Once again, Alfred was stopping her from leaving. Jo tried wrenched her arm from his grasp once again, if only to back away from him. It didn't matter that he thought they could still be friends (they couldn't) or that he continued to entertain the idea of traveling with her (he shouldn't). None of it fucking mattered because she was about to break Zach's heart, and she couldn't watch Alfred be happy doing the one thing she couldn't. She couldn't watch Alfred be married and sacrifice everything for it when the very thought of doing so herself gave her such intense nausea.

"Don't what?!" She demanded. "I can't fucking stay here, Alfred." Here, his flat, this country. If she was to break Zach's heart, then she ought to do it the cleanest way possible. She ought to just go, to spare him any further fluffy romance. Her eyes dampened with hot tears, though mercifully none fell. Jo stared up toward's the ceiling as if that might push the water back inside her skull. "I can't stay."