Work Text:
Anne Shirley- Cuthbert sits in a loft, in downtown LA, which she found on Craigslist. Three guys sit across from her, staring like they've never seen a girl in their entire lives.
"I don't mean to sound rude... But why aren't you a guy?." Asks the boy, who'd introduced himself as Jerry.
Anne's confused at this "Why were you expecting a guy?"
"Maybe because your email has the name Matthew in it, and not Anne?" Chimed in the tall boy, named Cole.
"Oh" Anne said in realisation "I've been living with my family since I had to leave my old place. I was using my parents computer; I didn't realise I'd emailed you from Matthews account, sorry."
"Can I ask what happened to your old place?" Asked the boy sat closest to her. Anne did her best not to blush. His name was Gilbert, and Anne thought it was unfair how handsome he was. It was as though he'd gotten lost on his way to a photo shoot. It didn't help that his voice was deep, husky and irritatingly attractive.
Anne paused at his question, briefly wondering whether or not she should lie. But if she was going to be their roommate, she might as well be honest. "I had been living with my boyfriend for the past year. But unfortunately he wasn't as committed to monogamy as I was." She said delicately, doing her best to not get angry at the memory. Three weeks ago she had come home from work to find Roy in bed with another woman. She'd screamed at him until her lungs could't take it anymore, then she'd grabbed most of her stuff and left. He'd called her every day since but she refused to talk to him. Every time she thinks about how she wasted a year of her life on Roy, she feels like punching something.
"I'm sorry to hear that" Says Gilbert softly. His voice calms her, and the way he staring at her so intently makes her fidget in her seat. His eyes are a deep brown colour and she's mesmerised by them.
"So how come you want to live with three guys?" Questioned Jerry, interrupting her drooling over Gilbert "Don't you have any female friends you wanna live with? I mean, no offence, or anything."
"Of course I have friends!" She cried indignantly "My best friends Ruby and Diana live together, and I crashed with them for a week, but their landlord found out and wasn't happy. And to be honest, I only responded to the ad, because well... I thought you guys were women."
"Wait, why?" Cole asked.
"I knew we shouldn't have let you write the ad" Laughed Gilbert.
"Cole what the hell did you write?" Asked Jerry, glaring at the older boy.
"It was his use of the words 'sun soaked' and... 'beige-y' I think" She explained.
Jerry frowned at this, Gilbert grinned, and Cole shrugged his shoulders, and said "I was just being creative with it."
Anne tried to hide her smile at this. These guys weren't exactly what she was expecting, but the loft was nice, there was a lot of space and light: she could definitely see herself living here.
"Look," She started "I'd like to live here, provided you guys aren't murderers. I can pay first, last and the security deposit."
"But you're a girl." Protested Jerry.
"And we don't really know anything about you." Added Cole.
"Okay that's fair. Well I'm a teacher so I'm usually covered in glitter and paint. I like to do a lot of baking; mainly pies. Erm... I really like plants, especially sunflowers, so I'll probably end up putting some in the loft. And I like to do a lot of sewing, I make clothes sometimes so there's that." Anne felt her face heating up because she was rambling. It was hard not to with the way Gilbert was looking at her, he had a smirk on his face and his eyes were sparkling. Maybe this wasn't a good idea for her to live with him after all, she thought.
"Well I do like glitter" Responded Gilbert.
"And I love pies!" Added Cole.
Jerry sighed to himself, knowing that his friends had already decided about her. "Well then, I guess we have a new roommate."
---------------------------------------
Living with three guys wasn't all bad. Gilbert's room is a disaster zone, Cole leaves a trail of paint or chalk wherever he goes and Jerry causes a mess whenever he makes dinner. But the shared spaces in the loft are all clean enough. Cole is an artist, who paints in the day and makes money as a bartender in the evenings. Jerry wants to publish a book one day, but he writes newspaper articles to make money in the meantime. Gilbert's a second year med student and he's pretty much crippled by student loans. Anne spends her day teaching middle schoolers and her nights making lesson plans. They pretty much all keep weird hours but somehow it works.
Marilla thinks she's insane, of course. "Anne you can't just live with strangers you met on the Internet!" She screams "Especially three males! What if they're crazy?."
"Oh Marilla" She says "They're definitely crazy. But so am I, they're nice guys; I promise I'm safe."
Matthew doesn't seem particularly bothered by her new living situation "As long as you're not living with that Roy, I'm happy." He says darkly.
Diana and Ruby don't freak out as badly as Marilla does, but it's pretty clear that they're both concerned about her.
"You don't have to live there Anne. Can't you just stay with Matthew and Marilla for a couple months? Then when our lease is up, we can find a three bedroom place for us all." Ruby pleads.
Anne considers it, but decides against it. There's something about the loft, about the guys, that makes her... hopeful? She doesn't quite understand what she's thinking, however she just has a gut feeling that she's supposed to move in with them. It feels like fate.
"It's not fate" Diana says, rolling her eyes "You just think that the doctor guy is hot."
Anne finds herself unable to argue with this.
--------------------------------------------
The first time Diana comes to visit, she spends the whole time gazing at Jerry. He says something to her in French that makes her face turn scarlet. Diana casually asks if she can stay the night and Anne pretends that she doesn't know why Diana wants to stay longer. It ends up being a pretty fun night. Diana listens to Gilbert's crazy stories from
his travels and she dances with Anne when Cole brings his guitar out late in the evening, after someone had brought out a bottle of tequila.
The next day Jerry winks at Diana as she leaves. And when Anne asks her what she thinks of the loft, Diana blushes and says "I suppose it's not too bad."
--------------------------------------------
It takes a while for Anne to consider the guys her friends, but it happens, one by one. It starts with Jerry, and their shared interest in literature. They trade novels back and forth, and Anne reads and gives him notes on the draft of his novel. Jerry had grown up in France, so Anne begs him constantly for stories of his childhood. Cole keeps himself to himself at first, but Anne senses he's a kindred spirit and so she does her best to break down his walls. He tries to keep his art work to himself, but Anne is persistent. She manages to get a look at his sketchbook one day and is overwhelmed by his talent. Anne finds out he's no good with social media, or any part of the Internet. So she offers to set him up an online shop to sell his art, and she promotes his work on an Instagram page. A week after this, Cole shyly offers her a sketch he'd done of her. The drawing is beautiful. Anne hugs it to herself and smiles because she knows she's won him over.
Gilbert's the last one she makes friends with: and it's definitely her fault. He's not guarded like Cole, he's a complete open book. Becoming a doctor is no easy feat, yet despite his constant exhaustion he does his best to be nice to Anne. At first his attempts to be kind to her leave Anne distressed. It's almost impossible for her to ignore how ridiculously attractive he is, and given his chosen career, Anne knows he must be smart. Gilbert honestly looks like someone she'd seen in a dream. However, she realises that she'd be a complete idiot to have a crush on one of her roommates. She likes the loft and doesn't want things to get so uncomfortable that she has to leave. Also, truth be told, she's still reeling from the breakup with Roy. So no matter how many times Gilbert tries to start a conversation with her, Anne keeps herself at a distance from him. She's friendly with him, of course, but she's careful not to spend one on one time with him, like she does with Jerry or Cole.
Things change between them about two months in of them living together. Anne walks into the living room and sees a beautiful girl sat on her couch. The girl looks up at her and beams "Hello, I'm Winifred: Gilbert's girlfriend."
Anne's a little shocked she didn't know Gilbert was in a relationship. But then again, it's not like she knew much about him (other than the fact that he has hair she'd love to run her fingers through). Winifred is a surprise and Anne's slightly uncomfortable at her presence. The older girl had been with family in Paris for the past two months, so that explained why Anne had never met her. Anne is sort of jealous at first, but the feeling goes as quickly as it came. Winifred is lovely and smart; Anne wants to be her friend.
"How long have you and Gilbert been together?." She asks curiously.
"It's coming up onto two years now." States Winifred, smiling fondly at the mention of her boyfriend.
Anne finds it odd that they don't live together, but doesn't say, as it certainly isn't her place. Instead she offers Winnie a glass of wine, and the two girls talk for hours before Gilbert shows up, after traffic had delayed him. By the time he arrives, both girls are slightly tipsy and Gilbert is confused at the sight.
As Anne stumbles across the room, wanting to give the couple alone time, she stops next to Gilbert and says "Your girlfriend's cool. The three of us should hang out sometime." At this Gilbert grins widely, and Anne feels guilty for not trying to befriend him sooner.
After her introduction to Winnie, Anne slowly realises that she's been an idiot for ignoring Gilbert. Now that she knows he's taken, it's easier for her to ignore how attracted to him she is. They become fast friends once she starts to return the effort he'd been putting in. His friendship is unexpected but appreciated. And before long she can't begin to imagine her life without him in it.
---------------------------------------
They both have a weird obsession with horror films. And not just any horror films, but the shitty, cheap ones (seriously the worse the acting, the better). At least once a week they sit side by side on the couch and watch one together. Anne makes popcorn and Gilbert buys beer. The two of them laugh hysterically every time a character dies.
"That's not how you're supposed to watch horror movies." Complains Jerry (they don't listen.)
Neither one of them are able to function properly without coffee. They drink unhealthy amounts to get through the day. There's a small coffee shop near the apartment that the two of them frequent. Anne has a dependency on mocha lattes; she swears that mixing chocolate and coffee is the greatest invention to exist. Gilbert is weirdly into iced coffee, so much so that he drinks it in even the coldest of weathers. There regular table is at the back of the shop which sits near a small fire, Anne grades papers whilst Gilbert reads his medical textbooks.
One thing she finds out about Gilbert is that he's completely selfless. If you're someone he cares about, there's not much he won't do for you. Anne's more of a disaster than she would like to admit. There's days where she gets so fixated on an idea that she forgets to eat. Gilbert will always bring homemade soup, or something delicious to her room, and he'll never leave until she's eaten it.
"You don't understand Gil, my classroom needs this display! It'll transform the whole room."
"You know what else your classroom needs? A teacher. So eat the food or you'll waste away before your class can graduate ." He scolds.
Anne realises that if she ever needs a favour from him, she only has to ask once. When there's an emergency at home, he's in the car before Anne can even finish asking him for a ride. When she mentions career day at school he volunteers before she can even ask. And he doesn't just give a talk, he goes all out and brings stethoscopes and thermometers and a whole heap of stuff for the kids to interact with. Her students talk about him for weeks, and a few too many ask if he's her boyfriend.
"You ever think you're too nice?" She asks him one day, curious about his ways.
"Can a person ever be too nice.?" He replies.
"Definitely. If you're too nice, people take advantage of you. It can't hurt to put yourself first."
He laughs at this "Anne, I hardly walk down the street helping every stranger I see. There aren't too many people in the world that I do care about, but the ones I do, I want to look after. When the people I love are happy, then I'm happy. Truth be told I think I get that from my dad, he was always like that"
"Well do you think I'm a bad person then?" She worries "Growing up in the foster system I always looked out for myself, it's how I grew up. Do you see me as a selfish person?"
Gilbert rolls his eyes, as though it's a preposterous notion. "Anne, you've dedicated you're life to shaping the minds of the future. You love all your friends with a ferocity I've never seen. Trust me, you're a good person, an amazing one actually."
She finds his whole mother hen act ridiculous and adorable at the same time. He doesn't just look out for her, he looks out for the whole loft. When Cole brings his boyfriend Jon (it took a while before he revealed the name to his friends) to the loft for the first time, Gilbert pulls the boy to one side and gently threatens him with bodily harm if he ever hurts Cole. Whenever Jerry gets homesick, Gilbert will bring takeaway from the really good French restaurant that he loves. Once Ruby and Diana become regular fixtures in the loft, he starts to look out for them too. When Ruby's ex boyfriend refuses to return her stuff back, Gilbert pays him a visit to rescue it. When Diana gets sick he goes round to her place with extra blankets and painkillers. His kindness never ceases to make her smile, even though it does make her blush whenever it's directed at her.
Anne doesn't talk much about her life before she was 13 and got adopted. So when Gilbert asks about her childhood he only gets to hear about Matthew and Marilla. That is until one night she finds out he's also an orphan. Their situations aren't that same, for Anne never knew who her birth parents were. But still, his admission causes her to open up and tell him about her time in the foster system. He in return tells her about his losses; his Mother, his Father and a woman named Mary who he considered a sister. The conversation happens late one night after too many glasses of wine. And when Anne wakes up the next morning with a mild hangover she smiles, because Gilbert Blythe is one of her kindred spirits.
---------------------------------------------
They've been living together six months before Anne ends up meeting his family. It happens on Thanksgiving, when she finds out that he and his brother never make a proper dinner.
"That's not a proper Thanksgiving" She says to him.
Gilbert shrugs his shoulders and says "Well Bash is from Trinidad, so he's never been interested in the tradition. Plus neither of us are the best cooks. We usually just order takeout. Especially since Winnie will be in Paris."
Anne is horrified by this idea and refuses to let it stand "That is unacceptable Blythe. You are coming to dinner at my parents home, and you are bringing your brother and your niece."
Gilbert accepts and the two of them drive down to Green Gables together. She wants to invite the other boys. But Jerry is going home to France for the holidays, and Cole is spending it with his Aunt Jo.
Marilla is happy to have guests, but Anne suspects it's so she can check that her roommate is not an insane person. Anne meets Bash and Delphine, and instantly falls in love with the little girl. Even Matthew, who is quiet and reserved, fusses over the baby. The dinner is lovely, even though a few of Bash's comments make her a tad uncomfortable.
"I cannot believe this pie is homemade Anne, it's so delicious. It's a shame you're not my future sister in law, cause I could get used to eating like this."
Anne goes bright red at the suggestion. Anytime anyone asks if there's something going on with her and Gilbert, she shuts them down with a mention of his girlfriend. But Bash already knows about Winifred so she's a little lost for words.
Before she can reply, Gilbert says good naturedly "You wouldn't be saying that if you lived with her Bash, last week she almost burnt down our kitchen." As Gilbert launches into the embarrassing story, Anne looks across the table to Marilla, who stares right back with a knowing gaze.
When the Blythe-Lacroix's leave, Marilla looks at her daughter and says "Be careful with that one. With the way he looks at you, one would never guess he has a girlfriend."
----------------------------------------------
At least once a week Anne goes for a drink with Diana and Ruby. But at some point Anne realises that the person she spends most of her time with is Gilbert. Winifred's parents moved to Paris a couple years ago, and so Gilbert's girlfriend is often over there, as she misses them terribly. The weeks Winifred is in town doesn't change much, not like Anne had expected. There's just sometimes an extra person at their coffee table, and Anne doesn't mind.
Life for Anne had started to feel pretty perfect. She loved her job, loved her apartment, and she had genuinely good friends. Ruby and Diana got along really well with her roommates, so they were around often. Jerry and Diana were definitely sleeping together, but Diana had yet to make it public. Anne didn't mind, she knew her friend would confess soon.
The three girls and three boys made a fun, if slightly strange group. Anne and Jerry liked to argue about stupid things, like who should do the dishes. Cole would sometimes hide out in his room for days when he was feeling particularly inspired, and sometimes he would take off for a weekend away with his boyfriend without telling anyone. Gilbert more often than not would steal other people's groceries, and chargers and hairbrushes and pretty much whatever he needed. Diana and Ruby both had a key (no one knew how they'd got them) and they would show up at random times of they day, completely unannounced. Diana would often walk in, and rant about her Mother to the first person she saw. Similarly, Ruby would show up at the loft whenever she'd had her heart broken (which was sadly pretty frequent). Suffice to say the loft was a pretty chaotic place, and Anne never wanted it to change.
One permanent fixture of the loft was alcohol; they had a whole cupboard of supplies. Anne, Diana, Ruby, and occasionally Winnie liked to sometimes dress up and go to clubs. But more often than not, the group would spend their free time at the bar where Cole worked. They'd sit behind the counter while he'd work, and he'd roll his eyes at their presence, not wanting to admit how much he enjoyed it. Everyone had busy lives but whenever the group would get together and drink; the night always ended in drinking games.
Beer pong was probably the most frequent, and it was always girls verses boys. The girls almost always won, mainly due to Diana's great aim and Anne's startling ability to outdrink anyone in the loft. Truth and dare was played often, and one night Cole had decided to make an alcoholic version of Uno.
One night they were all sat around, slightly tipsy and watching Dirty Dancing (it was Ruby's turn to pick). Anne's head was on Gilbert's lap, and he was absentmindedly twirling her hair. It felt so natural that Anne didn't even question it, but Cole did.
"Anne," He whispered "I'm gonna make some more popcorn, can you help?."
Anne agreed, slightly annoyed that she had to move from her comfortable position. When they were in the kitchen, Cole turned to her with a concerned face "You like Gilbert, don't you?"
"Of course I like him. He's my friend, just like you." Anne replied, trying her best to sound innocent.
Cole rolled his eyes, obviously not believing her. "You two looked pretty cosy tonight. And don't tell me it's because you've been drinking. It's like everyday you two get closer."
"I'm not sure what you want me to say. He's my friend, my best friend."
"No Anne, I'm your friend. Think about how you feel about me and compare it to how you feel about Gilbert. Tell me, is it the same?"
Anne's heart sinks at this "Oh."
"Yeah. Oh."
---------------------------------------------
Despite Anne's realisation that she has feelings for Gilbert, not much changes between the two of them. Sometimes it scares her how easy it is to be with him. He's so honest with her, and all she wants is to be honest with him, but she can't be completely open with her feelings, and she's pretty sure he notices.
"Have you ever been in love Anne?" He asks one night. There's a film on in the background but neither are watching it closely.
"I'm not sure." She replies "Roy was my longest relationship. I loved him, but I don't think I was in love with him, you know?." I think I'm in love with you, is what she wants to add. Then Winnie's face pops up in her mind and she decides against it.
"You know if I ever meet Roy I'm going to punch him."
The way he says it is so causal that she can't help but let out a startled laugh "Why's that?"
"He clearly needs some sense knocking into him. He had the love of a perfect girl, and he threw it all away"
Anne goes quiet at this. She doesn't know how to respond so she changes the subject "Have you ever been in love? Besides Winnie?"
"Winnie is the first long term relationship I've ever been in. And I do love her, but sometimes I can't help but wonder if we're in love."
Anne turns to the side and sees his eyes on her. They're so intense she thinks she might burst into flames.
"I've been thinking a lot about her recently. The last few times we've spoke she's mentioned the future. Me moving to Paris... Marriage..." He trails off, and Anne feels sad. She loves living with Gilbert, and the thought of him moving to another continent breaks her heart. But no matter how she feels, she knows he's not meant for her. He's supposed to be with Winnie. She's beautiful and interesting, she comes from a good family and unlike Anne she's not a total disaster of a person.
"Well I hope you and Winnie get married here. Because I can't afford a flight to Paris." Her tone is light and teasing and it puts an end to the serious conversation.
Gilbert calls Bash the next day and has him send his Mothers ring to the loft. He carries the small velvet box around with him always, and says he's simply waiting for the right moment to ask. Life carries on, and Anne does her best to ignore her friends upcoming engagement.
-------------------------------------------
Summer arrives and the living situations change slightly. Diana and Jerry are an official couple, so while Diana isn't moved into the loft, she sleeps there more nights than she doesn't. Ruby has a new boyfriend called Moody, and the two are practically joined at the hip. So whenever Ruby visits the loft, she's not alone. Cole and Jon have gotten pretty serious, so he's also around a lot. The loft is more crowded than ever (Jerry blames Anne).
Winnie had been around pretty consistently in the Spring, but then she takes off for the whole summer to stay in London with her sister, and Gilbert lets her leave without proposing to her.
Anne has no work to do for almost 3 months, apart from some grading and planning. She picks up a couple shifts at the bar with Cole, but apart from that she finds herself spending more time with Gilbert than usual. She does her best to justify it: all her other friends are in couples and are enjoying their honeymoon stages. Gilbert's girlfriend is out of town so it's only natural that they end up spending time together. Gilbert spends a lot of time in her room, the two of them huddled around a laptop binge watching Netflix. He ends up sleeping in her room more often than ever; he claims it's because Jerry and Diana make far too much noise at night. Anne makes a pillow barrier between the two; and does her best not to blush when they wake up together, close but never touching. She thinks about Cole, she'd let him sleep in her bed, so why wouldn't she let Gilbert?.
Med school is insanely hard, and Gilbert spends a lot of his time at the library. Anne likes to join him, she'll pick out a book to read whilst he studies. Whenever she sees that he's working too hard, she drags him to get ice cream to cheer him up. She finds that he drags her to a lot of places too. They go to a midnight screening of the Rocky Horror Picture Show (her favourite musical) and he forces her to take up running (his favourite sport for some ungodly reason.) She returns the favour by getting him tickets for his favourite band and making him go to yoga with her. He only makes it through one class and it's pretty hilarious.
When a girl approaches her in the changing room and says "Wow you're boyfriend looks good in his workout gear." She panics and just nods her head, because yes he did look stupidly attractive. It's only when the girl leaves that she feels her heart drop into her stomach. He's not your boyfriend you idiot, she thinks.
----------------------------------------------
Diana and Ruby tell Anne that the best way to get rid of her feelings, is to find a different guy to like. Anne tentatively agrees, and a week later she finds herself on a date with Charlie Sloane. He and Diana are old friends, and if the pictures she's been shown are accurate, he's very handsome. Anne's nervous but looking forward to moving on. Winnie is back in a month, and Anne's pretty sure that Gilbert will be proposing once she returns.
The night of the date, Anne puts on her favourite outfit: a floral white dress and sandals (she wants to take the advantage of the warm weather whilst it lasts). She has Cole braid her hair in this intricate way that she can never do herself. Standing in front of the mirror, she looks at her reflection in a critical manner, no matter how hard she tries to forget her time in the system, it's hard to forget the hurtful things the other orphaned girls would say to her. Ruby and Diana responded to her snapchat selfie with millions of heart eye emojis, which made her smile. Cole had said she looked gorgeous and Jerry shrugged his shoulders when asked for his opinion, which doesn't surprise her.
Gilbert interrupts her thoughts when he knocks on the door. She whirls round in surprise, as she thought he was still at the library. He looks shocked at her appearance, his eyes wide as he looks her up and down.
"Woah" He whispers, then clears his throat awkwardly.
"I thought you wouldn't be back till later." She said, avoiding eye contact.
"I got my work done quicker than expected. I was gonna ask if you wanted to grab dinner, but it looks like you've got plans already. You and the girls going clubbing?"
"Actually I've got a date."
"Wait really?"
She huffs at this "Yes Gilbert. I'm going on a date. Is that so shocking?"
"Of course not!" He defends himself "It's just that you never mentioned it is all."
"Well I don't have to tell you everything."
"I know you don't have to, but you normally do anyway" He says sadly.
I've never told you everything, she thinks, because if I did you'd know how much I love you. She doesn't tell him that, of course, because that would be crazy. Instead she goes with "How do I look?" She spins around as she asks, making it dramatic so he'll laugh.
Expect he doesn't laugh, he just stares at her. The way he's looking at her makes her blush, he's staring intently, way too intently. She feels self confident before he speaks up and says "You look beautiful Anne, you always look beautiful." Anne wants to argue with him, but he sounds so sincere that she believes him. She's normally critical of the way she looks, but the way he's looking at her makes her feel beautiful.
"Thanks Gil," She smiles "That means a lot."
"Anytime Anne," He promises "Have a good night."
-----------------------------------------------
The date with Charlie goes well, really well. He's nice and smart, and a really good listener. Most guys seem bored or annoyed by her when she goes off on political rants, or tells long stories about her students. However, Charlie seems interested in everything she has to say and it makes her feel good about herself. Charlie works with his Dad, who runs an accounting firm, and he's preparing to take over the business one day.
The dinner is nice, and Charlie refuses to let her pay the bill, he tells her she can get the next one, and she's shocked to find that she's excited at the prospect of a second date.
For their second date they go for dinner and a movie, and when he goes to kiss her at the end of the night, she kisses him back, and likes it more than she expected. When she looks at Charlie, she doesn't get the same butterflies that she does when she looks at Gilbert, but still, she has hopes that one day she will.
After a few more dates she introduces him to the rest of the gang. Diana already approves, and Ruby declares him 'dreamy'. Charlie brings expensive beer to the loft, which gains him Jerry's and Moody's friendship. Cole finds out that Charlie had purchased one of his paintings online, which wins him over pretty quickly.
Gilbert's nice but a little cold towards Charlie. Any time Charlie makes a joke, Gilbert doesn't laugh. And any questions that Charlie directs towards Gilbert receives a short, blunt response.
When Anne asks Gilbert what he thinks of her new boyfriend, he shrugs disinterestedly and says "He seems alright. All I care is that you're happy, Anne." His response makes her heart ache, because deep down she knows that she'd be happier with him.
Anne having a boyfriend changes the dynamic between her and Gilbert. They spend less time together, and when they do, they're not a tactile as they once were. Anne doesn't rest her head on his shoulder like she used to, and Gilbert stops gently brushing hair from her face.
They still regularly have their horror movie nights, even if they don't sit quite as close as they once did. Late one night, when the credits are rolling and Anne's eyes are closed, as she gets close to sleep. Gilbert whispers into the quiet "I miss you, you know?".
Anne doesn't open her eyes, and Gilbert doesn't say anything else.
-----------------------------------------------
Gilbert and Winifred break up one cold afternoon in October; it's brutal and loud. Anne and Jerry are hanging out with Cole in his room when the fight breaks out. The three of them lock the door and decide to hide out in there until it's over. Their voices are loud and then quiet. Anne definitely hears crying at some point. The fight lasts for three hours, it's so long that Jerry takes a nap at some point.
Anne's heart beats fast as she listens to the shouting. She'd assumed Gilbert and Winifred were inevitable; she'd never imagined their relationship would end. It's hard to make out what they're saying to each other, but the words "marriage" "hate" and "Anne" are thrown around a lot. The mention of her name makes her feel sick to her stomach.
"Why are they arguing about you Anne?" Asks Jerry in a hushed tone.
"I've got no clue." Anne says defensively.
"She's probably jealous of her." Cole says, bored of the drama.
"No, she's not!" Cried Anne. Winnie is more perfect than Anne could ever dream of being.
"Now that him and Winnie are over, you can finally tell him how you feel." Says Cole.
"Anne you like Gilbert?" Gasps an oblivious Jerry.
"No I don't like Gilbert." Snaps Anne "I have a boyfriend. And Gilbert is with Winnie."
When Anne finishes speaking she hears Winifred scream "Don't ever try and call me ever again Gilbert!." And the sound of the door slamming rattles through the apartment.
Cole raises an eyebrow and looks at Anne "Doesn't sound like he's with Winnie."
----------------------------------------------
Anne creeps into Gilbert's room, to see her friend lied on his bed, tear stains on his face.
"I brought you hot chocolate" She whispers softly. Gilbert sits up and she goes to sit next to him on the bed.
He smiles sadly at her, takes the drink and says "Thanks. I'm guessing you heard what happened."
"Yeah, we all kinda heard. I'm so sorry Gil, what happened?"
"I really did love her, Anne. And I wanted to be in love with her, but I just wasn't. I kept expecting it to happen, and it never did. She wanted me to propose, but I just couldn't see myself spending the rest of my life with her."
"Oh Gil..."
"She furious with me. I know I've made the right choice but I hate knowing that I've hurt her. She'll never forgive me, I've lost her from my life."
"I promise you've not" Anne tells him confidently "One day she'll fall in love, for real, and she'll thank you for letting her go. Maybe one day you two will be able to be friends."
"I'd really like that" Gilbert says, tiredly. She strokes his hair until she falls asleep.
----------------------------------------------
Life moves on in the loft. Diana officially moves in, which Anne is ecstatic about. Ruby and Moody have gotten a place together, and the two are really disgustingly in love, so much so that Moody's planning to propose. Jon leaves to do a year abroad in Italy; him and Cole commit to doing long distance, and they visit each other back and forth. Gilbert continues to study hard; he's in his third year in med school and the work load keeps getting harder. Anne continues to see Charlie, there's not much passion to the relationship as she'd like, and Anne is frustrated as she can see the two of them fizzling out.
"You should just dump him now" Cole suggests "And tell Gilbert how you feel."
"I like Charlie, I want to make things work."
"Charlie's too much of an adult for you, and you know it."
"Excuse me, I'm an adult! I have a full time job, I have a bank account with savings, I even drink red wine.!"
"You drink sangria, that is not the same thing. You're technically an adult, but like, a barely functioning one. I mean look at you, it's Autumn break, and you're still somehow covered in stickers."
Anne can't argue with that, despite her best efforts she's still a mess. "Okay so what does that have to do with anything."
"Charlie's too sensible for you. He does math for a living, for crying out loud. He doesn't live with roommates, his car isn't a piece of crap like yours, and he hardly ever wants to play our drinking games."
"Look Gilbert is still getting over Winnie. So even if I did have feelings for him, which I don't, now would be a horrible time to tell him. And as for Charlie being sensible, I can prove you're wrong." Anne picks up her phone and dials his number.
"Charlie, come over." She says down the phone, whilst glaring at Cole "We're having a games night."
-----------------------------------------------
It doesn't take much to convince the gang to join in. When the words "games night" leave her lips, Jerry and Diana emerge from their room grinning in anticipation. Cole's in of course, and Jon was back from Italy for a week, and he was more than excited, as he'd missed out on the past few. A quick text is sent to Moody and Ruby, who agree instantly and offer to pick up supplies on their way over. Gilbert takes the most convincing, after his blowout fight with Winnie he'd sort of turned into a hermit.
"I don't wanna play Anne. I thought you and I were gonna order takeout and hang tonight?"
"We can still get pizza Gil, come on, if you join in, I'll be on your beer pong team." This got Gilbert's attention, who was normally up against Anne who always won.
"Is Charlie coming?" He asked sourly. Anne wishes he was jealous, but she knows he's never looked at her like that. It's just that he doesn't like Charlie.
"Of course he is, Gil. Now get up and stop being a buzz kill. We're having fun tonight!"
Charlie arrives at the loft and doesn't look impressed with the set up. "Seriously Anne" He whines "You know I've had a busy week. I just wanted an early night."
" I know, but Jon is back this weekend. And Ruby and Moody are on their way over. I just didn't think the night would be complete without you."'
This seems to win him over "Okay I suppose I can play a couple games."
By 1am everyone in the group is varying degrees of drunk. Diana and Ruby are sat in the corner giggling over absolutely nothing. Jerry is wearing a tie around his head and has started to sing his favourite French songs.
Jon and Cole are doing some truly awful dance moves to the sounds of Jerry's singing. Moody is quietly sat at the counter, eating an entire pizza to himself. Charlie is snoring lightly on the couch.
Anne and Gilbert are both sat next to each other on the floor, leaning against the back of the couch, passing a bottle of tequila back and forth.
"Do you ever think we'll outgrow drinking games, Anne?" Murmurs Gilbert.
Anne thinks back to her conversation with Cole earlier and shakes her head "I hope not. I wanna grow up, but not that much."
"You know one day, we'll outgrow roommates. We'll just be sensible adults... Who own property."
Anne laughs at the thought. Two days ago she'd watched Gilbert eat cereal out of a mug, and then call it dinner; she can't imagine him ever being a 'sensible adult'. She sobers up slightly at the thought of having to live somewhere where he doesn't. It's a depressing thought. "I hope I'm never too far from you, Gil." She says softly, not daring to look directly into his eyes.
Before Gilbert can respond, Coles voice interrupts them "Alright light weights! The last game of the night is truth or dare!" Diana and Ruby cheer excitedly. Moody and Jerry roll their eyes but still get ready to play. Someone must have woken Charlie, because when Anne gets up off the floor, he's awake and smiling at her.
"The game is truth or dare!" Says Cole dramatically, once they're all sat in a circle. "The rules are-"
"We know the rules idiot, it's in the name." Jon says fondly, smiling at his drunk boyfriend. Cole fakes a scowl but it leaves once Jon tugs him down for a kiss. The game gets started, and everyone ends up doing something stupid. Ruby prank calls her ex boyfriend, Jerry recalls the embarrassing story of how he lost his virginity, and Jon is made to play the rest of the game with his shirt off (a dare from Cole obviously). Diana and Moody are dared to kiss, and Diana declares it the worst kiss of her life. The dares and questions get more and more ridiculous. Each one makes Anne laugh and question whether or not her friends really were adults in their mid twenties. Anne is made to confess about the time her and Diana graffitied their high school bathroom. She's dared into doing a backflip (she fails at this and breaks a wine glass in the process). When it's her third turn she choses dare without thinking, before realising that it's Cole who gets to decide.
He pretends to think about it for a moment, before shooting Anne a wink "I dare Anne to kiss Gilbert." Silence falls across the room and Anne is the only one who dares to speak.
"What? Why?" She demands.
Cole shrugs and says "Poor Gilbert is mending a broken heart. I just want to cheer him up."
"Well then why don't you kiss him?"
"I would but I don't think I'm his type" Laughs Cole, who is swiftly elbowed by Jon.
"Well I won't, I have a boyfriend"
"I had to kiss Diana" Pointed out Moody.
"Don't worry about it" Says Charlie "It's only a game."
Anne wants to cry at this because it's not a game, not to her at least. She's wanted to kiss Gilbert for so long, it's unfair that the only time it will happen is in front of all her friends. Running away isn't an option, even though she seriously considers it.
"Ah come on Shirley" Comes Gilbert's voice. He walks towards her, seeming unfazed by the situation. "I promise I'm not that bad"
Before Anne can respond, Gilbert's lips are on hers and she goes weak in the knees. If it wasn't for the arm that he'd curled around her waist, she would have fell straight to the ground. His lips are as soft as she'd imagined, softer even. He tastes like bottom shelf tequila and she kind of likes it. His teeth gently sink into her bottom lip and she gasps at the sensation. He uses the opportunity to slip his tongue into her mouth and she thinks she might spontaneously combust. Kissing Gilbert is like something she's never felt before, she thinks she might have died and gone to heaven.
The moment is interrupted when Anne feels something hit her cheek. She pulls away to see that Jerry had thrown popcorn at them. "Anne you're like my sister. And now that image is permanently burned into my mind." Jerry does a dramatic shudder and every one laughs along. They're all oblivious to the fact that she just had the best kiss of her life. When she looks over to Gilbert his eyes are dark and she can't help but shudder. He'd let go of her and all she wanted was for him to pull her back in again. Instead she backed away slowly and sat down. Charlie was looking at her with an inscrutable expression and it made her uncomfortable.
"Alright!" Shouts Ruby "Who's up next?".
----------------------------------------------
Anne wakes up the next morning with a blistering hangover. The sun makes her cringe and she has a horrible headache. She rolls over and expects to see Charlie lying next to her. When she realises she's alone in bed she sits up and sees that Charlie's sat in the chair she uses for her dressing table. He's got a book in one hand, and a cup of coffee in another. He looks as fresh as a daisy, meanwhile Anne can only imagine how bedraggled she must look.
"Morning" She mumbles, the words not really sounding right. Charlie smiles at her and points to her bed stand. There's a glass of water and two painkillers waiting for her. She gratefully takes the tablets and gulps the water down.
"I know you're probably feeling rough at the moment, but I think you know we need to talk." He speaks gently as he goes to sit at the edge of the bed.
Anne isn't nervous at his words, she knew this was coming "Yeah" she sighs "I think you're right."
"You know we're not working out right? No matter how well we're getting along... There's just something missing between us. It's like there's no..."
"Spark." She finishes for him.
"Yeah" He nods. "It's a shame as well. I really like you."
Anne smiles at this and says "Friends?"
"Definitely friends. I still want invites to game nights."
"You'll always be welcome here Charlie." He smiles in response, kisses her on the cheek and walks to the doors
He pauses on his way out to look at her "You do know why there'd never be a spark between us right?"
Gilbert's face flashes in her mind and she nods guiltily "I've got a pretty good idea."
"You should tell him, before it's too late."
"Thanks Charlie."
"See you around Anne".
-----------------------------------------------
Anne lies in her bed, suffering the type of hangover that makes her kind of want to die. She doesn't open her eyes when someone walks into her room, because she's almost certain that it's Gilbert.
"You don't look too good." Laughs Gilbert.
"I don't feel too good." She groans, and opens her eyes. Gilbert's planted himself at the end of the bed; and he looks unfairly sober.
"So I don't mean to pry, but when I saw Charlie leave he didn't look too good. Everything alright with you two?."
Anne sighs "We've decided we're just gonna be friends.
Gilbert looks strangely conflicted at this. Anne was normally good at reading her best friend, but for once she couldn't decipher his expression. He's silent for a moment before saying "Meet me in my car in 10 minutes" and taking off before she can ask any more questions.
It takes more than 10 minutes for Anne to drag herself out of bed, but she manages it. She stumbles down the stairs in her sweatpants and an oversized jumper she'd stolen for him ages ago. She has sunglasses to protect her eyes, and holds a massive cup of coffee in her hands. Gilbert stands in the sunlight looking as perfect as always, and he seems to be amused by her appearance. Anne gets in the car without bothering to ask where they're going; that's always been how their friendship works, they go along with each other's crazy ideas without question.
As he starts to drive, he softly says "I'm sorry things didn't work out with you and Charlie. Do you wanna talk about it?."
"There's not much to say" Sighs Anne "He's a really good guy, but there wasn't a spark, you know?"
"Yeah, I do know." He hesitates like there's something important he wants to add. But instead he simply says "You should sleep if you want to, we won't get there for a while."
Anne wakes up a couple hours later and has no idea where they are. "Please tell me we're still in California."
"Of course we're still in California. You weren't asleep that long. Don't worry we're only at San Diego."
Anne can't help but laugh at this "Why the hell have you driven us to San Diego?"
Gilbert grins at her and says one work "Cake."
He takes her to tiny bakery that doesn't look like much on the outside, but on the inside smells like heaven. The woman behind the counter recognises Gilbert and the two chat, whilst Anne stares at them dumbfounded. He drags her over to a seat, and the woman brings over a pot of coffee, and two slices of chocolate cake.
"You're girlfriend's very pretty Blythe. It's about time you brought someone here with you." She winks at Anne and says "Enjoy the cake, it was my great grandmothers recipe."
Anne looks at Gilbert in confusion "So you come here a lot."
"The first time I came here was when I was 10 years old, with my Dad. We were in San Diego for my birthday. The chocolate cake was the most amazing thing I've ever tasted in my life. After that it became tradition to drive up here on my birthday for the cake. And sometimes when I was feeling sad, my Dad would surprise me with a road trip to here, to cheer me up."
Anne can't help but smile at the story "So that's why you brought me here, to cheer me up?"
"Exactly. You can't be sad whilst eating this cake, trust me."
He's not wrong. It's the most amazing cake she's ever tasted in her life, and the coffees pretty special too. The bakery is warm and cosy, and Gilbert is sat really close to her. Gilbert sharing this place with her makes her feel loved, like she's special to him.
They spend hours sat there, ordering more cakes and coffee. And by the time they leave Anne feels so full and happy that she could burst. They buy a couple boxes of treats for the guys and they head of home.
Before they head into the loft, Anne stands on her tiptoes so she can gently kiss Gilbert's cheek.
"Thank you Gilbert. You really are a true friend."
-----------------------------------------------
Anne worries that it will be difficult for her and Gilbert to navigate their friendship now that she's no longer with Charlie. It's the first time since they've met that they're both single at the same time. She assumes things will be awkward, but for the most part they stay the same. Any barriers between them that had been created by Winnie and Charlie were gone. They were closer than ever, yet Anne ached for more than just friendship with him.
"You do realise that you're his girlfriend right? I mean you guys are going on dates all the time, you're both so supportive with each other. He does your laundry, you help him study. You too are disgustingly domestic, and yet you're not having sex. It's weird." Criticises Diana, who was pretty much fed up with her two friends.
"Gilbert never does my laundry." Complains Jerry.
"He's not my boyfriend! He's my best friend." Anne defends.
"Ouch." Diana and Cole both say together.
"Things have been so good between us recently. I'm not gonna ruin everything by telling him how I feel, because he doesn't feel the same."
"He definitely feels the same, please wake up." Says Diana.
There's moments where Gilbert looks at Anne, and she swears he feels the same as her, but the moments go as quickly as they come. It's difficult for her to not tell him how she feels, but the thought of him rejecting her stops her in her path each time.
Diana definitely does has a point; with neither of them having significant others, they do end up doing a lot of couple activities together. Whenever Anne wants to go the beach, Gilbert offers to take her. They get in his car, blast loud music, and always stop for McDonalds on the way. Whenever the weather is nice and neither of them are busy, they spend whole days by the ocean. Gilbert will insist on putting sunscreen on her back and she blushes at his hands running up and down her bare skin. They build sand castles and buy ice cream and just generally act like children.
When Anne gets a crazy idea, like getting a new tattoo, or learning to skateboard, he's the first one she calls. He's there every time; he holds her hand as she has a daisy chain inked around her ankle, and he cleans the cuts she gets from falling off her skateboard for the millionth time.
And whenever either of them has a hard day, they know to turn to each other for comfort. On the anniversary of his Father's death, Gilbert has an exam. When he returns to the loft, emotionally drained, he finds Anne in his room. She'd driven up to San Diego and brought him a whole chocolate cake back. They spend the night in his room eating cake and drinking whiskey and coke. Anne holds him as he cries, and listens intently when he tells her stories about his Dad. There's one day where Anne almost completely falls apart from stress. The headteacher at her school had been on her case all week. She's been given way more responsibilities than she has the time for. Somehow she ends up in charge of planning the yearly budget, and it's stupidly complicated. By the time she's gotten it done, she feels like she could sleep for a week. When she returns from work, Gilbert's there with Chinese food and a bottle of her favourite wine. They sit on the balcony wrapped in a blanket and eat. She leans on Gilbert for support and he patiently listens to her rant about how awful the headteacher is.
It's hard: loving him and knowing that he might never feel the same way. But his friendship means too much to her. So she pushes her feelings aside and stays by his side.
----------------------------------------------
It's a regular Monday morning when Anne realises she's in love with Gilbert. Anne had always imagined that falling in love would be like it is in the romance novels she secretly adores. She had expected it to be epic, had expected time to stand still. Instead it's a quiet feeling.
Her and Gilbert had fallen asleep on the couch, everyone else was also asleep or out, and the loft was silent and still. They'd been watching a film and at some point Anne had drifted off. The living room was dark except for strings of fairy lights that they'd left on. Anne wakes up and is strangely comfortable. As she adjusts to her surroundings she realises that Gilbert must've brought out blankets from her room and covered her up. The simple gesture makes her heart warm. She assumed he must've gone to sleep in his own bed, but she finds him asleep on the couch next to her
She looks over at his face, peaceful and glowing in the moonlight. She takes the opportunity to study his face, his skin is smooth and his lashes are dark and unfairly long. In that moment she feels the realisation slowly sink in: Oh, she thinks, I'm in love with him. For so long she'd just assumed it was crush; a combination of attraction and deep feelings. It's been love for a long time, she realises, it had just taken time for her to admit. But as she looks at him, her best friend, she wonders how could she have ever been so foolish as to believe she didn't love him?.
"Congratulations," Diana says dryly "You've figured out what we've all know for at least a year"
"Now Gilbert is the only clueless one." Adds Cole.
"For the love of God, Anne, I am begging for you to just tell him. Enough is enough: you love him, and I am 100% sure he loves you. So just do us all a favour and ride off into the sunset together." Cries Jerry.
"I didn't realise you were so invested in their relationship." Laughs Diana.
"Are you kidding me? How could I not be! I've had to watch these idiots dance around each other since day one."
"You guys are so annoying." Grumbles Anne.
Yet as irritating as her friends are, she reluctantly has to admit they have a point. As good as their friendship is, Anne finds herself unable to keep lying to him; she wants to be honest, to tell him the whole truth of her feelings. She goes back and forth on the when, where and how to tell him. The romantic in her wants to do something dramatic, something elaborate. But eventually she settles on just telling him over dinner.
She casually asks him to go out with her at the weekend. He says yes straight away, it's pretty standard for them to go for food together. Anne dresses slightly nicer than normal, and makes a reservation at restaurant that's a definitely classier than the usual crappy places they normally go.
"Are we celebrating something?" Gilbert asks, as he sits across the table from her.
Anne blushes, not sure how to start "No, not really. I just thought it would be nice if we were to eat at a place that doesn't give us food poisoning, for once."
"Well I can't argue with that logic." He smiles at her.
As dinner continues, Anne makes several attempts to tell him how she feels, but every time she gets close, she ends up changing the subject. She can't see to find the nerve to confess and it's frustrating as hell.
When Gilbert goes to the bathroom, she tries to give herself a pep talk. She is determined that she's going to tell him when he sits back down. As she sits there and stresses, she jumps at the sound of Gilbert's phone beeping. She doesn't intend on looking at his phone, but she can't stop herself from picking it up when she sees the name "Winnie" on the screen. Her heart hammers in her chest as she grabs the phone. The message on the screen reads "It was so good speaking to you last night. I'll be in town in a couple weeks, we'll get dinner."
Anne's eyes water when she sees the message. Of course, she thinks, why did I think he could love me. Winifred was perfect, better than Anne in almost every way. They'd been together for 2 years, and their time apart must have made Gilbert realise that they were meant to be. It hurts that Gilbert hasn't told her he was going to get back together with Winnie.She puts his phone back before he reaches the table. He looks at her with worried eyes.
"Anne?" He asks "What happened, you look upset?"
"Nothing's wrong Gil," She says "I'm perfectly fine."
---------------------------------------------
Anne spends the next week avoiding Gilbert. She's dreading him and Winnie getting back together. He'll probably propose to her, and they'll live in the loft for a while before they find their own place. The thought of living with the two of them makes her nauseous, and so she comes up with a plan.
"You can't leave." Cries Diana.
"This is your home." Shouts Cole.
"And we are your family." Protests Jerry.
"I'm so sorry." Anne says, "I hate to leave, but it's my only choice. Gilbert isn't over Winnie, I'm a fool for thinking he would ever love me."
"I'll kick him out." Cole suggests loyally.
"Don't be ridiculous Cole, Gil was here first. And as much as I will miss you all, I think it will do me good to move on. Think about how much things have changed since I first arrived here. Cole you were so lonely, and now you've fallen in love. Jerry you and Diana have found each other. And Gilbert is clearly going to be engaged soon. You've all grown up and moved on. But I'm stuck, I'm the girl who's in love with her best friend. I want to be able to move on, I don't wanna be that girl."
And so, Anne packs up her things, and prepares to leave the loft. Gilbert had gone to spend the weekend with Bash and Dellie, so she has enough time. Cole and Jerry help her, and they sadly reminisce about all the good times they'd had together. When the room is empty, Anne feels a deep sadness wash over her. The loft was her home, and it was hard to say goodbye to.
Anne stands at the door holding one of her bags. Most of her stuff was in boxes in the back of her car. Jerry, Cole, Diana, Ruby and Moody have all gathered for her send off.
"Where will you go?" Diana asks sadly.
"I'm not going to Green Gables that's for sure. I love Marilla, but I can't stand to hear her say 'I told you so'. I've got an old friend in San Francisco who's gonna let me stay in her spare room for the summer. I'll be back at the end of August to find a new place, before the school year starts and for the wedding."
"You better be back in time for the wedding." Warns Ruby "I need you as my bridesmaid."
"Are you seriously just gonna leave without telling Gilbert? He's gonna be so confused Anne." Complains Jerry.
"There's a letter in his room. He won't understand at first, but he'll get over it eventually."
"I doubt that." Cole says darkly.
"Leave it alone Cole. It's none of your business. I want you all to promise not to meddle when I've gone. Okay?"
"Okay" They all grumble.
"Now, I'm going to need you all to hug me." She demands.
-----------------------------------------------
Dear Gil,
As you've probably already noticed, I've moved out of the loft. I'll be in San Francisco for the summer. I need you to not contact me, I know this will seem strange, but I'm hoping you'll do this for me, as my friend.
I'll be back in LA eventually, I just need time to figure some things out. I know you'll want to know what this is about, but this is the one secret I cannot share with you.
Please don't hate me too much,
Yours, Anne.
-----------------------------------------------
Summer in San Francisco is nice, if a little lonely. Anne has gotten pretty good at dodging phone calls. She avoids the Cuthbert's, not wanting to be lectured. She tells her friends in LA that she's too busy to take their calls. It's an obvious lie, but they seem to accept her need for space. Gilbert never calls, and when her friends text, they never mention him.
Anne wants so badly to forget about him, but it proves impossible. Everything reminds her of him. She can't eat ice cream without remembering the time he shoved a cone into her face, and ran off laughing hysterically. She can't watch horror films without remembering all those nights they spent huddled up on the couch together. She considers not returning to LA, and finding a job elsewhere. Yet she knows that her friends would never forgive her.
It's a disgustingly hot summers afternoon when Anne returns to the loft. There's a sheen of sweat across her forehead and her hair is horribly frizzy. Still she's excited to return to see her friends, all except one. When she opens the door, she's greeted by an armful of Diana, who hugs her and demands that she never leave again.
Cole spins her around the room and declares that "The loft isn't the same without you, Anne."
Jerry isn't much of a hugger, but he grabs her hand and pulls her towards the kitchen to show her the 'welcome home' pie he'd made. He'd used her recipe, and whilst it takes a little off, Anne is thrilled with the effort.
The four of them sit around the table to catch up. They talk for a good hour before Anne addresses the elephant in the room.
"So is Gilbert around?"
Diana looks uncomfortable at the question "Well... You see..."
"He's at Bash's." Cole says flatly
"Oh" Anne says, secretly relieved that she has more time to prepare herself before seeing him "Well, what time will he be back?"
"We have absolutely no clue. Ever since you took off, we hardly ever see Gilbert. He spends most of his time hiding out at his brothers. And when he is here, he just goes to his room to study."
Anne blanches at this. She knew that Gilbert would be hurt, but his behaviour seems a bit extreme. "And are he and Winnie back together?" She asks.
"We're not sure." Says Jerry "We've seen them hang out a couple times, but Gilbert's never confirmed anything."
This makes Anne sigh in sadness, if Winnie's been to see him, they must have made up and started dating again. It seems like her worst fear is coming true.
"That's good." Anne says bravely "Once Gilbert is back with her, I will hopefully be able to be his friend again." But it will never be the same, she thinks.
-----------------------------------------------
Anne had arrived at the loft a week before the wedding. So that she could have her bridesmaid dress altered, and of course so she could be there for Ruby's bachelorette party.
The whole time Anne is on edge, waiting for the moment where Gilbert will show up. But he never does. Jerry gets a text from him, saying that he'll meet them at the wedding venue, and he won't be coming home before hand.
Ruby and Moody are getting married in a vineyard, and Anne couldn't be more happy for them. They'd gotten engaged quicker than Anne expected, but she'd never seen a boy ever look at a girl with such adoration like Moody does, so Anne is nothing but supportive.
Her and Diana have matching light pink bridesmaid dresses. Diana looks like a goddess and Anne wishes, for the millionth time in her life, that her hair wasn't such an awful colour, as Anne hates the way it looks against the colour of the dress.
"Oh shut up you look gorgeous." Scoffs Diana, when Anne voices her complaints.
The true beauty of the day, however, is Ruby. Her blonde hair is curled to perfection, her white dress is immaculate, and Anne swears that she has never seen a more radiant bride.
Anne is so overwhelmed and happy for her friend, that the morning of the wedding, she doesn't even think about Gilbert. It's only until she's walking down the aisle, bouquet in hand, that she realises she's going to have to see him again. He's sat in the second row, looking as stupidly handsome as he did the first day they'd met. She could count on her hand the amount of times she'd seen him in a suit, and each time her heart had almost exploded in her chest. The mere sight of him made her feel dizzy. However, it was Ruby's day, and she had no intention of ruining it. So, she manages to successfully make it down the aisle without fainting.
As Anne stands behind her friend, who is tearfully reading her vows, her eyes drift to Gilbert. She doesn't want to look at him, but with all the mentions of love it's hard for her not to. He catches her almost immediately. She wants to look away but his eyes are so captivating. He offers her a shy, almost sad smile, and she forces herself to smile back.
Somehow, Anne makes it through the ceremony and the dinner without crossing paths with Gilbert. However, when the night starts and the dancing begins, there's nothing she can do to stop him approaching her.
"Hey Anne," He says in his magnetic voice.
"Hi" She says back, her voice barely a whisper.
"Wanna dance?"
Anne has no excuse to not agree, so she nods her head and takes his hand. The contact sets her skin on fire and she struggles to repress a shudder. The wedding band is playing a slow song, and Anne tries to repress a shudder when Gilbert slides a hand around her waist.
"So how was San Francisco?" He murmurs, close to her ear.
"It was good." She lies
"Will you be moving back into the loft?"
"I'm gonna try and find my own place." Anne admits, trying to sound causal.
"Ah. Right" Gilbert says, his tone clipped.
"Diana mentioned that you've not been spending much time at the loft."
"Yeah well, the place isn't the same without you."
Anne's surprised at his response. "I just assumed it was because you'd have been busy with Winnie. Have you popped the question yet?"
Gilbert pulls away from her, his eyebrows furrowed in confusion "Anne what are you talking about? Why would you think I'm back with Winnie?"
"When we had dinner before I left, I saw that she'd been texting you. I didn't mean to look of course, it was an accident. Also, Jerry said he'd seen you two together a couple times. I'd just assumed."
At her confession, Gilbert goes completely still, and it sets her nerves on edge. "Anne," he says carefully "Is that why you left, because you thought I was getting back together with Winnie?"
Everything goes still for a moment, and Anne feels as though she can't breath. Adrenaline courses through her body and she feels the need to take off. "I need some space." She gasps, before walking away from him.
She leaves the venue and heads towards the garden. It's a lovely night and she does her best to take deep, even breaths, trying to calm herself.
"Anne," Comes Gilbert's voice. "Why are you running from me."
Of course he followed me, she thinks, it's Gilbert. He approaches her slowly, like she's a wild animal. He gently places a hand on her shoulder and she lets out a breath she didn't realise she was holding.
"Anne you need to know that I'm not getting back with Winnie. She and I had been in contact, but only as friends. She'd been an important part of my life for so long, so of course I had wanted her forgiveness. But it was nothing more than that, I promise."
"Oh." She say dumbly, unable to form a proper response.
"Yeah," He laughs "Oh."
There's a brief moment of silence before he continues "Tell me why you left Anne, I need to hear you say it." His voice is pleading and stirs something in Anne.
I suppose it's now or never, she tells herself. "That night, when we went for dinner, I had planned on telling you how I feel. But before I could say it, I saw your phone. When I realised that you and Winnie were speaking again, I assumed it meant that you were getting back together."
"And what is it that you feel, Anne?" He asks, trying to urge her on
"I feel... I wanted to say..." Anne is once again lost for words. She feels the urge to scream at herself in frustration.
"Fine," He whispers "I'll say it first, if you can't. I am in love with you Anne, I have been for a long time. I feel like a fool for not telling you sooner, but I didn't want to ruin our friendship. Then you took off in the middle of the night. You asked me not to contact you, and it broke my heart, because I thought I'd lost you forever. I couldn't stand the thought of not seeing you again. I am so in love with you Anne, and I am praying to every force in the universe that you love me too."
"I do Gilbert" She laughs, overwhelmed by emotion "It's kind of insane how much I love you."
"Thank God," He laughs back.
He takes her face into his hands, and kisses her. It's a little awkward and clumsy; they're both crying and slightly tipsy from the wedding champagne. At one point their teeth actually clash because neither of them can stop smiling. Still, Anne thinks, it's pretty damn perfect.
When he pulls away, his forehead is still resting on hers, and his eyes are closed. "I'm a little afraid," He admits "That if I open my eyes, I'll find that this is all a dream."
"I promise you this is real, I love you, and its forever, seriously you can't get rid of me." She threatens in a teasing tone.
"Good, because, Anne, I don't think I could survive you leaving again. Ask Bash, these past couple of months, I've been a mess. It's been pretty pathetic really."
Guilt tugs at Anne as she looks into his eyes "I'm so sorry, Gil. I thought I was going to lose you forever, and I couldn't deal with it. But I swear, I'll never do anything like that again."
"You'll never lose me Anne, my heart, it will always belong to you."
She's the one to kiss him this time. It's a better attempt, less tentative, and a whole lot more passionate. She doesn't want it to end, but knows she'll have to come up for air at some point.
The moment is, of course, ruined by their so called friends "It's about time," Shouts Cole, who's stood by the door with Jerry and Diana.
"Thanks guys," Jerry says cheerfully "I just won $50!"
"As adorable as you two look, the brides been wondering where you are Anne! She's about to throw the bouquet!"
"Alright Di, give us a moment, we'll be inside in a minute." Her friends all groan at that, they do leave, but not without making some sarcastic and wildly inappropriate comments.
"I'm surprised you're not rushing in," Teases Gilbert "Catching the bouquet is supposed to be good luck."
Anne looks up at him and gives him a content smile "Don't worry, I have all the luck I need right here."
-----------------------------------------------
Anne Shirley Cuthbert sits in a loft, in downtown LA, which she found on Craigslist. Three guys sit across from her, and she can't help but marvel at how much these boys have changed her life.
Jerry had become the annoying younger brother she'd never had. She knew one day he'd publish his novel, and the world would see just how smart he was. He was her family, and only a week ago, he'd told her of his plans to propose to the girl she loved like a sister.
Cole was a kindred spirit, his friendship was so dear to her. His artwork was extraordinary, and Anne knew that one day his artistic vision would be beloved by so many. Cole now spent half his time in the loft, and the other half visiting his sweetheart of a boyfriend. Anne missed him when he wasn't around, but she was certain he would always be apart of her life.
Gilbert, well, she was often at a loss of words for how to describe him. He was her best friend, and she was pretty confident he was the love of her life. She'd never knew how strong love could feel until she met him. In the six months since the Spurgeon wedding, they'd both been fully committed to each other as boyfriend and girlfriend. The two of them were often together, desperate to make up for lost time. It wasn't always easy, she was still stubborn and hotheaded, he still constantly challenged her.
Their love wasn't perfect, but it was real, and so very beautiful; and Anne knew she'd always have a home with him.