Jo felt him fading. She could feel his shoulders slowly start dissolving under her hands as they kissed. She closed her eyes and sighed, letting the last tiny remnants of him fade into the silence. She was alone in his room. Dropping to the floor, she pulled his jacket around her and inhaled the smell of him. She didn't cry, she didn't shout, she didn't kick and scream, at least not on the outside. On the inside she was doing all of those things at once. 

Jo stood up and walked over the the pool in the corner, staring at the reflection looking up at her. Her eyes were red rimmed and her cheeks were flushed. Without really knowing, she turned and tossed her entire body onto the bed. That was when it hit her. The mattress didn't dip beside her from where he would sit down. She didn't feel his hand on her hair like she had grown used to. She couldn't hear his slow steady breaths. She sobbed quietly and hugged his white coat to her chest.

[hr]

3 days later

Jo walked down the pier with a stuffed lion tucked securely under her right arm and ate the remaining piece of the hot dog she had ordered. The gaping hole in her stomach had eased enough for her to at least eat something. The guys at the mansion had been understanding of her distance, but she knew they were growing restless. She had to help them as well.

Looking down at her phone, she shot a quick text to Carla to let her know that she was doing fine and Leon was fine. Carla had went with Paul to Miami for a long vacation. Jo climbed in her jeep and headed back to the mansion. She didn't know who to help first, but she knew she needed to get back to it.

Pushing the heavy door open with the stuffed animal in tow, Jo stopped when she realized they were sitting in the living room. Her face heated up and she gave a small wave, trying to push the lion behind her back. "Um..Who do I need to start helping first? I'm sorry I haven't really been myself lately." She gave a small shrug and headed to Leon's room to deposit her things and the lion, the new addition to her pillow collection.