Elizabeth looked up at Aleksey and his excitement, but hadn't really said anything, her hand resting on her upper arm. And it surely was something to see, the way his expression changed, the way the look in his eyes changed. It was as if he had a hole, and all his excitement had just drained away, like air from a balloon, or something of the sort at least.<br/><br/>She had been about to choke something out, when he had cupped her face and kissed her. Jumping slightly at first, in an instant she had relaxed enough to very nearly go limp just from the kiss, but at the same time had quickly placed her hands over his own, as if to keep them there. And almost immediately she had started crying silently. But she felt as though it had all ended too soon.<br/><br/>And for a momemt she was heart broken again, afraid Aleksey had pulled away, as if he had made a mistake in kissing her. But she soon saw the same woman before, evidently Nika. She wanted to yell at this woman just as Aleksey seemed to be doing then. She would've pleaded and begged if it had meant talking with Aleksey. But at his shout, she very nearly felt her heart stop with a wrench first.<br/><br/>He did love her.. Any few tears that had already been coming down her cheeks were only falling faster and harder now, but her crying stayed silent. Dearly, she wanted to hug him, but she was afraid as to what the Nika woman wanted to do. She had known it wasn't one sided. He had loved her too... And now she just wanted to hug, and cling to him, but she could only watch.<br/><br/>How would the woman respond? As far as she could tell, it sounded like Aleksey had been told not to talk to her. So that was what that had been about... He hadnt done it on purpose... But this only wrenched at her heart further, and she very nearly tackled him with a hug right there and then, but she just stared at the two before her, speechless really. She did manage a whisper though, directed right for Aleksey.<br/><br/>"I love you too..." It would've sounded strange to anyone else possibly, but she knew what she was saying. She was returning that whisper from the morning he left, when she was still asleep.