"I'm not - " he started instinctively and just as soon stopped. Dory knew she wouldn't stay. Even if he fell to his knees and begged she would still leave, for that was the decision she had made for them both. And, ultimately, he wanted to respect her decisions, he wanted to be supportive and considerate of her. That he hadn't these last few months would haunt him for years to come.
He dropped the pretense of trying to manage a smile and allowed his lips to fall into the frown he'd worn this past month. Dory could no longer meet her gaze head on, instead his eyes lingered somewhere on her cheek. "I know you need to go, I'm not hoping to stop you. I just - I hope you know I'll always be here. We were friends first, that doesn't stop because of this."
He dropped the pretense of trying to manage a smile and allowed his lips to fall into the frown he'd worn this past month. Dory could no longer meet her gaze head on, instead his eyes lingered somewhere on her cheek. "I know you need to go, I'm not hoping to stop you. I just - I hope you know I'll always be here. We were friends first, that doesn't stop because of this."
![[Image: VgXU69.jpeg]](https://b.l3n.co/i/VgXU69.jpeg)
beautiful set by lady