Secondly I've been told that the state of matrimony is one of great desire which I think we could make work. Thirdly I've watched you for a long time and I think with some taming you would become a nice little housewife to have. I'm conferring a great honor—no doubt whatever about that. I mean you would have the Sloane name!"
"Charlie, I can't marry you." She said still astounded. "I don't understand..."
"Don't you understand what this would mean for you?" he questioned, she could FEEL the tension being cut with the knife.
"To me?" Anne asked still confused. "Charlie..." She trailed.
Charlie became angry, and showed it; he said two or three quite nasty things; "But here you are supposing yourself above your station in life again? You know you are nothing but a penniless orphan if you don't marry before Marilla dies who do you suppose will take care of you? There's no handsome Prince going to come in and sweep you off your feet you know? There is no such thing!"
Anne's temper flashed up mutinously and she retorted with a cutting little speech whose keenness pierced even Charlie's protective Sloanishness "Above my station?! You place yourself on such a pedal stool I'm surprised even royalty could reach you on it! I may be a penniless orphan but I work hard and I could easily live from what I earn in teaching I don't need your pity or your Sloane name! I'm not waiting for a prince I'm waiting for someone who I love to marry! And if I know one thing from this unprovoked proposal it's that you rid any feeling of sympathy I would have felt for you by your display of utter and complete disregard of emotion! You said nothing in your revelation about loving me or if I loved you! You disregarded my hopes and my dreams and replaced them with your own!"
"Well fine if that's how you feel!" he said red faced. He caught up his hat and flung the front door open in time to see Gilbert just about to knock on the door. For the first time Charlie glared at Gilbert, "What do you see in her?" He raged pushing pass Gilbert. Gilbert looked behind him staring at Charlie in disbelief.
What's wrong with him? He thought. He heard the sobbing of Anne and the creek of the stairs before he turned to the source, Anne evidently unaware of his presence at the door but the door being left open Gilbert entered in the lodging hung his coat up and hat and carefully made his way to Anne's bedroom. They had been up there a few times studying when Phil was entertaining and sometimes just to be alone so he knew the door. He didn't wait for her to answer but instead gently opened the door and peaked in. There was Anne thrown on her bed, in tears. "Anne?" he finally said quietly. He heard her sobbing momentarily pause, he assumed if she really didn't want him there she would tell him in those seconds. But her sobbing continued so he gently made his way to the bed sitting on end of it she immediately turned looking at her best friend. He took this as permission for him to sit further back on the bed allowing his legs to dangle over the side as he sat up on the bed his back resting on the wall behind him, She saw his vacant lap and snuggled into it still crying. He started to stroke through her hair gently caressing her soft red hair with his fingers. They stayed like that for a few minutes as he let her calm down. When she did he gently started speaking still soothing her "What happened?" he asked.
"I have never felt such rage and humiliation together! I don't understand what he was thinking!?" she said still sobbing. "I can't believe I actually scooped to his level of quarrelling? With a Sloane? Is it possible anything Charlie Sloane could say had power to make me angry? But he managed! Quiet spectacularly!"
"What did he do?" Gilbert asked flabbergasted.
Anne sat up beside him and looked him in the eye her eyes red from her crying. "He proposed." She said quietly.
" propos...marriage?!" He asked in disbelief.
Anne nodded as Gilbert's jaw dropped. "I don't understand, I've never never encouraged him! Where did he get such an idea from? It's like a never ending nightmare of bad marriage proposals!" She cried again burying herself into his legs. He returned to his previous position stroking her gently. Gilbert felt terrible for Anne. Charlie was seriously deluding himself if he thought Anne... as much as he was sure Anne didn't love him anymore he was pretty sure he was still in for a better chance than Charlie!
"It alright Anne. Charlie is a Sloane you know how they are... His head will soon be turned by some airhead then he'll want to be all chummy again. Why don't you tell me what happened? Then later once it stops hurting we can have a proper giggle about it."
Anne sat up next to him allowing his arm to remain round her and told him the whole ordeal from beginning to end explaining why she had lost her temper. Gilbert's jaw remained ajar, he couldn't believe he was hearing it.
"Well you had every right to get angry not exactly the best way of proposing is it? Insulting your so called station in life!" Gilbert was angry how could Charlie have spoken to Anne like he had? Under the pretence of love! He doubted Charlie even knew the meaning of the word love, by the sounds of things he certainly didn't love Anne.
"And I scooped to his level Gil! How could I? I'm better than that!" She scolded herself.
"You listen to me Anne Shirley and you listen hard. He had no right coming here demanding your hand then when refused it to attack you in such a manner. He had every right to be disappointed, I mean it is YOU who rejected him..." He trailed with flirty wink to her which made her momentarily giggle. "... but his expression of emotions was bad form. You had every right to defend yourself and don't you forget it. I don't think any less of you for losing your temper, I doubt there are many who wouldn't given the circumstances."
Anne looked at him with a weak smile "Really?" she asked him.
"Really." He confirmed stroking the hair away from her face, his hand rested on her cheek holding her gently. Their faces were mere inches away from each other. He felt a familiar feeling rise in him. He couldn't, he couldn't kiss her but he couldn't let go either. Their noses rubbed together gently his warm nose contrasting her cold red nose from the crying he felt his hand slip down her holding round the waist. Their faces running against the others his lips playing with her cheek kissing it lightly hers likewise her lips kissing his face, flirting to be closer their lips grazed the others.
Gilbert felt his breaths shorten and quicken, they hadn't been like this since THAT afternoon. Did... did she want this? He hesitated pulling away from her gently for a moment. Her eyes were shut her lips slightly parted but with her eyes shut he couldn't see if she recognised THIS as love, he quickly decided to take the chance, he had to, he loved her! Like nothing else in this world he loved her! So he gently applied pressure to her lips closing his eyes and moving his hands back up to caress her cheeks at the same time. So much emotion he'd been clinging onto since THAT afternoon were finally being fully expressed again. He felt himself start to shake in excitement as he felt her lips respond to his. He moved closer holding her by her waist, her hands now caressing his cheek and ruffling the back of his hair. He couldn't help but bring his tongue to part her lips and kiss her deeply. His heart rate increased as she responded, they gently brought the kiss to an end pulling back for breath but allowing their faces to remain close they stroked each other again with noses and lips on each other. Gilbert slowly opened his eyes not daring to speak in case it shattered the dream he was having. Her mouth ajar her eyes still closed. He momentarily licked his lips but pulled back gently. she slowly opened her eyes looking in amazement at Gilbert as if he had never done it before to her. He looked into her eyes desperate to see the recognition of love in her eyes it glittered for a moment then faded away. His heart dropped, but he was careful not to show is disappointment. Finally he found the words to break the ice, reminding her why he was here in the first place "So, what was it we were going to debate this afternoon?" He asked her with his best smile.
Anne wasn't sure what she expected would happen next after that(!) but it certainly wasn't Gilbert suggesting they carry on as normal. She was confused for a moment trying to find an answer. "can we stay up here Gil, lets just read something?" she asked him.
"Sure." He said jumping up from the bed going to her bookcase. Gilbert looked at the books. There were a few of the classics they had enjoyed together but her bookshelf was looking more and more like an academics bookshelf all the time and with regards to what they were majoring in their books were rather different. He looked for something which would remind her of their friendship "Ah here we go! Lorna Doone!" he exclaimed. "Do you remember the afternoon we made friends you were reading this?" He asked her pulling the book out.
"yes. " She said in a daze "You read it after I finished." she smiled.
He smiled sitting back on the bed his legs dangling over the side again "we really did compare notes but you had written in the margins already so I did the same."
"And I did with Tom Sawyer." she laughed.
He pat his leg giving her permission to lie back on it. She lay on his leg relaxing back he started to read. Very soon one hand held open the book and the other played with her hair as their 'friendship' had allowed. Anne came to realise something. Her friendship with Gilbert was NOT a normal friendship anymore, they had slipped back into old intimacies. That KISS was... something else altogether, she didn't know what it was. She would need to ponder on it when Gilbert wasn't here.
Her wedding dress fit perfectly. Her slender frame clung to the material, not a ounce of skin or chubbiness could be found. She was walking down the isle to meet her soon to be husband. She smiled as the familiar look of love was thrown down to isle from her fiancé. His curly brown hair just tamed his hazel eyes full of promises of tomorrow. He lifted her veil and told her he loved her. But as he drew near to kiss her Anne felt the familiar destruct to the dream turning it to a nightmare. She couldn't see it she wouldn't see his destruction again.
she told herself "wake up it's a nightmare, wake up, wake up please wake up! Don't hurt him wake up!"
She woke with a start. She sighed in relief. She at least didn't see what her subconscious was trying to tell her this time, but she knew the drift. She had been wreakless! Letting that kiss happen! She hadn't had these nightmares when they were 'just friends' no matter how close they got! But that kind of kiss was something more and she knew it. Those nightmares had convinced her all that time ago, Gilbert Blythe was only just a friend. She managed to pull herself out of it this time, maybe because it had only just been the one kiss, maybe because Gilbert hadn't been sentimental afterwards, or maybe it was just because they had just got too close this afternoon. They were only just friends after all. Her subconscious was clearly telling her that's where Gilbert belonged and friends didn't kiss like they had that afternoon. She just needed things to go back to normal. That was all. Her heartbeat finally slowed to a normal rate she lay back down and closed her eyes, hoping for a dreamless sleep.