May 2011

"Mhm. Yep. Okay. Bye." Benjamin gives Ridley his usual 'Oh my god, I'm sick of this' expression that she's been quite accustomed to ever since he started dating Cara, a girl he knows from his sixth form. She collects a few dirty dishes from empty table booths as Benjamin hastily takes his apron off.

"Forget about the date again?" Ridley asks with a grin. Ben sighs and dumps his apron on the floor.

"Yes," he moans as he runs a hand through his infamous mop of curls. "This is getting out of hand. It's not my fault I have to work extra hours. Jesus, Cara needs to get a job."

"And maybe a brain to get a job," Ridley says scornfully. It is no secret to Benjamin that Ridley does not like his girlfriend – at all. She'd left a very...lasting impression on Ridley the first time she met her – by spilling her spaghetti bolognese all over Ridley (AND ON PURPOSE! Although Ben argues it was all just an accident.)

"Alright, enough of the mockery, carrots." Ben shoots Ridley a grin that manages to make her feel both annoyed and, oddly, pleased at the same time. She cannot understand why her stomach swoops or why her knees go weak every time Ben's around her. Ridley's still trying to work out why she cares so much about her hair looking good, or her breath smelling nice or her clothes when she's around Ben.

Yeah, she's been eating too much chocolate, clearly. It's driving her utterly bonkers.

Ben grabs his coat and reaches out to give Ridley a hug. "Do I smell funky?" he asks her. Ridley is too busy enjoying the warmth of his body and the way his hand is gently resting on her waist – not suggestively, or anything, but she likes it. She blushes, suddenly realising the close proximity of their bodies, and how she hasn't responded to his question yet. Ben looks puzzled when she lightly pushes him away.

"Ugh," she says, wrinkling her nose. "You smell." Smell so good.

"Aw, stop messing with me, Rids."

"I'm serious." Ridley giggles. "I wouldn't be surprised if Cara died because of how terrible you smell."

"How terribly good I smell, you mean," Ben replies with a roll of his eyes.

"Yes of course, Mr I'm-so-Modest," Ridley says, taking his hand (firmly ignoring the sudden butterflies in her stomach) and pushing him out of the doors of the café. "Now get going before Cara goes dragon girlfriend on you."

Ridley shuts the doors of the café, not before hearing Ben laugh and say 'Dragon girlfriend. Nice!' as he walks down the street with his coat slung over his shoulder.

"How's that Gilbert boy you always talk to?" Marcy asks later that day as both sisters head home for the evening. Ridley chuckles at her sister's mistake.

"You mean Benjamin?" she says, trying to hide a blush that's slowly creeping in to her cheeks. Marcy giggles and slaps her own forehead.

"Yes," she says. "God, it's just that he looks so much like...like that guy who played Gilbert Blythe in that mini-series Pam of Green Gables."

"Anne," Ridley corrects her sister sharply. "And while I do admit Benjamin looks exactly like Jonathan Crombie, that does not mean he's anything like Gilbert Blythe."

"Oh? Meaning?"

"Meaning..." Ridley blows out a sigh. "Well for starters, Gilbert would do anything for Anne while Benjamin would do anything to annoy me."

Marcy nudges her little sister, and her eyes dance teasingly. "You know," she says with the straightest face she can muster, "boy like to tease girls that they like. And didn't Gilbert Blythe always annoy Anne?"

"No!—I mean, he did but it was the cute sort of annoying," Ridley says defensively and Marcy laughs as she watches her little sister grow red hot with embarrassment. Marcy squeezes her hand and smiles.

"I'm pretty sure Anne didn't appreciate the teasing, any more than you do." She grins. "Besides, Ben's teasing might be annoying to you but to me, well...it's pretty 'cute'."

Ridley, shell shocked, playfully pushes her sister and Marcy trips on her feet, causing much amusement on Ridley's part. Marcy pushes Ridley back and soon they are both caught in a pinch-punch-shove contest...one which neither is winning but both are thoroughly enjoying.

"Okay, okay enough," Marcy says finally as she attempts to fix her tousled hair up. "But my point stands still, you know. I think Benjamin is your Gilbert Blythe. He even calls you carrots, for god's sake! Biggest hint lies there."

"Everyone called me carrots at school. He wasn't the only one."

"Mhm." Marcy giggles when Ridley shoots her a deathly glare. Ridley sighs at her big sister.

"For someone who's supposed to be an adult, you're acting like a little teenager."

"You're just annoyed that I'm stating a universally acknowledged fact. Everyone at Aroma wants to see you guys as a couple. Oh and the flirting you both do is unbelievable. Almost scandalous!"

"Ben has a girlfriend."

"That is a temporary problem. Nothing I can't fix." Marcy's eyes glint evilly. Ridley gasps and shakes her head.

"No," she says firmly. "No evil schemes, alright Marce? Cara's a nice girl."

"Oh, save it babe," Marcy smiles. "We all hate her. Even Gilbert—er, Ben, I mean."

"What?" Ridley narrows her eyes. "He hates her? Are you sure? Do you think they'll break up soon?"

Marcy starts to laugh. Affectionately, she ruffles her little sister's hair. "Aw," Marcy says. "You should hear yourself right now. Don't worry. Gilbert Blythe will come to you soon."

"No," Ridley replies. "I'm not waiting around for a Gilbert Blythe—Benjamin or not. I'll find him myself. I'll find my Gilbert Blythe myself."

➜➜➜

It is only five past eleven and already Ridley is drenched in sweat, and impatience as she sits on one of the table booths with her laptop...waiting for any sort of idea to pop in to her head. She's on the WritersWrite website trying to come up with a story that'll gain the attention of at least one person. Ridley drains the remnants of her coffee and pushes her mug away. Nothing. Absolutely nothing. No ideas. Nada. Zilch.

Beside her sits her all time favourite book since she was eleven, Anne of Green Gables. Reading through it always gives her some inspiration, but Ridley finds that today no amount of flicking through her favourite classic will give her any sort of idea to pen down.

Absent-mindedly, she picks the book up and runs her fingers through the gold-lettering of the title; slowly smiling at the memory of the time she'd first read it. Eleven year old Ridley sat on a chair in the isolated library; the book propped on her lap, her eyes wide with excitement, and her fingers itching to turn to the next page.

She's read the entire series, but Anne of Green Gables, the first book in the series will always remain her favourite. There's something so deliciously naive about the book, something that makes Ridley feel young and silly and free again.

And Gilbert Blythe...oh, Gilbert Blythe, Ridley sighs and stares in to space longingly. For some reason, she suddenly misses Ben. He's got a day off from work today but he usually comes to the café to meet Ridley — and maybe make a huge mess on purpose just so she has extra cleaning up to do — but he's got another stupid date with Cara today.

Ridley's never really dated anyone before. 1) Because she's been ugly for thirteen years of her life and 2) She's always had this...this dream that if she searches long enough she'll maybe find her Mr Perfect...that is, Gilbert Blythe. Ridley has this life motto, ever since she saw it posted on tumblr : Never, ever settle for anything less than a Gilbert Blythe.

And...she just hasn't found him. Yet.

"A classic lover, I see," says someone behind her which makes Ridley very-nearly die of a heart attack. She jumps up and turns around, expecting Benjamin to be behind her with his dopy grin but – but it isn't. Instead, he's been replaced with a guy who looks like a carbon copy of a teen pop sensation because he's...well...he's gorgeous.

"Oh, er, um," Ridley stumbles through her words. "Er...sorry. Didn't realise a customer came in. Er, well, make yourself comfortable...anywhere. Er, what would you like me to get you?"

The boy grins. "Some coffee," he says, "with a dash of sugar and...you."

Okay, so that was a horrible pick-up line and Ridley can imagine a snarky comment Ben would make to it...just stop and enjoy the moment, Ridley tells herself. She smiles, instead.

"Smooth," she says. "But not smooth enough to tempt me."

The boy's smile falters for a moment, not understanding. Ridley cringes. Way to ruin a great moment.

"Pride and Prejudice," she explains. "I just...you know how Mr Darcy – um, never mind. Just trying to make a reference to another classic."

"Never read Pride and Prejudice," the boy admits with a sheepish smile. He nods towards Ridley's copy of Anne of Green Gables. "That, however, I have read. Let's stick to quoting L.M. Montgomery, shall we?"

Ridley can't help but smile. "Agreed."

➜➜➜