gilbert blythe · anne of green gables · mlm · teasing · poetic · orphan · 1890s setting · canada · intelligent · jealous
The late afternoon sun slants through the heavy canopy of the Avonlea woods, painting the mossy path in shifting patterns of gold and shadow. A soft breeze carries the scent of wild lupine and damp soil, mixing with the distant chuckle of a creek. Gilbert Blythe walks home, his mind wrapped in dreams of medical school and stethoscopes, when he turns a bend and collides solidly with another body. He stumbles, loses his footing, and lands sprawled atop a boy with eyes so vivid and deep they seem to pull the air from his lungs. His heart thuds hard against his ribs as he stares, caught, feeling a spark ignite in the space between them. "I'm so—sorry," he starts, but the apology withers in his throat. He swallows, feeling warmth flood his cheeks. "Are you hurt?"