The shock of the revelation lasted all of a second before Dory was distracted by Winnie's outburst. Of course she could have friends she didn't sleep with — everyone did, didn't they? — only such friends didn't typically visit a bedroom at a boarding house. (They also didn't show up in tears at a flat, but Maple ultimately wasn't only a friend.) He abandoned the floo powder and instead leant against the brick of the fireplace. Leaving, while still the best option to prevent misunderstandings, simply wasn't possible when Winnie was fuming like this.
He would have shouted back at her had Gus not intervened. Instead, a muted nod came from him as he stared down at the floor. The hand holding, the cocoa, it was all too much for Dory to process while still turning over the blame she placed upon his head. Hadn't she begun the distancing first? His growing loneliness was what sent him down the path with Mabel. It was the catalyst that made their short lived affair rational. Winnie had been moving on - the random man she saw him out and about proved that. So, naturally, he was then allowed to move on himself. Dory never would have gotten involved with Mabel (ruined Mabel) had he thought Winnie was still at all invested in whatever was happening with them.
"You stopped coming by first." Dory stated after a too long period of silence on his part, his gaze finally lifting to lock on hers. The frustration was still there, only it was now being tempered by his fear of hurting her. He knew all about the angry man, said man's blood still stained a pair of his trousers. Fuming or not, Dory would always do his best to not hurt her.
Explaining this with Gus present was awkward at best. Dory still didn't like the man; he could scarcely look in his direction without glowering, and he'd yet to offer him a full sentence in response to anything said. But, Gus was going to make cocoa and Winnie was obviously upset and Dory couldn't leave with her like that. "I was planning to ask you to move in with me and then we just ... stopped seeing as much of one another." He offered in a low voice.
The hands that had been shoved in his pockets instead folded across his chest. The next bit he was meant to explain was Mabel, which he simply couldn't around Gus. Dory knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that Winnie was trustworthy, that what happened with Mabel would be safe with her. Gus on the other hand was an anomaly who might not have as tight of lips. Sighing, he frowned deeply. There was no way to explain his recent absence without mentioning Mabel, fuck.
He would have shouted back at her had Gus not intervened. Instead, a muted nod came from him as he stared down at the floor. The hand holding, the cocoa, it was all too much for Dory to process while still turning over the blame she placed upon his head. Hadn't she begun the distancing first? His growing loneliness was what sent him down the path with Mabel. It was the catalyst that made their short lived affair rational. Winnie had been moving on - the random man she saw him out and about proved that. So, naturally, he was then allowed to move on himself. Dory never would have gotten involved with Mabel (ruined Mabel) had he thought Winnie was still at all invested in whatever was happening with them.
"You stopped coming by first." Dory stated after a too long period of silence on his part, his gaze finally lifting to lock on hers. The frustration was still there, only it was now being tempered by his fear of hurting her. He knew all about the angry man, said man's blood still stained a pair of his trousers. Fuming or not, Dory would always do his best to not hurt her.
Explaining this with Gus present was awkward at best. Dory still didn't like the man; he could scarcely look in his direction without glowering, and he'd yet to offer him a full sentence in response to anything said. But, Gus was going to make cocoa and Winnie was obviously upset and Dory couldn't leave with her like that. "I was planning to ask you to move in with me and then we just ... stopped seeing as much of one another." He offered in a low voice.
The hands that had been shoved in his pockets instead folded across his chest. The next bit he was meant to explain was Mabel, which he simply couldn't around Gus. Dory knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that Winnie was trustworthy, that what happened with Mabel would be safe with her. Gus on the other hand was an anomaly who might not have as tight of lips. Sighing, he frowned deeply. There was no way to explain his recent absence without mentioning Mabel, fuck.