𝐃𝐢𝐟𝐟𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞𝐬 (𝐆.𝐁.) (𝐁.𝐀.)

Sixteen.

Lavinia was in Charlottetown with her mother this weekend, buying dresses from her mothers favorite shops.

"Mother, I'm going to take a walk."

Her mother looked at her before turning to Mary, their maid, "Alright then, take Mary with you. A young woman like you can't walk alone."

The youngest rolled her eyes but quickly left with her maid following behind.

As they walked in the busy street, a man bumped into Lavinia harshly. She looked at him with a glare, "watch it."

"Oh, yeah lady? What are you going to do about it?"

The said girl was about to reply before someone interrupted her.

"Is there a problem, sir?"
They stepped in front of her, as if shielding her.

The rude guy scoffed before leaving, making whoever was in front of her turn to look at her.

She widened her eyes when she realized who it was, Gilbert Blythe.

"Gilbert!"

"Lavinia, hello." He replied awkwardly, looking at Mary who was behind her, "Who is this?"

"Oh, don't mind her. She works for my family."

He nodded his head, not knowing what else to say. It felt awkward, and the tension that was there during their fight was present now.

"Should we take a seat?" He pointed at a nearby pub.

Once they were both sat with Mary on another table, Lavinia decided to speak up.

"So you like working on the docks?"

"It's a means to an end. I hope to get hired on a steamer soon."

The girl frowned, "What about your farm?"

"I don't have to decide right now. I want to see some of the world first. If I come back to Avonlea I want it to be my choice, not an obligation. It's what my dad would've wanted." Gilbert answered as he avoided her gaze.

"Gilbert," Lavinia suddenly said getting straight to the point, wanting to talk about what's been bothering her, "I owe you an apology."

Gilbert's face softened as he looked at her for the first time since they sat down, "No you don't."

"Yes, I do."

Gilbert shook his head, "I should apologize to you."

"No, you shouldn't."

"I was rude to you."

"But it was my fault," Lavinia looked at her hands, playing with them to distract herself from the boy in front of her.

"Can we please not argue about this?"

"No, can you please listen to me just this once?" The girl continued once she saw him nod his head, "I was insensitive, I didn't know how much it really meant to lose someone you love. I made it about me when it wasn't. You were right. I'm sorry."

"It's water under the bridge." The boy nodded his head once again with a smile.

A few seconds passed by before Gilbert spoke up again, "I should, I should go work."

"Yeah, of course." She watched him as he walked to the door before stopping him. "Hey Gilbert. If you need a job, you could always talk to my father."

"Thank you, Lavinia."

Before you could leave, he stopped again. Turning around to look at Lavinia, "Is there anything I could do?"

She smiled sweetly at him, making him breathless, "Just take care of yourself. And come home someday."

He took of his hat as he nodded his head before leaving, making Lavinia look back at Mary.

The girl headed back to Mary, giving her a pointed look, "Mother can't hear about this, alright?"

"Yes, Miss Laurent."

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