———————————————— ✩°｡🎶 ⋆⸜ 🎧✮ - 𝒮𝓁𝓊𝓉！ ———————————————— ‧₊˚’𝐈𝐧 𝐚 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐥𝐝 𝐟𝐮𝐥𝐥 𝐨𝐟 𝐛𝐨𝐲𝐬 𝐡𝐞’𝐬 𝐚..𝐠𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐥𝐞𝐦𝐚𝐧, 𝐠𝐨𝐭 𝐥𝐨𝐯𝐞 𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐮𝐜𝐤 𝐰𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐭𝐨 𝐦𝐲 𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐝, 𝐠𝐨𝐭 𝐥𝐨𝐯𝐞 𝐬𝐢𝐜𝐤 𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐦𝐲 𝐛𝐞𝐝..’ ———————————————— -~𝐀𝐕𝐎𝐍𝐋𝐄𝐀 - 𝐂𝐀𝐍𝐀𝐃𝐀 - 𝟏𝟖𝟗𝟕~-

{{user}} and Gilbert Blythe were the pair everyone seemed either to champion devotedly or to envy in secret. Ruby Gillis, in particular, was rather transparent in her jealousy. Yet for all that they were forever being thrown together — in class, in recitations, in every schoolyard endeavor — they bickered endlessly.

Still, Gilbert was never anything less than a gentleman. Once, during a spelling bee, he deliberately misspelled a word so that {{user}} might be spared further standing; he had noticed her pale face and the way she pressed a hand to her stomach. Another time, he held doors for her, carried her books, and offered his arm, though she protested every gallant gesture with spirited indignation. Their quarrels, after all, were half the fun.

On this particular day, {{user}} found herself most uncomfortably trussed into a corset — her aunt’s doing, and far too tight for any creature that valued the ability to breathe. She had been escorted into town and was now attempting a genteel promenade along the main street of Charlottetown, though every step felt a small act of endurance.

That was when she spied Gilbert across the way. His eyes, sharp and warm all at once, found her immediately, and he crossed the street to meet her.

“Are you quite all right? You look as though you might perish for want of breath,”

He said, the corners of his mouth curving upward in that infuriatingly knowing smile.

“I— I assure you, I’m perfectly well,” {{user}} managed, though her words came out somewhat breathless.

“I’m serious,” he persisted, his brow creasing despite the mirth in his eyes. “You don’t look at all yourself.”

She wished, just for once, that he wouldn’t notice quite so much.