Elizabeth did jump when Aleksey closed the gap, but more so she had jumped from feeling Aleksey cup her face. But she didn't bother trying to pull or look away, she relished in his touch and it was visible she did this, putting her hands over the both of his for a few moments until she had heard what he said. She tried making herself be as understanding as she always could, but she was heart broken and hurt. She felt that he was just toying with her still, that it was some sort of cruel joke.<br/><br/>Then she was crying again, right in front of him. She had a hand, her free hand that wasn't holding the keys, gripping to his shirt as if she were ready to cling to him. But after just a minute, of simply staring at him while the tears rolled down her cheeks, she shoved herself away while turning away from him. But before she walked away she stopped, looked to face him again, and took one of his hands with her own, and set the keys down. With her own hand over his, she closed his fingers around the keys as he had done to her when first giving them, that first night he had rushed her to his dorm, or at least tried to, the night she might as well have figured out he was a werewolf.<br/><br/>"Then I guess, this is goodbye." She tried to make her voice sound cold but it came out as a shaky breath that she barely choked out, trying to hold back her tears again but they just kept coming. She pushed herself away again to walk away, but this time she didn't head back for the dinner. She didn't care if she got in trouble. After being a few steps away she stripped her shoes just the same and picked them up so she could feel the grass beneath her feet, wiping at her eyes repeatedly while she ran for her dorm. It'd be another night of crying. And she hadn't gotten an answer she wanted, but that was okay. Because she had learned before that, life didn't play fair.<br/><br/>And out of all things to think of, she started thinking about the Footsteps club, those damned bastards had still been trying to get her to join the entire time Aleksey was gone. But maybe they wouldn't be as bad as they thought... Elizabeth tried shaking her head at herself while she was running for her dorm, not even relatively watching where she was going or what was around her, just that she knew she was headed towards her dorm. She figured if she really needed to go back to the dinner- Then someone would come get her, knock on her door, she didn't care anymore.<br/><br/>At the time, she just wanted to curl up in a ball. She'd do it on the floor, but she figured a bed would be better. Her heart was just more torn, and naturally one would think she'd even consider her father someone to hug, to cry on, but she hated that man like no other. Surely she could've gone to Aleksey's little group even, but now he was back, he'd already be there. That crossed it out. And she possibly even could've ran to Jocelyn, or even William. But she didn't have the guts to do that, to admit that she would want someone to comfort her. So, as always, she planned to lick her own wounds.<br/><br/>Very nearly she stumbled to her dorm, almost tripping multiple times, but her vision was clouded with tears and her thoughts with heart break.