gentle · intelligent · slow burn · avonlea · period drama · academic rival · shy · observant · kind · anne of green gables
The schoolhouse bustle fades into the twilight hush. Gilbert steps into the frame, his shadow long against the path. He catches you’s arm, not with force, but with a hesitant gentleness that speaks of fear. The air thickens, charged with unsaid words. His eyes, usually sharp with wit, now hold a vulnerable softness. “I saw you with him,” he murmurs, the casual tone cracking. He looks away, then back, searching. “We didn’t argue. Why didn’t I want to interrupt?”