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It had happened again.
For some reason, Gilbert Blythe was having a lot of dreams lately.
But not in the good way. Because they were nightmares, and they were related to his family.
He sat down in his bed, the sheets still covering his legs. His hands moved to his eyes, since he wanted to cover them to make his nightmares go away. Instead he felt water. Tears.
With his sleeve he whipped them away, and stared at the nothingness. His room was not really that dark, since the weak light of the moon shone through his window, which he was thankful for. Not that he was afraid of the dark, but it felt less lonely.
"I should tell someone about this." Thought Gilbert, since it was the 3rd time in a week that he had the same nightmare.
In the dream, he was with his family. His father, siblings and even his mother, whom he never meet. They were all together playing outside. His parents watching them.
Gilbert was a child, and so were his siblings. The oldest being 16, but still playing with them. It started on them just having fun, and then he looked around at his parents, who were smiling at him.
The smiles didn't last for long.
As he was about to turn around to continue playing, he watched how his mother started to turn to dust, or ashes. He didn't knew exactly was was happening.
He ran to her to prevent her of fading away. But at the time when he arrived, she was already gone. For some reason his instincts told him to go towards his sibling. So he then started to run to his siblings, but he still wasn't fast enough. And they began to fade.
Gilbert could see the pattern. First his mother, then his siblings, then his father.
His father.
When he turned it was too late. He was already fading. His father looked at Gilbert.
"It's a big world son, remember that." And with that he faded away. Leaving Gilbert alone.
Alone
It was at that moment that he woke up. Every single time.
Gilbert decided he would go out since he knew he wouldn't be able to sleep anymore.
He stood up and started to change his clothes. He decided he would go to the cliff, on there he felt relaxed and not so alone. Wanting to escape the burden on his heart.
He got out and walked, not turning around to where his father was buried, he couldn't take any more weight. He walked through the forest, the trees dancing with the air and inviting him to come with them and dance.
When he finally arrived he just stood there. Unsure on what to do. So he decided to close his eyes and listen.
The sea started to sing a sweet melody and the stars gazed upon him, like they were trying to say
"Everything will be alright."
So he opened his eyes. To look at them. To admire them. To read their story.
Then footsteps joined the melody of the ocean. He thought it was Bash or Mary. Maybe they heard him getting out of the house and came to tell him to go back.
"Gilbert?" Said the voice of a girl, who was almost a woman by now.
That was when he turned around, and stood up startled.
"Anne…" Gilbert said, a little surprised that she was here.
She looked especially beautiful that night.
Her hair went down on her back in waterfalls made of fire, her eyes shone like stars stealing their brightness full of dreams and hopes, like they always did.
They stared at each other in silence. The water making a calming sound. It wasn't an awkward silence, it was the other way. A silence that invited them to be together, to be closer.
Finally she talked, still looking at him. "I would have never thought that you were going to be here."
"Neither did I, but instead you being here." He said
"Oh then you thought wrong."
Gilbert smiled a little. Anne came closer to him and asked. "Do you mind if I sit here with you?"
"No, be my guest."
So they sat down, leaving a space between them. They stayed silent again, looking at the stars. Gilbert turned his head slowly to look at Anne, since he didn't want her to know that he was looking at her.
He studied her gaze. And he wondered what was happening inside the mind of the red haired girl. What was she thinking about, or what was she imagining, or what story she was creating in this setting.
He sensed that she was about to turn to him, he quickly looked at the stars, so she wouldn't catch him looking at her.
"So," Anne started. "What are you doing here?"
"I figured I should ask you the same question." He answered.
Anne didn't seemed amused by his answer, but she still talked. "I don't really know. I couldn't sleep, and I like to come her to relax you know."
He did know.
She continued. "Maybe is the sea, or the stars. The stars are beautiful, don't you think? How each constellation forms something, I like to think of it as a story. And each star is a part of it. And together when they get together and make a constellation they tell the story. Although it is probably in their own language, because there are some that don't really make a figure. I like to.imagine what it is about. Don't you?" She said now smilin at the stars.
"I guess, I see them a little different."
"How do you see them."
" I see them as people. Once they leave this world, they become stars. And the constellations are families. So I guess your family and mine are there. Looking after us."
Anne didn't say anything. She now stared at the grass like she was tasting something.
"I know it’s stupid, I don't even know why I told you that." He stood up, taking a step ready to leave.
Anne grabbed his wrist. Her hand wasn't soft, but not to a point to make Gilbert not wanting to hold it. He didn't move, since he felt that if he did, she would break. Gilbert knew Anne was strong. But sometimes she was like a flower to him.
"No, I actually like that idea." She said, directing his arm towards the floor. To indicate him to sit down. He gave in and the silence continued. Both thankful for each others presence.
Of course Anne had to break it. "Gilbert, what are you really doing on here? I never thought you would come here."
"Anne Shirley-Cuthbert, are you worried about me now?" He said smirking a little.
"N-no, I'm just wondering." She felt her face going red, just like her hair, she hoped Gilbert had not seen it.
Gilbert's smile erased a little, having a battle with himself. To see if he could tell her or not.
"Anne is probably the one that would understand the most." He thought.
He finally decided to tell her.
"You know how now you want to know more about your family, am I right?" He asked.
She nodded. "How do you know?"
"You and your friends are not so quiet as you think you are."
"Gilbert Blythe! Have you been spying on us."
"No a friend told me." He said rising his arm as if giving up.
Oh, how bad he felt for his "friend"; he would have to endure the rage of Anne. And it wasn't going to be a pretty one.
"Well I heard that. And I thought about my family." He started to explain to her. "Not Bash and Mary, I mean my birth family."
Anne stayed silent, she had never touched the topic with him, not after what had happened at his father's funeral.
"And now, this week I've been dreaming about them. It's all fine at the start, but then they all turn to dust. Leaving me alone. That's why I came here. To not feel so alone. To see the stars. To feel them" He finished, feeling a part of the weight in his heart leaving him.
She turned her head to look at him, he felt her eyes and wanted to turn around to look at her. But at the same time he didn't want to, because then she would see the tears that were starting to form on his eyes, and he would seem weak.
But instead they were imploring him to turn around and look at her. And he finally gave in, unable to resist her. So he turned around.
She didn't say anything about his red eyes, and he wondered if she was only being nice or if she really thought he wasn't weak.
So he looked at hers, at those deep ocean eyes, those eyes in which you could see her dreams and intelligence. In which when he looked at them, always stole his breath. And even though he denied it, deep down he knew, he was in love with those eyes. In love with her.
She reached out for his hand and squeezed it, hers on top of his. This was the closest thing Anne had done to show affection towards him. It didn't last for long, she stopped holding it after squeezing his, turning her gaze to the ocean. And then she talked.
"I'm sorry."
"Why are you even saying sorry? This is not your fault."
"But I reminded you of your family, and what happened to them."
"Because you said you wanted to look for your lineage?"
"Yes" she said in a soft voice, turning her head low.
"Hey" he said, grabbing her chin with his fingers carefully like she was a flower so she would turn to look at her. "This wasn't your fault I understand why you want to know more about them, you never really got to meet them."
"Yes, but still…"
"It was not your fault." He started to say, interrupting her with determination in his voice. "Besides, I would do the same if I could."
"With your mother?" Asked the red headed a little nervous since she didn't know how the topic would affect him.
"Yes." He said in a whisper. "Since the only thing I have from her are pictures, and there isn't really a lot of them."
"How did she looked like?"
"I guess a little bit like me, people say that I look more like my father, but he used to say that I looked more like her, at least my eyes are from her. "
“I bet she is watching over you.” She said, now looking at the stars. “As you said, she must be there somewhere with your sibling and father. Do you think they meet my parents? Oh, wouldn't it be lovely to be a star?.”
"Probably. Do you know how your parents look like?"
"Not really."
Gilbert looked at her; she didn't seem sad when she talked about them. On the contrary, she seemed excited.
"I imagine they must come from a flower made of fire, and their hair was made out of that. Or maybe they were made from the tears of a lake, and when the tears laid on them, it formed little brown spots on their bodies, but when they laid on their eyes, they turned the color of the lake." She said, hopes and dreams reflecting on her eyes.
Gilbert looked at her, and admired how when she imagined things she looked even more beautiful, she seemed inspired when she talked about her thoughts out loud. And when that happened, he felt he could do anything. She gave him that power.
She also had a power, maybe she could only use it on him, that's why every time she looked at him, he felt how his heart rate increased, how she freed the butterflies in his stomach, and instantly made him nervous, and how she always left him breathless. He also felt how when she looked at her, his eyes would transmit how she felt about her. But even if she noticed, she never said anything about it.
"So, what are you going to do?"
"About what?"
"Your family, are you going to look somewhere?"
She stayed quiet for a little while. He started wondering if he said something wrong.
Until she talked. "I was actually wondering if on Saturday I could go to Charlottetown with you. Since you go there every weekend. And then we could stay with Mrs. Barry. After that I can go with Cole to the orphanage. So you don't have to miss your mentorship."
Gilbert gave her a soft smile. "Sure, I don't see why not." Understanding that this was important for her.
She smiled and laughed. "Thank you! Thank you so much!" She stood up seeming ready to leave.
Gilbert's heart felt so full. But not of the sadness from the dream. It was full of happiness. Happiness that Anne gave him, she had that effect on him.
He stood up too. Since tomorrow they had school.
"Thank you again, for… everything." She said, her voice soft.
"Yeah sure, thank you also."
"What for?"
"For being here."
She smiled and nodded. She then started to walk again. Gilbert still standing wanting to be with his family for a little while, watching her go.
She stopped. Turned around and ran to him. He had no idea what was happening. At the time she arrived to him she threw her arms around his neck, burying her head on his shoulder.
He stood there for a few seconds, shocked. Then after a moment he hugged her back, placing his chin on top of her head.
They stayed like that for a moment, both not wanting to let go. Their hearts beating like one, connecting them. Sending them the sign that they were meant for each other. That their relationship wasn't just friendship.
It was love.
They pulled apart not taking the sign in. Maybe someday in the future they would, for now they were on the adventure of finding themselves, then they would have to find each other.
And they could wait.
"I better get going. If not Marilla and Matthew are going to find an empty bed and that wouldn't be good." Said Anne, a slight blush on her freckled face.
"Yeah, I'll stay here for a while."
"You sure you're going to be okay here all alone?"
"I'm not alone." He said pointing at the stars.
She smiled. "Ok. I'll see you at school."
"Bye."
She left, turning one time to look at him. He smiled back.
He felt happier that he had a long time ago. All the pain that he had left his house with had been overpowered by the one of happiness because of a certain red-headed.
Who could have imagined that he would fall in love with a girl that slapped him in the face with her slate. Probably no one. That's why they were different.
♡♡♡♡♡
Bash woke up only to find Gilbert on the floor. He quickly went to him, worried.
"Blythe, are you good?" He turned Gilbert so he would face him. He was grinning, a big smile.
Bash almost smacked him for scaring him.
Mary came hearing his husband. "What's wrong?" She asked concerned about Gilbert.
Bash smiled at her. "By the way he is smiling, he seems love-sick. What happened?" He asked towards Gilbert.
"Anne and I hugged." He responded with a big grin on his face.
He smiled like a fool for the rest of the day. He definitely was love-sick.