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!1142Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUAMh9UPc2W
“Not many people gossip here, if any,” Bobbi assures. “Quiet and safe.”1142Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJuY8IpLX8N
“How many books are here?” I ask.1142Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNnt1rNEggB
“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.”1142Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKvNLkRaaSe
“I would like to read through his works again,” I admit. “It’s been…a long while. Where is the poetry section?”1142Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQDRZzBGlxj
Bobbi points in the general direction of the back and the three of us walk over. “So, Ama says you’re trustworthy…” I start.1142Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAVLP8xGqTS
“Well, I don’t know much about that!” Bobbi laughs. “You say that, Mandy?”1142Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4pySR5geNV
“Don’t call me Mandy, but yes,” Ama growls. “I trust you…mostly.”1142Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBX972e4nQH
“Goodness, woman, why?!” Bobbi cackles. “Have you met me?”1142Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjG3yfifu6I
“Yes,” Ama smiles. “I know your full name, Bob. Don’t tell me that I don’t know you well.”1142Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDg97tsJnA4
Bobbi blushes furiously. “Poetry, here we are.”1142Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2gzLjbvyvG
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.1142Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQni6JFWpxO
My head snaps up and Klef runs up to me. “There you are! Where did you run off to?”1142Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡScqi3UN2GI
I blink. “Here.”1142Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡv2bIJ8RAo7
“I know that, but why?”1142Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6PKyIN5MEr
“Well, typically it’s not a good idea to stay near an attacked area when someone wants to kill you.”1142Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJ4vBRy8oR9
Klef rolls his eyes. “Ride…”1142Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuvIT1SWjoF
“Treble.”1142Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2JCpF7O4T7
“Please work with me here.”1142Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpqFI7NX4i9
“Why? This is more fun!” I exclaim.1142Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPBgrErGdAZ
Klef rolls his eyes and pulls me down for a kiss. “I was worried,” he murmurs.1142Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9nlN43V39r
“I’m in good hands,” I assure. “Ama and Bobbi here are trustworthy. And I’m clearly fine.”1142Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTQHX8xZv7A
“But you weren’t in my hands, Ride. I want you with me.”1142Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8iVnMtc0oH
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?”1142Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXDjlyF0B9D
Klef breaks into laughter. “Ride! C’mon, I thought we were having a moment!”1142Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSAoeUjjXLQ
Ama “aww”s behind us. I turn to her and Bobbi. “Please don’t tell anyone,” I request.1142Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLEqVavTVOj
“Our lips are sealed,” Bobbi assures me.1142Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡISORlij69t
“Speak for yourself!” Ama exclaims.1142Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ15HEAk7ty1
“Ama. For all your faults you can keep a secret,” Bobbi chastises.1142Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeHIYZSZDJu
“But they’re so cute together! And they shouldn’t have to sneak around to be romantic if they can help it!”1142Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡe5cnPk8LuP
“We choose to sneak around, miss,” Klef explains. “We don’t want to be office gossip.”1142Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMepI0nacTW
“‘Office gossip’,” I scoff. “You make this sound like a reputable business.”1142Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡH2jm25VU1g
“It is, nowadays,” Klef points out.1142Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTDJx5Yj59o
“Oh yeah? To whom, outside our business?” I challenge.1142Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmUt2msGW4A
“Well--” Klef starts. “There’s…” he tries. “Okay. Um. You win.”1142Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPNBX2n9n5p
I give Klef a smug smile. “So ha!” I exclaim.1142Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQ2b6G3Rst0
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.”1142Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHoySx7eUKz
“Do I?” I tease. We both know that he can.1142Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgcDVOo3Kqn
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.1142Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJEbdScs9RA
“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.”1142Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBlpG6v4fty
I blush. “Shut up. I was going to read. Care to join me?”1142Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡD5NEMoorK8
Klef turns nervous. “Oh, that’s okay. I’m more of a numbers guy.”1142Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrDtMmO7isB
“What, can’t you read?” I tease. “And not just memorizing symbols like I’ve seen you do, actually reading.”1142Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGPH2b8Ghwo
“I can! Just…not…well.”1142Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKoqpGxgkUH
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.”1142Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLA8djgClsh
“Why some kiddie book, though?” Klef whines.1142Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXR3NwXcWvM
“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.1142Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUknAQ1azfg
“Fine. Get me a kid’s book and see if I care,” Klef says, sulking.1142Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNiahhYOVwN
“Ama? Bobbi? Where’s the kid’s section?” I ask with a sickening smile.1142Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJAbT0sKpVV
“That way,” Bobbi says with a smirk. “I can show you where specifically, just follow me.”1142Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbdo02NhBB4
“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--”1142Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsd2WbgRhne
“Here we are,” Bobbi interrupts. They must be as bored with this discussion as I am.1142Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡF4Oel2edA1
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.1142Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUhxMKlPTOf
“Stealing and Why It’s Wrong is so funny!” I exclaim. “You chose the one book on why you shouldn’t steal!”1142Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkfVRKF1LkV
“Oh. Not interested,” Klef says, putting the book back, which just succeeds in making me laugh harder.1142Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuGjDGzce8q
“You should read it, Treble! You might learn a thing or two!”1142Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxGTXpreJWs
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.1142Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdajWfW4gP3
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.”1142Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZLPi0rKUpW
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.”1142Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWP2xLL8SlU
“It’s not too bad,” I persuade. I point to the first word. “Don’t you know what this one says?”1142Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDvag42LFP0
“‘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?”1142Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7X867jYaKV
“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!”1142Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkjlyNjygqY
“Adopt…as in kids?”1142Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnxzbAv1AOs
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.1142Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9pI5jpdIQk
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.1142Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡehBtTKLX7L
Penana
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