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A robin lands on the branch of the cherry blossom tree outside the window that catches Anne’s eye. It is much more interesting than her early-morning lecture anyway. It is April, and Anne is sitting at the same desk that she has sat at since September, the desk in her rustic but homely college dorm room. It is hard to believe that she has nearly completed her entire first year at college online. Despite being over a year into the Coronavirus pandemic, it is still taking her by surprise. Reluctantly, she tunes back into her lecture to hear her professor uttering his concluding remarks. She sighs. It is too difficult to focus on online school. She cannot deny that clicking on the big red button that allows her to leave her Zoom lecture gives her a thrill, however.
Typically, Anne would grab her coat after class and go out for a much-needed walk. Spending time with nature is one of the few times that she feels normal these days, but right now, she has other things on her mind. Instead, she anxiously taps the back of her phone case with her forefinger, pondering. She is working up the nerve to ring her boyfriend. She quickly learned that Gilbert Blythe would do pretty much anything for her, but what she wants to ask him seems just so… ridiculous. Maybe she could just send him a text message instead.
Anne (12:15): Hey Gil! I’ve a bit a favour to ask and I know that it sounds a bit strange, but I wondered…
She sighs and deletes the message.
Anne (12:21): Hey Gil! I’ve a bit a favour to ask and I know that it sounds a bit strange, but I wondered…
This is something that she should say in person. Well, as in person as you can get these days. She clicks the icon for FaceTime beside Gilbert’s name and before she can chicken out, her boyfriend’s mop of curly-brown hair appears on her screen. She giggles, as he struggles to angle the camera in a way that she can see his entire face.
“Give me a second to get outside,” he says when he eventually comes into view.
Anne watches through the phone as he walks. She hears him pushing a door open and the blue of the sky is revealed. Gilbert readjusts the camera and takes his mask off now he is in the safety of the open air.
“I missed you!” he exclaims when he is finally able to focus on her.
“We talked this morning,” Anne points out reasonably.
However, she can feel an involuntary smile emerging on her face. It is the same involuntary smile that always shows itself when she is talking to Gilbert.
“Yes, but that was four hours ago,” he replies as if those hours were years. Anne doesn’t say it, but she agrees. The hours definitely do pass slower when Gilbert is not in them.
“Are you in person today then?” Anne asks, noticing his lab coat along with the obvious fact that he isn’t in his bedroom.
“Yes,” he answers. “Practical labs today.”
Unlike her, Gilbert gets to spend some limited hours on campus because he is studying medicine and in person class is deemed essential for him. The government decided that her journalism degree can be done at home with no impact to her quality of education. She’s not entirely sure that her grades agree, but her logical side knows that this is the safest option for everyone’s health.
“You’re lucky,” she tells him. “How is the campus of the University of Toronto today?”
She would do anything to get just one in person class this year. Online school is draining on levels that she wouldn’t have even thought possible.
“Ah, it’s nice. I saw a squirrel on the way in. Friendly little thing. He made me think of you,” comes Gilbert’s response. “How’s things in Queen’s?”
“I wouldn’t know!” she says, light-heartedly, but then she pauses, remembering that she actually does have a bit of Queen’s relevant news. “Actually, I do have something Queen’s related to ask you.”
She opens her mouth to ask him to be her date to the Queen’s Zoom Zoirée, but giggles come out in place of those words. Over a year into the pandemic and she still isn’t used to it. Each attempt at normalcy just becomes more comical than the last. The Anne of last year would not believe that she is about to ask Gilbert Blythe to be her date to an event that is taking place over the internet. In fairness though, the Anne of last year would not believe that she would be asking Gilbert Blythe to be her date to anything.
“Is everything okay, Anne?” Gilbert asks, but he’s laughing too. “I have no idea why I’m laughing. I’m just laughing because you are. What’s going on?”
His befuddlement only makes her laugh harder. It’s one of those moments where because she has started to laugh, she just cannot stop. Every little otherwise not-funny thing is making her chuckle. Soon, her laugh reaches her stomach and before she knows it, she is grappling for breath.
“Everything’s fine,” she says eventually, trying to calm down. “It’s just that I have a bit of a strange request. Do you know the way Queen’s usually have their student ball around this time of year?”
Gilbert nods, there is just the tiniest hint of a laugh still written in his expression. “I was going to come back from Toronto for a few days to go with you if the pandemic was gone.”
“Yes, well.” Anne pauses and looks out her window at the robin that has returned to outside her window again. “They’re hosting an online one and I wondered if you still wanted to go with me even though it’s on Zoom?”
“Of course, I’ll go. When is it?”
She bites her lip. “Tonight, at seven.”
“Anne!” Gilbert exclaims, playfully berating her. “Why didn’t you tell me sooner?”
“I wasn’t sure if I was actually going to go or not,” Anne replies honestly. “So, you’ll come?”
“Yes, Anne-girl,” he says, glancing at a figure behind him. “Listen, I’ve to get back to class now, but send me on the details, will you?”
A sharp intake of breath. There is one thing that she still has not told him, but instead of just getting it over with and telling him, she finds herself nodding in agreement.
“I will,” she says.
Her angst-ridden stomach doesn’t dissipate with the comfort of knowing Gilbert will come, because she knows that sooner rather than later, she is going to have to tell him one final, but crucial detail to the story.
“Okay,” he smiles at her through the phone screen. “I’ll see you tonight then. Love you.”
“I love you too,” she whispers back, almost disbelievingly. She’ll never get tired of saying that.
Her finger hovers over the red button to end the call. This is one button that she never wants to push, and clearly Gilbert doesn’t either since he hovers at the end.
“Will we hang up together?” he says with (unless her phone screen is deceiving her) a light blush on his cheeks.
“Together,” she affirms.
“Three…” he says.
“Two…” she says.
“One…” they say in unison.
Anne pushes the button. She knows by now that despite what he says, Gilbert will never hang up the phone himself. It has to be her otherwise they will be on the phone for who knows how long. Extremely early into their relationship they once managed a close to sixteen-hour long FaceTime.
Now that she is off the phone, she clicks into her emails to find her invitation to the ball and copies down the meeting details to text to Gilbert.
Anne (13:34): Meeting ID – 86206812747. Passcode – 462058 … oh, and the dress code is formal.
She sends the message before she can overthink it. Maybe since she wrote it so seemingly offhand, it won’t seem so ridiculous that she expects him to sit in a suit and tie whilst he attends a Zoom call alone in his bedroom.
Her phone buzzes almost instantly with his response.
Gilbert (13:34): Formal? 😱😱 Who came up with that idea?
His use of emojis reassures her although she doesn’t entirely know why she was even worried. It’s Gilbert after all!
Anne (13:35): IKR? Hilarious but also… sad in a ‘what has life come to’ sort of way. Anyway, I’ll see you tonight. Thanks again for agreeing to come. I know that it’s kind of silly.
Gilbert (13:35): It’s not silly. I’m looking forward to it :)
Before she places her phone back on her desk, she hugs the phone to her chest. She just cannot resist. It is the closest she can get to hugging Gilbert these days. Sometimes she feels incredibly foolish for engaging in such an action, especially as it is not an insanity that she can blame entirely on the pandemic. With the long-distance nature of their relationship, she is pretty sure that she would be doing this anyway.
When she finally manages to pull herself away, she goes to her wardrobe and pulls out her dress for the evening. It is a beautiful golden ballgown covered with glitter and lace. She reaches out her hand in search of a fairy tale. Her fingers brush the fabric, and she is instantly transported back in time. This was the dress that she wore to the infamous prom of November 2019. That night changed everything, and it began with Gilbert knocking on the door to Green Gables. She and Gilbert went to the prom together as friends, but they had left as something else. Anne would never forget the anxious bounce of Gilbert’s leg, as he willed himself to meet her gaze and ask her to dance with him when they arrived. Anne’s vision had blurred at the edges and all she could see was the flush of Gilbert’s cheekbones. He stuttered something about how beautiful she looked and that was the moment she knew. At that very moment she realised that Gilbert Blythe was the one and she realised that she had to kiss him.
Anne will admit that it was not the first time that the thought of kissing Gilbert had crossed her mind, but before that moment it had always been a fleeting temptation that left her nauseous and weak at the knees. However, now that she had made the decision on the dance floor to just kiss him, any apprehension she had harboured left her. The strongest sense of calm and tranquillity akin to nothing she had ever felt before remained. With that, Anne moved her arms to reside around Gilbert’s neck and then she had confidently rose on her tiptoes. When her lips brushed softly against his, he froze, but still, she had not worried. Once the shock wore off, he returned her kiss, and Anne had felt that all the wrongs of the world had been made right. They were each other’s first kiss and although she has never told Gilbert, Anne remains convinced that they will be each other’s last. Her world is just brighter when Gilbert Blythe is around, and she couldn’t imagine it any other way.
To pass the time until the ball, Anne busies herself by cleaning her dorm room. It would be simply unacceptable for her to get all dressed up and then proceed to sit in a messy room. A bittersweet pang comes over her as she thinks about that prospect. On the one hand, she mourns everything that she has missed out on in her first year of college with this ball included. She should be surrounded by friends, both old and new. Her first ball should be exhilarating and exciting. It shouldn’t be confined to her bedroom. Yet, on the other hand, the fact that it is online means that Gilbert can definitely come. They had talked about the possibility of him visiting for it, but that was dependant on his schedule aligning. It was never a guarantee.
***
Gilbert (19:02): Are you still in the waiting room??
Anne (19:02): Yup
Gilbert (19:03): Good. I thought that maybe I’d entered the wrong password or something
Gilbert (19:03): Here we go now. See you in a second!
Anne smiles lovingly at Gilbert’s messages before turning her attention to adjusting the angle of her MacBook’s camera and joining the Zoom call. After ensuring that her mic is firmly switched off, Anne relaxes into her seat.
“Hello everyone! For those of you who don’t know me, I’m Roy Gardner, otherwise known as your Students’ Union President,” a voice speaks out from the abyss of faces on Anne’s computer screen. “Welcome to the annual Queen’s ball. Although the circumstances are not as we would have liked, I hope that you’ll all enjoy the activities that have been planned for tonight. I hope that you’ll agree that an incredible amount of work has been done to bring you a high-quality event. Shortly I will be opening up some breakout rooms for you to explore…”
The monotony of Roy’s voice is easy to tune out as Anne focuses on more important matters. Matters that include locating her boyfriend’s handsome self in a sea of faces. She audibly gasps when she locates him. He is dressed in the navy suit that he wore to their prom along with the golden tie that matches her dress. It is funny to see everyone so dressed up for what is, for all intents and purposes, a Zoom call, but Anne finds herself silently thanking whoever’s bright idea it was. There is something magical about the prospect that she and Gil are both dressed in the same exact clothing that they wore when they first became a couple. She wishes so desperately that she could reach out and touch him – even just for a second. Oh, how she longs to hold his hand! How she longs to stand by his side with her looking up to speak to him and him leaning down to whisper in her ear because he is so much taller than her. A Zoom call does not show their height difference. There is so much that Zoom just cannot do. It is simply not good enough. It is not even enough.
“Moody!” a voice shouts through the laptop, interrupting Roy Gardner’s spiel about what one can expect from the night, in the process. “I told you earlier to clean your room! Why is it not done?”
“Urgh, Mom! I said that I’ll do it!”
“But when? When will you do it? 2078?” Moody’s mother chastises.
“Err,” Roy Gardner interjects. “Could whoever that is mute their microphone please?”
Anne struggles to hold back her giggles and a quick inspection of her screen suggests that many of the attendees are in a similar position. She will admit, there are some areas where Zoom has real life beat. This would never happen at an in-person ball, and whilst it is embarassing for Moody, it is funny for everyone else. The modest joy of the giggle of a poor soul forgetting to turn off their microphone is something that Anne will miss when the pandemic is over (as long as she is not the one who has been caught out, of course).
“Anyway, as I was saying…” Roy’s voice returns to his drone. Anne finds herself wondering how he possibly got elected to be the SU President. Maybe she should run a campaign for next year…
Gilbert (19:14): Can I just say that you look AMAZING tonight? 😍😍
Warmth floods over Anne, as the text message causes her to blush, and then she starts to type out her response.
Anne (19:15): Why, thank you. You’re not too bad yourself.
Her phone pings instantly with a response.
Gilbert (19:15): Is that all I get?
Anne looks for Gilbert’s Zoom square and pins his image to her screen so that it takes prominence. She wants to be able to read his expression as they text.
Anne (19:16): What do you want from me?
There’s a mischievous glint in Gilbert’s expression, as he types out his answer. Anne doesn’t have to wait long to find out the cause as her phone buzzes again with a new message.
Gilbert (19:16): How about ‘Oh, Gilbert, you’re so dashing and handsome. I am simply awestruck by your mere existence’?
She smirks and then tries to school her features to neutrality in case Gilbert has her pinned to his screen too.
Anne (19:16): Oh, Gilbert, you’re so dashing and handsome. I am simply awestruck by your mere existence.
Gilbert (19:17): Now, where’s the sincerity in that?
Anne (19:17): Hey, that’s what you said you wanted 💁🏼♀️
Gilbert (19:17): Who’s that?
She frowns and glances up to look at Gilbert for answers, but he is staring down at his phone.
Anne (19:17): Who’s who?
Gilbert (19:18): 💁🏼♀️
Anne (19:18): Oh, well, me, I guess.
Gilbert (19:18): She doesn’t look like you.
Anne (19:18): She’s my alter ego.
Gilbert (19:18): She doesn’t have red hair. She should have red hair. I love your red hair.
Anne laughs and rolls her eyes in spite of herself. This conversation is proof that she and Gilbert can talk about everything and anything.
Anne (19:19): Let’s not argue.
Gilbert (19:19): Okay, you win.
Anne (19:19): Correct answer 😚
Gilbert (19:19): Sooooo. Has that guy Roy been talking for like twenty minutes now?
Anne (19:19): Omg yeah.
Anne (19:20): Wait, no. The breakout rooms are open.
Anne replies without thinking, but upon further inspection she discovers that she and Gilbert are among the only ones still in the main meeting room.
Gilbert (19:20): Oh. Should we go into a “room” then?
Anne (19:20): Sure. Which one would you like to go into?
Gilbert (19:20): I’m not sure. You choose!
Anne (19:20): I don’t know. How about the couple’s photos room?
Gilbert (19:21): How’s that supposed to work then?
Anne (19:21): I guess we’ll find out?
Gilbert: Go for it then
Anne joins the breakout room for couple photos and immediately switches her camera off when it appears that she has joined some couple’s photo in the most bizarre instance of third-wheeling. Assessing the situation, it seems that they are trying to replicate the photos like the one Anne and Gilbert took together at their prom after their first kiss. With this rendition, Anne finds herself again questioning who on earth thought that this would work. The set up features a “photographer” directing with his camera off and once a couple appears on the screen, the photographer takes a screenshot, promising to email the photo to them at a later date.
The photographer's voice sounds vaguely familiar to Anne. Zoom tells her that it is someone called Charlie and she runs through the small list of people that she knows with the name, coming to the conclusion that it is none other than Charlie Sloane. She hasn’t seen (or rather heard, in this instance) him in ages.
“Would Tillie Boulter and her date like to turn on their cameras please?” the voice of the photographer, otherwise known as Charlie Sloane, calls.
Soon after that, Tillie's image appears on her screen. She is accompanied by a boy that Anne doesn’t know.
“I love your dress, Tillie!” Anne can’t resist unmuting to say.
“Anne! You’re here! Ooh, thank you!” Tillie replies heartily.
“Can whoever that is please mute? This is a time sensitive operation!” says Charlie Sloane.
“Charlie, you know it’s me,” Anne chuckles.
“Mute!” he orders.
“Okay, fine,” Anne replies, still laughing as she mutes her microphone.
In Anne’s defence, the dress really is gorgeous. It is elegant green in colour with the most beautiful neckline. Plus, neither Tillie or her date looked at all put out by Anne’s compliment.
Seemingly, Charlie takes the very professional screenshot for he begins to take down Tillie’s contact details (ignoring the fact that he already has these details). Anne frowns, as she tries to work out what possible motive, he might have to pretend that he does not know them. It must be his attempt to be professional or something. Even that doesn’t make much sense, but it is Charlie Sloane after all.
“So, Tillie, what’s your preferred email address for me to send your photographs to?”
“Charlie, would it not make more sense for the couples to take their own screenshots? That way you don’t have to try and email out thousands of photographs,” Gilbert interjects.
“Gilbert! You’re here?” Charlie questions with a confusing amount of surprise.
Oh, so he can recognise Gilbert. Anne sees how it is.
“Of course, I’m here.”
“Oh, well… that’s… you need to mute!” Charlie splutters, trying to hide his happiness at talking to Gilbert.
Well, at least he’s trying for some consistency in his act.
“Okay, sorry,” Gilbert laughs and mutes.
“So, Tillie, your email?” Charlie prompts.
“It’s Tillie -” Tillie begins but is immediately interrupted by Charlie.
“Wait, can you say that again?” Charlie asks.
“I said, it’s Tillie -”
“Do you know what? Can you actually just type it in the chat box? You can just send it to me privately,” Charlie says.
A message pops up at the bottom of Anne’s screen with Tillie’s email address.
“Tillie, I told you to send me your email address privately. You’ve sent it to everyone. Now everyone here can contact you and who even knows what weirdos are present. No offence, everyone.”
“Charlie, everyone would have heard me reading out my email address only you interrupted me.”
Anne zones out to leave Tillie and Charlie to work things out. Although this scenario is something that she and Gilbert will laugh at together later, Anne secretly (probably, not so secretly if she is honest) loves everything about it. This is such an incredibly unique activity that people after the pandemic will never get the opportunity to experience again in their lifetimes. In twenty years’ time, Anne might even have children of her own to show the picture to, and she will tell them about how she and their father attended a one-of-a-kind, Zoom Zoirée. They will gasp and dream of the romantical era of the Zoom call even if the people of the present currently wish to never even hear the word Zoom again.
“Anne Shirley-Cuthbert. You’re next,” Charlie calls before muttering under his breath, “Maybe then you’ll stop interrupting the process.”
Even though it is only virtual, it is so good to spend time with her Avonlea friends once more.
Anne eagerly turns her camera on, smiling as Gilbert appears on her screen again.
***
After Anne and Gilbert got their “photo” taken, they decided to explore some of the other breakout rooms. In one they discovered a boy who had his Zoom background set to replicate that of a bar, as he pretended to be a bartender serving drinks. He made Anne some sort of cocktail that she’s pretty sure Gilbert made up on the spot. In another room, the drama society is enthusiastically acting out what appears to be a socially distanced version of Anastasia , the musical. There are a lot of people in that breakout room and it all seems very complicated. Gilbert forces them to leave when they start asking for audience participation. Another room shows a fortune teller predicting the future. She tells Anne and Gilbert that they are each other’s fish, and that they will be together forever. Anne feels deep in her soul that the fortune teller is right.
The evening was perfect and when Anne closes the lid of her laptop, she is as happy and content as she has been in a long time.
Later, Anne cuddles up in bed to end the night as she always does. With a text from Gilbert.
Gilbert (23:52): Goodnight, Anne-girl. I had a lovely time tonight and I love you more than words can describe. 32 days until restrictions ease and I can hopefully see you in person again ❤️
Anne (23:53): 32 days 💗. Love you, Gil. Sleep well 😴