A/N - LAST CHAPTER!!!! Sit, relax, enjoy and remember: don't play the song until I tell you to! Don't forget to comment and vote!

CHAPTER XV

The Tragical Romance

in which the end of a story marks the beggining of a new one

"I can't believe my eyes" a tall, tan-skinned, bearded man said. "This is finally happening". His dark eyes were fixed upon the sight of a surprisingly not nervous young man.

Gilbert Blythe smiled as his reflection in the dusty mirror. He was wearing one of his father's old suits. He had tried to comb his hair, or at least make it look decent for the ocassion — although he had failed miserably; those curls were untameable, and they would remain like that forever. "It's just a ball" the boy chuckled as tried to fixed his tie. "I'm not getting married"

"Yet"

Had it been another day, Gilbert would have gotten terribly mad at his friend's remark and denied everything nervously. However, he just blushed a bit and smiled fondly at his friend, Sebastian Lacroix. "Are you going to tell her today?" the man asked, leaning against the door frame. He had watched those two fall in love slowly — well, at least Anne, considering that the Blythe boy was head over heels since the very first moment he saw her — and he was more than ready for them to finally admit their feelings to each other.

"Yes" the boy simply answered; his words were determinant and sure.

A eight-month pregnant Mary walked into the room, standing beside her husband, who wrapped his arm around her back. "Gilbert" Mary said, making the boy turn around.

"Mm?"

"That tie... looks awfully messy, young man" she said, pointing at his outfit. "Let me fix that for you"

He stratched the back of his neck as Mary's hands fixed his tie. "I have to say I tried my best"

"Apart from that..." the woman said, as she took a few steps backwards to observe the boy. "You look very handsome"

"Indeed" Bash chuckled. "I dare to say a certain red-haired princess is going to be delighted to see you this evening"

"Well" Gilbert's eyes drifted away, imagining that certain red-haired girl, walking into the Ball holding onto his arm. "I wouldn't say she'd be content with being just a princess, but a warrior instead". And with that said and a confident yet still foolish smile on this face, Gilbert Blythe aimed towards the main door and left the house as the two adults watched him from the distance.

The last days of April were highlighting the awaited arrival of spring. Avonlea was not as cold as it used to be; the air was still a bit chilly, but the colors of the incoming seasonal change were popping out in every single corner of the scenery — bursting flowers, never-ending fields of green grass, and a clear blue sky in the horizon that in that exact moment was mixed with pink, purple and orange, due to the early hours of the evening.

Gilbert walked down the path, leaving his house behind. He thought about how particularly beautiful everything looked that evening. Maybe it was the arrival of spring or maybe it was the fact that he was in love. He read once that your own feelings can change your perception of the events and your surroundings. Interesting, he thought as he smiled to himself, remembering a passage of Anne's favourite novel.

Spring drew on... and a greenness grew over those brown beds, which, freshening daily, suggested the thought that Hope traversed them at night, and left each morning brighter traces of her steps.

Hope. He could use some of that. Hope what she would understand and reciprocate his feelings.

Thinking about her, he arrived to Green Gables. They had agreed that Gilbert would pick her up there at seven thirty sharp, then they would walk to the Ball together.

And there he was.

He smoothened his suit with careful hands before knocking on the girl's door, eager to see her. It had been two weeks since they had reunited at the train station, and even thought they had seen each other very often, almost every day, he had been desperately waiting for that day to arrive.

That was the day he would tell Anne that he was madly in love with her.

"Oh, good evening, Gilbert" Marilla Cuthbert's voice startled him from his train of thought. "Ms. Cuthbert" he said with a polite smile, crossing his arms behind his back.

"I'm afraid our Anne's not here"

"Uh? Is everything okay?"

"Why, yes" the woman bit back a knowing smile "She left this for you, though"

She handed him a piece of paper with a very familiar handwriting.

Bet you can't find me at the dance.
I'll be waiting.
A.S-C.

His eyes flickered through the yellowish paper, tilting his head as he let out a little laugh. "I guess I should be on my way" he said, lifting his eyes to meet Marilla's. "Don't want to make her wait". The boy nodded politely at the woman before turning around and making his way.

"Gilbert, wait!" Marilla's voice called him. "I just wanted to personally thank you for everything you've done for Anne" the boy looked at her with a confused grin. "She went through a living hell with Matthew's passing" Gilbert's smile vanished at the mention of Matthew. He was not that close to the man, but he appreciated him dearly and he knew how much he meant to Anne. "but since you came back everything has been... better" she said, giving the boy a sincere smile, something that was quite odd coming from a stern woman like her. "Thank you, Gilbert"

"I'm glad to hear that" he admitted.

"Now, go find Anne" Marilla said. "God knows what that girl is up to!"

They both laughed genuinely at the thought of the girl before saying their goodbyes.

Minutes later, the opened the doors of Avonlea's City Hall. It didn't take him long to find her. She's so dramatic. Anne Shirley-Cuthbert was the only redhead in Avonlea. So when he spotted a wave of red hair dancing on its own in the middle of the saloon, he knew it was her. He approached her silently, making his way through the crowded room.

"Found you!"

He grabbed her shoulders from the back, making her jump a little. She was wearing a below the knee, white dress. It had the puffiest sleeves he had ever seen. On top of her head, a flower crown, which was not as messy as the ones she used to wear for school when they were younger. Instead, this was more elegant, more... grown-up. Physically, she was not that girl he bumped into the woods that day anymore. However, the glimmer in her eyes when she turned around to face him was the same familiar look she had been given him all those years ago.

"Hi"

"Hi" he said shyly. "You look..." he paused, wanting to choose the perfect word to describe her "ravishing". She raised an eyebrow in response, trying to look unimpressed. "Also alluring, uh, dazzling, captiv-". Every compliment seemed an understatement comparing to how beautiful she looked that night. To his eyes, at least.

"Beauty is in the eye of the gazer" she said. He instantly recognised the Jane Eyre quote, making him smile fondly at one of her usual intellectual remarks.

"Well, the gazer thinks that you look very, very beautiful"

"Thank you, Gil" she said. "You look, um, handsome"

[PLAY THE SONG]

Just as her words left her lips, a soft, slow piano song started playing. Every couple held onto each other and started dancing to the slow beat. Anne took a look around her, marvelled at the romantic ambiance of the scene. Gilbert, hands shoved in his pockets, dreamily looked at her with a warm smile, reading her mind with perfect ease. He knew her too well.

"Isn't it the most romantic?" he sighed dramatically.

The girl turned her head back to him, meeting his eyes, which where wrinkled in amusement. "Gilbert Blythe, are you laughing at me?" she hit his arm lightly and shot him a glare that made him smile even wider.

"I'm appalled by the insinuation" he said, taking his hands out of his pockets and offering his left hand to her. "May I have this dance, Miss?"

She crossed her arms. "No, you may not"

"That's a shame"

"Why?" she asked.

"Because there is nothing that I would want more than to dance with you tonight, Anne Shirley-Cuthbert"

She sarcastically scoffed at his attempts of being nice. "Don't even dare to use those charming and gentlemanly words with me"

"Do you think I'm charming?" he bit his lower lip, trying to contain an evident smile.

She looked at him, analyzing his face. He was grinning in a way that made her heart melt — his curls were resting on his forehead, his eyes were sparkling with joy and that boyish smile that characterized him would never, ever, leave that face. "You are impossible, Gilbert Blythe" she said, taking the boy by surprise by grabbing his hand and placing it on her waist. Then she put her right hand on his shoulder. The boy's lips parted in both surprise and amazement and he gave her his typical flickering look that was reserved only for her.

"Thank you for letting me dance with you" he whispered, leaning into her ear and feeling her shiver from the contact. "I thought this would never happen, honestly"

She separated a bit from him, although his hand was still on her waist. The other one moved up to play with the ends of her auburn hair. "Gil" she said, catching the boy's attention.

"Yes?"

"Will you promise me that we will stay forever like this?" she asked, looking into his eyes. "Just us, being friends, not arguing"

He winced at her words. "Friends".

"No" he said. "I don't want that, you know I love it when we fight"

"You do?" she looked at him in disbelief, unable to understand how on earth could he even bare with her difficult attitude.

He chuckled softly. How can she still be so oblivious? He initiated a dance again, taking her hand and placing it on his shoulder.

"We will never change, Anne, I promise"

The girl smiled as they swung around the room, content with his reply. Before she could say anything else, the boy kept talking. "There are no oceans between you and me anymore" he spun her around, making her giggle. "I'm right here and I'm not planning on leaving again... unless you want to come with me som-"

She knew where his words were heading to, so she interrupted him before he could get to the point. "You'll have to leave at some point" she said abruptly. "College and everything"

"Well, yes" he said timidly "but after I'm done with medical school, I, you-"

"Let's not think about that" Anne said, resting her head on his chest, for the prospect of Gilbert leaving for college next fall terified her. "Let's focus on the present"

He nodded and kept dancing — their bodies swinging to the rhythym of an unknown song. How could she tell him not to think about the future when she was in every single picture of his own future plans?

"I wish we could freeze this moment in time, and forever live this present" he whispered his thoughts out loud.

Anne stopped dancing and the boy feared that he had messed up once again. "Anne? Did I say someth-?"

"Shut up, Blythe" She took his hand and, after both of them grabbing their coats, dragged him outside the building, near the Barry's pond.

The water was clear and the moon, which has just appeared in scene, sparkled in the contrast  of the dark blue sky. Anne stopped in her tracks and looked at the boy, who was looking very confused at her.

"I have something for you" she announced.

"For me?"

She looked for something in her coat's pockets. There were two folded pieces of paper, but she only got one out. The other one... she was not ready yet. That could wait.

She handed him a single folded piece of paper with his name written on it. He took it carefully, as if it was something made of gold. His fingers brushed against hers, which made both of them chuckle nervously.

The boy analyzed the paper before unfolding it, wondering its content. As if she has read his mind, she began explaining. "It's the prologue of a story I'm working on" Anne had been burying herself in the typewriter he had given to her as a Christmas present. It had been a sort of scape for her during these past few months.

"How is it called?" he asked, shoving the paper in his pocket with careful hands.

"Oceans" she said, taking her eyes away from his, blushing at the fact that he had mentioned something similar just minutes ago. "There are no oceans between you and me anymore"

"And... may I ask" he took a step forward, placing a hand on her chin to force her to look at him "what is this story about?"

"It's a tragical romance, of course" she replied with a smile. Her smile, the moonlight and the fact that she was looking more beautiful than ever — if possible — with that white dress, made him think about how much he wanted to kiss her. They were so close. But her next words made him think twice about his actions.

"You'll have to read it to figure it out" she whispered into the air of the night.

"Can I at least know how the story ends?" he asked, curiously.

"What do you mean?"

She knew what he meant. But teasing Gilbert Blythe had become one of her favourite things to do in the whole world.

"Well, is the tragical romance worth it? Do they... live happily ever after?" He could wait for her. He would wait until the moment she felt ready to start... to continue whatever this thing between them was.

She looked ar him with a familiar smile that took him back to the moment where it all really began for the two of them, before whispering four words that he knew too well — they had echoed in the back of his head ever since she first let them out a year ago.

"Remains to be seen"

_____

A/N - IS THAT IT? Ofc not, there's going to be an epilogue hehe

ALSO

I LOVE YOU ALL SM

CAN'T BELIEVE THIS IS THE END

THANK YOU SM FOR ALL THE FEEDBACK AND THE COMMENTS

YOU ARE THE BEST