dottiemunro

[dottiemunro]

forrestkane​: 

forrest’s expression softened, the panic about why dottie was suddenly there in front of him giving way to concern about her overexerted state. “ok, good, that’s good,” he replied softly, quietly relieved that she hadn’t come bearing bad news - or at least, not pressingly bad news. his heart, still beating quickly from all the excitement, skipped as she leaned into him - but his arms didn’t miss a beat as they came up to hold her carefully. for a moment he forgot all about where they were, the flight he had to catch, the person waiting for him on the other side of the country. all that mattered was his best friend - the woman he’d loved all their lives - and her being able to find respite with him. 

when she looked up at him his already gentle expression softened still further, yet he was sure some of his confusion still showed in the pinch of his eyes. his brow furrowed at her declarative statement, surprised at the straightforwardness of it, and when dottie drew his attention to their surroundings reality came rushing back in like a most unwelcome visitor. he followed where she led without a second thought, paying no mind to the gate agent who called questioningly after him. because of course he would go where she did - hadn’t he always? hadn’t that been the exact pattern he’d been trying to break out of with his trial move to L.A. so he wouldn’t keep breaking his own heart? and yet there he went again, following naturally behind her like a moon orbiting its beloved planet. everything returned to its proper place once more. he told himself that he’d let go of her hand as soon as they’d stopped, but he made no move to do so. and then she was talking again, babbling in a way that he’d rarely heard before. he shook his head slightly, now approaching something beyond confusion, and just as he’d opened his mouth to say her name she stopped him in his tracks once again. 

the words might as well have been a punch to the gut for how winded they left him, any oxygen in his lungs immediately abandoning him to his own helpless devices. his mouth worked fruitlessly for a moment, struggling to form the sounds to match, but his brain seemed to have crossed the picket line to join the other organs currently on strike. he had no idea, really, what he’d been expecting dottie to say, but now that the pink thing in his head had bid him adieu, the red thing in his chest was making itself heard in a major way. i told you! it said triumphantly. didn’t i tell you? maybe i was wrong a thousand times before, but aren’t you glad you kept on hoping? 

“why?” fenn finally managed to croak, vaguely surprised at how different his voice sounded to his own ears. because no - no, no, no, no, no, he couldn’t let hope take hold of him again. he was still trying to recover from being hooked on the stuff for so many years, and another fix was the absolute last thing he needed. it wasn’t what he thought, he was probably misconstruing things - hell, maybe he’d even somehow misheard her. but no way in hell was he about to hear something he’d been waiting for his entire life. 

her breath was returning to her lungs, stopping her from feeling so lightheaded - or at least she thought so, until the realisation of what she was doing hit her and then it was back again. what if he told her no? he had every right to. forrest had someone he cared about in LA, there was no reason he should have to give that up because she’d decided to be brave for once in her life.

dottie’s mouth felt dry, and she swallowed for what felt like the millionth time. it didn’t help. “why?” she repeated back to him, fear suddenly spiking in her chest. “well, uh, it’s just that I never actually got to say goodbye to you properly.” this was a lie, they’d seen each other right before he’d left for the airport. dottie knew that this wouldn’t fly - why would she go out of her way like this just for a simple goodbye? racing all the way to the terminal when she could just call him for something like that. 

letting out an exasperated sigh, she lifted her hands to her face, covering her eyes before she carded her fingers through her short, brown hair. “okay, that was a lie, that’s not it.” were people watching now? it felt like they were, despite the fact they were busy with their own lives and didn’t have a single concern about the conversations of strangers. time was ticking by fast, and dottie couldn’t keep him waiting here like this for no reason. she was stalling the inevitable. whatever was going to happen would happen. things would either turn out exactly how she’d hoped and fenn would stay, or he’d be painfully honest with her and turn to get on that flight to LA before it was too late.

“the truth is, fenn,” dottie reached out to take his hands, words catching in her throat for just another moment. “I don’t want you to leave, and it’s for completely selfish reasons. when you’re around, everything just feels right and life is good, and I don’t wanna lose that.” she forced herself to take a breath. “I feel so much when I’m with you, like...” her voice broke as she tried to find the words, “I feel so much in here,” she gestured to her chest where her heart was beating frantically, “I always thought I’d just fumble through life alone. I never thought I’d actually find someone who got me, and you do. you really do, and I just- I love you, fenn, and I really really don’t want you to get on that plane. stay, please?”

the bomb had been dropped and now all she had to do was wait for the fallout. she probably hadn’t said everything she wanted to. right now she couldn’t even remember what words had come out of her mouth, and if she weren’t holding his hands so tightly, she’d be shaking. she felt lightheaded and dizzy and was only just managing to hold herself upright. the seconds that followed her admission felt like the longest seconds of her entire life.

[dottiemunro]

LUCY HALE via @ ketutbaliportrait Instagram

[dottiemunro]

forrestkane​: 

forrest joined the queue in front of his gate, torn between being relieved and disappointed that only a few people were ahead of him. the pros: boarding quickly, getting to unburden himself, sit down, and at least attempt to distract himself with a movie. the cons: getting home back to L.A. even sooner. he eyed his phone from its place sticking out of its designated pocket in his carry-on, tempted to shut it off completely instead of having to wake it up to activate flight mode and risk seeing jordan’s cheerful can’t wait to see you! text. 

someone politely cleared their throat behind him, and fenn blinked as he brought himself back to reality and saw that he was next in line to show his ticket. throwing an apology over his shoulder, he pasted on a sheepish smile as he approached the gate agent, thankful for their understanding expression as they reached out for his ticket. but just before he could hand it over, he became aware of someone calling his name from somewhere behind him. he turned and saw a familiarly short-statured brunette hustling her way through the airport, making her way toward where he stood, shocked at the sight of her. 

“wha - dots?” was all he could manage at first, ticket falling out of his grasp and carry-on slipping from his shoulder as he took a few quick steps to meet her and take her hands in his. “hey, hey, hey, what’s wrong? are you ok?” he asked, immediately concerned and wondering what on earth could’ve brought her chasing after him like this so soon after he’d left. had something happened to his sister? dottie’s grandparents? dottie herself? a hundred scenarios flashed through fenn’s mind, none of them good, but still he waited as patiently as he could for her to catch her breath.

Dottie was exhausted by the time she finally reached the gate. She clutched her side as she hurried over, stopping to lean on one of the barriers to rest for a moment and catch her breath. Physical activity had never been her strong suit, and it was evident as her chest heaved for a moment or two as her gaze met with Fenn’s. When he took her hands, Dottie grasped the opportunity to lean on him instead. “I’m okay, I’m fine, I just- I need a sec to-” she paused for a beat, “catch my breath.”

It felt like a whole lifetime was ticking by in those few seconds. Sure, she could catch her breath, but there was no way her heart was going to slow. It was racing for a whole different reason. Dottie continued to stare up at Fenn, his expectant eyes holding her there as she built herself up to the biggest confession of her life - it certainly wouldn’t seem big to anyone else but to her it was the whole world, her whole world.

“I have something to tell you.” She finally said, breaking the heavy silence that had fallen between them. “Can we, uh...” she glanced around, sensing that this wasn’t an ideal place to do this, but where else was there? She inched them just a few metres away from the gate line, hoping to be sort of out of earshot. “I was gonna say can we find somewhere private, but I don’t think we can. This place is busy - I mean, of course it’s busy, it’s an airport.” Oh no, she was starting to ramble. She needed to get herself back on track before she lost her nerve. “Don’t go back to L.A., stay here.” She blurted out, less of a tell and more of a gentle demand.

[dottiemunro]

forrestkane​: 

@dottiemunro

forrest used to love airports. there was something about the possibility of them, so many people and so many stories all gathered in this odd liminal space. what kind of things had these walls seen? a be-suited agent in dark sunglasses carrying a stainless steel briefcase containing priceless intel? twin siblings separated at birth, reuniting by pure happenstance? a criminal on the run, looking to start fresh somewhere else, unaware that they’re being pursued by a doggedly determined officer of the law?

all right, so maybe that was fenn’s cinema-saturated brain coloring his perception of reality yet again. but there was so much beauty in the everyday stories, too. he passed a family with young children, all gleefully plan out their theme park adventures; nervous but excited college students embarking on semesters abroad, a couples reuniting after a long separation. 

his heart twisted as he saw that last scenario playing out just as he’d almost reached his gate. he vaguely wondered if jordan would welcome him at LAX with a similar amount of gusto, and if stepping into her arms would make him feel like he was home. but no, he already knew the answer to that, didn’t he? he’d already left home earlier that day, had ached for that sense of comfort and familiarity as soon as he’d said goodbye to dottie. nothing else would make him feel like he was exactly where he was meant to be, and despite the fact that he’d spent years trying to reconcile with that painful truth, he still had miles to go before he slept. he sighed quietly, hitching his carry-on bag further up his shoulder and carrying on further and further away from where he knew he truly belonged. 

Dottie didn’t know why it hadn’t occurred to her sooner. Of course, it had occurred to her, she’d just pushed it right to the back of her mind, so far back that she could barely reach it. She’d grabbed whatever bag was by the door before leaving her apartment, not bothering to check how she looked or if she’d remembered to change into acceptable outdoor clothes - she hadn’t, and was still wearing her cat-print pyjama bottoms. Oh well. Time was of the essence and she didn’t have much of it.

She hailed the first cab she could find, bundling herself into the back as she blurted out the airport and gate number. Dottie had no idea if she would make it in time - this wasn’t a movie, as much as she felt like she was in one right now. The taxi felt like it was crawling through the city streets, stopping at every possible point and taking as long as humanly possible. 

Digging into her pockets, she tossed a few notes the drivers way and climbed out of the vehicle, breaking into a run as she headed off towards the airport building. She could do this, she could make it. She had twenty minutes at least - that was enough time, right? Buy a ticket, find the gate and find Fenn. Totally doable. 

Ticket in hand, Dottie fumbled with her belongings as she half-ran towards the gate. She was exhausted already, so a full sprint would definitely be the end of her. And then she spotted him. Way way ahead of her. “Fenn!” She shouted, quieter than she intended thanks to her breathlessness. “Fenn, wait up!!” 

[dottiemunro]

LUCY HALE photographed by Harry Parvin, december 2022

[dottiemunro]

Fenn ⇄ Dottie

Fenn: That glass-half-full outlook is just one of the many reasons I miss you, Dots 😉

Fenn: I'm thinking we'll stick with the elements and go hiking - I may be a city boy, but I'm psyched to hit those trails!

Fenn: Ahh, thank you for being a normal (albeit lovely!) person. Zoe has been getting on my case about Jordan ever since I told her we were dating and I'm worried she'll try to grill her or otherwise pull some Little Sister shenanigans.

Fenn: 😻 She looks so FESTIVE!

Fenn: What's been going on with you? Got someone else lined up to help you with your tree topper this year? 🌟

Dottie: Awww 🥰 I'd ask you to list all the reasons but that would just make me emotional

Dottie: Oh wow, hiking? Look at you being way outdoorsy! I'm impressed ☺️ You do have the right shoes, don't you?

Dottie: Of course you do, ignore me being all momma bear

Dottie: I'm not remotely surprised that Zoe wants to activate her role as a little sister - she's got a job to do!

Dottie: I can have a word with her if you like though? Girl to girl 😂

Dottie: I can tell you that it lasted all of 5 seconds on her before she clawed it off.

Dottie: Oh nothing much! I actually invested in a new step-ladder so I can reach myself ☺️ #strongindepedentwoman

[dottiemunro]

Fenn ⇄ Dottie

Fenn: It was hard to have a good sense of time up there so it could've been anywhere between three seconds and eight minutes.

Fenn: .....almost certainly closer to three seconds, though.

Fenn: Jordan thought it'd be fun - news to me that the fifth week anniversary gift is water 😳😂

Fenn: She's really cool. Maybe one of these days she could join me on one of our video calls and you two could meet....?

Fenn: Man, I can't believe I'm gonna miss peak holiday vibes! Take SO many pictures for me, Dots!

Dottie: Three seconds is better than no seconds 😊

Dottie: Hahahaa - hey, that's news to me too! That was very sweet of her to make sure you definitely didn't stay dry! Dare I ask what happens at six weeks??

Dottie: Oh I'd love that ☺️ she sounds like a real gem, Fenn. Meeting her would be awesome - or virtually meeting her, at least.

Dottie: I'll spam you with endless holiday pics, I promise. I also MAY have bought Pixie a Christmas jumper that she HATES so obviously pics of that will follow...

Dottie: [image attached]

[dottiemunro]

Fenn ⇄ Dottie

Fenn: All right, so we can cross 'surfing' off the list of attempted hobbies.

Fenn: I came, I saw, I wiped out.

Fenn: ....lots of times....

Fenn: How're things there? The city looking like a scene from a Christmas movie yet?

Dottie: omg

Dottie: How long did you stay upright for? I wanna know what the record was.

Dottie: I can't believe I missed you surfing!

Dottie: Things are good here! They're turning on the lights in a week or so, I'm so excited, and it's definitely feeling cold enough for Christmas right now.

Dottie: It's almost ice rink weather 😊

[dottiemunro]

forrestkane​: 

“damn, i really should’ve specified what type of costume you’re gonna put me in, huh?” fenn wondered aloud, throwing dottie an exaggerated grimace. “i mean, do i get to be something cool like a superhero, or is this gonna be more of a thing where i wouldn’t look out of place as part of a third grader’s project about the solar system? i haven’t even officially agreed, and i’m already getting cold feet here, dots,” he quipped. he snorted a laugh at his best friend’s reasoning. “trust me when i say that your awesomeness is usually at the forefront of my mind,” fenn assured, perhaps a bit more earnestly than their lighthearted conversation called for. suddenly finding the label on the bottle of tea utterly fascinating, he busied himself with picking at it as he willed away the burn in his cheeks. he could practically hear his sister’s voice in his ear, sighing about what a lovestruck idiot he was. it only intensified as he snuck a glance at dottie’s hand and wondered what would happen if he reached across to take it in his own. “um - anyway, i’m in,” he piped up, figuring the confirmation was probably unnecessary but hoping to skate over the momentary silence of his daydream. 

“Mmhm.” Dottie nodded with a slight smirk curling her lips. “You really should.” She arched a brow at his suggestion of dressing as a superhero and she shook her head. “A superhero isn’t a Halloween costume, Fenn! You’ve gotta be at least a little bit spooky - I mean, not too spooky of course, we don’t wanna terrify the kids. But a scare at least.” Dottie was hearing him say that he was still debating saying yes to helping her, but she already knew that ‘yes�� was coming. For sure. Dottie flushed lightly, laughing a little at his compliment, but she knew he was just being himself - always effusive and always eager to make her smile. The silence that followed didn’t strike her as strange at all, but to any third party, the flicker of romantic tension between them was palpable - the silent yearning from Fenn and the quiet pang of growing affection from Dottie. “You are?” Her gaze jumped upwards, eyes lighting up with delight. Despite the fact it wasn’t a surprise to her, she was thrilled he’d said yes. “Don’t worry, I’ll be dressed up too. I’m thinking Catherine Earnshaw - dead Catherine Earnshaw though.”

[dottiemunro]

LUCY HALE photographed by Claire Leahy

[dottiemunro]

forrestkane​: 

fenn peered into the depths of his fridge, eyes darting around until they finally landed on what he was looking for, letting out a small noise of victory as he pulled out the bottle of iced tea and kicked the door closed behind him. despite being friends with dottie his whole life, he’d never gotten into tea - at least, not the proper stuff. fenn liked the idea of making and drinking tea, but his palate and patience just weren’t compatible with it. nevertheless he always kept a stash of dottie’s favorite blends on hand at his place, and had splurged for a top-of-the-line kettle to boot. he plucked a mug out of the cupboard just in time for the device to beep its cheerful tune, pouring what he’d learned was the appropriate amount of hot water into the cup and setting it in front of his best friend as she talked. his eyes narrowed at the sight of her contrite expression, but it was a playful gesture without an inkling of malice; as if there were a single thing he would ever deny her. “that depends, doesn’t it?” he said, still squinting suspiciously as he collected the rest of the necessary accoutrement for dottie’s beverage of choice. “would there be a costume involved? am i gonna be singing a song about pumpkins? would i be paid in candy? because i don’t think i could accept unless the answer to all of those questions was ‘yes,’” he said primly. he snorted a laugh at her embellishments. “dots, not that i’m trying to encourage anything that’s going on here, but shouldn’t you be calling me awesome if you’re trying to convince me to do this thing? food for thought.”

Dottie sat comfortably at Fenn’s table, elbows resting on the hardwood which was ordinarily considered to be rude in a formal situation, but seeing her best friend was rarely formal and she always felt at ease. She watched as he rifled through his fridge and cupboards, gathering everything together to make them. both some tea. “Costume, yes, of course.” She nodded. “I mean, songs about witches, skeletons, vampires - those will do too.” Her smile began to widen as he mentioned payment in candy. She knew she could count on him to lend a hand. If there was one thing Dottie was always certain of, it was that Fenn always had her back, and she always had his, too. “Technically that’s true, but I guess my ploy was to remind you of how awesome I can be so you’d help me? Also, we both already know you’re awesome, that kinda goes without saying, don’t you think?” She hoped her buttering up was buttery enough - she’d never been very good at being persuasive. Obviously, Fenn was an audience she was comfortable with, but she still wasn’t very good at it.

[dottiemunro]

starter for @forrestkane​:

“So, I’m thinking of hosting some kind of Halloween event for the kids at the library, and I was wondering...” Dottie lengthened her vowels, fixing Forrest with an apologetic look, “if I could borrow you to help me out with it?” Her slight grimace morphed into a smile. “I haven’t ironed out the finer details at all, and I know it’s super last minute because Halloween is in less than two weeks but...would you lend a really awesome friend a hand? Pretty please?”

[dottiemunro]

lucyhale: all the way across the sky

[dottiemunro]

@forrestkane

©

[dottiemunro]

forrestkane​: 

fenn’s grin softened somewhat, but he was careful not to let it falter entirely. yeah, they really did have a handle on this friend thing, didn’t they? a lifetime of practice had ensured that their relationship was a well-oiled machine, squeaky wheels usually being diagnosed and treated with the necessary grease in a timely fashion. bffs, on track to genuinely uphold the friendship forever. if it ain’t broke, and all. and yet - fenn wanted more. call him selfish, but he wanted a leading role in dottie’s life, not just to be an (admittedly lauded) member of the ensemble. ah, to be head over heels with his bestie, living out an age-old rom-com cliche. the only question was if the two of them were playing out pretty in pink or when harry met sally….

“and y’know, that really is saying a lot,” forrest piped up, valiantly trying to forge ahead of his silent soliloquy. “i mean, between all the movies i watch and all the books you read, we’ve got all these worlds in our head,” he said, gently tapping a finger against her temple. “we’ve got layers, us two. tough nuts to crack - s’pose that makes us kindred spirits, though, huh?” he reflected, his smile regaining a bit of its previous width. “like calling to like, and all.” dottie’s introversion ensured that she didn’t open up to many people, and fenn had always taken it as a point of pride that he was an exception. maybe it was a bit of a stretch to believe that it also made them soulmates, but you couldn’t blame him for holding out that little bit of faith. 

he chortled at dottie’s choice of words, shaking his head slightly. “i always know what you mean, dots,” he assured her before returning his gaze to the poster. it really was a spectacular find, aged in all the right ways and so perfectly emblematic of a golden age of cinema fenn had always particularly revered. dottie’s grandmother had picked it out especially for him, and it made him feel known and loved in a way that warmed his whole body. “it’s - i mean, it really is - ” he didn’t know how to finish the thought, simply nodding to himself as he examined the poster. it was wonderful, fantastic, phenomenal - but those didn’t feel like strong enough words. he laughed again, more softly this time. “yeah, let’s go with ‘jiminy cricket’ - everyone knows i never grew out of my disney phase.” a good movie was a good movie, and the mouse knew how to churn out a great flick; some of his favorite childhood memories involved watching the animated fairy tales with zoe and dottie, and there were more than a few soundtrack playlists on his spotify. “sure, i’ll stick around,” he readily agreed, eager to thank dottie’s grandmother himself for the unexpected gift. 

fenn hummed in thought. “i think just some earl gray for me,” he requested, rubbing at his still-sore eyes. it had been a long day, and while he was usually up for just about anything he found that he wanted nothing more than a quiet night in with his favorite person. “and, oh, hey, uh - speaking of excitement,” he said, quietly clearing his throat and warding off a twinge of anxiety, something that was usually nonexistent when his best friend was nearby. “i’ve actually got some news.” he spoke the words carefully, weighing each one before offering them up to dottie. 

It was safe to say that Dottie was blissfully unaware of any more-than-friend affection from Fenn. And that wasn’t to say that those thoughts had never crossed her mind, simply that she didn’t expect him to feel anything more than friendship for her, and she could absolutely never lose him from her life. He was too important to her. So, any thoughts that may have crossed her neat and tidy little mind were quickly folded up and placed into a drawer that was so far out of her reach. Best friends was enough for her - in fact, any scenario where Forrest was in her life was all she needed. 

“That’s so true, I never even thought of that. Our brains are like onions just filled with layers and layers of books, movies, quotes and references that only we understand. Well, I guess other people who know the same books and movies will understand too, of course, but you get what I mean.” Dottie rambled, a smile decorating her features as she looked up at Fenn. “Oh yeah, we’re definitely kindred spirits, there’s no doubt about that. I don’t think anyone in the world knows me as well as you do.” She meant every word that she said, and it wasn’t just because Dottie was so reluctant to open herself up to others, no, there was a real trust with him. The kind of trust that happened once in a lifetime. If she let herself get carried away with that thought, no doubt she’d end up rummaging around in the forbidden drawer in her mind. 

She really was thrilled that he liked the gift her grandmother had picked out. In all honesty, she had no doubt he’d love it, but seeing his smile so full of light and joy made her heart skip just a little. “I’ll bet she can imagine you saying that for sure. Come to think of it, I can kinda imagine you saying it. Is that bad?” She snorted softly, amused at the thought. “Next time you stub your toe, that’s what I’m expecting to hear, Fenn, okay?” Her tone was light and teasing, such was the way with their many years of friendship. And she was more than happy that he was sticking around. His company around her apartment always brightened the place up tenfold. 

“Sure! Earl Grey it is.” Dottie turned to make her way over to the kitchenette in the corner of her apartment, flicking the kettle on as she went past. Of course it was full - it was always full because both caffeinated and decaffeinated drinks were her friends. She carefully selected the right tea bags from her extensive selection - Earl Grey for Fenn and a Camomile for herself - popping them each into a mug. Her arms rested against the counter as she waited for the water to boil, and Dottie turned to shift her gaze back over to her best friend. Her interest was piqued by the words ‘excitement’ and ‘news’, and she immediately wanted to know. “Oh yeah?” Her brown quirked in question. “Exciting news? I’m all ears.” She nodded. “Tell me, tell me.” There was the smallest hint of impatience in her voice, but only because she was excited about what he had to tell her. 

[dottiemunro]

LUCY HALE | Instagram

[dottiemunro]

forrestkane​: 

forrest dared a gentle boop to the beloved cat’s nose, laughing when she seemed to wrinkle it in response but then allow him to continue properly petting her. “there’s an aristocats joke in there somewhere, but i bet ms. pix has heard ‘em all at this point. hey, we love her - even if she always falls asleep during movie night,” he added, touching the tips of his fingers to his lips and then to the cat’s head. fenn hadn’t really considered himself a cat person - or any animal person, really - before dottie had adopted pixie, but he’d been pretty easily swayed when he saw how much his best friend had adored the little feline. if dottie cared about something, that was reason enough for fenn - but he also happened to adore the cat on her own adorable merit, and now he considered himself a cat person pretty definitively.  

“you know everything about me.” he’d intended the comment to be a teasing quip, but it came out more earnestly than he’d intended. but it was the truth: his best friend seemed to know him inside and out, more than his own sister. objectively speaking, the idea of being all figured out was a pretty scary concept, but fenn didn’t mind so long as it was dottie who’d done the figuring; there was no one he would trust more with his ridiculous dreamer’s heart than her. he spared pixie a few more pets while her human was gone, but his attention was easily stolen when dottie herself reentered the room. he valiantly fought back a smile as he saw her holding something awkwardly behind herself, mirroring her pose with his own hands behind his back. “mmm,” he said, squinting as he made a show of scrutinizing dottie’s expression. “all right, i’ll take your word for it; i know all your tells by now, and - fuck me running,” he breathed, this last bit directed at the poster she had materialized. he made an exalted little sound that was more or less all vowels as he reverently accepted the piece of memorabilia, gazing down at it like his eyes were positively glued to the vintage placard. the drama, the stirring music, the very heart of tony and maria’s star-crossed love - he felt all of it just by looking at the marketing material. a quiet little voice in the back of fenn’s mind wondered if he would ever be able to create something that would have even a fraction of the lasting impact west side story did. eh, probably not - but he could dream, at least. he blinked himself out of his stupor, grimacing as he looked back up to dottie. “maybe don’t tell her i swore as part of my reaction to it,” he requested sheepishly, holding the poster carefully to his chest. “could we maybe change that line to ‘gee willikers’? nah, too out of character….what do you think of ‘gadzooks’?” he wondered, raising his eyebrows expectantly. “that maybe sounds like something i’d say. and also ‘thank you,’ ‘cause she raised me right.”

.

“Well, she’s definitely more pampered than I am, which is exactly how it should be, so...” Dottie trailed off with a smile and a shrug, knowing that Fenn knew the life of her cat very well, almost as well as she did. Being the best of friends certainly had its perks. Dottie had learned that the moment he’d walked into her life. And she’d never really expected to be that close to a person - her awkwardness and apprehension always seemed to get in the way - but Forrest had somehow scaled those walls she so liked to put up, and now here they were. She wouldn’t change a thing. 

“Right?” She replied as she came back into the room, “you know everything about me, and I know everything about you. We’re doing this best friend thing right, clearly!” She couldn’t help but grin, Fenn always elicited some sort of smile or happy expression from her. Dottie gasped a giggle when she gauged his reaction to the poster, delighted that he seemed to like it - well, not seemed, but definitely did. She handed it over, bouncing lightly on her toes as she gave him a moment to really take a good look and drink it in. Part of her was itching to ask him how much he liked it on a scale of one to a hundred, but she held her tongue, not allowing her impatience to get the better of her. This was his present and his moment and he needed time to appreciate it. “Oh, no, of course, your swears are safe with me. What happens in this apartment stays in this apartment.” She paused for a beat, brow furrowing as she examined her own words. “That sounded weird, but you get what I mean.” A sheepish laugh escaped her and she scrunched her face softly, shaking her head as if to shake off any embarrassment. “I like gadzooks,” she nodded in agreement, “or how about gee whiz or jiminy cricket? I could see her totally believing either of those.” She teased lightly, a small bubble of laughter rising in her chest. “I was gonna call her later on, so if you’re still here when I do, you can give her all the thanks in the world. I think she’d love that.” Dottie headed on over to the kitchen to start boiling some water for tea. “After all that excitement, d’you want a drink? We can play herbal tea roulette again, I was a big fan of that last time you came over! Or you could just play it safe...whatever suits you.”