Heart Attack ? Shirbert

? 51 ? rain, rings, and rights

"Promise you won't be mad?"

Diana's mouth gaped, "What happened?"

Anne told her everything about the party. The rum and roof and life-changing conversation with Gilbert.

Diana let the information sink in, "So have you told him?"

"Which part?" Anne rubbed her forehead. All of this confessing was giving her a headache.

"He told you to tell him he said he loves you and you love him." Diana stated.

"Ah that part."

"Of course that part!"

"No, I haven't." Anne sat on the bed in exhaustion.

Diana joined her, "Why not?"

"I don't want to impact his decisions about his future!" Anne exclaimed desperately.

She was trying oh so hard to convince herself that was the truth. There was some truth to it, but not as much as she claimed.

"He told you he wants to know." Diana stated plainly.

"Yes but-"

"And if he thought that was a risk to his future, wouldn't he tell you that?" Diana bit back.

"He doesn't know what he wants."

Gilbert had said that, in a way. To be fair.

Diana shook her head, "But he wants to know what he's giving up."

He also said that.

Anne pleaded, "Diana-"

"You're just scared."

Diana's anger was spiking. She loved her bosom friend more than anyone in the world, but goodness was it draining to listen to the two of them dodge their feelings for reasons neither of them could truly justify.

And now that Gilbert was on the edge of a proposal, it wasn't time to be nice, it was time for action.

"Diana!"

"No, Anne, you're scared to tell him how you feel. You've been scared." Diana rested her hand on Anne's "Where is the Anne Shirley-Cuthbert I know and love who would never let something get in the way of her happiness?"

Anne froze. She wanted to be the Anne Diana dreamed she could.

"He's still courting Winifred."

Diana didn't buy it for one second,"You telling him how you feel has nothing to do with her. He can make his own decisions."

"Can he? Because he's been dragging her around for months now."

"Inaction is action, Anne." Diana removed her hand from Anne's and crossed her arms, "and I think that inaction is notable."

Anne sucked a deep breath in, "What do you mean?"

"Gilbert has been, as you phrase it, dragging this girl for months. He hasn't proposed or committed. He's still been evidently smitten with you."

Anne's cheeks flushed. The admittance that what happened between the two of them was described as 'smitten' terrified her.

"He won't commit to her because he's hoping you come to your senses and say you love him back."

Anne shook her head, "That's preposterous."

"No, Anne, it's almost verbatim what he already said."

Anne sat in silence, biting her lip and trying to think.