If Alfred were anyone else, Jo likely would've hesitated to sit so close to him. Not because she was suddenly prudish or because she didn't like the reassurance of someone else's touch, but because of her loyalty to Zach. Despite never having a conversation about what they were to one another, Jo knew without a shadow of a doubt that he wouldn't be pleased to learn she was intimate with another man. Alfred, though, was an entirely different breed. He, too, was loyal to the one he cared for, even when a nude woman snuggled into him. And so, when Alfred shifted so that their knees and hands touched, Jo moved only to further both their comfort.

She followed his instructions, spreading her thumb and fingers just so. Her fingers remained in the spread position as he moved and tore the pillow once more. It was with some hesitance that she nodded her head and replied, "Ready." The chant and its pronunciations still worried her, but what better way was there than to learn by doing?