Tangled among the bed covers was Gilbert Blythe, sleeping soundly. His messy curls were poking from under his pillow, which was covering his head. Everything was peaceful as the sun rays peeked from the curtains...However, the calmness wouldn't last very long.
He regained consciousness when someone started pinching his nose and forcefully opened his eyes. He groaned in annoyance, shifting to his side, which was of no use since he felt a small body climbing up his back.
-Morning!- she babbled- Open your eyes!- she tried to say
-Dells, I'm sleeping.
-Please...Let's play!
-Why don't we go play with Mommy? Doesn't that sound fun?
Without even putting a shirt on, he went to find Mary, determined to continue sleeping as soon as he left her with her. He wandered around the house, his hair messier than ever, trying to find his family. Hearing Bash's voice in the kitchen, he headed there, still trying to convince Delly that playing with her mother would be much more fun than spending time with him.
-Mary, a little girl here wants to play wi...-he started saying playfully, until he spotted someone- Heey Shirley, good morning
-Morning- she smiled brightly, a light blush creeping up her cheeks at the sight of the half naked boy.
-What are you doing here?
-I came to talk to you, but you were asleep.
-Hello, princess- Mary walked towards Gilbert, taking the girl from his arms.
-This little girl wanted to play with you- he poked Delly's belly, tickling her a little bit- Can you stay with her?
-Of course, you two go.
Dragging him towards his room, a very energetic Anne invited him to a sleepover at Diana's, to which Cole would attend too. She wasn't really inviting him, she was just announcing that he would be going, since it had been arranged as a farewell event for him.
Gilbert, already lying on his bed, answered with an "uh-huh" to every question, even though he was clearly not paying attention. He was trying to follow her train of thought, but he wasn't able to escape the comforts of his bed, so he slowly lost consciousness.
Meanwhile, Anne paced around the room, exploring everything thoroughly. She did that every single time they talked in his room while he was lying in bed, but it somehow never got old. She always noticed something new, and this time was no exception.
-...so that way, we can stay there until the 31st in the morning, that same night we have New year's eve, then on January 1st you can spend some time with Bash, Mary and Delly. Well, the next day we all go to the airport to say goodbye... Are you okay with it?- she asked, going through the pages of a book called "When breath becomes air"-...Blythe...Did you fall asl...? Oh, yes.
She looked behind her and saw the boy with his legs spread across the bed, his eyes closed as his chest moved up and down rhythmically. Biting back a smile, she rolled her eyes and continued inspecting the book.
-"At the age of thirty-six, on the verge of completing a decade's worth of training as a neurosurgeon, Paul Kalanithi was diagnosed with stage IV lung cancer. One day he was a doctor treating the dying, and the next he was a patient struggling to live. And just like that, the future he and his wife had imagined evaporated."... Sounds tragical... I love it- she read the description aloud before putting it back on the shelf.
Among the books, she found a navy blue notebook. She wasn't going to read it, because it was none of her business...but...a little note fell from inside it and onto the floor. Of course, that sparked curiosity inside her, which was far too strong to fight. She crouched down to pay a look at the folded piece of paper. "Blythe," she read. 'Is that my handwriting?'...As she read the end of the note, she confirmed her theory. "Sincerely, Annie aka Shirrrllsss".
-That's from the day he got drunk...he kept it? What a dork- she whispered to herself and then looked back at him with half a smile.
She was completely heart warmed by the sweet detail, but decided not to mention it to him when he woke up. She just put it back where it was, and feeling a bit of guilt, opened the notebook.
"If he wants to be a doctor, he already has the appropriate hand-writing," she chuckled to herself, noticing how untidy he was when writing quickly.
She was expecting to find some scribbles, maybe medical things, but she was surprised to see some poems. A grin escaped her lips as she read them in awe. There were at least fifteen of them, so she just read the first two and then picked some other ones because of the titles.
'Let it fall... Salvation... Too Late... Irrelevant...' she turned the paged repeatedly, amazed by his second hidden talent. '...On my way...Burning...She...She? Did he meet someone?'. Overwhelmed by intrigue, she started reading it. Unluckily, she only got to read a couple of words. "You can see her in a room, her nose stuck in a boo..."
-Woah, Shirley- Gilbert closed the notebook abruptly- Did you read anything? 'Cause it's kind of private- he chuckled nervously.
-Uh...no.
-You know that you are a bad liar, don't you?
-Fine, I did, and now I have some things to tell you.
'Shit, she read THAT one'
-Go ahead- he put the notebook back in its place.
-Firstly, your writing is extraordinary, but, apart from that...- she crossed her arms in front of her and laid back on the chair.
-Yes...?
-Let's not ignore the elephant in the room.
-I didn't quite catch what the elephant is.
-You met someone!
-What?- he said with a mixture of confusion and relief.
-Wait...if you haven't met someone, then... IS IT DIANA?!- she gasped in shock- Blythe! She's Jerry's girlfriend!
-What?!
-I didn't get to finish it, but I'm quite sure that "She" is someone pretty special, and that you are in love with "She".
-Wait, let me get this straight. From reading the word "She" you got the information that I'm in love with Diana?- she bit back his laughter.
-So you don't deny it... Blythe!
-No! I'm not in love with Diana, Shirley!
-Fine, but you can't deny that it was someone special.
-It is.
-Is it Tillie? Wait... Jane. No, it's obviously Josie.
-No, no, and no.
-So you did meet someone...
-Um... I met her once...
-I see... Are you in love with her? Or do you, at least, like her?
-I'm figuring that out... but I'm almost sure I do.
-Like her? Or love her?
-Both...I know I love her, I just don't know if in a romantic way.
-So you already are her friend, you care about her.
-Exactly.
-Wait, but she is not from our group of friends, is she?
-Why don't we change the subject?- a nervous chuckle escaped his lips.
-Not until you tell me who it is.
-Oh, no way, Shirley.
-Why not? Come on.
-Look, if I love her, I'll eventually tell you.
-Do you promise?- she asked, holding out her pinky.
-I promise- they intertwined their fingers.
-Fine.
-Fine.
-Oh, by the way, have you read this? Because I'm borrowing it from you- she took out the book she had previously found on the shelf.
-"When breath becomes air"? Yeah. Take it, it's tragical, you'll love it.
-I've got an idea, let's exchange books. I'll take this one from you, and you'll take another one from me.
-I love that.
-Great! I have one you might like. I hope you haven't watched the movie. "The fault in our stars"...?
-You're in luck. What's it about?
-It tells the story of two teenagers with cancer that fall in love with each other and embark on a journey to Amsterdam to meet the girl's favorite author. My description makes it look rather dull, but it's ever so beautiful. Of course, it also has a touch of tragedy. You'll laugh and you'll cry. Well, I cried, you probably won't. Anyway, it's set in the modern times, and I think you'll enjoy it.
-It's settled, then.
-I'll take it to the sleepover- she squealed before leaving- Remember: Tomorrow at 7 at Diana's house!
-I'll be there!
He sat on the chair, biting back the smile that she always drew on his face. It stayed on for several minutes, in which he just stared at his feet, thinking about her.
Bash was passing through the hallway when he saw his love struck friend inside the room.
-Then he says he doesn't like her...what a moke- he shook his head while laughing.
---------------
Matthew was enjoying some strawberry tarts in the barn, sitting by his favorite redhead. As usual, she was the one doing most of the talking, but he loved listening to everything she had to say, and watching her doing it so passionately.
-You know, Matthew? I am almost sure I do know her. He said it wasn't Diana, but I'm still quite skeptical. I mean, he does have a picture of them together in his bedroom. They were young, but it's still suspicious isn't it?
-You have a picture of Diana in your room too, don't you?
-I do, but she's my best friend.
-They are childhood friends, or so you've told me. I don't think having a picture means anything.
-You are right. But I still think it's her, or maybe Josie. They are gorgeous girls. Tillie and Jane are too, but I don't think there's chemistry between them and Gilbert.
-And what about you?
-Oh, no, Matthew! Not you too! All my friends imply the same thing. Besides, I'm not nearly as beautiful as they are, not with this hideous red hair.
-I think it looks very pretty on you.
-You do?- she asked with hopeful eyes.
-Of course.
-You don't know what joy you've brought with that compliment! Thank you, Matthew. It's good to know that at least you and Diana like it.
-I think that Gilbert likes it too.
-Matthew!
-Just my opinion- he said with a sweet smile.
They stayed in comfortable silence for some minutes, both enjoying their food together. They loved those moments together in which they quietly shared each other's company.
-Matthew?
-Huh?
-Do you... really think so?
-Mh?
-About Blythe... having a crush on me.
-The way he looks at you is not something you find anywhere. Take it from an old man.
-But if he does... what do I do with it?
-It depends on what you feel towards him.
Those words were the last said before everything fell into another deep stillness. Anne chewed her lower lip thoughtfully, and Matthew smiled at the situation. It reminded him a little bit of a conversation he had had with his brother Michael before he passed away, about a girl called Jeannie that attended school with him.
The redhead was trying to convince herself that the boy didn't like her. Deep down, her desire was that he had a crush on her, but she didn't want to think about her own feelings, so she pretended she was willing to be simply friends with him.
'...And probably that poem wasn't even talking about me. There are many girls in Avonlea, it could be anyone.'
Little did she know that the answer would be clear if she had read it all.
A/N: This chapter was a bit short, I know, but the next one deserves a separate chapter.
So...there's been a lot of shirbert lately. Tell me if you're tired of it!
Anyway, would you like to read the whole poem? If you do, I'll try to put it in the story, or maybe an author note later on. What do you think?
Also, I'm on winter break (finally)! I'll try to write a bit more since I have more free time, but it's probable that I'll get writer's block...so we'll see.
Finally, I wanted to thank you for all your votes and comments! I love waking up to them, you really make me laugh. And we're about to reach 3k views 😱I can't believe it, thank you so much!❤️
Don't forget to vote if you liked it, and comment your opinion!