Emerald Flight: Homecoming: Return to Grace (continued)

Elizabeth took another cautious sip of her drink, eyeing him carefully over the rim of her glass. She was grateful that her drink had been served in a goblet, instead of the traditional stemmed glass. It made it less obvious just what she was drinking, just in case he might have disapproved of her selection. She swallowed, managing to get it down without choking this time.

The young man was staring off into the not-so-distant depths of the club, much as Elizabeth herself had done a few minutes earlier. His eyes moved among the crowd, but did not seem to settle on anything—or anyone—that he found particularly interesting. He sipped at his drink idly, not really seeming to pay any attention to it. To Elizabeth, he was the image of almost effortless composure.

He turned, moving as though to put his nearly-empty glass down on the bar. Elizabeth swallowed, realizing that she might be losing her chance, and gulped down a deep portion of her drink in order to fortify her courage. She swallowed past the burning sensation this time, her throat still slightly raw from the first drink, and moved in closer.

“Elizabeth.”

The word was out of her mouth before she realized it, making its way past her slightly numb lips and increasingly fuzzy mind.

The young man turned his head and studied her for a moment. A mild look of bemusement slowly expanded across his expression.

“That’s my name,” Elizabeth explained, since it was evident that he was not understanding her simple statement. “Elizabeth.”

Now he smiled. “Jackson,” he replied. “Jackson Taylor.”

Elizabeth smiled back in return, sincerely hoping that she did not appear as inebriated as she suddenly felt. She left her hand awkwardly, not entirely sure whether she should try to shake his or what the proper custom was.

He looked at her hand, then at Elizabeth, and then back at her uplifted hand. After a brief moment, and with a faint smile, he took her hand and lifted it slightly before bending his head and kissing it lightly.

Elizabeth felt a completely unexpected tingle run along the length of her outstretched arm. She nearly pulled it back suddenly, but reasoned quickly that such an action might be considered rude. Instead, she smiled up at him, feeling completely foolish as she could feel just how wide her grin was.