Author's note: Hoping that Cats still has WiFi I decided to post another two chapters.

Picnic

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It was divine.

In front of the bench between the rosebush laid a picnic blanket with some cushions spread at the sides. On the bench was a white table cloth with two cups and saucer, two water glasses, two champagne flutes and a cooler, filled with ice cubes and a bottle of champagne with the orange label Barbara only knew from tv shows. The cloth was decorated with some white roses and four or five candle holders which already were lit. At the end of the blanket stood a closed basket. All over the little place rose petals and blossoms were spread.

Barbara let her eyes wander across the garden. Torches were placed here and there and flickered. It was still daylight but in one and a half hours, when it was dark, it would look great.

It already looked incredibly romantic.

Barbara let go of her breath which she did not even know she had held.

"It's perfect." she aspirated and leaned back into Tommy's chest. He surrounded her with his arms from behind.

"A perfect place for a perfect picnic with a perfect lady." he whispered in her ear. His nose was buried in her hair that still smelled so wonderful of vanilla.

Barbara still had to ask how it could have appeared here since he had been out with her the entire day. He possibly could not have prepared it in the morning.

"I have asked my dear butler to do me a great favour: I've sent him on a shopping tour and he collected some items and arranged all this."

"Oh, how noble..." was her sarcastic comment. She had turned her face towards him and raised an eyebrow.

Tommy gave her one of his 'what-do-you-believe-woman?!-looks'. "Do you think I would've cooked myself when we would've been gone to a restaurant?"

He was right but still Barbara realised the difference to when she would have been arranging a picnic. Some things in life could be much more easier with money. And with a butler at hand.

Who always would be around. Freaky... "By the way, where is Mr. Denton?"

"It's simply Denton, he's-"

"Like Havers, huh?" Barbara wrinkled her nose which Tommy could not see but very much was sure she did.

Tommy shook his head. "You're incorrigible." he leaned in to give her another kiss but she turned her head away from him.

"Where is he?" she repeated silently. It was an honest question. She might get used to him eventually but not tonight. She wanted this evening, and this night of course, to be perfect, she wanted to have a way of acting freely and that won't work with another person in the background.

"He had just arranged dinner and then he's gone fishing."

Barbara simply nodded. This was odd. I have to get used to his Butler being around, haven't I? She avoided his eyes.

"We're all alone until monday morning." Tommy grinned cheekily. Then he held out an arm and with the other he pushed back the laurel tree. "Shall we?"

Tommy held her hand helping her to sit down on the blanket. Then he slipped off his soft suede moccasins and fiddled with the bottle until the corc disappeared somewhere in the depth of his garden with a loud plop, which made Barbara nervously giggle, and filled the champagne flutes.

"Well..." he started. "Yesterday morning I absolutely had no idea how entirely great this last weekend of my holidays will develop. I would not at all have thought I'd be sitting here with such a sweet lady, with you."

Tommy leaned over and gave her a small kiss on her lips.

"Don't blush." he whispered.

"Some days ago when my eyes went open I would never have imagined that you and I would work out this, uh, thing between us" He winked. "so soon. Here's to us." he raised his glass.

"To a nice surprise." she shyly answered.

They clinked their glasses.

After a sip and some pensive moments later while both watched the bubbles in their glasses Tommy pulled himself together. If he would not start to turn his mind onto the dinner he assumed that they would not eat at all.

"Right. Let's have a look into that basket. You're hungry?"

"A bit, yes." she admitted and took off her sandals to make herself comfortable on the blanket. Tommy registered it.

"As it happens we've got something to eat in here." Tommy opened the basket and put some boxes, two plates and some cutlery out. He set the blanket, so to say, and poured some still water in the other two glasses. Barbara just watched him and wondered how sweet and neat everything was. Though they had not yet started she already prefered this private picnic instead of some fancy dinner in a posh public restaurant.

Her romantic heart suddenly made another jump.

They started with a segmented box in which there were some olives, pieces of crispy bacon and slices of ciabatta with some sour cream. In a cold thermal box was caviar on eggs and oysters.

Barbara looked a bit disgusted.

"Taste them!" Tommy smiled and offered her an oyster.

"Never!"

His Lordship chuckled at her fervent reply and was rewarded with a playful flap with her pure linen serviette.

"You need to brush your teeth 'n' rinse your mouth twice and intensely before you'll get another kiss. Fishy slime, that!" she said and crunched a piece of bacon. The caviar on an egg-half with a little blob of mayonnaise though were quite tasty, she admitted. They talked casually about sea food and other nourishments they liked or disliked.

Tommy told of the fishing trip he had made a week ago and slowly the conversation drifted into a silent talk about how both had found out during the previous two weeks that they felt more for each other than just collegially friendship, even more than just deep friendship. They confessed that they both had needed some little verbal nudges and wistful glares. His mother even had hit him with some pointed remarks and Winston had made his fun of Barbara several times when he found her again sitting at Tommy's desk without nothing to do at all.

"At some point I had started to have my lunch break all alone. I couldn't bear him any longer."

"That reminds me of the main course of this dinner." Tommy mischievously smiled and unpacked some BLT sandwiches which caused a delighted sigh from Barbara.

"My favourite." she rejoiced.

"I know." Tommy answered. "Remember, we've spent thousands of lunch breaks together."

"...millions of!" she corrected him with a smile. Indeed. More time than with anybody else.

With his mouth full of bacon, lettuce, tomato and bread Tommy just beamed his happiness at Barbara. And there will be millions to follow, and more breakfasts and more dinners...

Cucumber sandwiches, handy little pieces of grilled chicken breast with a special sweet-salty dip and tiny bits of smoked salmon, wrapped in rice paper and a little bit wasabi cream, perfected the meal. Barbara was particularly surprised by the taste of the wasabi salmon which was totally new to her. She wondered about the amount of tinkering work it would be to roll them. They ate and talked silently about how convenient it was to have a butler who could prepare dinner.

"And clean the house." Barbara added.

"For that matter, there is the cleaning staff."

Tommy threw some empty bowls and boxes in a hamper that stood hidden under the bench.

"Well, then it's just cooking, stuffing the dishwasher and polishing the golden tapware." Barbara glared at him.

"...in my castle." Tommy smiled. "And then he dusts the mile long bookshelves and fluffs up the seat cushion on my throne."

Barbara just waved her serviette and Tommy ducked away laughing.

"Honestly, how many servants do you have?"

"Honestly - one single butler." He slightly shook his head. What does she think of the staff of an urban household?! "The charlady is just hired from a cleaning company."

Barbara rolled her eyes. "Sweet comforts of the rich."

You'll get used to it. Tommy thought and grinned that special grin he saves for Barbara when she grouses about his lot.

"Remind me on wednesday that I need to clean my windows." She dug her teeth in the feta-stuffed dolmades he had just fetched from the basket. In combination with some miniature camemberts, sweet grapes and salty shortbread the dolmades made a fine small third course during which they talked about his rowing career at Eton and her success with the girl's football team of Acton.

"You were playing football?" Tommy asked gobsmacked.

Barbara nodded. "I've even played ice hockey in winter. Crazy modern times, huh?"

"No, it's not that. You know!" he searched for the right words. "It's just that I can't imagine you running around in a football jersey, wearing shin pads and slide into the opponent." Hell, I wish I could slide into you!

Slightly blushing Tommy hoped she would not recognise his sudden naughty thoughts. He was a bit shocked himself having let this thought creep into his mind.

Barbara had not noticed. She chuckled. "You wouldn't believe it but I was a fair player. I did not slide into my opponent. Not on a regular basis. I used to work with foul words."

Now she grinned.

Tommy laughed. He could very well imagine that. Besides he could very well imagine her whispering naughty words into his ear. He shook his head to get rid of the mood he was getting in.

"Why did you stop playing football?"

"Well, the team finally came apart when I was 17. Y'know, in Acton the common hobby of a young girl was havin' a boyfriend 'n' searchin' for another job. You don't have time for football." Barbara sighed. "Apart from the occasional visit in the arena cheering for your boyfriend's team, that is."

Tommy nodded. It was another world she grew up in. They did not need to talk about that again but it stayed a fact.

"Well, that rowing turned to be none of my hobbies anymore in a similar way." He winked. "I started to discover the opposite sex."

Another empty box landed in the hamper under the bench when Barbara failed to ignore the thought of having him above her. The image of Tommy sliding back and forth on a rowing seat with a sweaty bare chest was of no help either.

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