Had she known a week ago saying goodbye would be this difficult, would she still have come? Or would she have spared them both the heartache of separation and longing? Jo hoped she had the strength to take no other lovers so long as this … relationship (was that what they had?) continued, and she trusted him to do the same. But, such celibacy was new and uncomfortable for her. She'd been sexually active since her sixth year at school, and that drive had only grown in the years since. What if she didn't, though? What if she was weak (which she was) and succumbed to some willing soul that was present with her? What if she ruined them without a second thought?

Jo sighed heavily and tucked a stray hair too short for her braid behind her ear. How had a simple flirtation gotten this far? She wasn't some foolish school girl obsessed with romance novels. She had no crazy notions of Zach chasing after her after her boat set sail. As cruel and harsh as it was, this was reality. The odds said there were no happy endings to be had.

Still, she had to have some hope, didn't she? So long as she clung to her memories they would find a way through. Eventually, perhaps, she would consider settling down, and maybe he would be willing to move Whizzard's out of Hogsmeade. Perhaps, somewhere in the mist that was the future, they might be happy.

"And if I want for you?" She asked softly so that only he could hear. "Will it still reach me?"