▷ Reflections - The Neighbourhood

«I never knew somebody like you»

___

"Oh. My. God"

ANNE SHIRLEY-CUTHBERT speaks into what she thinks it is the secured and secluded loneliness of her room. In fact, she speaks out loud the words that she's been too scared to say for such a long, long time.

"It's true" she says. "I'm whipped for Gilbert Blythe"

"Took you long enough" says a familiar voice behind her.

Anne turns around. It's Diana, and right next to her is Fred Wright, both standing under the door frame with smiles plastered on their faces.

I really need to stop talking to myself.

For a split second, Anne feels awfully vulnerable. And exposed. And terrified.

And for that split second she feels it would be better to crawl under the carpet and never come back. But then, in all her maturity, a feeling of relief runs up her body, kind of similar to what she felt when she admitted she sort of liked Gilbert Blythe for the first time. She had admitted first it to Fred Wright, under the moon on an October night, about a year and a half ago.

"I kinda... feel attracted to this guy? I haven't stopped thinking about him ever since we met"

And now Fred is here again and Anne can tell the smiley look on his face has to do with the fact that her feelings have not changed with the passing of time. If only, they've gotten stronger.

"What the hell are you two lovebirds doing in my room? When did you get in?" Anne looks at them up and down, narrowing her eyes. "Is this some kind of kink or something?"

As Anne crosses her arms in pretended annoyance, the couple across the room share a look. Diana raises a questioning eyebrow and Fred just snorts a laugh.

"What? What did I say?" Anne asks, eyes wide open and the freshly written piece of paper in her hands. A confession of feelings, a love declaration, a love letter... call it what you want.

"Nothing" Fred says, stepping into her room without an invitation.

Diana follows right behind as Fred stands by Anne's mirror, looking at it curiously.

"It's just that someday you'll look into the mirror and you'll see Gilly in the reflection. It's scary to what degree you two are alike"

Anne rolls her eyes, walking over to Fred and dragging him away from her mirror, making him sit on her bed, right next to Diana.

"Alright, Romeo and Juliet. What are you two doing here anyway?"

"Fred's moving back to Gilbert's so I drove him" Diana explains. "We just thought we'd come back to check on you"

"Moving back?" Anne's perplexed. "Did you move away in the first place? What happened?"

"Nothing, really. Siblings fight all the time, shouldn't you know that?"

Although it warms her heart that Fred referred to him and Gilbert as siblings, Anne can't help but worry. Those two were inseparable, and she can't quite figure what could have happened between them for Fred to move out.

"Fight? Are you okay? Is Gilbert okay?"

Fred looks at her, blinking twice. "Yes. He's okay, don't worry"

"And you, Fred? Are you okay?" she asks, placing a hand on his shoulder.

"I'm always okay, tiger-Anne" he says, adding the wink of an eye to his words. "No need to worry"

___

In the meantime, it's Gilbert's last day in Avonlea before leaving for Philadelphia. His two heavy suitcases are waiting patiently in the hall, right next to the main door and he feels kinda enthusiastic about the prospect of learning new things related to Medicine, but...

But there's just one last thing he has to do before leaving.

Gilbert looks at the building before him, then at the handwritten note with the address, then at the building again.

Yes, it's here. Only thing he needed was Rachel Lynde and a cup of tea for her to spit out the address to the Wright's.

The house doesn't look at all as he had expected, and neither does the tall woman who opens the door after he rings the doorbell. She's nothing like Gilbert had pictured. Truth is, in all his social prejudice, he had not expected a tall, slim, elegant woman, all covered in jewelry. She doesn't seem like the type of person who would kick her son out, despite the look of pure disgust on her face, but again... that's just social prejudice.

"Good afternoon" Gilbert says politely, forcing a smile. "You don't know me but I-"

Her frown becomes more and more evident.

"Oh, I know you. You're that kid who adopted Fred"

Gilbert pretends to ignore the look of pure disgust on her face when she mentions Fred, as if he was a complete stranger or something even worse. How dare she!

"Well, yes" Gilbert nods with a more serious expression this time. "Only difference is I'm not a kid" he adds after clearing his throat. "I'm Gilbert Blythe"

"Good for you" the woman replies coldly.

Gilbert can't understand how this person gave birth to the literal goofball and ray of sunshine that Fred Wright is. It makes no sense. But still, he has to try.

"And that person you seem to call Fred, is your son" he says, emphasizing the "your".

"Whatever you're here for, Pilpert Blythe, you're wasting your time"

She tries to close the door but he sticks his feet in between.

"It's Gilbert Blythe, ma'am, I think I've made myself clear"

"My husband and I are very busy" she replies, unbothered.

"Busy living a luxury life because you're acting like you don't have a son? Yes, I'm sure that keeps you busy"

"What do you want, kid? A moral talk?"

"No. Your son is getting married and I thought you'd probably wanted to know that"

"Married?" she bites back a sarcastic laugh. "Hey, Ted, did you hear that? Old Fred's getting married!"

Fred's father comes right to the door. He's a well built man, but he also looks very elegant, like the kind of rich guy from some kind of soap opera. Although he doesn't have the freckles or the signature toothy smile, he looks a lot like Fred.

The resemblance makes Gilbert sick.

"Who's this kid?"

"You know" Gilbert says, his blood boiling. It takes everything in him not to let his anger burst right there. "Perhaps you should stop calling me a kid and start worrying about your own kid instead"

"We don't have a kid" the man simply says.

That's all it takes for Gilbert to lose his temper.

"What did he do for you to treat him like that?!" He raises his voice. "He's your son, for fuck's sake!"

"We just got tired of him" the woman says. "Hey, kid, we're not going to give you anymore details about our life"

"You people are unbelievable!" Gilbert scoffs. "And to think that I used to think you were... a family with difficulties! You're just living your best life, aren't you?"

"So what, you think you're better than us?" Fred's mother says.

"Think? Oh, no" Gilbert shakes his head sarcastically. The gesture instantly reminds him of Anne. "I know I am better than you, but that's because I never leave anyone behind. I'd never leave my family. And I'd i were you, I'd take this advice seriously. Some day I'll be too late"

And with that, he turns around and starts walking to his car. He hears the door closing with a slam right behind his back.

Gilbert walks away. It's getting late, and darker. After all, summer's just about to end. He promised himself that visiting Fred's parents would be the last thing he'd do before leaving for Philadelphia again, but...

There's this place... this particular place, that's not that far from the Wright's. It would be just a ten minute drive.

After he gets to his destination, he doesn't get out of the car. He doesn't even park in the driveway either. He stays on the road, in the safety of his car, looking up for his eyes to meet the window.

I don't even know what I'm doing here. Why did I drive myself here in the first here? he thinks.

The sky is a dark blue sheet with a few shy stars. The lights are on in the kitchen, and Gilbert can perfectly picture Marilla Cuthbert preparing dinner.

He spots her just as he looks up to her window. She's sitting on her desk, window open. The soft wind is swiftly blowing her hair (which is down) a bit.

She's wearing an oversized T-shirt that she uses as a summer night gown. He knows because he's seen her wearing it before.

Curiosity fills his eyes, which narrowed, stare at her just for a little longer.

He can't see from the distance but he knows her eyebrows are furrowed and he knows she's biting the inside of her right cheek. That's what she always does whenever she's trying to focus, anyway.

I used to know her so well. How on Earth did things change that much?

Just like Jerry said, he could just get out of the car, knock on that door and simply forgive her. After all, he made mistakes too, right? She could forgive him too, for being so mean to her. They could just talk, like they always did. They used to understand each other on a different level...

He gulps, trying to get enough confidence to knock on that door and talk to her. Because he misses her, at least, that hasn't changed.

He opens his car's door, and the swift late-August breeze caresses his curls. It instantly makes him shut the door close again. He rests his head on the steering wheel, despair taking over.

Feeling that vulnerable in front of her — or anyone else, for that matter — again?

Never, he mentally tells himself when he drives away under the darkening sky.

___

After his little odyssey, Gilbert gets home.

He opens the door and drops his keys in the little table in the hall before heading up to his room.

Fred Wright's waiting there, sitting on his bed like he always used to whenever there was something troubling him.

Gilbert doesn't even have time to speak when Fred stands up abruptly.

"I heard what you've been doing" Fred says, in a tone so calm that's not typical in him at all. "Bash told me. You know he can't keep his mouth shut"

"I'm sorry if I intruded I just-" Gilbert tries to say.

"Thank you. For trying. But it was pointless, wasn't it?"

"I-"

"Just say it"

Fred's eyes lift up to look at Gilbert. The hazel-eyes boy hasn't seen that kind of look in his best friend's eyes before. He looks as he's about to cry.

"I'm sorry" Gilbert sighs. "They're not coming"

Defeated, Fred sits back on the bed. "I should've known. Why would they even want to come to my wedding? I'm not their son, am I?"

"You don't need them" Gilbert murmurs.

"But I do need them. Of course I do. I need parents. I need-"

"You have me. You have us"

"Is it because of my personality? I know I joke around a lot and I can be a bit... too much sometimes, but don't I deserve love? What did I do to deserve this?" he says. "I've been trying to avoid the fact that my parents- my own parents abandoned me for more than a year. And I've tried to keep a happy, goofy face for all of you. And I can't. I can't because my parents abandoned me. And then I see you with your dad, Gilly, and I-"

"Let's not talk about my dad right now, okay?"

Fred nods, wiping a tear away.

"Look, Fred. Freddie" Gilbert says. "You have a family. We are a family — Bash, my dad, you and me. We're pretty unconventional, but we're a family. And Ruby, Jerry, Diana... and Anne too. We are a family as well. We've always been because we've always been there for each other. They got your back. I got your back"

Something in the way Gilbert pronounces her name makes his own heart sting. Yes, of course they were all a family — the whole gang. But they had not been together, the six of them for a long time, and some how that was his fault.

Last time was on his farewell party, last summer. It had been over a year.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean that you weren't family to me"

"Don't be. I know what you meant"

Gilbert joins Fred, sitting right beside him in the edge of his bed. He puts an arm over his shoulder, and drags him closer, rubbing circles over his T-shirt as a way of saying "I'm here".

"At least I look way more handsome than you when I cry" Fred says out of the sudden, sniffling his last tear away.

"Excuse you, Fred Wright!" Gilbert looks at him, amused. "Did you just call me ugly?"

Fred looks at him, his eyes crinkled and his nose wrinkled.

"Only when you cry"

"My God, I think I'm going to start crying again!" Gilbert says, drawing his hand to his forehead in a dramatic way.

They look at each other before bursting into laughter. It's easy, it flows. It's natural.

"It's been a long time since we've been like this... just us, laughing and joking around" Fred says once the laughter fades away.

"It has"

"I missed it"

"Me too" Gilbert says quietly.

"I can't believe you're leaving tomorrow" Fred yawns, leaning his head on Gilbert's shoulder. Gilbert pats the top of his head.

"Me neither" the hazel-eyes boy adds. "Summer flew by. But I guess you'll be busy with your pre-marital business"

"Pre-marital..." Fred mumbles thoughtfully.

"What?" Gilbert asks.

"Nothing. You just sound exactly like-"

"Like Anne" Gilbert says — the image of the redhead is clear on his mind. "I know"

___

New York

September 3rd, 2019

Anne walks into her favorite coffee house in the neighbourhood. It's cheap, it tastes amazing and the decoration and general atmosphere of the place is simply perfect. Well, almost perfect.

She can think of other coffee shops — one, specifically — that's much better. She can also think of better company than herself...

Anne's been in New York for about a week, and she's feeling somewhat ecstatic. She misses her friends, her family, and of course, a certain curly-haired boy is always there, at the back of her mind, but still, the prospect of new beginnings and the anticipation of her possible success keeps her radiant.

She stands in line to order, right behind a boy. He's wearing a denim overall and a striped T-shirt underneath, a beanie on top of his head, revealing a bit of his chestnut hair.

Wait...

"Nicole?" Anne asks.

"Oh, Anne, h-hi?"

Indeed, Nicole McKenzie turns around. Anne knee she studied here, Fine Arts, just like her roommate! But the thing is, Anne could've easily mistaken her for a "he".

"Caramel macchiato for Cole!" the barista says from across the bar.

"Cole?" she asks in confusion.

"I-I..." Nicole, or well, Cole, begins to say.

Somehow, Anne gathers all the pieces of the puzzle together. How could I have not noticed before? She mentally face-palms herself.

"Okay, calm down, why don't we sit down?"

After having Anne ordered and paid for her coffee, the pair chose a table to sit, right near the window.

Anne waits for Cole to speak, who is notably nervous.

"I'm a boy" Cole says after a while. "I mean, I know you knew me as Nicole but-"

"Hey- it's okay" Anne reaches for his hand. "I understand. And I support you"

"You do?"

"Yeah!" Why wouldn't I?"

Cole looks at her, wondering how lucky he could've been if they talked more when they were in high school. Anne seems like the type of girl who would've understood, seeing that she's the first person he's ever told about his... secret. It's not like you could tell anyone in Avonlea that you're gender fluid or transexual.

"Don't you find it... weird?" he asks.

"Weird?" she says, blinking twice. "You're not weird at all"

"That's what I've always been called" he mumbles, looking down at his cup of coffee. "Weird"

"I would say you're pretty unique. And I must add that I find you extraordinarily brave, Cole"

"Thank you. Thank you so much. I don't know what to say, I... thank you"

"No problem" she says, squeezing his hand.

She can't help but feel guilty. They didn't exactly "talk" when they were in high school, considering that she- that he, always went unnoticed. Anne wonders how hard it must've been for him, living trapped in a body that you don't belong to and without no one to tell — he had no friends. It sounds horrible.

"It was a huge secret, I feel kinda... naked" he admits.

"Do you want to know a secret too?" she says, leaning forward in her seat and almost dropping her cup of coffee.

"Okay?"

"I have a massive crush on Gilbert Blythe"

"Wow"

"Yup" she says, popping the "p" and smiling shyly. "That happened"

"Does he know?"

"No" she says. "I'm sort of... working on a project. I'm editing some texts, or letters. I don't even know. And then I'll send them to him"

"As some kind of declaration?"

Anne remembers Diana's words. Declaration. Declaration. But she doesn't feel like hiding it anymore.

"Yeah. It is a declaration"

A smile curves up Cole's face. Anne can already tell he's going to be a kindred spirit, just by the way his eyes light up at the sight of romance and a bit of gossip.

"When did you realize you liked him?"

"I guess I always knew" she sighs. "I mean, right from the start there was something..."

And with that, Anne procedes to tell her new friend about Gilbert Blythe. And her. And them, together. Since the moment they met that September evening until the very end.

Cole McKenzie would've never expected that asking Anne about her life in general would lead to her confessing her massive crush on Gilbert Blythe or how she was trying to win a writing contest.

The girl was definitely a box full of surprises.

"I just need to figure out the ending. I don't know how to make it... emotional, and raw" she says.

Apparently, now that she had admitted her own feelings to herself, the only thing she needed to sleep at night was the perfect ending for her short story.

Cole looks at her, holding his caramel macchiato with both hands.

"Go back to your roots. Think about why you want to write on the first place. Go back to the start"

Anne doesn't have to think twice. She already knows where the start is.

She knows where her passion was first rooted.

She knows when it clicked.

She knows who planted the seed of her inspiration.

___

[PLAY THE SONG NOW!]

June 20th, 2018

23:58 pm

She was looking at the reflection of the moon in the water. It was late, but the large swimming pool seemed like a suitable place for deep thinking and reflecting on stuff in general as she sat near the edge, cross-legged.

Diana's summer party had been great overall, but it marked the beggining of the end for good. Just two days and Gilbert would leave for the whole summer, and then for college. Just two days and the gang would be separated until God knows when.

She was about to get even more pessimistic when she heard a noise, something moving in between the bushes that surrounded the pool area. That sort of snapped her out of her train of through, that in the end, always led to Gilbert Blythe.

"Who's there?" she asked, half-curious, half-scared.

"It's just me"

Of course.

Out of all the people in the villa, it had to be Gilbert Blythe — in his pajamas and all! He was wearing tracksuit shorts a zip hoodie and flip flops. Anne thought he looked funny, but didn't comment on it. Instead, she gave him a crooked smile.

"Oh, hi" she said, eyelashes fluttering against her cheeks.

"Hey" he casually said, standing behind her. "What are you doing here?"

"Couldn't sleep, so I came here" she says, eyes fixed on the water. "It's quiet"

"Oh, I feel you. My room's right next to Fred and Diana's and believe me — it's not thrilling at all"

She looks at him then, her smile widened.

"Yeah, try sleeping wall to wall to a giggling Ruby Gillis!"

He chuckles. "I can imagine"

We were too close to the stars
I never knew somebody like you, somebody
Falling just as hard

Anne wondered about how they always ended up thinking about the same things. On numbered occassions, Anne wondered how it was possible for them to be so alike, just in tiny details like these. She thought of Jane Eyre, and similar strings knitted to their ribs.

There was a silent pause until he spoke again.

"Mind if I join you?" he asked, hands shoved into his pockets — even in his pajamas, he had to do that.

"Suit yourself" she said quietly.

I see my reflection in your eyes

Silence reigned over them again, a comfortable one.

Anne's eyes never left the quietness and tranquility of the water, so serene, almost as if her soul had intertwined with the calm air of the water.

Gilbert decided to watch her. Her face looked especially delicate under the moonlight, and her eyes almost crystal-like. Her expression was so relaxed, he had hardly ever seen her like this.

"I like it when you're quiet" he blurted out without even noticing.

"Excuse me?" she looked at him then, raising an eyebrow. It was a look that for once, Gilbert couldn't read.

"I mean, I like it when you talk too. A lot." he said, choosing his words carefully but letting them flow easily at the same time. "But seeing you so quiet makes me wonder what you could be thinking about"

"Why would you wonder about my thoughts?"

"I don't know. You intrigue me for some reason"

Anne's cheeks flushed. Even in the dark, he could tell.

"Oh. Fine"

"Fine"

Silence took over the air again, for the third time, and some times Gilbert stared at her, some others at the reflection on the moon in the water.

"What's on your mind?" he asked.

She didn't look at him yet, but instead kept her eyes on the water and started to talk.

So close, so close
Yet so far away

"I'm mesmerized by the reflection on the moon in the water. It looks different. I don't know..." she whispered. "I'd never thought about it before. It's a very common phenomenon so no one pays attention. But now, sitting here... I believe it's magnificent. It's like both moon and water had found each other, becoming one... But it's just a reflection. It's not real"

"Isn't it?" he asked curiously.

Something in the way she spoke about two elements of nature mixing together and becoming one made the butterflies in his stomach fly wildly.

"Are you trying to contradict me, Gilbert Blythe?"

"I just did" he chuckled.

"Well, I don't know?"

"Hm?" He tilted his head, biting his bottom lip.

"I don't know if it's real or not. The reflection, I mean"

"I think it is. If you can see it, it has to be real, right?" He says. "Like when you look into someone else's eyes and you see your own reflection. That's real"

"Who would've thought Gilbert Blythe had the imagination to talk about similes and metaphors" she said, drawing her legs closer to her chest.

"Shut up" he rolled his eyes.

"So" she said. "The eyes"

"Yeah"

"Marilla told me once that the eyes never lied"

"I agree" Gilbert whispered into the dark night's air before directing his gaze to her again. "What do you think?"

"I believe they're a projection to the human soul" she said, very sure of her answer. "A reflection of our own feelings, almost. As if they could speak what we fear the most, or what we even try to deny to ourselves"

"You know, Shirley" he whispered, although no one was around to hear them anyway. "You should to something with all those words"

"Do something...?"

"Well, I don't know. A writing contest or something like that"

"Me?" she snorted a laugh. "I could never"

"Why not?"

"I'm not good enough" she mumbled, shaking her head and looking down at the water again.

It wasn't like she hasn't thought about it before. She had, but the fear of not being good enough had always been there.

Gilbert looked at her as if she'd said the most stupid thing in the world.

"Okay, stop talking non sense or I'll throw your ass to the pool"

"What?" she said, blinking twice. "It's true"

"No it's not" he said, looking out to the grass across the pool. "You're the smartest person I know. You're articulate, intelligent, poetic, vivacious, creative-"

He noticed how he was rambling. He could've kept going for hours, mentioning every single detail that made her absolutely perfect to his eyes.

"Just... look, if there's anyone who can do this, it's you, Shirley. I've never known someone as brilliant as you"

She looked at him, and Gilbert, feeling her eyes on him, looked back. Blue meeting hazel again.

How curious, she thought.

She could literally see her reflection in his eyes.

I see myself in you, I see myself in you, baby

"Do you... really think so?"

"Of course I do" he nodded.

"Wow, thanks. No one's ever said that about me"

"Well, I'll be here" he smiled, and feeling bold, poked her nose with his index finger. "To keep reminding you how brutally talented you are, but..."

"But?" she asked, noticing how he was leaning dangerously closer to her.

"But I'm still throwing your ass to the pool!"

He grabbed her torso and pushed her to the water, just like she had pushed his head down hours before!

"Aaaah, Shirley" he said, crossing his arms over his chest. "Can you smell that?" He pretendes to sniff the air. "It's the smell of revenge"

She looked at him from the water, her pajamas and her hair soaked.

"I'm wearing my pajamas you idiot! Ugh! You're the biggest asshole I've ever met"

"I know" he winked an eye.

"Come here, Blythe, I'll show you what's good"

"Oh, really, Shirley?"

He jumped right into the pool, clothes and all — and started splashing around, just to annoy her.

Just a little bit.

"Water fight!" he screamed, pushing her head down the water.

She emerged from the water, laughing like a little girl. Mesmerized, he studied every single drop that fell from her red curls or how her T-shirt wrapped around her body.

For a few seconds, Gilbert Blythe could've sworn he was dreaming — but it was all real. Turns out he was enjoying a late night rendezvous in a swimming pool with the girl of his dreams and the moonlight as a confidant.

"Water fight!" she pushed his head down this time.

Half an hour later, they walked to their respective rooms.

Gilbert stopped in the middle of the corridor. He took off his hoodie, revealing a black T-shirt underneath that he had definitely worn before.

"Here, take my hoodie. Don't want you to be cold at night"

Anne accepted it, since she was already shivering. What she didn't see coming was the fact that he zipped the hoodie for her. It was a very intimate detail, something almost couple-like that made the butterflies in her stoma fly higher and higher.

"Thanks" she managed to say.

"It's the least I can do for throwing you to the cold water at midnight" he whispered.

"Not for the hoodie" she whispered back. "For everything"

"Huh?"

"For supporting me and-" she cleared her throat. "And inspiring me. No one had ever... made me feel like this"

She didn't know what she was talking about anymore. Was she really that delusional to believe that she was just talking about his recent words? No, of course not. There was more. There was always more when it came to Gilbert.

"How do you feel?" he asked, hoping she would tell him she felt exactly like he did.

He knew he was being delusional, but still, his heart began racing faster than ever just at the thought that he might say she liked him back.

"I feel like I can take over the world"

He smiled — warm and tender. Her answer was not what he had expected or what he had wanted for months, but still it contented him.

Her eyes looked straight into his, and Anne thought about how young he looked. What was there, in his eyes? Was it hope? Was it nervousness? Excitement? Illusion? Was it just the consequences of an exhausting party?

"I want you to always feel like that" he whispered.

Her eyes scan his face and that's all it takes for him to take a few steps forward and wrap his arms around her, pulling her into a hug.

"I'm going to miss you so much, you know" he whispered in her ear.

"Just two days" she said against the fabric of his T-shirt.

"Just two days" he repeats.

She didn't say a thing when they separate from the hug.

"Well... uh... good night" he awkwardly said.

He knew he shouldn't be feeling what he's feeling, but fighting the urge of kissing her was becoming more and more difficult, especially when she was looking at him like that.

"Good night, Gilbert"

"Sleep well, Shirley"

They both turned away to walk to their rooms in complete silence — feelings were floating around.

Once Gilbert got to his door, he turned around to look at her.

She was already staring at him from her door.

___

September 7th

It's four in the afternoon when Cole McKenzie's dorm room opens abruptly, distracting him from his latest art project.

"Cole! Cole!"

A whirlwind of red hair gets into his room. They'd become closer during the past few days, meeting every now and then just to talk, share common interests and simply learn new things.

For instance, Anne had learnt a lot about identity and gender, and Cole had recently acquired new complex literary concepts that he really didn't need for his academic record but he liked to learn still.

"You could knock on the door, but go ahead" he says from his bed.

With a movement of his head, he invites Anne to sit with him.

"Listen to me, Cole McKenzie" she says, sitting beside him. "I just wrote the final page of my short story"

She places her writing notebook on his lap.

"The one you're submitting for that writing contest?"

"Yes!" Her eyes sparkle with excitement. "Would you please take a look at it?"

Cole looks at her with a proud smile. They weren't exactly friends in high school, but ever since he confessed who he truly was, Anne's become a special friend.

"Why don't you read it for me?" he asks.

Anne nods, half eager, half nervous. She takes the notebook delicatedly, clears her throat, and starts to read passionately.

«She'd been doomed. He'd been designed for her, and it has always been like that — that's what she couldn't possibly understand.

How did it happen? When? Why? Who did it? Who was in charge for the creation of this man, this perfect being that was placed in her life, maybe not in the right time or circumstances...

It was unreasonable — everything that surrounded that mysterious aura of him was. It made every single part of her rationality fade away, every single opportunity to be determined and self-assured... disappeared completely as soon as she looked into his hazel eyes. She couldn't even be mad at him.

She watched him walk away, his back turned to her, with his own personal way of walking with his hands shoved into his pockets and all. Even though it'd been a long time, she hadn't forgotten him, and she probably never would.

It was probably the back of his neck, or his broad shoulders, maybe even those brown boots he wore when there was snow below them. He didn't turn around, but maybe the boyish version of himself would have. He would've looked straight at her, sparkling eyes and a teasing smile.

"Maybe we shouldn't talk anymore" he'd said instead. But what did that even mean? Did he mean forever? Maybe he didn't mean forever because a part of him was holding up to the hope that maybe, maybe he'd want to see her again some other time. Maybe months, maybe years. Maybe in another life, past or future. She didn't care anymore.

Every time she thought of time traveling to a different time, there was him. She didn't even mean to imagine him, but she did anyway. He'd appear in the back of her mind, and she could see him, she really could see him sitting beside her. But it's not the man that turned his back to her and walked away under falling snow.

It was him, the real him! The one she knew not long ago. He was hers. He was hers because there was a time when he was hers and she was his, wasn't it? They belonged to each other because it was just like staring into a reflection in the mirror.

And whenever she looked at hers, he was right there, looking back at her.

She knew. She knew. She knew. She didn't have to think anymore — the veil had been lifted and it wouldn't ever drop again. She was in love with him, both younger and older version.

And there was no coming back.»

"Anne... wow" Cole says, wiping a tear away. "It's amazing!"

"Do you really think so?"

"Of course I do!" he smiles. "I think you captured the... anxiety and the despair of... what was her name again?"

"Oh, I didn't give her a name. In fact, both characters are nameless. It makes it more universal, more real, don't you think?"

"If you say so"

Anne smiles.

"Thanks, Cole"

"Anytime" he replies. "So... what's the next step, now that you're done with your story?"

"Now that my mind's clearer than ever, I have to work hard on those letters" she says with determination. "And send them to Gilbert Blythe"

___

A/N

Phew! This chapter was soooo hard to write! Sorry it took me so long!

Fun fact: The flashback scene has been written for two months or so (the dialogue, at least) I really liked the way it turned out.

Anyway, what did you think of this chapter?

What do you think is going to happen next? I love reading your theories!

Also: STARING or REFLECTIONS? And why? You have to choose!