#while editing

"Because I had planned on us having a picnic here to celebrate your citizenship, but you know, things happened, appendages were lost, thankfully none of mine..."

"Is a picnic without a blanket a picnic?" she asked with a smile, tearing a small piece off of the croissant she had grabbed from the basket.

"It is if you pulled a back muscle and wouldn’t be able to get up again."

"I would help you back up, old man."

The mischievous smile on her lips was hard to ignore, even more so when she popped the piece of croissant in her mouth and chewed slowly.

He dragged his gaze upwards and was met with eyes full of mirth. "Call me old man one more time and I'll never speak to you again." He opened a bottle of champagne, and filled the plastic champagne flutes.

"Promise?"

The teasing tone of her voice awoke the dormant butterflies in his stomach. It hadn't felt like this between them in a long time.

He handed her a glass, looked her straight in the eyes, and confidently said, "You would miss my voice."

The brightness in her eyes seemed to dim momentarily, before a soft smile appeared on her lips. "I did.

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