Green Eyed Beauty

Chapter 14

Gilbert sighed once again, waiting for the green-eyed girl sitting across the room from him to stop laughing for what seemed like 10 minutes now.

"I don't see what's so amusing about getting publicly humiliated by a bunch of school girls." He huffed, leaning back into the couch in the Peytons' living room.

"Are you kidding me?" She gasped, pushing her hair out of her face. "This is the most interesting thing that's happened all week! Who would have known Ruby was going to let it slip that she likes you?"

Gilbert sunk further into the couch. "Yes, well, I'm afraid that's made things a bit awkward between her and I."

"And Anne." Jade piped up, smoothing down the dark green material of her dress. The boy frowned.

"What does Anne have to do with this?"

Jade raised an eyebrow. "You do know the girls are never let go of the fact that you admitted you liked Anne and she never told them right?"

He rolled his eyes. "That sounds like something she should have thought about before yelling at me." He muttered.

"Gilbert." Jade warned. The curly-haired boy shrugged.

"Look, I didn't know Ruby liked me and I definitely didn't know she banned all her friends from talking to me. All that's left to do is hope they all pretend this never happened." He concluded, nodding along to his rationalization.

Jade rolled her eyes, grabbing the math notes Gilbert had brought her and flipping through the pages. "If that's what you want to do." She hummed.

Gilbert looked over at her. "Are you alright?"

She looked up from the notes, a questioning look on her face. "Why wouldn't I be?"

"I never asked why you weren't at school today. I just want to make sure everything is alright." He said, glancing around the room, knowing he and Jade were the only ones home.

She smiled, shaking her head slightly. "Just a minuscule cold. I'll be at school on Monday."

A strange sense of relief washed over Gilbert's body as she confirmed she would be at school. And here I thought it might have been something serious. He sighed internally. Jade raised an eyebrow, a smirk playing at her lips.

"What, did you miss me, Blythe?" She teased, leaning forward. He felt his heart skip a beat. Of course, I did.

"Well, it was a shame I didn't have my favorite view in class." He replied, cocking his head slightly. The smirk on Jade's face turned into a look of surprise at his statement. Very smooth, you've rendered her speechless. He thought proudly.

They both fell silent now, not breaking eye contact as something in the atmosphere of the room seemed to shift. Neither of them opposed it. Gilbert's eyes flickered to the bottom half of Jade's face but they quickly were knocked out of their bubble as the sound of the front door opening broke the silence.

"Jade?" A woman's voice called out.

"In the living room, mother!" She quickly replied, tearing her eyes away from Gilbert to stand from the couch as the clack of her mother's boots neared the living room.

"How are you- oh!" Her mother stopped mid-sentence as she caught sight of Gilbert. He quickly stood and offered his hand.

"Gilbert Blythe, ma'am." He introduced. "I'm a classmate of Jade's."

"I see." She smiled, looking between her daughter and the boy she's never seen standing in her home.

"He came to give me the books and notes from the lessons I missed today." Jade explained, looking at Gilbert before looking back at her mother, her cheeks turning a light shade of pink. She's adorable when she's nervous.

"It's wonderful to meet you, Gilbert. Thank you for bringing Jade's materials, that was very thoughtful of you." The older woman smiled once again. He reciprocated the action.

"It's no problem, Mrs. Peyton. She's an incredibly intelligent peer, I'd hate to beat Jade's academic status due to her missing one day of school. " He complimented, watching Jade's face grow a darker shade of pink for his amusement.

Mrs. Peyton nodded. "I'm glad she's proven her brilliance in the classroom." She looked at Gilbert for a brief moment. "Why don't you join us for dinner? It shouldn't take long for me to finish."

Gilbert's eyes widened. "Oh no, I would hate to intrude at such a last second." He excused quickly but her mother wasn't having it.

"Nonsense! I love having guests over and consider it a thank you for taking the time of day to bring Jade's supplies. Why don't you take a seat in the dining room?" She waved off his earlier comment.

Gilbert looked over at Jade for help but she just gave him a small smile and shrug that said 'I can't help you here.' Reluctantly, Gilbert made his way to the dining room, leaving a blushing Jade standing in the living room with her mother.

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Jade silently plated the biscuits her mother made for dinner while she fussed over small details and made sure Gilbert was comfortable in the dining room.

"This wouldn't happen to be the undisclosed classmate you study with so much, would it?" Her mom questioned, breaking the awkward silence as she poured the vegetable soup into separate bowls. Jade felt her ears burn.

"It is." She confessed, grabbing another plate while quickly sneaking a glance at the curly-haired boy sitting in her dining room who was admiring the interior of the house. The action didn't go unnoticed by the older woman who hid her knowing look by giving Jade the tray of soup.

"I see." She hummed. "Go place those on the dining table, please."

Jade internally groaned, her mother was never going to let this go. Gilbert gave her a smile as she set down the tray and took a seat across from him. "I didn't know you were capable of being in the kitchen without burning to the floor." He teased.

She scrunched up her nose, mocking him. "I didn't know you were capable of sitting down without getting yelled at by an adult."

He raised his hands in defense. "Checkmate, Peyton."

Jade would have felt satisfaction at retorting quickly to him if he didn't have that dazzling grin lighting up his features, instantly making her stomach turn. Get a grip.

"So, Gilbert, what are you hoping to study at university?" Her mother asked as she sat at the dining table. The two of them instantly dove into conversation about Gilbert's interest in medicine and discussed his plan to become a doctor. Jade watched how his eyes lit up as he told her mother about the medical study he read in the paper last night, hands animatedly demonstrating the different practices. He sat on the edge of his seat, voice full of passion and a smile she hadn't seen much since she moved to Avonlea.

Jade took it all in. The curls that moved with every head tilt, the dimple in his left cheek that only appeared when he laughed particularly hard, and the light freckles that brushed against the bridge of his nose. Watching the beautiful boy sitting in front of her talk so eagerly, she felt her heart flutter for what seemed like the hundredth time since Gilbert Blythe stepped foot into her home.

She was snapped out of her staring when she caught Gilbert's eye for a second while her mother leaned across the table to grab a roll. Using the opportunity to his advantage, he sent her a discreet wink before turning back to her mother, completely oblivious to the bundle of nerves he sent down her spine and the heat that rose to her cheeks.

Oh dear.