EPILOGUE

Lake of Shining Waters, a year after the Spring Ball

Spring had always been her favourite season. The sun was up, the sky held a beautiful shade of blue and the clouds had gone backwards, sheltering from the bright sunrays. The flowers had grown in such majestic colours that made Anne Shirley-Cuthbert wonder if they were real or not, for she had never seen such a beautiful tangly mess of colours together.

She delicately held a piece of paper in her hands. It was a bit yellowish because it had been written two years ago – yet she had never had the guts to send it.

It was adressed to Gilbert Blythe, Port of Spain, Trinidad.

The girl had just turned seventeen, and she was sitting near the Barry's pond, her bare feet refreshing in the water. She looked into the vibrant green colour of the nature, admiring each different tone. The mixture of green and the brown colour from the ground reminded her of Gilbert's eyes.

Well, everything reminded her of Gilbert Blythe lately, especially since he left for college a few months ago.

They had seen each other on Christmas and she was glad that things between them were still the way that they left them — like he had never left. Anne and Gilbert were the best of friends, although the rest of the people in Avonlea thought otherwise.

She had been carrying that letter with her ever since she went to the train station to look for him — that was more than a year ago. She did not want to deliver it, she wanted to give it to him in person, whenever she felt ready.

Dearest Gilbert,

I am extremely sorry I have not written you back lately. I have been busy with school since it is my duty to keep the top of the class now that you are not around. Being completely honest, this is quite boring, for a competitive soul like me needs constant challenging.

And now that there's an entire ocean between me and you is when I've realised that I care about you more than I thought I did. The day after you left for that steamership I felt so lonely. And these eight months have been awfully long without you.

However I am so proud of you. I know that we were not exactly friends before you left and that now we are... pen-pals, if you want to call it like that. But still I could not help but feel a sense of pride whenever I thought that you are out there seeing the world.

What I really wanted to say is that I'm not certain about my feelings for you anymore. We are certainly not rivals. Friends? I don't know either. I've read many (I mean it, many) books and none of them use the funny feeling I feel in my stomach whenever I think of you as a way to describe something such thing as friendship. It is usually something related to lovers. In the mean time, whilst I try my best to figure out all this, being your friend would mean the whole world to me.

I wish you could come back soon.

I miss you dearly.

Anne Shirley-Cuthbert

"I knew I'd find you here"

She turned around, although she did not have to. Years and years could go by but still she would have recognised that voice anywhere.

"I couldn't believe my eyes when I found it in my mailbox" he said as he made his way towards her; his footsteps were as usual, confident, secuee. He was wearing a beige vest-suit which Anne guessed must be new and a light coat on top of it. He had just taken off his messenger cap, the one that he had been wearing during all these years. "Oceans, a story by Anne Shirley-Cuthbert"

She wanted so desperately to stand up and hug him. But she was scared that his mere contact would trigger her feelings towards him, so she just smiled at him. "Did you read the first page?"

"I read the whole thing" he replied, saving his cap in his bag and shoving his hands onto his pockets casually. "But I do remember especially the first page"

To Matthew and Marilla Cuthbert, for their unconditional support.
And to the person who inspired me and my soul into this story.

"I may add that it needs an epilogue, though, if you accept my humble opinion" he said as he stood behind her. She was still sitting down. "For closure, I mean"

Anne blinked twice, realising then the fact that he was not supposed to be there in Avonlea. "What are you doing here?"

"Spring break, just got from the train station"

"Shouldn't you be revising for finals?" she asked. Of course, she had to worry about school, he thought, biting back a smile.

"I wanted to be with my family, to come home"

He got no answer, so he sat cross-legged by her side. "We have postponed this for way too long, don't you think?"

She instantly knew what he meant, but she remained silent, eyes fixed on the blueness of the water before her.

"Anne, talk to me" he took both her hands in his.

"My feelings for you are growing each and every day" she admitted, thinking out loud "and I don't know how to stop them"

"Why would you want them to stop?" he asked. Why would you want to stop such a wonderful feeling?

"I've been afraid of change my whole life" she replied, still unable to look at him. "I like things the way they are — you and I, being friends, keeping correspondence with each other" she paused for a second to examine his face. He was not angry, or sad, nor disappointed. He was looking at her with a crooked smile that she had never seen in him – a certain glimmering in his eyes made her legs go weak. "Gil, I don't want to ruin the friendship that we have"

Anne was scared. She would not admit that to anyone else other than Gilbert Blythe. She had worked so hard in constructing her self-image of a brave, courageous and fearless young woman and she could not let that be destroyed by her insecurities.

She had been scared of so many things during her short life, but never would Anne have dared to even imagine how scary the prospect of losing him seemed.

"I don't want to lose you or your friendship either" he whispered, caressing her hands softly. "But my heart beats so fast when I'm with you" he sighed, not taking his eyes away from her. He did not even try anymore, but whenever she was around, he could not look at anything or anyone else. "I just can't deny it or contain anymore, Anne"

Shw was at a loss of words, so she did not say anything, which Gilbert took as an invitation to continue.

"I've been yours ever since the moment you broke that slate over my head" saying that out loud felt somehow relieving for him. "I've been waiting to tell your for a while but-"

"Gil-"

"Please, say you love me back" he begged. He instantly wondered if he sounded rather pathetic or ridiculous, but he shook his thoughts away.

"But you never said you loved me" she said, which sounded almost as a question.

"Do I have to?" he asked, making her pause for a few seconds – her mind went back to all those years ago. Memories flashed in her mind as some sort of vivid daydream.

"You alright, Miss?"

"I should've added the E"

"Anyway"

"Tragical romance and all?"

"I like it when you're around"

"It reminded me of your eyes"

"You have such a brilliant mind"

"I know it's your favourite novel"

"I want you to pursue your dreams"

"Because she's not you!"

"There is nothing that I would want more than to dance with you tonight"

"No, you don't" she finally said.

"Anyway, I love you" he sighed "I'm in love with you" Then he dropped the girl's hands carefully, which he had been holding this whole time. He leant his back on the grass, not expecting to hear anything in return from her. The prospect of having to wait for her seemed exhausting, but it seemed better than having to let her go or give up on her. The boy crossed his arms under his head and closed his eyes. He kept silent, wanting to give her some space for her thoughts.

They both remained silent and quiet for a few minutes, until she felt a tiny finger pocking his forehead.

The boy, still lying on the ground, opened one of his eyes to find the sight of Anne Shirley-Cuthbert staring at him dead-serious.

"Oh no, I'm in trouble again, am I r-?"

He couldn't even finish his sentence because Anne had pulled him up, making him sit. Before he even knew, her lips were on his.

She focused all her attention in kissing him, as if she could tell him this way how much she had wanted him, how much she had needed him and longed for him.

He knew.

It was a feeling that was completely new for the both of them, yet there was something oddly familiar about it. It was something that had been building up for years. Sitting on a flower-covered field, just the two of them, as the sky was turning a beautiful painting of lilacs and pinks... everything felt right somehow.

His left hand moved to her auburn hair, getting lost in her curls. The other one caressed her cheek with slow movements. Both the girl's hands were cupping his face.

Anne felt Gilbert's smile in his lips whilst she kissed him. He was bursting with happiness, but nothing could ever prepare the boy for the words he was going to hear next.

"I'm so in love with you too"

After separaring from the kiss, his body was still leaning a bit towards her, studying her in complete amazement. "Oh, can you say that again?" a foolish smile was plastered all over his face. His eyes were wrinkled due to the evident grin in his lips.

Anne bit her lip as she looked at him, smiling shyly. His hazel eyes were looking back at her. Looking like that, it was very difficult for her not to tell him how much she loved him. But she loved teasing him. "You heard me once, Gilbert Blythe"

"I would like to ask you to give me the pleasure of marrying you" he suddenly said, making her eyes go wide in surprise. "Not now, carrots, calm down!" he laughed casually as he lightly kicked her elbow in a friendly and playful way. "One day" he said as he looked out into the horizon behind the girl and then back at her.

Whenever you're ready.

"One day" she smiled at his words, moving to sit by his side, leaning her head on his shoulder. "You know me more than I know myself" she said.

He simply nodded. "Well... getting to know you, Anne-girl, has been... the best thing that's ever happened to me" he whispered. "I feel so lucky to get to call you my bestfriend"

"And your future wife"

He almost choked at her words.

"Well, yes" he chuckled softly. "Not just my wife, though, I don't like that word. We will be partners"

"Lifemates" she said, imagining the future ahead of them. A future together.

"Equally matched individuals" he concluded.

"Any suggestion for the epilogue of my story?" she suddenly asked. "I may have an idea to where it's leading to, but it needs... polishing"

"You started that story with a quote from Jane Eyre, right?" he suggested. "Seems fair enough to me to finish it with another one, making a full circle" she looked at him with curious eyes, nodding enthusiastically at his words. The boy stared into the glimmer of her ocean-blue eyes that she always wore whenever she felt passionate about something.

She cleared her throat before speaking her next words.

"Every atom of your flesh is as dear to me as my own: in pain and sickness it would still be dear. Your mind is my treasure, and if it were broken, it would be my treasure still" she quoted from perfect memory.

He pecked her lips one more time, shaking his head lightly before doing so.

"I still can't believe you named me Pilpert"