theotheraldrich:
“C’mon Dottie, you know it ain’t anyone else’s fault but mine. There wasn’t anythin’ you could’ve done.” He took a more serious tone, shrugging his shoulders lightly. He had multiple opportunities to get out of the mess he caused, he just never took them. “Are you tryin’ to say I’m one of your girls? I needed someone to talk to? Aldrich’s aren’t big talkers.” Letting out a humorless laugh, he shook his head. Talking wouldn’t have helped him in this situation. “Oh, it’s worse. I didn’t care before all you girls started yellin’ at me about how I was gonna end up ruinin’ her life. I’m serious. I was happy doin’ my thing, being a jerk, then y’all got in my head and made me have to think about the consequences of my actions. I’m not used to that. Now I gotta worry about her gettin’ hurt and how bein’ with me is gonna impact her life. I don’t think it will, not as bad as y’all think it will, but who can tell.” Maybe it was just wishful thinking on his part. “I appreciate you not thinkin’ I’m all bad. Your eyes still look a little red staring back at me, feels like I got lasers pointed at me, but you’re talkin’ to me at least, so that’s something.”
Suddenly the parking lot outside of Bushel’s didn’t feel like the right place to be having this conversation. Dottie hated that she had to have this conversation in the first place. “See I don’t think like that, I think there’s always somethin’ someone could’ve done in any given situation. And it ain’t all your fault, you said she had some family issues. She’s usin’ you as much as you’re usin’ her, the problem is you shoulda known better than to get in as deep as you have, shoulda known better period. And as much as I appreciate that you’re able to care about what you’ve done to her, you’re forgettin’ what you’ve done to yourself. Frostford’s a small town, you know that. And judgin’ by the way everyone’s talkin’ about your little rendezvous it ain’t somethin’ they’re gonna stop talkin’ about for a long time. I hate to say it Christopher but this is gonna follow you to your grave, you know that, right? Bein’ Sadie Lockhart’s ex ain’t nothin’ compared to the new title you’ve given yourself. How’re you gonna recover from that? There’s not gonna be a single day that goes by without someone lookin’ at you and thinkin’ that you’re a creep. What’re you gonna do when you start losin’ business ‘cause everyone’s scared to have you around their daughters? You’re never gonna escape this girl,” she sighed. ”And the people who you are friends with? We’re never gonna be able to escape her either.”