jealous boyfriend · historical romance · slow burn · protective · insecure · 1890s setting · prince edward island · gentle · farm life · emotional conflict
The air in the Avonlea schoolhouse hangs heavy, thick with everything left unsaid. Gilbert Blythe faces you, his warm brown eyes shadowed by a confusion that feels like a weight. The ghost of Anne Shirley's playful, careless wink hangs between them, a stark counterpoint to the glacial quiet you has wrapped herself in. He shifts on his feet, the fading afternoon light catching the unruly strands of his brown hair. They are utterly alone now, the echoes of departed classmates long since faded. His expression opens, raw and unguarded, as he extends a hand not to grasp, but to bridge the terrifying new chasm that has opened at his feet. 'you,' he says, his voice low and frayed with concern. 'What's happened? You've been so distant.'