#hecksinki

It certainly wasn’t the logical outcome for how the interaction began. Squeezing her eyes shut, Anne tried with all her might to keep the memory from replaying in front of her eyes, but it was there over, and over, and over- 

She’d been watering the flowers along the side of the house when she heard his footsteps striking the ground at an astonishing pace. Half expecting a horse to be galloping up the lane, she jumped when she realized Gilbert Blythe was running up to see her. When he was close enough them to meet gazes, his face burst into a wide grin.

“Anne, you won’t believe it!” he called out. Some of the chickens pecking around the barn rustled at the sudden call into the farm’s peaceful quiet. Anne hurried to the gate, but he skidded to a stop right in front of her before she could open it. 

“Gilbert Blythe, what on earth has gotten into you?” 

Catching his breath, Gilbert hunched over his knees and let out a wispy laugh. 

“Guess why I’ve come,” he said excitedly. 

“I…I couldn’t even begin to fathom!” she replied, her own laughter at his askew appearance making his smile even wider. The warm weather had turned his cheeks a pale red, and the afternoon sun glimmered the iridescent highlights in his hair, like the milky way against its dark galaxy. Anne could deny it when asked, but was hopeless at denying to herself that Gilbert had grown abundantly handsome in the last year. Yet, his heart changed so little. When he pressed his lips firmly together, Anne resisted the urge to reach over and shake him. “Aren’t you going to tell me?” 

“Give me one good guess, and then I will reveal what I know,” he said with pretend officiality. Anne placed a finger on her chin as mimicked a person deep in contemplation. 

“You’ve decided to join the traveling circus and become their trapeze walker,” Anne supposed. His hearty guffaw hit her ears like beautiful music that was so pleasant, Anne nearly repeated her joke in hopes that she might hear it again. 

“That was indeed a good guess. It’s even better!”

“Better? Now I’m almost anxious!” 

A confident glint took life in his eyes as he pulled a folded up newspaper snippet from his pocket. The sight of the wheat-colored paper made Anne’s nerves spark with electricity for reasons that she didn’t understand. With a tentative look in her eye, she took the slip when he offered it and peered down at it’s contents. 

Queen’s College Pupil Acceptance (In order of test scores)

1. Gilbert Blythe (Avonlea) - Score 200

Anne’s heart filled with bitterness. Of course he only came to gloat about his own success. They’d been studying together, joking about who would come in first at Queen’s together, tackling their textbooks together. He’d told her how much she improved, and for the first time in her life, Anne wondered that she might finally be first in something - fair and square. 

“You must be so pleased, Gil,” Anne found the strength to mutter, folding the paper back up. If she turned her gaze from the ground, she might see the utter incredulity with which he gawked. 

“Anne. Anne, look again. With both eyes this time!” 

Against her better judgement, she did. 

1. Gilbert Blythe (Avonlea) - Score 200

1. Anne Shirley-Cuthbert (Avonlea) - Score 200

“We tied,” Gilbert said.

Anne felt like she’d gained ten years of her life back. Her head shot up to Gilbert and met his confident joy with her frantic excitement. All the time they’d spent studying together into the sunset hours had paid off. All the times he’d teased her over geometry, all the times she’d poked him over a misspelled word in his essay, every fumbling compliment to keep the other motivated had all led to this. They’d done it! 

She hopped onto the fence, took Gilbert by the face and kissed him. 

Don’t ask her why she did it. In retrospect, she supposed she wanted to in the moment. (And tragically, now that she’d done it once, she wanted to do it again, and again, and again, and) 

Neither of them knew what to do. Not just because of their inexperience but also because they were kissing. They were friends, kindred spirits, orphans who understood each other, and they were kissing.

The books she read never gave much detail about kissing, and the few moments of affection Anne had witnessed in couples were so brief, she could hardly take notes. How long were you supposed to kiss? Was this too long?  

Just as Anne began to pull back, Gilbert chased her so that the connection didn’t break. His hands came up to hold hers on his face, the tenderness of his touch so jolting that she broke back abruptly and stumbled off of the fence. Chancing a look at his face, Anne fortified herself for the worst. 

But Gilbert didn’t look repulsed or upset like she expected, or even afraid like she was. He was never afraid.

“Why’d you do that?” he asked finally, with such a strong hint of hope that Anne had to catch herself from stumbling back another step. 

“I don’t know,” Anne said quickly, quietly. “Can we…um..” 

Do it again?

“Never mention that it happened?” he supplied, tone unreadable.

“Oh, uh, yes. That’s what I meant.”

Clearing his throat, Gilbert ran a hand through his hair with an audibly unsteady sigh, then began back up the lane. 

“Have a nice evening,” he called over his shoulder, but it sounded like words merely leaving his mouth without intention, without meaning.

Laying on her bed, Anne gave a whimpering groan at the memory of it. She’d been wrong when she assumed that she could kiss a boy if she felt like it. If that were true, she’d be at his home, at his fence, retrying what they’d stumbled through for a few short seconds. 

Fate was prepared to make the next day of school actual, physical torture as Anne faced the impossible task of avoiding Gilbert. She clung to Diana’s side, attempting to maintain the routine of normalcy of their dull school day, but the news had already spread about the Queen’s results. 

“Anne! Congrats on tying with Gilbert! Did you have any idea before the results came out?” and “Wish the exam was out of 201 so you could’ve beat her, bud!” and “The only reason you tied with him anyways was because he taught you. You could’ve at least repaid him by missing one point.” 

Anne and Gilbert danced around each other, even if Billy and Josie were much worse company. So in the mess of the noise and all the questions, when Charlie asked, “Is Gilbert walking you home today?” Anne’s mouth answered for her. 

“No, he’s not.” 

“Then could I?” 

Anne’s head snapped up, and she looked at Charlie Sloane as if he were an extraterrestrial. 

“No, you cannot.” 

“Why not?” 

“I’m…walking myself! I’m perfectly capable, thank you!” 

Then she dashed away into the coat room. She made quick work of snatching up her hat and pulling on her coat, a sharp pain beginning to form behind her temple. Spinning around, Anne meant to aim right for the door - 

And nearly bumped into Gilbert Blythe who seemed to be attempting the same quick escape. His hands lowered from his hat slowly, as if she was a doe he was afraid of spooking. Anne’s lips parted as she searched her mind for something to say, but for once, she was on her own. 

Gilbert had something to say, she could tell. It was right behind his lips but he bit down harshly on the words to keep them from tumbling out. At last, straightened his hat and gave her a nervous smile. 

“Anne, I heard you tied with me on the Queen’s exam. Congratulations.” 

She blinked. 

“Thank you, Gil. We both worked hard,” she replied slowly. Then, after a beat. “Does this mean you don’t despise me?” 

Gilbert’s eyes squinted, the way he did when he smelled something unpleasant. 

“Why would you think that?” 

From the other side of the coat room, Jane and Tilly threw them a questioning expression. 

“No reason,” Anne answered. “Are you still walking me home today? If not, I don’t mind.” 

The ice between them thawed into nothingness as Gilbert smiled the grin that turned Anne’s knees to liquid. He grabbed her books from her hands and headed out the door with another word.