AMYBELLA WALKED UPSTAIRS INTO
the old bedroom of her parents.

"This is the bedroom! Opposite that, you'll have a room for children, and right next to it, a guest room." She explained, leading Mr. and Mrs. Aldridge through her house.

"Lovely. If I may ask, what's the reason you're selling the house?" Mr. Aldridge asked.

"I don't mind." She said and shook her head.

"Sadly, my parents passed away a while ago, and I'm headed to finish college, so I'm not planning to stay here," the girl explained.

"Oh my goodness, when did they pass?" the man asked.

"Four years ago," Amybella nodded. Her fingers started to shake slightly, and her heart began to beat faster.

"At the same time?" the father asked.
Amybella shook her head.

"A few weeks lay in between. It was a tragedy, indeed," she said, her body continuing to tense. They walked down the stairs toward the door.

"Oh, surely it brings you pain to give it up? Imagine all the memories that hang on these walls," the woman said, silenced by a look her husband gave her.
Amybella paused, then nodded.

"Indeed. It has brought me more joy than words can rightly tell. This house, these trees, the stables.. But I believe it's time for me to let it go," she lied.
She hated this place. She had been afraid to come here ever since Marcus moved in. The walls reminded her of the burden her mother had laid on her shoulders.
Yet she still thought it painful to give it all up to strangers.

Mr. Aldridge glanced around nervously.

"A fine place, to be sure.. Eh.. b-but we shall give it serious thought!" he said, slowly guiding his wife toward the door.

"You'll hear from us as soon as we've decided," he added as Amybella opened the door.
The wife stepped out, not meeting Amybella's eyes, and the husband gave her a quick nod.

"Good day," he said quickly as they walked off the porch—right past Gilbert Blythe, who looked after them, confused.
Amybella sighed as soon as she saw Gilbert standing at the edge of the porch.
He wasn't supposed to see this.

Gilbert's eyes met hers, and Amybella disappeared behind the door.

"Amy," he said, following her into the house. He took off his cap as he looked at her walking into the kitchen.
He followed her, seeing her leaning onto the counter.

"Who was that?" he asked, and Bella didn't want to meet his eyes.

"I didn't want you to find out that way," she said, her voice low.
Gilbert tilted his head, reading her.
He saw her worried eyes and her slimmed posture. He didn't want to push her to tell him anything but the urge to know why she was showing people her house gnawed at him.

"Come on," he said then.

"Let's go for our walk, and you can tell me everything."
Amybella's eyes met his.
After six years of knowing her and 2 years of being together, he learned to know how to handle her moods.

•

They walked their usual path toward Gilbert's house.
Past the trees and the fields, through the little forest, and over the small bridge.
On the bridge, Amybella began to slow her steps. She moved toward the wooden railing and leaned onto it.

"Do you want to sell the house?" Gilbert asked.
Bella sighed.
She searched for the right words so that he wouldn't misunderstand her.

"I just wanted to see what my options are." She said and her eyes wandered over the river and the shining lake. She inhaled the fresh air and tried to calm her nerves.

"Why?" Gilbert asked after a moment of silence. He looked at her blonde hair that was wrapped into a bun with a few strands hanging out.
Bella felt her fingers slightly twitch and drummed them over the old wood of the bridge.

"Everything keeps changing and nothing will be the same anymore." Her voice was quiet and vulnerable.

"I might as well prepare for it," she said, shrugging.
Gilbert stepped beside her, his hand resting on the railing, his body close to hers.

"Well, I won't change. That's the least I can promise you," Gilbert said, leaning in from behind. He kissed her cheek, and Bella smiled softly.
She felt his eyes on her, making her cheeks flush.

He wrapped his arms around her body and steadied her with his chest on her back. Bella tilted her head slightly as he kissed her hair. She felt her face turning red as he was so close to her.
She didn't know why she wanted to get rid of the house so badly even though it was a fine home. She just couldn't stand the memories that it brought and the thought of staying in this exact house for the rest of her life. It scared her to be honest.

"You don't have to sell your house, you know,"
Gilbert then said with his chin resting on her shoulder.
Bella laughed.

"It's not like anyone wants it anyway. You saw how these people couldn't get out quick enough. They think it's haunted or something because I'm an orphan," she said, closing her eyes.
She felt Gilbert's hand on her upper arm as he stepped back from behind her and took a few steps forward so that he now stood beside her.
His eyes were soft as the met hers.

"Don't say that," he said softly.
He turned her body towards him, his hands moving up to her face. He cupped her cheeks in his palms, his thumbs gently stroking her cheekbones.

"No one wants me, Gil. I don't have any teaching job. I don't have family. Anne will be gone soon too," she said, her thoughts drifting to Abraxas, who was now being cared for by the Barrys.
Gilbert shook his head and he took her hands into his.

"That's not true. You'll have me, Bash, Delli, Miss Stacy.." he said, tilting his head.

"And I'm sure the other girls won't be far away either."
Bella nodded. She thought about their girls group, sitting in Queens. Except if Ruby, she had been home the last days, saying that she wasn't feeling well.

"And hey.." Gilbert said, tilting her chin so she'd look at him.

"I want you," he said, his voice completely serious. His features had matured now, they were no longer boyish. He looked like a fine gentleman, serious and capable of sustaining a life.
The blonde girl felt a tear run down her cheek, and Gilbert gently wiped it away.

"Come here," he said, pulling her into an embrace.
Losing her parents at such a young age had made Bella terrified of the idea that people would leave her.
It affected her more than she ever cared to admit. Her whole family collapsing, had made her hold onto her friends for dear life and stabilize herself through the people around her.
And now, the thought of those people not being close anymore made her world feel like it was crumbling all over again.

"And.. well me, I always thought we'd keep your house.." Gilbert said, leaning back a bit to look at her.
Bella looked up at him.

"..as our own," he added, making Bella's heart jump.
The boy took a step back, and Bella took a deep breath.

"There's something I want to ask you." He said and Bella felt her stomach turn.
The blonde girl shook her head.

"You don't have to sell your house. I'll renovate it, change whatever you want," he said, and Bella leaned back onto the railing.

"We could leave Bash the farm and my father's house and we could-.."
But Amy interrupted him. She didn't even let him finish because she knew where his speech would end. Of course she knew what his intentions were and she had agreed with that for a long time but now? Now she felt like a scared little girl again, sitting on the stairs and watching her life collapse.

"Gil, please don't," she said softly.
She shook her head and ran her hands down her skirt, From her hips down her tights to smooth it out. Her upper body leaned forward as she rested her elbows on her thighs, exhausted by the conversation. She sighed tiredly.

Although Anne and Diana had suspected Gilbert would propose, she wasn't ready.
She knew what he was about to say—that they should marry and move into her house after being together for two years.
Everyone expected it.

"What is it?" Gilbert asked, clearly confused.

"You've been avoiding that question ever since we got together. Is the thought of marrying me so horrible to you?"
He laughed, but Bella could sense he was hurt.

"No.." she said, looking up at him.

"I'm more worried that you would regret marrying me," she finally admitted.
Gilbert's face softened as he understood.

"Amy."
He tilted his head and stepped in front of her.

"Now why would I do that? I wouldn't have ended things with Winifred and courted you for two years if I wasn't a thousand percent sure." he said, taking her hands in his.

"I wanted us to finish college. Otherwise, I would've taken you and married you at the soonest opportunity, believe me." he said, laughing.
He kissed her knuckles and then held her wrists, giving them a playful shake, trying to make her smile. He tugged gently on her arms to lift her from her position, and Bella allowed it.
But then she looked down again.

"I don't come from a good home, Gil. I don't know how to be a good wife to you," she said, shaking her head and biting her lip.

"I think that's for me to decide, whether I believe you'd be a good wife to me, is it not?" Gilbert replied.

"You want someone who adores you, clings to your arm, builds a home for you.. I'm not sure I can do that," she said quickly, as their conversation shifted into argument.
She tried to move away, but Gilbert held her shoulders.

"Amy, that's not what I'm looking for at all—" he started, but she was already too deep in overthinking.

"What if we end up like old crows, fighting all the time?" she said, turning away from him and looking down into the river.

"Everyone expects it, Amy."
She felt his hand on her shoulder.

"Just because your parents had the relationship they did, doesn't mean we will too. Think about your father, not Marcus, your father," he said, his tone steady and sincere.

"You told me about your parents. They lived a happy life before your father passed."
Each one of his words felt like a gentle knock on the door of her heart. She didn't know how else to describe it.
He was hitting the bullseye with every word, and more tears slipped from her eyes.

"I'm sorry," she said, and walked away.

"Amy!" Gilbert called after her, but he let her go.

He knew she needed room to think.

Authors note:
Hey so please don't kill me 🥲✋
Trust, trust.