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!1045Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmyFK9EnTWH
“Not many people gossip here, if any,” Bobbi assures. “Quiet and safe.”1045Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXW3xHiWhwm
“How many books are here?” I ask.1045Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡerocNWo4ba
“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.”1045Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡW1TzgAMgU6
“I would like to read through his works again,” I admit. “It’s been…a long while. Where is the poetry section?”1045Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡla9ToyLQOf
Bobbi points in the general direction of the back and the three of us walk over. “So, Ama says you’re trustworthy…” I start.1045Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqM24JxxFzP
“Well, I don’t know much about that!” Bobbi laughs. “You say that, Mandy?”1045Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsXQZbBlEhe
“Don’t call me Mandy, but yes,” Ama growls. “I trust you…mostly.”1045Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNbHwY2YL0H
“Goodness, woman, why?!” Bobbi cackles. “Have you met me?”1045Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdxKhx4UdTB
“Yes,” Ama smiles. “I know your full name, Bob. Don’t tell me that I don’t know you well.”1045Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoFkMAxxIz2
Bobbi blushes furiously. “Poetry, here we are.”1045Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmmfkGy3nPD
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.1045Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLOMlotKKaP
My head snaps up and Klef runs up to me. “There you are! Where did you run off to?”1045Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXRCKFoQbAC
I blink. “Here.”1045Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡA89WKzdzxw
“I know that, but why?”1045Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsat53T4V23
“Well, typically it’s not a good idea to stay near an attacked area when someone wants to kill you.”1045Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ45j4M6LxRo
Klef rolls his eyes. “Ride…”1045Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ50hqjEPQdL
“Treble.”1045Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGZkLdrtSbk
“Please work with me here.”1045Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmRJ0sh4fSu
“Why? This is more fun!” I exclaim.1045Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMjNhHTcvCX
Klef rolls his eyes and pulls me down for a kiss. “I was worried,” he murmurs.1045Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6hwj7d9qs9
“I’m in good hands,” I assure. “Ama and Bobbi here are trustworthy. And I’m clearly fine.”1045Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkptZuy1ca1
“But you weren’t in my hands, Ride. I want you with me.”1045Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ63IkuPHS01
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?”1045Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXKEL4xSPB4
Klef breaks into laughter. “Ride! C’mon, I thought we were having a moment!”1045Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡM9OANOmhGq
Ama “aww”s behind us. I turn to her and Bobbi. “Please don’t tell anyone,” I request.1045Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡH2t3Sqym6J
“Our lips are sealed,” Bobbi assures me.1045Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡP2Qpf9UVqV
“Speak for yourself!” Ama exclaims.1045Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZKUdKBu3G4
“Ama. For all your faults you can keep a secret,” Bobbi chastises.1045Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqG7sKMp9up
“But they’re so cute together! And they shouldn’t have to sneak around to be romantic if they can help it!”1045Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIE20V3fihc
“We choose to sneak around, miss,” Klef explains. “We don’t want to be office gossip.”1045Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡa2XZN0OMOf
“‘Office gossip’,” I scoff. “You make this sound like a reputable business.”1045Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡL0S2C2l5t4
“It is, nowadays,” Klef points out.1045Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKhcylSWvuh
“Oh yeah? To whom, outside our business?” I challenge.1045Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyOFOS1QPNt
“Well--” Klef starts. “There’s…” he tries. “Okay. Um. You win.”1045Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFGQp4HJssT
I give Klef a smug smile. “So ha!” I exclaim.1045Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡo3pLFtPWgX
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.”1045Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFoGgscDALI
“Do I?” I tease. We both know that he can.1045Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXy0Orxaiek
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.1045Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡP7BYzVsF6x
“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.”1045Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOWvg0PSZw4
I blush. “Shut up. I was going to read. Care to join me?”1045Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoAHIJpEYta
Klef turns nervous. “Oh, that’s okay. I’m more of a numbers guy.”1045Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmaTJgVC2vN
“What, can’t you read?” I tease. “And not just memorizing symbols like I’ve seen you do, actually reading.”1045Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡH26zSKhWUW
“I can! Just…not…well.”1045Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡK0pUuzsQtY
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.”1045Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPV0kXbToLp
“Why some kiddie book, though?” Klef whines.1045Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡllwzdnMTz3
“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.1045Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAtg1RYIKfT
“Fine. Get me a kid’s book and see if I care,” Klef says, sulking.1045Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡarqUxJcyzm
“Ama? Bobbi? Where’s the kid’s section?” I ask with a sickening smile.1045Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbiaUWTvR2B
“That way,” Bobbi says with a smirk. “I can show you where specifically, just follow me.”1045Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhVcxSDbWYu
“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--”1045Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡf3p7cMmDaN
“Here we are,” Bobbi interrupts. They must be as bored with this discussion as I am.1045Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiCWU3hUtDd
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.1045Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmd5vU3aV7T
“Stealing and Why It’s Wrong is so funny!” I exclaim. “You chose the one book on why you shouldn’t steal!”1045Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoJEn65IRZB
“Oh. Not interested,” Klef says, putting the book back, which just succeeds in making me laugh harder.1045Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEwnzJnnbHq
“You should read it, Treble! You might learn a thing or two!”1045Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaZR3d39OOw
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.1045Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8f298Mcikq
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.”1045Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDG2Ag4A5Y2
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.”1045Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡulXUAgmHsV
“It’s not too bad,” I persuade. I point to the first word. “Don’t you know what this one says?”1045Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaqUoFn97v1
“‘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?”1045Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsUpD1NzgfH
“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!”1045Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡElAQQLOf8R
“Adopt…as in kids?”1045Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSw6ilWvGs6
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.1045Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡG4uIDiZPtC
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.1045Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxeAWBFZK1j
Penana
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