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!954Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7aslKhmEtl
“Not many people gossip here, if any,” Bobbi assures. “Quiet and safe.”954Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkqE7jYp9X0
“How many books are here?” I ask.954Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwXzz645igQ
“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.”954Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlFay2tFmab
“I would like to read through his works again,” I admit. “It’s been…a long while. Where is the poetry section?”954Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwmk4iL9jln
Bobbi points in the general direction of the back and the three of us walk over. “So, Ama says you’re trustworthy…” I start.954Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTo3jJZPOP3
“Well, I don’t know much about that!” Bobbi laughs. “You say that, Mandy?”954Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgsLUzD4iMk
“Don’t call me Mandy, but yes,” Ama growls. “I trust you…mostly.”954Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRXUKhu5f8N
“Goodness, woman, why?!” Bobbi cackles. “Have you met me?”954Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpSeZ66Mxs3
“Yes,” Ama smiles. “I know your full name, Bob. Don’t tell me that I don’t know you well.”954Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIp0AvjVJ4u
Bobbi blushes furiously. “Poetry, here we are.”954Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrafTRDaVZb
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.954Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQqAoPyFPS9
My head snaps up and Klef runs up to me. “There you are! Where did you run off to?”954Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYuaSoKqc0Q
I blink. “Here.”954Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0Y2lQS0M0I
“I know that, but why?”954Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVoSsZS6Z5m
“Well, typically it’s not a good idea to stay near an attacked area when someone wants to kill you.”954Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡa960bLrYoH
Klef rolls his eyes. “Ride…”954Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡq3GEhnWkbB
“Treble.”954Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIPyufQuI13
“Please work with me here.”954Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrIENtSF5w2
“Why? This is more fun!” I exclaim.954Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4O7tYg8TH0
Klef rolls his eyes and pulls me down for a kiss. “I was worried,” he murmurs.954Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ65ndsMataF
“I’m in good hands,” I assure. “Ama and Bobbi here are trustworthy. And I’m clearly fine.”954Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjhR8unWfys
“But you weren’t in my hands, Ride. I want you with me.”954Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrruln9LRQs
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?”954Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZLniWL1BS0
Klef breaks into laughter. “Ride! C’mon, I thought we were having a moment!”954Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZ5BPvIlCXR
Ama “aww”s behind us. I turn to her and Bobbi. “Please don’t tell anyone,” I request.954Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbNurV4Z0Wo
“Our lips are sealed,” Bobbi assures me.954Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyW59rryuGd
“Speak for yourself!” Ama exclaims.954Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXRXYuJRdbI
“Ama. For all your faults you can keep a secret,” Bobbi chastises.954Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJXMcbiuSO4
“But they’re so cute together! And they shouldn’t have to sneak around to be romantic if they can help it!”954Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxve1OW6nc9
“We choose to sneak around, miss,” Klef explains. “We don’t want to be office gossip.”954Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡumePgV7fcT
“‘Office gossip’,” I scoff. “You make this sound like a reputable business.”954Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxWyRubCIuj
“It is, nowadays,” Klef points out.954Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0KwUdF3Huq
“Oh yeah? To whom, outside our business?” I challenge.954Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9YvkpBK72v
“Well--” Klef starts. “There’s…” he tries. “Okay. Um. You win.”954Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡy64r3Z4zmc
I give Klef a smug smile. “So ha!” I exclaim.954Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTRfPK5SMtT
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.”954Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡILoBCaJmoQ
“Do I?” I tease. We both know that he can.954Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9gdjbg9A2s
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.954Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5eIoOgWH9i
“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.”954Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHZDpmptdt7
I blush. “Shut up. I was going to read. Care to join me?”954Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMR4kyV3HQy
Klef turns nervous. “Oh, that’s okay. I’m more of a numbers guy.”954Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwaZsXrrmo5
“What, can’t you read?” I tease. “And not just memorizing symbols like I’ve seen you do, actually reading.”954Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡo9cDVHdr23
“I can! Just…not…well.”954Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsuvuQDTjwd
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.”954Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyc0VDMFA5F
“Why some kiddie book, though?” Klef whines.954Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsXuq7Lr1TA
“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.954Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrxtlFIoY6v
“Fine. Get me a kid’s book and see if I care,” Klef says, sulking.954Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqOqi5o6knP
“Ama? Bobbi? Where’s the kid’s section?” I ask with a sickening smile.954Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXuV0KH8CH7
“That way,” Bobbi says with a smirk. “I can show you where specifically, just follow me.”954Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡF8yOB0C5Hg
“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--”954Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNkfxXTvZZT
“Here we are,” Bobbi interrupts. They must be as bored with this discussion as I am.954Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ28SCL6gnxn
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.954Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZwWr7GX9SD
“Stealing and Why It’s Wrong is so funny!” I exclaim. “You chose the one book on why you shouldn’t steal!”954Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOLpdOr7IF1
“Oh. Not interested,” Klef says, putting the book back, which just succeeds in making me laugh harder.954Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡv2iK9OqUNZ
“You should read it, Treble! You might learn a thing or two!”954Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡphqp0wBve3
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.954Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ37aN9Ynx8o
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.”954Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnZnt05m2ko
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.”954Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAJQBSWdrkM
“It’s not too bad,” I persuade. I point to the first word. “Don’t you know what this one says?”954Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnPQbMD2y34
“‘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?”954Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡo7hqWLz4JK
“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!”954Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlzSWxndc0h
“Adopt…as in kids?”954Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBLMFRrOIQQ
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.954Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmuMrEEMoaU
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.954Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjku09WzX0f
Penana
search
Loginarrow_drop_down
Registerarrow_drop_down
