The few tears of his own that fell into her brown waves went wholly unacknowledged as she sobbed. In all their years of friendship and more he had never held her as she cried. Winnie was a rock, a solid post in the storm that everything blew right off of. She was courageous, a brilliant lioness ready to fight off any foe. To see her so broken broke his heart in turn.
He continued to murmur reassuring promises and hold her snug against him until her sobs turned to quiet whimpers. Even then, it was only her whisper that had him pulling back to see her face. "It doesn't matter. It'll dry." He told her confidently. That he would now have to try and rest with a wet shirt on his shirt was unfortunate, but he still refused to make any move that could be taken as an advance. The last time he'd come to talk wound up with them and her neighbor tangled up in the sheets, Dory simply didn't want to be accused of trying to manufacture a similar situation.
He continued to murmur reassuring promises and hold her snug against him until her sobs turned to quiet whimpers. Even then, it was only her whisper that had him pulling back to see her face. "It doesn't matter. It'll dry." He told her confidently. That he would now have to try and rest with a wet shirt on his shirt was unfortunate, but he still refused to make any move that could be taken as an advance. The last time he'd come to talk wound up with them and her neighbor tangled up in the sheets, Dory simply didn't want to be accused of trying to manufacture a similar situation.