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!1094Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9O52VmvlUw
“Not many people gossip here, if any,” Bobbi assures. “Quiet and safe.”1094Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMBYryfrL7H
“How many books are here?” I ask.1094Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmxGTV0LJEs
“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.”1094Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPJbn3GIJGT
“I would like to read through his works again,” I admit. “It’s been…a long while. Where is the poetry section?”1094Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6P1FQ0H5h5
Bobbi points in the general direction of the back and the three of us walk over. “So, Ama says you’re trustworthy…” I start.1094Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuccTRRHbOR
“Well, I don’t know much about that!” Bobbi laughs. “You say that, Mandy?”1094Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbGHN67N5EL
“Don’t call me Mandy, but yes,” Ama growls. “I trust you…mostly.”1094Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡllwScygliW
“Goodness, woman, why?!” Bobbi cackles. “Have you met me?”1094Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBsSb932FuE
“Yes,” Ama smiles. “I know your full name, Bob. Don’t tell me that I don’t know you well.”1094Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlowAQeFodc
Bobbi blushes furiously. “Poetry, here we are.”1094Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQt8ZmqKd7w
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.1094Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgEcPEUvVfO
My head snaps up and Klef runs up to me. “There you are! Where did you run off to?”1094Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsIzmi8dQAx
I blink. “Here.”1094Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoUY2TS8xgj
“I know that, but why?”1094Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8pW4xBkKRU
“Well, typically it’s not a good idea to stay near an attacked area when someone wants to kill you.”1094Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7wa6fayIQR
Klef rolls his eyes. “Ride…”1094Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkaKIqBdtBW
“Treble.”1094Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡotV0E1b4xN
“Please work with me here.”1094Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxPQ69mQpLK
“Why? This is more fun!” I exclaim.1094Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrKPDWovZfI
Klef rolls his eyes and pulls me down for a kiss. “I was worried,” he murmurs.1094Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ79YwQTMxUg
“I’m in good hands,” I assure. “Ama and Bobbi here are trustworthy. And I’m clearly fine.”1094Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxAoCuQYvhI
“But you weren’t in my hands, Ride. I want you with me.”1094Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXy584JPlny
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?”1094Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWNyfQVqtZT
Klef breaks into laughter. “Ride! C’mon, I thought we were having a moment!”1094Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSq2WH4xpyE
Ama “aww”s behind us. I turn to her and Bobbi. “Please don’t tell anyone,” I request.1094Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGum64Np6PN
“Our lips are sealed,” Bobbi assures me.1094Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBPczR8IIAI
“Speak for yourself!” Ama exclaims.1094Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡD2Hq8ER3av
“Ama. For all your faults you can keep a secret,” Bobbi chastises.1094Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1Ouu02L8kG
“But they’re so cute together! And they shouldn’t have to sneak around to be romantic if they can help it!”1094Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbJYE3KaILF
“We choose to sneak around, miss,” Klef explains. “We don’t want to be office gossip.”1094Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqo1cQvuY66
“‘Office gossip’,” I scoff. “You make this sound like a reputable business.”1094Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmJgvkg2ArI
“It is, nowadays,” Klef points out.1094Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuUzdA9bv3q
“Oh yeah? To whom, outside our business?” I challenge.1094Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOHbpqYYohh
“Well--” Klef starts. “There’s…” he tries. “Okay. Um. You win.”1094Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMtN9AxNqEo
I give Klef a smug smile. “So ha!” I exclaim.1094Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVRfejk9Bnq
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.”1094Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡc2oZwDnqNJ
“Do I?” I tease. We both know that he can.1094Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡABiVIM9xew
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.1094Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEBE2JRcd63
“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.”1094Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5Hg3TmfRYL
I blush. “Shut up. I was going to read. Care to join me?”1094Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoahvYZbcOM
Klef turns nervous. “Oh, that’s okay. I’m more of a numbers guy.”1094Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡixummDXdeU
“What, can’t you read?” I tease. “And not just memorizing symbols like I’ve seen you do, actually reading.”1094Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDvF331VqYm
“I can! Just…not…well.”1094Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4OlvSE2CHI
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.”1094Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxhE5MOI2sm
“Why some kiddie book, though?” Klef whines.1094Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPPOgesCw6C
“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.1094Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlr0gPKlvRJ
“Fine. Get me a kid’s book and see if I care,” Klef says, sulking.1094Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCi1TRn2MGj
“Ama? Bobbi? Where’s the kid’s section?” I ask with a sickening smile.1094Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡF2I8uBkTE1
“That way,” Bobbi says with a smirk. “I can show you where specifically, just follow me.”1094Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLZHvj25lSj
“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--”1094Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCtnrsnQtpA
“Here we are,” Bobbi interrupts. They must be as bored with this discussion as I am.1094Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡS1jwSmVVXY
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.1094Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡULI5UZWjts
“Stealing and Why It’s Wrong is so funny!” I exclaim. “You chose the one book on why you shouldn’t steal!”1094Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ12STHcqTpO
“Oh. Not interested,” Klef says, putting the book back, which just succeeds in making me laugh harder.1094Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6ZwTJC0pJK
“You should read it, Treble! You might learn a thing or two!”1094Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMjk4qamvbt
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.1094Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWq6NlkXzns
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.”1094Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNANrPgG4al
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.”1094Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJnMKvgzW8t
“It’s not too bad,” I persuade. I point to the first word. “Don’t you know what this one says?”1094Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrd2dFRpcxJ
“‘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?”1094Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkM56ySwVml
“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!”1094Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡz6VMZy9loY
“Adopt…as in kids?”1094Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡydAt1Yfb3B
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.1094Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3ojMB2Lqx3
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.1094Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxSHphwrfJC
Penana
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