I look at Bobbi, then the door, cracking it open slightly. Inside is the biggest library I’ve ever seen. Granted, I haven’t seen a lot of libraries, but it’s huge!1015Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡu0wDkjALjx
“Not many people gossip here, if any,” Bobbi assures. “Quiet and safe.”1015Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsUb9gn8B7M
“How many books are here?” I ask.1015Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYO19Sje5l1
“I’m not sure,” Bobbi says. “You’re welcome to count them, if you want. But your Dad says you like William Blake, and we have him somewhere around here.”1015Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKQqHs7QJec
“I would like to read through his works again,” I admit. “It’s been…a long while. Where is the poetry section?”1015Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡygHWCrhNSZ
Bobbi points in the general direction of the back and the three of us walk over. “So, Ama says you’re trustworthy…” I start.1015Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqsz3SZvtAH
“Well, I don’t know much about that!” Bobbi laughs. “You say that, Mandy?”1015Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpsalhpUxiQ
“Don’t call me Mandy, but yes,” Ama growls. “I trust you…mostly.”1015Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡr6hZMUyZK9
“Goodness, woman, why?!” Bobbi cackles. “Have you met me?”1015Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIOUvS4mRUF
“Yes,” Ama smiles. “I know your full name, Bob. Don’t tell me that I don’t know you well.”1015Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtL57XOI7VY
Bobbi blushes furiously. “Poetry, here we are.”1015Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRLyGPqXoH9
I turn to look at the number of books they have, which is quite a lot for just poetry. I look for “BLA” while Ama and Bobbi speak to each other in hushed tones. I snatch a book off the shelf when I see “Blake” on the spine and start flipping through it. “Ride!” a certain someone calls in that familiar voice.1015Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfr2hi4Q5Wy
My head snaps up and Klef runs up to me. “There you are! Where did you run off to?”1015Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2iTGqjkAt5
I blink. “Here.”1015Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡL0vCF33FGK
“I know that, but why?”1015Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqKXFOGX9tr
“Well, typically it’s not a good idea to stay near an attacked area when someone wants to kill you.”1015Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6MAoJoKEcm
Klef rolls his eyes. “Ride…”1015Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSOrnEvmZ0W
“Treble.”1015Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4vJxOrtMq9
“Please work with me here.”1015Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8C7h40JS1B
“Why? This is more fun!” I exclaim.1015Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyhq1squS1Z
Klef rolls his eyes and pulls me down for a kiss. “I was worried,” he murmurs.1015Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOPAyfCrRJG
“I’m in good hands,” I assure. “Ama and Bobbi here are trustworthy. And I’m clearly fine.”1015Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9dgcfNU9ig
“But you weren’t in my hands, Ride. I want you with me.”1015Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ43iRCynhDy
I grab his hands and squeeze them. 5 years ago I would have been weirded out by his intense gaze right now, but these days I can’t help but find it adorable. “Don’t worry. My heart’s always with you, isn’t it? You still have the box I put it in?”1015Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLqOCziAh31
Klef breaks into laughter. “Ride! C’mon, I thought we were having a moment!”1015Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbkI2XUuois
Ama “aww”s behind us. I turn to her and Bobbi. “Please don’t tell anyone,” I request.1015Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXBhPE9oWti
“Our lips are sealed,” Bobbi assures me.1015Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeHc3indzxy
“Speak for yourself!” Ama exclaims.1015Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEctEElY9o3
“Ama. For all your faults you can keep a secret,” Bobbi chastises.1015Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwHvAaTt7OJ
“But they’re so cute together! And they shouldn’t have to sneak around to be romantic if they can help it!”1015Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡd9lSlxYR5K
“We choose to sneak around, miss,” Klef explains. “We don’t want to be office gossip.”1015Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7qmBawLZhl
“‘Office gossip’,” I scoff. “You make this sound like a reputable business.”1015Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBQ9hayt9i2
“It is, nowadays,” Klef points out.1015Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbZmV52qf2Q
“Oh yeah? To whom, outside our business?” I challenge.1015Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡb837kqBRMq
“Well--” Klef starts. “There’s…” he tries. “Okay. Um. You win.”1015Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡA88GB5iXgP
I give Klef a smug smile. “So ha!” I exclaim.1015Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoxunwvNaoQ
Klef is just indulging me at this point, but I choose to gloat a while longer. He whacks me on my arm and I whack the back of his head. “Oh, an escalation?” he asks with a devilish grin. “I can do that too, you know.”1015Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ59nSUuszTT
“Do I?” I tease. We both know that he can.1015Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡduufsvwI1c
He gets on his toes and presses his lips against mine lightly and we both smile. Bobbi laughs. “Still in the honeymoon period?” they ask.1015Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLpHcLmqnwj
“Ah, no. But she was in an abusive relationship so I make sure that I’m not crossing any boundaries. Some days she’s okay with kissing some not. I don’t make assumptions.” Klef shrugs. “So I give her plenty of time to say no. Doesn’t really matter to me whether or not I can kiss her. I just love being around her.”1015Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOk5Wo6uZQ4
I blush. “Shut up. I was going to read. Care to join me?”1015Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWFGlKbOywz
Klef turns nervous. “Oh, that’s okay. I’m more of a numbers guy.”1015Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡee60JyTZeE
“What, can’t you read?” I tease. “And not just memorizing symbols like I’ve seen you do, actually reading.”1015Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9B6RqoEszP
“I can! Just…not…well.”1015Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyBDDxoPSl2
I smirk. “Looks like Treble has trouble with something after all!” He groans, and I ease up on the gloating. But not too much. “Reading, like anything, requires practice. Come on, we can find you a picture book.”1015Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhyYzr6hwA2
“Why some kiddie book, though?” Klef whines.1015Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjZx87v5vhm
“Do you want to read adult poetry with tons of big words?” I ask him, holding up the book in my hands to emphasize my point.1015Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9YrpQrmBeR
“Fine. Get me a kid’s book and see if I care,” Klef says, sulking.1015Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrqcOtC0Yse
“Ama? Bobbi? Where’s the kid’s section?” I ask with a sickening smile.1015Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhiY3MQERZg
“That way,” Bobbi says with a smirk. “I can show you where specifically, just follow me.”1015Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡc8PMHYtrx5
“You better keep quiet about this,” Klef threatens. “Otherwise other people might think that they’re more qualified for my position here. And I love my position, I don’t ever want to give it up. It’s important to me. I’d daresay it’s so important to me that not even Rides could--”1015Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmgCeYe2HR8
“Here we are,” Bobbi interrupts. They must be as bored with this discussion as I am.1015Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMGAqDHxb3S
I know all too well Klef is talking about his “position” being not only my partner in crime, but my boyfriend. I grin at the thought of teaching my boyfriend how to read, though, and proceed to drag Klef through the books. Klef picks out one that’s colorful, and I laugh. “What’s so funny?!” he asks.1015Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgxssXgJtZw
“Stealing and Why It’s Wrong is so funny!” I exclaim. “You chose the one book on why you shouldn’t steal!”1015Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPCotX8lqoN
“Oh. Not interested,” Klef says, putting the book back, which just succeeds in making me laugh harder.1015Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsFtmVUYkWa
“You should read it, Treble! You might learn a thing or two!”1015Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYXSW3ou9db
Klef sighs in that way he has that makes it seem like he’s questioning all of his life choices. He picks out another book and struggles to read the title this time. “Oh, this one’s about food!” he exclaims when he figures it out.1015Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkyq7BFBtvJ
I roll my eyes. Out of all of the books he could have chosen…“Typical,” I sigh. “Come on, I’ll help you read it.”1015Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡx6SrsM82RC
Klef whoops, and drops to the ground with the book in his lap. He frowns. “Now I remember why I don’t read. This is hard on the eyes and the brain.”1015Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJKqQSdZbHX
“It’s not too bad,” I persuade. I point to the first word. “Don’t you know what this one says?”1015Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQFVebwrmSU
“‘Jo’,” Klef responds, rolling his eyes. “Look, I’d rather have complex equations than words any day. And I don’t even like complex equations. Why can’t you just leave me to be illiterate in peace?”1015Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9ruAUIDijl
“Because what if we adopt one day? I can’t be the only one to read to our prospective kids!” I say. “Besides, reading is good for you, and your eyesight is practically perfect! You can see it just fine, you may as well make use of the fact that you have the opportunity to read!”1015Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5lTjXR3Ayr
“Adopt…as in kids?”1015Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOAFkC4SmO1
Oh. I’ve never said anything about kids before now, so it comes off as totally out of the blue. “Yeah, you can’t exactly adopt an adult, can you?” I joke.1015Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrlpyFCExGs
Klef smiles and I can tell that he’ll let the matter rest, for now. “S’pose not,” he says easily, and leans back, sighing at the pages of his book.1015Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡr6rTZ74aPL
Penana
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