So She Dances with Greensleeves

by Jordan A. Masters

I looked across the room—she was staring back at me. The fourth time tonight—maybe it wasn’t just coincidence. Nope, definitely not, because here she was, walking across the room now, making a beeline for me. I tried to save her some time, tried to get to her first, but people kept blocking my way.

As I brushed off another potential dance partner—he wasn’t my type, anyway—I felt a tug on my sleeve. I turned, and there she was, in all her radiance, beaming at me. “Dance with me?”

My stomach did a backflip. Unable to talk, I just nodded—I couldn’t ruin the sound of her voice with mine. Damn, but she was cute. Giggling, she led me out onto the dance floor, and a slow dance started—Greensleeves. Fitting—I was wearing a green dress. I tried to put my arms around her neck, but she wasn’t having it. She forced them down around her waist, putting her own around my neck and pulling me into her. I tried not to grin stupidly, even though I knew like this she couldn’t see my face.

Halfway through the song, I felt her hands sliding down the back of my dress. “You’re quite the tease,” I whispered.

She nodded. “But you know you like it.”

Now I had to nod. She wasn’t wrong.

When the song ended, she pulled away from me—if a little reluctantly—and kissed the end of my nose. “I’ll see you ‘round, okay?” She turned away.

“Wait…I don’t even know your name.”

She cocked her head over her shoulder and smiled at me, holding up her left hand. There was a diamond ring on her ring finger. “Taken. That’s my name. But don’t let it get you down—men are stupid. You’ve still got a chance, Lady Greensleeves.” I caught a last glimpse of her through the crowd as she walked away.

I headed for the door, humming. “…Greensleeves, my heart of gold…and who but my Lady Greensleeves?”