"There's no need," she assured. "I'll be fine." In that moment, a police car pulled up. Three officers left the car, and joined them. Poppy pointed them towards the spies, and they unlocked them, pulled them into the van, and drove away. "They need to be discreet," she explained, taking his hand again. "If they come with sirens and dogs, then more people will know where I am. Hence, the alleyway and the quick retrieval."
"A little," she said easily, whistling lowly. "But at least it was a distraction." She squeezed his hand. "Do you still want to head to the park?"
"Yeah, sure. It's been a bit since I've had a nice walk in the park." He glanced at her. "Know any cool spots?"
They approached the park, and Tom padded along beside them. She ducked through some trees, and the various voices began to fade away as they distanced themselves from the other park attendees. Finally, they came across a clearing. The sun shined down on spring green grass, and birds chirped up ahead. The ground was soft and springy, and Poppy sat down, grinning up at him.
She cocked her head, watching him carefully. Finally, she leaned forward and kissed him, her lips soft against his. "Wow. I love you too."
"No," she murmured, looking up into his eyes. "No. I just..." She hesitated, and then kissed him again. "I didn't think I would ever hear you say that again."
She shifted, and kissed a line down to his neck. "Why wouldn't I accept it?" she murmured against his skin. "I'm not the one who was deserted."
She watched him for a moment, a small smile crossing her lips. "Always?" she asked. "That's an awfully long time."
