Gilligan was afraid of girls. Had been since he was turned down when he was only twelve years-old. He had asked a girl named Melanie to go to the movies with him, and she had laughed in his face, and said no. Ever since that little incident, he's been uncomfortable around girls. Granted, he still found them attractive, and a lot of them were nice, but he was so shy and nervous now, that he didn't think he would ever be able to get over it. When Mr. and Mrs. Howell were going to get married, Skipper had asked Gilligan and Mary Ann to be a pretend couple so he could practice for the real ceremony.

Gilligan had told Skipper that he never wanted to get married because he would feel trapped. That wasn't true. He wouldn't feel trapped, it was just that he didn't have confidence to ask another girl out after that terrible incident with Melanie. Sure, he was friends with Mary Ann, Ginger, and Mrs. Howell, but it took a while for him to be comfortable enough around them. Gilligan was no longer afraid of Ginger's advances when she wanted something, for she did it to the other guys, too. Mary Ann was the girl he was most comfortable around. She treated him with respect, and told him that she always liked him. There were times when Mary Ann would bake him pies even when he didn't ask her to, just because she was a kind person. Gilligan had been shocked when the girls all came to him and told him how attractive he was after he felt out of the tree inflating his nose. That had been a lie. Again, he was humiliated. After his nose had been fixed, they told him that they still cared very much about him, and only wanted him to feel good about himself, that's why they lied and said his swollen nose looked good.

Gilligan wasn't mad at them, though, for he knew they were just trying to make him feel better, because they were good people, but it still kind of hurt. The Skipper was his best friend, and had told Gilligan that if he needed any advice on women or relationships, to just come see his big buddy. That's exactly what Gilligan was going to do. He found the Skipper sitting in their hut, listening to some music on the radio.

"Hi, Skipper."

"Oh, hi, Gilligan."

"Got a minute?"

"Sure, what is it?"

"Remember when you told me how if I needed any advice, you would be there for me?"

Skipper shut off the radio, and looked at Gilligan.

"Have a seat."

Gilligan sat down.

"What do you need advice about?"

"Well, it's about- well, girls."

"Girls?"

"Uh-huh. See, I've been thinking. There's this girl I really like, and she's on the island with us. It's not Mrs. Howell because she's like a mother to me, and is already married. It's not Ginger. It's- I don't want to say."

Skipper smiled. "Could it be Mary Ann, little buddy?"

Gilligan's eyes widened. "How did you know?"

"Gilligan, Mrs. Howell, Ginger, and Mary Ann are the only girls on the island."

"Oh, yeah."

"So, you have a little crush on Mary Ann?"

Again, Gilligan's eyes widened.

"Skipper! I would never crush Mary Ann!"

Skipper rolled his eyes. "No, knucklehead! I meant, you want to be her boyfriend."

"Oh. Well, kinda."

"Well, Gilligan, be extra nice to her. You could start by taking her flowers, or asking her to go for a walk in the jungle. Then you can tell her how you feel."

At this, Gilligan looked scared. Really scared.

"Skipper, I-I'm not very good at things like that. I mean, when I was twelve, I asked a girl I liked to go out with me and she just laughed and said no, and I-I haven't had the cone-corn-confidential-"

"Confidence?"

"Yes, that's it. I haven't had the confidence to ask a girl out since."

"Well, you have nothing to worry about, little buddy, because Mary Ann isn't that girl. Even if she turned you down, she would be nice about it, and not laugh at you. I promise."

"Alright, Skipper. I'll give it a shot. Thanks for the talk."

"No problem."

A half hour later, Gilligan found himself standing outside the girls' hut, holding a thing of flowers. You can do this, Gilligan, you can do this. Remember, she's a great girl, and wouldn't hurt you in a million years.

Gilligan took a deep breath, and knocked on the door.

"Come in!"

Gilligan walked inside and found Ginger putting up Mary Ann's hair.

"Ginger, could I- could I have a moment with Mary Ann, please?"

"Why? Is there something wrong?"

"No, I just-"

Ginger saw the flowers, and took the hint. She knew what was going on. Skipper had filled her in earlier.

"Sure. Take your time."

She left the hut, a large smile on her face. Gilligan made sure she was out of the hut before turning to Mary Ann.

"I like your hair like that."

Mary Ann sighed. "Thanks, Gilligan, but I'm starting to grow tired of it. I can't make my hair look near as good as Ginger's."

"Well, I-I think it's pretty."

"Thanks. What can I do for you?"

"Oh, uh, I picked these for you."

Gilligan handed Mary Ann the flowers. So far, so good. She smiled, thanked him, and smelled them.

"Mary Ann, I-I have something I need to tell you."

"What is it?"

"Well, um- would you- first, would you like to take a walk with me in the jungle?"

Gilligan and Mary Ann walked for about fifteen minutes, before Gilligan was able to muster up the courage and tell her how he felt.

"Mary Ann, do you like me?"

This question caught Mary Ann off guard.

"Of course I like you, Gilligan. We're friends, aren't we?"

"Oh, yeah! Of course, but what I meant was, I-I like you, Mary Ann. Not as just a friend."

"Oh. You mean like a sister?"

"No, I mean. I- I think I l- l- lo-"

"What are you trying to say?"

"I l- you know-"

Gilligan used his hands and imitated drawing a heart. Mary Ann got the picture and her jaw dropped.

"Oh, Gilligan. Are you trying to say that you-"

"Yes."

"Oh, I um- I don't know what to say."

Gilligan looked hurt. This didn't surprise him at all.

"It's okay, Mary Ann. You're not the first girl to not lo- like me back."

Gilligan turned to leave, but Mary Ann stopped him.

"No! I mean, I don't know how to say that I feel the same way about you."

"You- you do?"

"Yes, I do. It's love. I've known it from the first."

Gilligan smiled, remembering when Mary Ann said those same words to him not so long ago.

"I thought you just said that to make me feel young when my hair turned white."

"Oh, I did, but I still meant it. I'm in love with you, too, Gilligan."

Catching Gilligan by surprise, Mary Ann leaned up and kissed him. Normally, when Ginger would kiss him, he would squirm and try to break free, or would tense up. With Mary Ann it was different. He didn't pull away. He liked it. He actually liked it. Where they would go after they were rescued, he didn't know for sure. If Mary Ann wanted him to move to Kansas for her, he would in a heartbeat. As long as he had Mary Ann by his side, Gilligan was content.

THE END