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!1064Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡc3GYWpRgmF
“Not many people gossip here, if any,” Bobbi assures. “Quiet and safe.”1064Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLVdS6LePfk
“How many books are here?” I ask.1064Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡynnPmCgQLa
“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.”1064Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡR5VY0Yluku
“I would like to read through his works again,” I admit. “It’s been…a long while. Where is the poetry section?”1064Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKZPWjDwXTL
Bobbi points in the general direction of the back and the three of us walk over. “So, Ama says you’re trustworthy…” I start.1064Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡz7ChZvO7t8
“Well, I don’t know much about that!” Bobbi laughs. “You say that, Mandy?”1064Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjlvlLeLVp9
“Don’t call me Mandy, but yes,” Ama growls. “I trust you…mostly.”1064Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtTflqPycVQ
“Goodness, woman, why?!” Bobbi cackles. “Have you met me?”1064Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwRv3gvMcmW
“Yes,” Ama smiles. “I know your full name, Bob. Don’t tell me that I don’t know you well.”1064Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGxt0c84TgV
Bobbi blushes furiously. “Poetry, here we are.”1064Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOYfyx1y6UA
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.1064Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEEqO7HnzdQ
My head snaps up and Klef runs up to me. “There you are! Where did you run off to?”1064Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8SPg4pjCt4
I blink. “Here.”1064Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhAy2CLolwC
“I know that, but why?”1064Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ16T5IQOsZj
“Well, typically it’s not a good idea to stay near an attacked area when someone wants to kill you.”1064Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQDxwtKDmf5
Klef rolls his eyes. “Ride…”1064Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGv4yX3P6Xi
“Treble.”1064Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCqziFVGLlI
“Please work with me here.”1064Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKNSHqbQN6S
“Why? This is more fun!” I exclaim.1064Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ54eZXYKNy1
Klef rolls his eyes and pulls me down for a kiss. “I was worried,” he murmurs.1064Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdaVo5GC9sF
“I’m in good hands,” I assure. “Ama and Bobbi here are trustworthy. And I’m clearly fine.”1064Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5C11Cix4m5
“But you weren’t in my hands, Ride. I want you with me.”1064Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGcVM5AEcGt
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?”1064Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡo9IgmSJF6e
Klef breaks into laughter. “Ride! C’mon, I thought we were having a moment!”1064Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmQ741Lhp5A
Ama “aww”s behind us. I turn to her and Bobbi. “Please don’t tell anyone,” I request.1064Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8yv8P4KsBr
“Our lips are sealed,” Bobbi assures me.1064Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXeiqZ0MXQY
“Speak for yourself!” Ama exclaims.1064Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQ10Rd2Vj0S
“Ama. For all your faults you can keep a secret,” Bobbi chastises.1064Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡv5zE1iV9tq
“But they’re so cute together! And they shouldn’t have to sneak around to be romantic if they can help it!”1064Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFxilFBO308
“We choose to sneak around, miss,” Klef explains. “We don’t want to be office gossip.”1064Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZKrsww9d35
“‘Office gossip’,” I scoff. “You make this sound like a reputable business.”1064Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5A6uUSposm
“It is, nowadays,” Klef points out.1064Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡB8uqVSNeH6
“Oh yeah? To whom, outside our business?” I challenge.1064Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuToBvQummI
“Well--” Klef starts. “There’s…” he tries. “Okay. Um. You win.”1064Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡc81yU8yLyM
I give Klef a smug smile. “So ha!” I exclaim.1064Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTUsuJsJksd
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.”1064Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgXLm9Z0LfB
“Do I?” I tease. We both know that he can.1064Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6eBgpoJu9V
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.1064Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLxl9ytHHNT
“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.”1064Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxRveG15Kir
I blush. “Shut up. I was going to read. Care to join me?”1064Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVD9ZjYYLZq
Klef turns nervous. “Oh, that’s okay. I’m more of a numbers guy.”1064Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡC7TXojah4T
“What, can’t you read?” I tease. “And not just memorizing symbols like I’ve seen you do, actually reading.”1064Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡojhK0vrUME
“I can! Just…not…well.”1064Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVYKKcmiem4
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.”1064Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfuEKsx0cOJ
“Why some kiddie book, though?” Klef whines.1064Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUKin2k453Y
“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.1064Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2P3s7gLJQC
“Fine. Get me a kid’s book and see if I care,” Klef says, sulking.1064Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfW0FT7tM1G
“Ama? Bobbi? Where’s the kid’s section?” I ask with a sickening smile.1064Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡv4u7DNdBVX
“That way,” Bobbi says with a smirk. “I can show you where specifically, just follow me.”1064Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMJQN4I8HCQ
“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--”1064Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4B0o3zmTdp
“Here we are,” Bobbi interrupts. They must be as bored with this discussion as I am.1064Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡazJWIK7QrB
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.1064Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcWKeWf9rNc
“Stealing and Why It’s Wrong is so funny!” I exclaim. “You chose the one book on why you shouldn’t steal!”1064Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvWuuQRSNvl
“Oh. Not interested,” Klef says, putting the book back, which just succeeds in making me laugh harder.1064Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeIUxRsQJzK
“You should read it, Treble! You might learn a thing or two!”1064Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuKF54P32jf
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.1064Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqdoKgn4aI2
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.”1064Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIOTz0RcWJ2
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.”1064Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxL9m6sMDLD
“It’s not too bad,” I persuade. I point to the first word. “Don’t you know what this one says?”1064Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡImDLBKLqsx
“‘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?”1064Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNSzqZNfz2r
“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!”1064Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡacajZnLm6e
“Adopt…as in kids?”1064Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWwKnSewOLK
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.1064Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTb7igN57AP
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.1064Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQ8jNELZZya
Penana
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