I always knew - The Vaccines

«Nothing on my mind but you»

___

[DON'T PLAY THE SONG YET!]

January 11th 2021

New York

9:46 a.m.

ANNE SHIRLEY-CUTHBERT is nervous. She has been for the last couple of weeks. That's nothing new, of course — Anne was never what you would call a calm person and there was always something going on in her head, something to overthink about, some reason to plan ahead.

This occasion was no exception. There were too many things going on in her life at the moment, too many things to sit down and think about.

First, there was the possible-job-thing. That call she got on Christmas was somehow still stuck in her brain, yet she finds it difficult to remember how the conversation went like. "It's weird," was her conclusion when she told Marilla the day after that. She can easily remember the proud smile plastered on Marilla's face. She didn't need to speak the words «I'm proud of you» because her face spoke for itself. It's the same look Gilbert had given her, the same look her friends had given her when she told them a couple days ago via FaceTime. Anne knew, in that moment, that she couldn't screw that job interview up. She couldn't let all the people she loved down. Not this time. She was determined in getting it and she wasn't going to fail this time.

That was one thing. Then, there was the moving-in-with-her-boyfriend-of-five-ish-months thing. Had it been someone else, she would've instantly questioned it. «It's too soon», she would've said. Anne still struggled to put a label on her relationship with Gilbert, sometimes. Yes, they had been officially dating for almost six months (that was almost half a year!), but still it felt like they had been together for years. It was weird. Calling him «her boyfriend» felt like an understatement. He was so much more, but the English language didn't have a word for it yet (or at least she wasn't aware of it).

"Think about it as a roommate kind of thing," Gilbert had told her a couple of days after his suggestion of the two of them moving in together. "I hate Philadelphia, I hate Roy, and you don't want to start looking for someone else once Stella moves out"

It's not like she needed him to convince her or anything like that. After all, he was right. Stella was going to move in with Cole once he got out of the hospital and Anne wasn't in the mood for looking for a brand-new roommate who was very likely to get on her nerves. She could do without her very own Roy Gardner, thank you very much. Plus, she knew that she wanted them to move in together more than anything else, but somehow she couldn't help but wonder if it was too soon. Despite the fact that Gilbert and her had been through a lot and they were past that whole fragility that characterized their relationship in the past, Anne was worried that it was too soon for them.

That was over a week ago, anyway. Now she's back in New York; she's made a mess out of her tiny closet and her clothes are all around her room, lying on the floor, hanging from different corners... There's no piece of clothing that she hasn't tried on by now.

"Why don't you try this one?"

Gilbert Blythe hands his girlfriend a plaid grey skirt.

Anne's thankful that he's decided to come and visit. He is staying with her in New York for a couple of days, just to be with her the day of the interview and, hopefully, to help her calm down the possible nerves she might have.

"Too childish," she says as she throws the skirt into a pile of already tried-on clothes. "Ugh!"

But, clearly, Gilbert's attempts to help his girlfriend calm down weren't working.

He takes a second look at the skirt. It's one she used to wear a lot in high school, that's probably why he'd chosen it.

"Of course," Gilbert mumbles, half worried, half amused.

It's not like he didn't take his girlfriend seriously. Trust him, he did. He was his biggest fan in the whole world. It's just that she was quite fun to watch sometimes, especially when she was stressed.

The thing is, Anne's tried several outfits on by now. Blazers, skirts, dresses. But she's not content about any of them. Somehow, she manages to find something to dislike in every single piece of clothing she's tried on.

"I'm still not sure about wearing a skirt or a dress, though," she says, taking a look around. "I don't want them to stare at my legs. Patriarchy sucks"

"I like the second skirt you tried on," Diana says with a monotonous voice. "The navy blue one"

Oh, yes. The whole gang is there as well. Via FaceTime, at least.

Diana and Fred are talking from Josephine Barry's central gardens. It's all covered in snow and it must be freezing, "but those two freaks seem to be enjoying it," Anne thought as soon as they came on FaceTime.

Jerry is at Green Gables — Anne can see part of the kitchen behind him. He's still wearing his pajamas, one that she owns as well since Ruby managed to convince Marilla into buying matching pajamas for her 20-year-old kids.

Ruby Gillis herself, on the other hand, is FaceTiming from her own bedroom. There's a pile of books resting on her desk and dark circles under her eyes, one looks that's new on her. Apparently, she's been studying non-stop to get the best final grades on her last year of college.

"Sis, you're going to look amazing, no matter what you wear," Jerry says as he bites on some snack he's just grabbed from the cupboard. "Just don't freak out"

"Don't freak out?!" she yells without even noticing it — none of her friends or her boyfriend seem to mind it, though. Just usual, regular and typical Anne. "This could be the opportunity of my life! I can't ruin this, Jerry"

Anne walks to her closet again, leaving Gilbert to handle the FaceTime situation. On the screen, he can see Ruby and Jerry doing faces at each other and Diana and Fred staring attentively at him with a sympathetic smile.

"Sorry, guys," Gilbert chuckles, taking a quick look at his overdramatic girlfriend, who's changing onto a different outfit in the other side of the room. "You already know how she works when she's under pressure"

Anne walks back to Gilbert, who's facing her laptop. This time she's wearing a matching grey blazer-and-skirt outfit. Her friends (and brother) watch her, some with interest, some mildly unbothered.

"Okay, what do you think about this one?"

"I gotta be honest here, tiger-Anne, I still can't tell the difference between that thing you're wearing and the rest of outfits you've already tried on"

Anne flips him off. "Suck it, Fred"

"Always the lady," Fred says, flipping her off in return.

"Have you decided on your make up yet?" Ruby asks, her cheek resting on her palm, her eyelids almost dropping.

Anne freezes in the middle of the room.

"Shit. Shit," Anne mutters as she starts pacing around the room. "My make up! How could I forget? Would eyeliner and red lips be too much?"

"Here we go again," Diana says. "Couldn't you keep your mouth shut for once, Ruby?"

"Sorry," Ruby giggles loudly as she shakes her head. "I was just trying to help but apparently my brain's broken"

"See, this is what Taylor Swift's music does to our youth"

"I wonder what Fred Wright's music does to our youth"

"I'm going to hang up now"

Whilst her friends can barely mumble a goodbye (with Fred and Ruby arguing about music), Anne hangs up. She sighs as she sits by an empty spot by the edge of her bed, the one spot that's not covered in clothes.

"If it helps, I think you look very elegant. I mean, you look really hot but also elegant. I like it"

Anne looks at him from where she's sitting. Gilbert's standing in the middle of the room, giving her a friendly, sympathetic look.

His teasing gaze then switches to a more attentive and analytical one, then into a worried look.

"Your legs are shaking"

"Yes, I'm aware. Thank you"

"No, I mean-," he says first, then pauses to think for a couple of seconds. "I'm sorry. I- I didn't know you were that nervous. I mean there's no reason to be scared. You'll do just fine"

Anne doesn't reply. Instead, she tries to fix her skirt and calm her legs, which are shaking nervously.

"Shirley?"

"It's just..." she mumbles as she gestures with her hands in a very exaggerated way. "I just don't think I'm ready for this. At all. I feel like time's gone by really quickly, you know?" she takes a brief pause to look at him. He's nodding attentively, still standing in front of her with that «I'm here for you» kind of look. "It still feels like yesterday that I was starting college... and now I'm suddenly here, about to turn 21 and I love- I love everything that has happened during the past threee years, don't get me wrong, but..."

"But sometimes you wish you could have a pause and rewind button"

Of course. Of course he would understand. Anne can only imagine telling someone else about how scared she was. They would've shaken their heads and said something along the lines of "You're so smart, so intelligent, so well-organized, Anne. There's nothing you can't do".

And then, she would disappoint them.

"Exactly"

"Well, I feel like that sometimes, too, I'm not gonna lie," Gilbert tells her as he starts picking up some of her clothes to tidy up a bit. "But then I think about all the great things the orgastic future holds for me and- and for you, for us... and suddenly I feel better and... enthusiastic"

She tilts her head to look at him. He's simply folding up some of her clothes, taking his time in this task and doing it very carefully.

"Gatsby reference?"

She watches his back as he stores some clothes in her tiny closet.

Then, he turns around, with that special glimmer in his eyes and that lopsided, warm smile that he has somehow managed to differentiate from the rest of smiles and reserved to her and only her.

"Spot on, Shirley"

"Well, not even good old Jay Gatsby can help me right now," she sighs as she drops her whole weight on her bed; the back her head landing on a small mountain of skirts she's tried on.

"What do you mean? Do I have to remind how inspiring the fact that he reached professional success and wealth out of nowhere is?"

She rolls her eyes. At least this Gatsby discussion is keeping her mind away from all the other things she has to worry about.

"He was a bootlegger, Gilbert"

"It was never confirmed"

"He was"

"Well, forget about the bootlegging part," he says. "What I mean is that he knew what he wanted in life and so do you so... go for it. Be a Gatsby."

She props into her elbows to take a better look at him. He's carefully tracing his fingers over the front cover of her, well, their The Great Gatsby first edition that is always resting on her night table whenever she gets to have it with her.

"So you think this job position is my very own Daisy Buchanan?"

"Look, I know I'm not a poetic as you but, hey, it's a good analogy, isn't it?"

"He died by the end, though"

"He was shot," Gilbert says. "No one's gonna shoot you"

"Damn my fate, I guess. Then I think I'm going to faint"

Gilberts chuckles softly as he rolls her eyes at her. His mind goes back to all those times in high school, when they were nothing more than friends. He used to complain about her tendency to eye-roll all the time. Now she has seemed to rub off on him, and the habit has sticked to him like a sticker.

It was a common thing to happen to couples, he guessed. It had happened to their friends. Diana, for instance, had become more dirty-minded and cursed way more than she used to before she met Fred, and Jerry was way more extroverted and had learnt to feel more comfortable in his own skin.

He wonders about all of the classic Anne Shirley-Cuthbert things that she might have rubbed off on him. He read more, that's for sure. He didn't have the time or the energy to read as much as Anne did, but she was constantly challenging him into literary debates that sort of encouraged him to read more.

"You're not going to faint, asshole"

"Yes I am," she protests.

"Well, I'll be here waiting for you to wake up with some gummy bears"

Anne inevitably laughs at the memory he's suddenly brought up. She remembers it quite clearly. They were on their way back home in Ruby's car. He'd hopped out the car at the gas station just to get some gummies for her. It was a nice gesture. She remembers how she'd fallen asleep thinking about it over and over again that night. She was eighteen, then, and Gilbert Blythe was nothing but a friend (a very attractive and annoying one) to her. Now he was her boyfriend and he was right here, standing in front of her and helping her through one of her crises.

"Alright, doctor," she says, although she still sounds pretty unconvinced.

"Just tell me if there's something I can do to help, okay?" he tells her, taking one step closer to her. "As far as I'm concerned, I'm pretty good when it comes to help you relax"

The girl remains silent for about ten seconds. In her mind, she's playing every different scenario that could make something go wrong the following day, at the interview. She couldn't even begin to express how excited she was about this whole possible-job situation and all the consequences and possibilities it could bring, don't get her wrong. Sharing a life with Gilbert. In New York. In her favorite city in the whole world. She was twice as excited as she was about the writing contest -- but right now, she can't help to feel miserable whenever she remembers how the writing contest thing had turned out.

"Just fuck being an adult and fuck my life, like- in general," Anne says, burying her face on her hands. "If I'm this nervous about a stupid job interview, how the hell am I going to react to my first day of work?"

Gilbert kneels before her and quietly draws her hands away from her face, forcing her to look at him as he manages to mumble a quiet "Hey". He squeezes her hand before he starts drawing silent caresses over her knuckles.

"Shirley"

Her eyes meet his.

"You'll do great and they'll love you. Of that, I'm sure. But if, for some unknown reason you don't get this job... there will be plenty of other chances, okay? Don't stress yourself out"

"But-"

"I know. I know you want this really bad," he says, squeezing her hands. "But you haven't even graduated yet. There still are a lot of chances for you out there. Just... please, don't hate yourself if you don't like the outcome of this interview. I'm sure you'll do perfect because I have the pleasure to know you and I know- I know you're argumentative, well-spoken, intelligent and talented, in general. I believe in you and I'll be there to celebrate if you do get this job position, but if something goes wrong, I'll be there too"

Anne smiles. He knows her very well. In fact, he might be the person who knows her the most in the whole world. It was something scary, sometimes, but it also gave her a familiar sense of calm and serenity. She felt safe with she was with Gilbert because she knew that, even though she didn't need anyone else's protection or input, he would be there for her and he would know her in those moments when she didn't even know herself.

"You're right," she says, now giving him a genuine, honest smile. "Sorry"

"What are you sorry for?"

"I don't know," she shrugs. "Being annoying"

"Oh," he pouts, very dramatically. "But you're always annoying"

She rolls her eyes, punching him on the chest. "And you're an ass"

"My ass is-"

"I know. The nicest of all the asses"

"That sounds poetic"

"It's because of the alliteration"

"Rhetoric devices now, Shirley?" Gilbert takes his eyebrows. "You weren't satisfied at all by our Gatsby discussion and now you're introducing new topics. I see, I see."

"Exactly," she says. "So you better keep this intellectual head of mine satisfied of else I'll have to find myself another boyfriend"

"Damn it, I hope you don't leave me for some lame Tom Buchanan"

"Are you calling me a Daisy?"

"That depends. Are we role playing right now?"

She rolls her eyes at him for the fifth day today.

"No"

"Our loss, I guess"

Gilbert beams at her, placing both his hand on her exposed knees and reaching for her cheek, kissing her firm and softly; his lips linger there for a few seconds. He notices how the edges of her lips curve up into a genuine smile.

"Shall we go now, miss?" he says as he stands up, offering her his hand to help her up.

"Yeah, it's getting late," she says, checking the time on her phone once she's on her feet. "Let's clean up this mess"

___

11:02 a.m.

The door with the silver number «304» on it looks quite intimidating. Hospitals were intimidating, in general. Anne wonders how there's so many people whose vocation consists in this. Just sick people and death everywhere, accompanied with some conversation punctuaded by the typing of some computer nearby.

Anne takes a quick look at her boyfriend; he's been looking at her the whole time, as if he was taking care of her just by staring at her. He does that all the time, staring at her.

The redhead takes her puff beanie off and shoves it into her tote bag. She fixes some baby hairs that have fallen out of her fishtail braid and focuses her eyes on the door again, as she tries to get the courage to knock.

"I'm nervous," she says. "I mean, it's just Cole, but I don't know... God, I feel so stupid"

It's the first time she's seeing Cole after what happened. Well, technically, she had visited him a lot over the past couple of months, but he wasn't awake and she guessed that didn't count.  She had just come back to New York two days ago, which had been reserved to resumé preparations and interview rehearsals. She knew, somehow, that she had been avoiding this moment. It's not like she didn't want to see Cole (there was nothing she wanted more), but she was scared of what she might see. After having seen him at his worst, face covered in bruises, she'd thought she'd be prepared for anything, but being the overthinker she is, Anne Shirley-Cuthbert couldn't help but feel nervous and worried.

But at least she's not alone. She looks back at him, expecting an answer that might smooth her over.

"You're not stupid," he says. "It's pretty normal to feel like that, but remember you've FaceTimed him a couple of times. It'll be okay"

Gilbert tries to remember an extra seminar he took when he was in London. It was about how do deal with the patient's family and friends after a shocking and traumatizing event. It could apply to what happened to Cole; it could apply to Anne.

"What the fuck is wrong with me today?" Anne sighs.

"You're just stressed. Very stressed"

"Yeah," she says. "You're right, I'm probably making a big deal out of it"

"You're not making a big deal. We'll see Cole, chat a little, enjoy his company and then we'll go back to your dorm and watch some movie, alright? It'll keep your mind off things"

He fixes the solapes of her coat, almost in a mother-like way that makes her let out a faint chuckle.

"I'll be right behind you", he says.

Anne knocks on the door, timidly. Gilbert follows behind.

"Hello?"

There's so much light coming through the window. It makes everything look brighter, along with the white walls, furniture and medical supplies. There's a single bed by the window. There's a boy sitting on the hospital bed, his legs stretched out in front of him and a blanket covering them. His eyes are fixed on the door, eagerly awaiting for someone to come in.

"Hey," he greets both of them. "Long time no see"

"Long time no see?!" she snickers; her body suddenly relaxes and her face immediately lights up as she takes a couple of hurried steps until she gets to his bed. Gilbert stays close to the door, watching them. "Seriously?"

She shoves her bag in front of the bed and sits by Cole. He smiles at her as if he'd seen her only yesterday.

"Sorry, good afternoon?"

"It's..." Anne furrows her eyebrows, concern all over her face, "11 in the morning, Cole"

"Right, sorry," Cole says. "I kinda lose track of time while I'm here"

"I'm sorry"

"Oh, no, no- it's fine! It's just that I've binge-watched half of Netflix's catalogue by now," he says, giving them the brightest of smiles. "I'm one romcom away from losing my mind"

Anne smiles fondly. Gilbert was right; there was no reason at all to feel nervous at all. It was the same Cole she'd talked to everyday just months ago. As for Gilbert, he stays right where he is, hands shoved into his pockets and a smile playing on his lips as he watches the so long-awaited reunion. He was kind of friends with Cole, but he didn't want to interrupt them.

"I've missed you"

"I've missed you too"

"Can I hold your hand?"

"Sure"

Taking his hand in hers, she realizes how it shakes a bit. It's almost unnoticeable unless you touch it or hold it in yours. It makes her cry. Anne was never a big fan of human contact. To be precise, the only human being that made her long for human contact was her boyfriend. She didn't really care very much for the rest of the world. She remember how in highschool, she used to make fun of Ruby for always being so much of a hugger. But not being able to talk to Cole for months and simply feel the touch of his hand had been a torture. Over these past few months, Anne realized that Cole Mckenzie was what one would call a kindred spirit, and the fear of losing him reminded her of her parents and Matthew, and Gilbert's parents as well. The thought of not being able to touch someone you love anymore haunted her and made her realize how appreciative she had to be to everyone around her. When she got Stella's call on Christmas she really thought they'd lost him forever. She really thought that she would never be able to feel his hand again.

"No crying, please"

"Ugh, sorry," she says, wiping a single tear away. She hates crying in public. "It's just a bit overwhelming. It's just a bad day, just ignore me"

"I will", Cole says, turning his face towards the figure leaning against the door. "Hi, Gilbert"

"Hey, dude," he says, waving a hand at him. "How are you feeling?"

"Still a bit dizzy sometimes and... weird," he says very casually, as if he was simply talking about the weather. "But I'm good. The doctors say I'll be okay with the appropriate treatment after I'm allowed to leave the hospital"

"What kind of treatment? When will you be able to leave?"

Cole already has his mouth open to give Anne an answer, but shuts it immediately after he notices a knock on the door.

"Come in!"

A nurse does come in. He's a young man, must be around 23 or 24 years old. He's well-built, dark haired and relatively tanned.

His eyes light up the moment he lays them on Cole.

"Good morning, Cole! How are you feeling today?"

"Morning, Jake," Cole smiles. "I'm good, how was your morning shift?"

Gilbert realizes how the nurse, this Jake person, hasn't even looked at him or Anne. As he unconsciously raises a curious eyebrow, he lays his eyes on his girlfriend.

From the hospital bed, Anne gives him a knowing look that is silently telling him that they need to talk about this Jake person as soon as they leave the hospital. They have always done that, especially since they officially started dating. It was an entire conversation without a word spoken. Just the tilt of Anne's head and the raise of Gilbert's eyebrows was enough.

"Oh, it was good, a bit hectic but it's all good now since I'm visiting my favorite patient," Jake says, fixing Cole's sheets around him. "Your doctor allowed me to bring you some snacks, by the way"

"Thanks!" Cole blushes as he watches his nurse leave some chocolate bars on his bedside table and fixes the sheets around him. "Well, um- these are my friends, Anne and Gilbert"

"Oh, so you're the infamous Anne Shirley, the writer" he says.

"I... guess you could say that," she nods as she stands up. "I'm a work in progress"

"I'd shake your hand but I'm not allowed to take my gloves off"

Jake flashes her an instant, toothy grin. He seems like the kind of guy that one simply likes. It reminds her of Gilbert, Ruby and those other people in her life that are just likeable by nature.

"And you're the boyfriend, the doctor"

"Almost doctor, excellent boyfriend. Pleasure to meet you," Gilbert says politely, smiling back.

"A doctor! That's great news. You should be getting familiarized with this environment. Like what you see?"

Gilbert takes a look around. He thinks of everything he's seen. The hectic rush, the come and go. Saving lives, like they saved Cole's. Yes, he could get used to this.

"I think I do," he says. "Yeah, I really do"

"It's a really satisfying job; purely vocational, though"

"Yeah, I totally agree. I mean, I was kind of interested in research as well but this..."

"This is different, right?" Jake says. "It's a brand new different world. Nothing that you've learnt in med school has prepared you for this," Jake says enthusiastically. Gilbert can tell he feels pure passion about his job. "But hey, Gilbert, if you ever need someone to answer any questions you might have, feel free to email me or call me. We have an excellent internship program. Cole can give you my number"

Anne can't repress the smile that creeps up her face when she finds out that Cole has Jake's number. Suddenly, all her worries fade away. She knew that Stella visited him regularly and kept him company, but it was good to know that there was someone around that was quite close to him.

"It makes me so happy to know that Cole has good a good friend around here," Anne tells Jake. "Thank you for everything, Jake"

"What are friends for? Besides, Cole makes this feel less like a job"

"Um, Jake, could you explain to my friends what you told me a couple of days ago?"

"Of course," he clears his throat after that. "He presents damage in the frontal lobe of his brain. It doesn't seem to be healing well enough," he explains, suddenly switching from a more jovial, friendly tone to a more serious and proffesional one. He doesn't oversimplify what he says, and it's refreshing, for a doctor or a nurse. "It's an essential part of the brain since it's related to language and-"

"He seems to me talking well enough for me," Anne interrupts. "S-sorry, you're the nurse, you do the talking"

Gilbert chuckles, placing his hands on her shoulders and silently telling her to relax. With the swift motion of his knuckles, he discretely massages her shoulder blades over the fabric of her sweater.

"As I was saying, it also has to do with motor skill and coordinated movement. He is able to perfectly walk and talk, as you can tell for yourselves, which is fascinating, if you ask me but, his hands... they'll need more time to heal and function properly again"

"B-but he's an artist. His hands are... you know, he needs them!"

"It's fine, Anne. It'll be fine. They just shake and tremble a bit. It'll be fine"

"I really hope so," she says.

"He will," Jake says. "This case of tremor is way more serious when it comes to other type of patients"

"Frontotemporal disorder patients, right?"

Gilbert hates to interrumpt, but the words come out of his lips without even noticing it, which is quite unusual in him. The thing is that he's felt nothing but static since Jake started talking about Cole's case. He liked this. He really did. He had never considered neurology as an option, but-

"Exactly," Jake says, a proud smile playing on his lips. "Thankfully, that's not Cole's case. He'll just need loads of exercise and thankfully, the hospital offers a number of different resources, not only when it comes to physical exercise but also mental health support activies," he explains. "To process everything he's been through. Recovery after a coma can be a long process"

"I'll get better soon," Cole says. "I promise"

"You better do, because we brought board games"

After that, Jake leaves the room and leaves alone. They spend almost two hours playing some board games. Anne beats the two of them at Scrabble but Gilbert manages to win at Stratego. During these hours, Cole tells them all about the different treatments he's received. He tells them how he's been seeing a speech therapist, called Maria, who's helped him into talking more clearly after having had a tube in his throat for such a long time. Anne nods, showing him support. Gilbert nods as well as he listens to all his stories, fascinated, and asks questions every once in a while.

"Well, we should get going," Anne says after their second round at Stratego. Gilbert gets their coats ready.

"This early?"

"Yeah, I..." she looks at Gilbert, then at Cole again. "Okay, I have a job interview tomorrow"

"What?!"

Gilbert watches them from under the door frame. He smiles. Anne really needed this, just a talk with her friend, whom she missed so dearly.

He can't help but think that the pieces are finally falling into place. Anne and him were finally together, Anne had a job interview and Cole had finally woken up. Everything was building up for an moment that was the closest to perfection.

"Yeah. Remember the article I wrote about what happened to you?"

"Of course"

"And do you remember that mysterious woman who visited you and talked to you?"

"Yeah, her card must be around here somewhere"

"Turns out she was from a local newspaper. They read my article and... they loved it," Anne realizeds the weight of her words as she speaks then — sometimes she finds it hard to believe that this is really happening to her. "They want me to be a part of their team, or so she said"

"To quote from perfect memory, and I'm sorry for interrupting," Gilbert says, smirk on his face and hands shoved in his pockets. "They fell in love with the way she writes"

Cole's eyes turn from Gilbert to Anne. An incredulous smile curves up his lips.

"Wait, are you serious?!"

"Well, I don't want to brag..." Anne says, shrieking with excitement. "But yes, that was exactly what they said!"

Gilbert looks down, clearly amused and somewhat flushed by seeing his girlfriend that happy all out of the sudden. It's not like she was unhappy before – he knew she was happy with him, but both the Cole thing and the despair of not knowing what do to after college got her so worried for months. She deserved this. She deserved to be all happy, bubbly and just vivacious about everything that surrounded her.

"That's... that's great news. I told you once you were going to do big things, and I was right" Cole says. "I'm proud of you"

"You're proud of me?" Anne smiles. "No, Cole. I'm the one who's proud," she says. "Of you. I'm so proud of you"

"I didn't do anything to make anyone proud"

"You are just you every day, and that is more than enough. You inspire me so much, you have no idea how"

"Thank you. Thank you for everything, Anne"

Anne hugs him thightly.

"Will you call me right after the interview?"

"Sure," she says. "Then maybe you could tell be all about Jake"

"What? What about Jake?"

"You know what I mean, Cole," is the last thing she tells him before walking to the door. Her words are followed by the wink of an eye (spending too much time with her boyfriend was causing this kind of behavior on her) and the quiet slam of the door.

Gilbert and her start walking down the hallway, making their way out of the hospital.

"So, how are you feeling?"

"You know what? I'm really good," she says, and she means it. "It's still shocking to see him like that, but at least he's here with us, he seems to be recovering and... he seems to have really interesting company, don't you think?"

"Hm?"

"Please, tell me you saw it too!"

"Shirley, I don't know if you remember but, as you once said, I'm an irremediable flirt... and I recognize other flirts when I see them"

They keep talking and joking around about Cole and his "interesting company". Soon they're outside the hospital. The New York cold air hits them right on their faces.

"So, you're okay?"

"I am"

"That's what I wanted to hear," he beams as he wraps an arm round her waist, pulling her closer. "Brunch? My treat"

"Hey, you're the one who's visiting! I should be the one paying"

"Nah, I'm paying today. It'll be your lucky charm for tomorrow. Besides, you'll get the chance to pay for everything once you're a rich and successful journalist and I'm just your trophy husband"

Tomorrow. Tomorrow! Just thinking about the interview makes her wanna scream, in both a good and a bad way. There's still so much stuff she has to do, and she has less than twenty-four hours.

"Shut up!"

He pulls her closer, planting a kiss on her cheek, then on her lips. "I'm so proud of you, you know?"

"I've been told that a lot lately," she says. "Not sure if I should believe it"

"Well, you better do. I've been proud of you since the day I met you"

"I've been proud of you since the day I met you, too"

Anne guessed this must be what love was like. Not the kind of dramatic, intense, over-emotional love you see in movies, but this, this feeling of being constantly in awe of each other. Must be the perks of being in love with your best friend and the person who knows you the most in the whole world, she guesses. It has to be this.

"Stop thinking so much," he says after noticing she's been quiet for a while. "That head of yours can catch a break"

__

3:13 p.m.

It's past 3 p.m. and Anne's head has finally caught a break.

She fell asleep on top of her bed. As far as she was concerned, Gilbert had fallen asleep too, with is arms wrapped around her and his chin gently nuzzled against the back of her neck. Gilbert had insisted on how much she could use a nap, and turns out he was right.

She opens her eyes as she notices how someone taps- or rather shakes her shoulder softly. Then, she notices how there's a soft blanket covering her body that wasn't there before.

She also notices the abscence of her boyfriend in bed with her.

"Shirley"

She doesn't actually reply. She just makes a groggy sound, a mix of a yawn and a groan, and pulls the blanket over her face, almost covering her eyes.

"Anne"

At the sound of her actual name, she opens one eye just to instantly shut it again. "Fuck off, Gilbert Blythe". Gilbert's kneeling beside her bed, looking at her. Had it been a different occasion, he would've told her to fuck off as well, or joked about her waking-up mood. Instead, he shakes her arm again.

"Unless anyone's died, it can wait"

"Mary just broke waters"

Anne opens her eyes now, popping her head out of the blanket. Wide-eyed and tearing the blanket again from her body, she sits in bed, looking for her pants.

"W-what? But it was still a couple of weeks until she-"

"Well, guess the baby has decided to join us a bit sooner"

"But, how many weeks-" Anne repeats, trying to process everything as she counts with her fingers. She's still half asleep. "I-"

"Anne!"

Anne shakes her head as she puts on her yoga pants. "Yes, sorry. I'm listening"

"What do I do?"

"You have to go!" she exclaims, way more awake and conscious of the situation now. She gets up from her bed, standing in front of him now. "You definitely have to go!"

"But what about the interview?"

"Fuck my interview! This is more important!"

Gilbert's nods. He's not quite convinced about leaving Anne alone (especially when she's switching between moods), but he really wants to go. After all, since his father wasn't around, he was Bash's best friend. Actually, Bash was now like a second father to him. He had to be there for him. He knew Bash wanted him there.

"Gilbert, it's fine," she tells him as she places her hands on his shoulders, drawing him close.

"Shit, Bash must be freaking out"

Anne tries to imagine Bash, rushing to the car to drive Mary to the hospital, and an inevitable snicker escapes from her throat. "Yeah, I bet"

"Right, so..." Gilbert runs a hand throw his hair, the other one holding Anne's hand. "I'll call the airline to see what can they can do"

Now he's the one who's stressed. Anne can't blame him, had this happened to her, she would be twice as stressed. She can only imagine how expensive his flight tickets are going to be.

"Okay. I'll pack your things"

"Thank you," he says, pulling her in for a kiss on her forehead, then going for her lips. "I love you"

A short exchange of kisses and I-love-you', five hours and over two hundred bucks later (thank you, Sebastian Lacroix), Gilbert's managed to get a seat in the next flight to Charlottetown.

"You need to go," Anne tells him over all the bustling noise of the come and go at the airport's lounge. "They've already called your flight's passengers"

"I'm so sorry I can't stay for your interview," he says, one of his hands pressed against her cheek, the other hand fumbling with the handle of his suitcase. "I know it's important for you"

"What are you talking about? Bash's having a baby! Who cares about my interview?"

"I do"

She smiles as she leans on his palm. "I'll be okay, I promise"

"I'm still sorry"

"Look, I'll call you as soon as I'm done, okay?"

"Okay," he says. "I'll keep you updated as well"

"Good"

"Are you nervous?" he asks.

"You know what?" she says. "You might not believe me but I'm surprisingly calm"

Key word: Surprisingly.

"That's a good sign"

"Yeah"

"We'll celebrate soon, you'll see"

Anne smiles. "I love you"

They call for his flight again, and then he leans in for a gentle kiss, which Anne deepens by placing her hand on the back of his neck. She smiles when she realizes that she has gotten used to (not in the bad, boring way) to the way his lips move whenever they kiss.

"I hate this," he suddenly mumbles, between kisses.

She pulls away. "Excuse me?"

"No, not kissing you, you idiot. Fuck, you know I much I love that. I'd kiss you for hours," he says, making her blush. "I mean hate this," he gestures. "This airport thing, this... distance thing"

"We live three hours away from each other"

"I know, I know I sound like a freaky, obsessive boyfriend, but I just really wanna be with you all the time"

She looks down at her feet. "I really wanna be with you all the time, too," she admits, looking up again. "I'm so obsessed with you, you know?"

"Yeah?" he says, leaning in for another kiss.

"Yeah," she says, pushing him back after his lips touch hers, her hands resting on his chest, grazing at the fabric of his wool sweater. "But you really have to go, or you'll miss your flight"

He nods. She's right. He grabs his suitcase and starts walking away.

She smiles as he watches him leave. Then, he turns around to scream something at the top of his lungs. Oh, she's so gonna kill him the next time she seems him.

"I love you so much, Shirley! So much!"

___

January 12th

"You have an impressive resumé for a 20 year-old young woman"

"Oh, yes," Anne says, with a voice that doesn't sound like her. "I joined every extra-curricular activity in high school"

"Of course," the other woman quietly says.

"In college too," she says. "A-as you can see in my resumé, I was the leader of the creative writing team"

"You know what? You might not believe me but I'm surprisingly calm"

You dirty, dirty liar, Anne Shirley-Cuthbert, she mentally tells herself. Yes, yes. She only said that so that Gilbert wouldn't worry. Oh, Gilbert. How she wishes he was here, easing the tension from her shoulders, like he always does.

But Gilbert's not here, and Anne has mentally face-palmed herself about twenty times during the course of the interview. And she's only been here for fifteen minutes.

As she tries not to nervously shake her legs from under the desk, she can't help but think that she's potentially embarrassing herself.

This is not gonna end well.

Every ounce of confidence she had has faded away by now. It feels as if this whole interview thing was just the outcome of a joke (a very bad and twisted one, by the way). The older woman from across the table, called Alana, from Human Resources, seems to have noticed. It's not like you need to be a genius to notice, Anne thinks.

"This is your first job interview, isn't it, Miss Shirley?

Anne clears her throat. "Yes, it is"

"How about we discuss things more personally. Can I call you Anne?"

"Yes, of course," Anne suddenly relaxes. Or at least, she tries to. "That would be perfect"

"I assume you like reading"

"I do! My mother used to say I was born with a pocket version of some fairy tales collection"

The woman smiles. "I see"

"And what has literature taught you? How do you think your love for literature intersects with this job?"

"Well, first of all I think being an avid reader has improved my vocabulary so much," she says. "I also think being a reder unconsciously turned me into a writer. I remember when I was six... I was reading some children's book whose title I can't recall now. But I do remember how annoying the main character was to me so... I did a rewriting and turned it into a story that I would like more"

Alana from Human Resources nods attentively. The smile on her face seems genuine, or so Anne thinks. They casually talk for about an hour, and Anne doesn't even notice how time passes by. Soon, the interview's over and she's out of the building.

She looks up to analyse the building again. She reads the letters «D.G.B.» (as in The Daily Globe Bulletin) written in the front. It's not that big or impressive. Anyone can tell that it's a small newspaper.

Anne lets her big coat hug her. It was a present from Marilla and it kind of feels as if she was hugging her right now. It felt nice. She thinks about home and how much she misses everybody.

Then, she checks her phone. Last thing she knew about Gilbert and the Lacroix-Hanford baby situation was that they were at the hospital. They were all there, in fact. Gilbert, Fred, Ruby, Diana and Jerry, the five of them sitting and pacing around the waiting room.

Gilburrito 💙

fingers crossed for the interview! you can do this. i love you x

She smiles at the first text she reads. She can easily image him, getting some coffee from the hospital's cafeteria, the one that's in the second floor, texting her in the middle of the chaos.

Gilburrito 💙

the baby is HERE!!! aahhhhh

everything's fine

call me as soon as you read this

i love youuuuuu

After texting both Cole and Marilla, she calls Gilbert as she makes her way to the closest subway station.

He picks up instantly.

"Shirley?"

"I want to know everything!"

"It's a girl"

So Bash was right! Anne remembers how much he had insisted on the fact that it was a girl. And he was right. She hasn't seen a pic of the little one yet, but she can perfectly imagine Bash and Mary's perfect mix.

She makes a noise, a mixture of an «Oh!» and «Awww!».

"Wanna know the full name?"

"Of course"

"It's Delly," Gilbert says. She fan feel him smile from the other side of the line. "Short for Delphine Johanna Lacroix-Hanford"

Johanna. Johanna because of John Blythe, she guesses.

"It's a lovely name"

Then Gilbert proceeds to tell her all about Delly's birth (or at least all he knows about it, which is not much) and how ecstatic both Bash and Mary are. Apparently, they have to stay the night (so they can do the appropriate tests on little Delly) but they'll be back home tomorrow.

"How'd the interview go?"

"It was okay, I guess. They said the classic «We'll contact you», so... I'll just wait"

"I'm sure they loved you"

"Who knows," she shrugs as she walks down the subway station. "That doesn't matter now. What are your plans for the rest of the day?"

"Well, Diana, Jerry and Rubs wanna get some food later, so... I guess that's it"

"You're all together at home," she says. "I'm so jealous"

"I wish you were here, Shirley," he whispers, probably because Fred's right beside him and he's ready to mock him. "We all do"

"Me too"

"Hey, is it alright if I visit Marilla tomorrow?" he asks.

"Sure! She'd love that"

Anne looks down at her feet. Shit. She wishes it was her visiting Marilla. Don't get her wrong, she loves how close Gilbert and Marilla are. They get along pretty well, and Marilla wasn't a big fan of people (but again, Gilbert Blythe has that effect on people - not a single soul on Earth would dislike him). It's just that she wishes she could spend the day back home, with her friends, and not here in New York where everything was so hectic and rushed.

"Wait, what's that noise I hear?"

"That noise? Well that's just Fred freaking out about baby stuff. I think he offered to hold little Delly in his arms whilst Bash's in the toilet, but by the sound of it I think he's failing miserably"

Anne can hear Diana lecturing Fred about how to properly hold a baby, followed by Ruby's bubbling laughter from the other side of the line. Jerry, she imagines, must be in the corner of the room, just awkwardly standing and taking some pictures and videos.

"I don't get how Bash and Mary would let the Fred Wright anywhere around their newborn"

"You know what, Shirley? Me neither"

They both starting laughing really, really loud. Some people in the platform stare at Anne with a puzzled expression. «Fuck off», she wants to tell them.

"I miss you already, you know?"

"I miss you too. It's just five months until we can finally live together in a tiny, overpriced apartament"

"Just five months," Anne repeats.

"Yeah, um- Shirley, I think I'm going to hang up now-"

"Fred?"

"Yeah"

And then, her trains comes.

___

January 13th

6:23 p.m.

It's just the following day when Gilbert, Diana, Ruby, Jerry and Fred come back from a quick trip to the grocery store, just to buy some diapers and baby food what the new parents might need. Bash and Mary had arrived from the hospital just a couple of hours ago.

"Why the fuck are diapers so expensive?" is the first thing Fred as he walks into the house, as he checks the receipt. "Shit, babies are expensive"

"Language, Fred! There's a baby in the room now," Diana scolds him, carrying two bags of diapers.

"I think Ruby will be more than alright with my language"

"Shut up, Fred!" his friends say in unison. It's become quite the habit.

Bash is in the living room, cooing little Delly with a grin that he hasn't been able to wipe off his face.

"Hey! Where's Mary?" Gilbert asks him.

"She's taking a bath," Bash says without tearing his eyes from his daughter. "Been there for an hour or so"

"She deserves it!" Ruby says. "She must be exhausted"

"Yes," Bash says with a toothy grin. "Well, kids, would you like to stay for dinner? Mary said she would enjoy some company after she's had her rest"

"Actually, Bash, we were thinking that maybe we could prepare dinner for you?" Diana suggests. "You two must be exhausted"

"It's not necessary, really... although I wouldn't complain"

"We want to help," Jerry says. "It's really no problem"

"I'll join you guys in a minute," Gilbert tells his friends as they walk into the kitchen. "So..." he sighs. If he's tired, he can only imagine how Bash, and especially Mary, must be feeling. "I guess babies can be a trial of fire"

"She's falling asleep now," he says. "Look at her"

"She's so... tiny," Gilbert says as he admires the baby with curiosity. It's funny, he thinks. He knows all about babies, medically-wise, yet he finds them utterly extraordinary. How could this little thing be inside Mary just yesterday? He caresses little Delly's cheek with one of his fingers. She seems to smile as she drifts to sleep.

"Well, you were just as tiny, maybe even more so"

Gilbert must have heard the story of his birth a thousand times. He still liked to hear it, even though his birth marked the death of his mother.

Sebastian Lacroix met Evelyn Blythe (neé Evelyn Holland) on his first day in med school. After a week, they'd become best friends. Then Bash introduced her to John, who was his roommate during their years in the University of Maine. They fell in love almost instantly, or so his father used to say. However, they always included Bash (and every single one of his temporary girlfriends) in their plans. And that was pretty much it. Suddenly, his parents and Bash became like the three musketeers at college, always together.

His father used to say that Bash was there. "He was always there for me, son". Gilbert can almost hear the sound of his father's voice telling him the same stories all over again during movie nights. But he was right. Bash was always there and was the one to stick together with John when Evelyn died. He was both the rational and the emotional support.

"So... Bash, I actually wanted to ask for advice," Gilbert says as he takes a seast right beside Bash.

"You asking for advice is something that I will never get used to"

Had this happened a year ago, Gilbert would've shot him a death glare. This time, however, he just smiles, giving him a toothy grin, one that not very people get to see. "Yeah, well, you better get used to it"

"Well, what is it?"

"Um... how did you know you wanted to move in with Mary?"

"Uh... well, we had been dating for two years or so? We wanted to spend more time together so I guess it felt natural," he says. "Why are you asking me this, Blythe?"

Gilbert doesn't feel like beating around the bush. "I asked Anne if she wanted us to move in together"

"Oh, and what did she say?"

"She liked the idea," Gilbert smiles, as if he was remembering the look on her face when he'd asked her.

"That's great!" Bash says enthusiastically. "Then why do you need my advice for?"

"Don't you think we might be rushing things?"

"Blythe," Bash seem to consider his answer for a couple of seconds. "You do love Anne, right?"

"Yeah, of course," Gilbert says, almost automatically. "So much"

"And you're sure she loves you too"

"I am," the boy nods, and somehow it makes his heart warm just to say that, just to let someone know that he is sure of what she feels for him. "I know she loves me"

"Then I don't see a problem"

"Thanks, Bash," Gilbert says. "I mean, I was sure about us moving in together but... I kind of needed adult validation. It probably sounds stupid"

It didn't sound stupid after all. Bash instantly understood what he meant. After all, Gilbert's just a twenty year-old boy. And he needed his dad, or at least some kind of father-figure. Bash guessed he was his father figure now.

"You're an adult now, though"

"Eh, I'm a young adult. The only old man in this room is you!"

"True," Bash bites back a laugh, scratching his beard and looking down at his daughter. "So, where's it gonna be? I'm assuming Charlottetown, once you two are done with college?"

"Uh... no? That's kind of the other thing I wanted to tell you about"

"What is it?"

Then Gilbert tells him all about New York, Anne, Anne's interview and the possibility of them crafting a future together in the city she loved the most. Even if she didn't get that job, that was the plan.

"You do know New York is not the most affordable place to live in, right?"

"Yeah, I'm aware," Gilbert says. "But I'll get a job and I also have my parents' inheritance money, so..."

"No"

"But-"

"You won't touch your parents' money," Bash says, and he sounds way too serious about it. "Mary and I will cover the expenses"

"What?" Gilbert says. "No, that makes no sense. No, no. I won't let you do it"

"Blythe," Bash says. "I'm serious. I promised your father I would take good care of you and that's exactly what I'm going to do"

"But I can't ask you to pay for that. It's too much"

"We literally live in your house. You offered your house to Mary, little Delly and I," Bash says, rocking her daughter in his arms. "I think the least we can do in return is help you out with the New York thing"

"But I-"

"You have to focus on your studies," Bash says. "It's okay if you still want to get a part-time job or something like that but Mary and I will help you. End of the story"

"I think I heard my name?"

Suddenly Mary walks in. She's standing under the door frame, the one that seprates the hall from the living room. Her hair is wrapped in a towel.

"Mary! Come sit down, baby. Gilbert has great news"

___

Anne smiles at the sight of her two best friends at the other side of the screen.

Apparently, they've all had dinner at the Blythe-Lacroix-Hanford residence. The gang insisited in preparing some nice meal for Mary, and even though Fred and Ruby managed to burn half of it, everything had turned out almost perfectly.

"Anne!" Ruby says. "How was the interview?"

"I don't know," she admits. "It's not like I've had many job interviews to tell. I guess time will tell"

"I'm sure they loved you," Diana says.

Everyone has said that. «I'm sure they'll love you», «I'm sure they loved you». She's kind of getting tired of it.

"Enough talking about me!" Anne laughs. "How's little Delphine?"

"Delly?! She's adorable," Ruby says. "She's literally the cutest baby I've ever seen"

"And Mary's super cool, by the way," Diana says. "She eventually came to the kitchen to at least, direct our cooking"

"Yeah, oh, and both Fred and Gilbert are in love with the little one"

"Yeah, so I've heard. Can't wait to meet her"

"When are you coming back?"

"Easter, I guess"

"That's three months from now!" Ruby pouts.

"I know," Anne says. And she can't help but feel sad. She's gonna miss this if she does get the job. She's gonna mis this so much. She's gonna miss Avonlea, Marilla, her friends... her family. "Guess you guys have three months to organize a welcome party for me, right?"

"Of course," Diana says. "Only if Ruby agrees to help and socialize a bit. She's been locked in her room for weeks"

"That's not true! I socialize a lot"

"Leaving the house once a week to get your nails done is not socializing, Rubs"

Anne laughs. "What the hell are you up to?"

"That I'd like to know"

"I'm just revising for finals and writing a bunch of essays, that's all," the blonde says. "By the way, I could really use some of your proofreading"

"Sure," Anne says. It's not like she has extra time to do anything but she'll always have time for Ruby. "Email them to me whenever you want"

"You're a lifesaver"

"How about you, Di?"

"Well, Fred's busy with the album and he won't let me help or listen to anything, Ruby's revising all day, Jerry's working most of the time, you're not here and neither is Gilbert so... I'm just chilling and giving some piano lessons. One can't live at the expense of her rich aunt forever"

"I would!" Ruby says, making her best friends laugh. "And what are you doing for your birthday, Anne? It's less than two months away"

Shit, her birthday. She had almost forgotten about it. She was about to turn 21.

"I'll visit Gilbert in Philadelphia, I guess. He's been insisting in me visiting for a while. Then, exams, exams, more exams, essays and... graduation"

___

March 7th

11:23 a.m.

Anne's never been to Philadelphia. Life was hectic at the moment, there were too many essay due dates and too many exams to prepare and but she couldn't just deny Gilbert's proposal of her visiting him for a change.

She'd celebrated her birthday with Cole and Stella. Apparently, they'd prepared a surprise for her, at the hospital. It was just the three of them, talking and taking care of Cole, when Jake burst through the door with a big cake that read «Happy 21st birthday, Anne». Then, when she got home from the hospital, Herbert, from the dorms' reception, told her she'd gotten a parcel. Turns out Gilbert was unable to wait two days to give her her presents, and he'd decided to send a package: Tame Impala's new album, an embroidered totebag and a bunch of second-hand books followed by a very cheesy handwritten note.

That was two days ago, anyway. Now she was on the train that takes her from New York to Philadelphia, and she is 21. 21! She still has not gotten used to it. What an age. She feels older than ever.

Talking about age and getting old, there's a married couple on the train. They must be around 70. She's reading some book with her tiny glasses and he's trying to figure out some crossword puzzle. Anne furrows her eyes, trying to read the novel the lady's reading instead of focusing in her own iPad and her homework.

"It's The Sun Also Rises"

Anne's suddenly startled by the lady's voice. "Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to stare"

"It's no problem. Have you read it?"

"Yes, of course! I love Hemingway," she says. "I'm a huge fan of Modernist literature; Fitzgrald is my absolute favorite"

Anne then procedes to show them her old copy of The Great Gatsby, the one that she has been re-reading and is taking to Philadelphia so that Gilbert can have it with him for a while.

"Well, who doesn't love Modernism?"

The old man places a hand on top of his wife. She looks at him in the eye and Anne realizes they look at each other as if they'd just started dating, when in reality they must've probably been together for decades.

"It's an undeniable miracle to find someone who matches your taste in books, isn't it?" Anne says.

"Oh, yes," the lady says. "We met at some library in 1966"

"Turns out that we both wanted the same copy of The Sun Also Rises," the man says, smiling fondly and reminiscing the memory. "We spent thirty five minutes arguing about who should be the one taking the book home"

"And who did?" Anne asks, completely enraptured with their story.

"Oh, Francis ended up asking me out on a date to discuss the plot," she says, rolling her eyes. "Two years after that day, we were engaged"

Anne tries not to squeal. It was so romantical. Romantical, easy and straight to the point. It seemed like the kind of story that Ruby would've loved to hear. Anne herself wasn't the romantic kind per se, but this story made her smile like a fifteen year-old.

"Best decision I ever made"

"It sounds like a beautiful love story," Anne says. "Straight out of a novel"

"Let me guess," the man says. He scratched his short, white beard in a way that reminds her of Matthew. "By that book on your hands and how stuffed with books your travel bag looks... you, young girl, study English literature at Upenn"

"I do study English literature!" she says as she puts her book back in her bag. "In NYU, though. I'm visiting my boyfriend in Philadelphia. He's in Medical School"

After that, the couple, Zelda and Francis, continue to ask her questions about Gilbert and her studies. They also talk and exchange opinions about books, and Anne learns that the old couple live in the West Village, which is one of the most expensive districts in New York. They seem very sophisticated, the kind of couple that would discuss literature reviews over some wine and cheese table. Although Anne hated talking to strangers, it makes the trip more bearable.

"Do your happen to be familiarized with the NYLAC, Anne?"

"The New York Literary Arts Circle?" Anne's eyes widen. "Yes, I actually submitted one of my stories for one of their creative writing contests two years ago"

"You don't say!" she says. "We were part of the Judge Board for that one"

"Oh," Anne says, suddenly a bit embarrassed. "Talk about coincidences"

"What was it called again, dear?"

"The Eyes. It was called The Eyes"

"Oh yes, I remember we voted for that one, didn't we, love?"

"That's true! I remember the symbolism. Very Gatsby-like. It suits you, young lady"

"Yeah, maybe it wasn't very original," Anne says, quickly focusing her eyes on the window to her left.

"Originality doesn't mean that much nowadays," the woman says, and Anne doesn't know why, but she believes her. "Words matter so much, and true talent is found in telling simple, yet true and passionate stories with simple words"

"Y-you think I'm talented?"

"You don't need my validation, or anyone else's, but yes, I do. We do. It's such a shame your story didn't make it to the final list. It had potential"

"Thank you"

"Tell you what, Anne," Francis says. "Here's our card. Send us an email and we'll make sure to contact you if there's more chances of a writing contest"

[PLAY THE SONG NOW!]

And with that, the rest of the train journey goes on. They keep chatting every now and then, yet Anne can't keep her mind away from the fact that she has just made contacts. Contacts. Contacts from the NYLAC.

Soon she's hopped out of the train, carrying her travel bag over her shoulder. It's her first time in Philadelphia's 30th Station. A smile creeps ups her face that Gilbert must be around here, somewhere, looking for her.

Down, down in my bones

As if he'd just read her mind, she gets a text from him.

Gilburrito 💙

i'm here!

AnnE

i'm here too

and i have a surprise for you!!!!

Gilburrito 💙

oh god

what is it

you know i don't really like surprises

what is it

shirley

what is it

AnnE

shut up and look up

'Cause you talk to me
and it comes off the wall

That's when he spots her walking up to him.

There she is.

She's walking to him without a care in the world, with her bag over her shoulder and one of her spring dresses (even though it's still kind of cold). She's wearing a long, green trench coat over her dress that he doesn't recognize, so he guesses it must be a recent purchase. However, her signal combat boots don't seem to leave her.

There's something different, though, and it's the fact that she's cut her hair. It reaches right to her shoulders. She must have cut half of it, since it used to fall down her back, almost to her waist. She's curled it into some kind of soft waves, and it looks fantastic on her.

Cause it's you
It's always you
I always knew
It's you

His jaw almost drops to the floor when she's standing right in front of him.

"Stop drooling, Gilbert," she says as she places one hand on his chin.

"Shirley! What did you do to your hair?"

Nothing on my mind
but you

"Well, I was feeling hungry on the train so I ate half of it," she says. "What do you think?"

"You take things way too literally to be an English student, you know?"

"I know," she says, practically beaming at him. "Do you like it or not?"

"I love it," he says. "I mean, I loved it when it was longer and I loved it now. You look more... grown up"

"This is just one of the many consequences of my quarter life crisis"

"You've just turned 21"

"Shut up and kiss me"

"Your wish is my command"

Gilbert quickly grabs her waist and pulls her close, sending butterflies all over her stomach. They'd been together for, what, seven months now? Yet he made her feel as if he was kissing her for the first time. Her mind goes back to that old couple at the train, Zelda and Francis, who looked at each other as if they'd just started dating, and she wonders if it would be like that too, for Gilbert and her.

Then she suddenly blushes, just at the thought of that. Before Gilbert she was quite cold, and perhaps a bit careless. These thoughts were more likely to be thought inside romantic girl Ruby Gillis' head. But they were not. They are being thought by her, Anne Shirley-Cuthbert.

She grabs him by the solapes of his denim jacket to properly kiss him, tilting her head.

"Well, where do you want to go first?"

"Hm," she hums against her lips. "I want to have the biggest, greasiest, unhealthiest lunch possible and then... could we please visit Philadelphia Museum of Art?"

"I'm glad you ask," he says. "Because I, as the most perfect boyfriend on Earth, have two tickets right here... to visit a special and very select exposition. Just for your birthday."

Anne realizes this is her first birthday with Gilbert. Well, technically, he was there for her 18th birthday, but they were just friends. Then, life got in the middle and he wasn't there on her 19th or 20th birthday. This was the first time spending her birthday together, as a couple.

He gifts her two tickets for that select (and very special) exposition and he insists in getting her some art books from the gift shop, as well. He also insists in paying for their lunch, which they spend by the river, considering the nice weather. The afternoon basically flies by. They spend most of their day doing some quiet, relaxed tourism and drinking take away coffee.

After that, they go to Gilbert's dorm. What Gilbert didn't consider, is the fact that Roy Gardner wa going to be there.

As soon as he opens the door and finds him in the room, he realizes that maybe his calculations were not as perfect and accurate as he'd thought.

"Gilbert! And... you must be the infamous Anne Shirley"

Anne walks into the room, taking in every single detail of it. There's nothing really personal about it, at least not on Gilbert's side. Everything is so neat and so perfect that one could easily eat off the floor. It's quite a contrast to her dorm, the one that Stella and her have turned into their personal cave, as Stella usually says.

"Shirley-Cuthbert, yes," she greets him as she puts out his hand for him to shake. "Hi"

"Hey, Roy," Gilbert says, and Anne can already tell he's annoyed. He watches them as he puts Anne's weekend bag on the floor, next to his bed. "I thought you were spending the weekend at home"

"You're even prettier than Gilbert had told me"

It makes Gilbert clench his jaw, the fact that Roy basically ignores his words.

She laughs. "Thanks, Roy...?"

"Gardner. Pleasure. So, it's Anne because of the Brontë sisters?"

"Uh, no. My great grandmother, but it could've been because of Anne Brontë too. My mother loved her poems"

"Sounds reasonable," Roy says. "To be fair, I've been dying to meet you ever since I read your name in that book"

"What book?"

"The Great Gatsby?"

"Roy-"

"Gilbert used to keep it on his night table, you now"

"Oh, he did?" Anne smiles, turning around to face (and tease) his very annoyed boyfriend. "Isn't that sweet?"

"Anyway, lovebirds," Roy says as he gets his jacket and his backpack. "I'll be out of your sight"

Roy aims to the door, playing with his keys.

"Uh?"

"You know, some privacy. I'll be spending the weekend at some friend's"

"Cool," Anne says. "Thanks you, Roy!"

Roy smiles at the two of them. "You two are so cute"

Anne gives Gilbert an elbow bump. "Yeah, yeah, thank you, Roy"

"No problem," he says, his words followed by the wink of an eye. "You'll just have to introduce me to some friend, Anne"

"Will do"

And soon they're alone, just the two of them. Gilbert sits by the edge of his bed.

"He's not that bad"

"Yes, he is. He thinks he's so smart and charming"

"Oh my god, you're jealous"

"Yeah, I'm definitely not jealous of Roy Gardner"

Anne sorts a laugh. "Yes, you are. And it's so fun to watch"

Gilbert gives her a look. "Shut up, Shirley"

She sits on top of him, straddling with her legs on opposite side of his thighs.

"Stop being so grumpy"

"I'm not grumpy! And I'm not jealous, believe me. Had it been another guy I wouldn't mind. It's just that I can't stand Roy, that's it. I don't understand how you can like him. He's an ass"

"His ass is nice"

He smiles then. She's just teasing him.

"You're so evil," he whispers. "So, so evil"

Anne doesn't answer. She just kisses him softly on his lips, placing her hand on the side of his face. Gilbert wraps his arm around her, pulling her closer and deepening the kiss as she grabs the back of her head.

"I know," she whispers back. "But your ass is better, trust me"

"Oh, thank you!"

She smiles as she leans in for another long kiss. Then, she stands up, leaving him there on his bed. "Well, shall we have dinner then?"

"Sure," he says after clearing his throat and standing up as well. "What are you in the mood for?"

"Hm... let's take a look at your ridiculously small cabinets and let's see what I can do"

"Where do you think you're going?"

"I'm making... dinner?"

"Oh, no. I won't allow that. You sit down, I'll make dinner"

"You?"

"Shirley, believe it or not, I'm a fantastic chef"

"Right," Anne scoffs. "Putting microwave food in the microwave isn't cooking"

"I'm serious! I got my tricks"

"Gilbert Blythe, doctor, chef, music critic..."

"I could be a model as well" he spins around after tying his apron.

Anne rolls her eyes.

"Definitely," she says. "The fact that you own an apron is so wholesome"

"It was a present from Bash, a couple of Christmas ago, I think"

"It suits you"

Anne leans her back on the small kitchen counter, watching (more like supervising) him prepare the ingredients.

"Well, get ready because I'm going to make oven baked pasta au Gilbert"

"Fine, Ratatouille. But let me do something, I feel guilty doing nothing"

"Did you just call me a rat?

"Indeed"

He chuckles before leaning in for a kiss, slowly backing her up until she's backed against the counter. "Fine, asshole. Read something for me"

"What?"

"You wanted to do something and I know that half your bags are books that you won't even have the time to read. Read for me"

"Out loud?"

"I can't read your thoughts... yet, though, so yeah, out loud"

She seems to like the idea. It's been a while since she's read to anyone or in front of a big audience. He watches her look for something in her weekend bag and comfortably sit cross-legged on top of his bed.

"In my younger and more vulnerable years my father gave me some advice that I've been turning over in my mind ever since. 'Whenever you feel like criticizing any one,' he told me, 'just remember that all the people in this world haven't had the advantages that you've had.'"

"God"

"I haven't gotten to the God part yet," she points out, not even looking at him. "That's chapter two"

"No, I mean... God... I'm so in love with you... and a bit turned on, to be honest"

She blushes a bit. "Shut up"

"I mean it"

"Let me read!"

"Can't you just skip to the part where Gatsby and Daisy meet for the first time after five years and the story turns most romantic?" He says as he chops some vegetables.

"You know, you should stop FaceTiming Ruby. It's causing something in you"

"Thanks for bringing it back. The book, I mean. Our book. I felt like reading it but no e-book would do"

"I feel you," she says, tracing a caress over the spine of the book with her index finger. "It has to be this one book in particular, no other edition would do"

He smiles as he grabs some spaghetti from the cabinet. "You take that book everywhere?"

"Yes," she says quietly, remembering how she took it with her to her job interview. "It's my lucky charm, you know?"

"It's mine too, whenever I have it with me," he says. "When I was in London I believe it kept me company"

Gilbert had friends back in London. Well, truth is, only friend he had was Winnie. And he was friends with Winnie's friends. But it wasn't the same. Don't get him wrong, Winifred Rose was far from being boring, but it wasn't the same. His family was back in Avonlea – always has been. That book made him feel closer to everything; for the most part of made him feel closer to Anne, but the truth is it represented everything in Avonlea.

"Yeah?"

"Yeah," he nods. "I remember how I was reading it just a couple of minutes before I got your letters"

"Shut up," she blushes. "You know I hate talking about the letters"

"And you know I love talking about them"

"Stop," she warns him.

"What did they say? Oh yeah: «I'm extremely sorry for the constant inconvenience of thinking about you most of the time»"

"Shut your stupid mouth, for fuck's sake," she says, trying to hide a smile.

"Maybe I should get some extracts framed," he suggests. "And hang them around our New York's love shack"

She shakes her head. "Gilbert Blythe, you better shut your goddamn mouth before I punch you"

"You should know by now that there's only one way to shut me up... and it's got nothing to do with punching"

"Oh, yeah? And what is it?"

Gilbert looks at her with his signal teasing smile, arms crossed over his chest as he keeps eye contact on her. It causes something in her, that smile and the way he stares at her the same way he did three years ago.

"It's pasta, obviously. Don't get all dirty-minded, Shirley"

___

A/N

+12k words! Wow!

God, I love this chapter. I know not everyone might like it because it's just pure fluff and our characters getting their lives together, but God, I love it! I do miss the angst, sometimes, but writing fluffy Shirbert is way too cute.

Again, sorry for the slow updates. There's a lot of exams and essays in the way and I don't really have time for Wattpad. But, hey! I'm glad to be back.

There's just one chapter + epilogue left and I'm so sad yet excited about it. I hope you guys feel the same way <3

And most importantly, I hope you're all staying safe during this pandemic. I love you all! Sending hugs to all of you,

blythexcarrots