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!1189Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlxQEo32czu
“Not many people gossip here, if any,” Bobbi assures. “Quiet and safe.”1189Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYB0BdzVdjb
“How many books are here?” I ask.1189Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡm6fETqlboJ
“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.”1189Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEYnx9Tk2Sz
“I would like to read through his works again,” I admit. “It’s been…a long while. Where is the poetry section?”1189Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡN5O17afkBO
Bobbi points in the general direction of the back and the three of us walk over. “So, Ama says you’re trustworthy…” I start.1189Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUQVc4JUo5i
“Well, I don’t know much about that!” Bobbi laughs. “You say that, Mandy?”1189Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2cJT1aOhJj
“Don’t call me Mandy, but yes,” Ama growls. “I trust you…mostly.”1189Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5AwPFuejYX
“Goodness, woman, why?!” Bobbi cackles. “Have you met me?”1189Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡR83KwCKUd5
“Yes,” Ama smiles. “I know your full name, Bob. Don’t tell me that I don’t know you well.”1189Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6xkzUtE7V9
Bobbi blushes furiously. “Poetry, here we are.”1189Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡifyjlJ1gDy
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.1189Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2AguLvnCuS
My head snaps up and Klef runs up to me. “There you are! Where did you run off to?”1189Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOORA6iW5H3
I blink. “Here.”1189Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkIWlBqjegd
“I know that, but why?”1189Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡendpMyzp5P
“Well, typically it’s not a good idea to stay near an attacked area when someone wants to kill you.”1189Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoXFZ3WEJvs
Klef rolls his eyes. “Ride…”1189Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgi3cB1gBlL
“Treble.”1189Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKVRXXbjQh5
“Please work with me here.”1189Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSUDf1no7b7
“Why? This is more fun!” I exclaim.1189Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5HoPvpd5A7
Klef rolls his eyes and pulls me down for a kiss. “I was worried,” he murmurs.1189Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡITYJeph24K
“I’m in good hands,” I assure. “Ama and Bobbi here are trustworthy. And I’m clearly fine.”1189Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxBek9wtyLj
“But you weren’t in my hands, Ride. I want you with me.”1189Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgCgt0NVzJO
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?”1189Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEgQhYT5Hml
Klef breaks into laughter. “Ride! C’mon, I thought we were having a moment!”1189Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDt1dIBStrW
Ama “aww”s behind us. I turn to her and Bobbi. “Please don’t tell anyone,” I request.1189Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3zgmS5hES7
“Our lips are sealed,” Bobbi assures me.1189Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvj7CJP7IQl
“Speak for yourself!” Ama exclaims.1189Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLrZgQTxOHe
“Ama. For all your faults you can keep a secret,” Bobbi chastises.1189Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡysnWOAa4Nb
“But they’re so cute together! And they shouldn’t have to sneak around to be romantic if they can help it!”1189Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHyPlwd44Zc
“We choose to sneak around, miss,” Klef explains. “We don’t want to be office gossip.”1189Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1j5cDeQJyg
“‘Office gossip’,” I scoff. “You make this sound like a reputable business.”1189Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpcHaY7BVYI
“It is, nowadays,” Klef points out.1189Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡr3eKfwy3NP
“Oh yeah? To whom, outside our business?” I challenge.1189Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7ICluixIbt
“Well--” Klef starts. “There’s…” he tries. “Okay. Um. You win.”1189Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPkZjd63Arq
I give Klef a smug smile. “So ha!” I exclaim.1189Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeySLTFjPc7
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.”1189Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTwRPSk82RV
“Do I?” I tease. We both know that he can.1189Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtELfCDKp3i
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.1189Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡV5gzx0Mwvq
“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.”1189Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWPkeZIs6Rx
I blush. “Shut up. I was going to read. Care to join me?”1189Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0UiZim3LHD
Klef turns nervous. “Oh, that’s okay. I’m more of a numbers guy.”1189Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVJxX7RhmzJ
“What, can’t you read?” I tease. “And not just memorizing symbols like I’ve seen you do, actually reading.”1189Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKyP6RYbxew
“I can! Just…not…well.”1189Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhiZnfbVpDW
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.”1189Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKz4bOWZRV3
“Why some kiddie book, though?” Klef whines.1189Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxI5b3KCY2A
“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.1189Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGaH8XovaLe
“Fine. Get me a kid’s book and see if I care,” Klef says, sulking.1189Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMqXap2voeA
“Ama? Bobbi? Where’s the kid’s section?” I ask with a sickening smile.1189Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9HExCuj0eA
“That way,” Bobbi says with a smirk. “I can show you where specifically, just follow me.”1189Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzFcRsuW9Dq
“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--”1189Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4D5hzIarf0
“Here we are,” Bobbi interrupts. They must be as bored with this discussion as I am.1189Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdtBwDBwfkr
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.1189Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoSyXZVJYES
“Stealing and Why It’s Wrong is so funny!” I exclaim. “You chose the one book on why you shouldn’t steal!”1189Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFAbmhqQ2RI
“Oh. Not interested,” Klef says, putting the book back, which just succeeds in making me laugh harder.1189Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡY5niXERAmG
“You should read it, Treble! You might learn a thing or two!”1189Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡc2rGyRi6lN
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.1189Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSdeOr7JhUy
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.”1189Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpRe1R1fQpn
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.”1189Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjzZkp6HdWE
“It’s not too bad,” I persuade. I point to the first word. “Don’t you know what this one says?”1189Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2BDgHWo4eL
“‘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?”1189Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡs0rAdi3y8M
“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!”1189Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYBTA0Uf1Fi
“Adopt…as in kids?”1189Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwjuouKTDio
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.1189Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCiHUsKGEvr
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.1189Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvMbMc0FyjU
Penana
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