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!1145Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrdGdalEt8q
“Not many people gossip here, if any,” Bobbi assures. “Quiet and safe.”1145Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgExPygIPmW
“How many books are here?” I ask.1145Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeBtqrIrVcI
“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.”1145Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnVAXxHDgsf
“I would like to read through his works again,” I admit. “It’s been…a long while. Where is the poetry section?”1145Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmd9DrthXm3
Bobbi points in the general direction of the back and the three of us walk over. “So, Ama says you’re trustworthy…” I start.1145Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWDK01YQ2yq
“Well, I don’t know much about that!” Bobbi laughs. “You say that, Mandy?”1145Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgkmbS95pp2
“Don’t call me Mandy, but yes,” Ama growls. “I trust you…mostly.”1145Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsEK2wMYkbo
“Goodness, woman, why?!” Bobbi cackles. “Have you met me?”1145Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6SsfqVszTf
“Yes,” Ama smiles. “I know your full name, Bob. Don’t tell me that I don’t know you well.”1145Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcjhKXSHXjm
Bobbi blushes furiously. “Poetry, here we are.”1145Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKWOt9CbQlc
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.1145Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡe01n062EVt
My head snaps up and Klef runs up to me. “There you are! Where did you run off to?”1145Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQ7qEnrGB3R
I blink. “Here.”1145Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDkGB6AEdLr
“I know that, but why?”1145Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9s0zFs8kK3
“Well, typically it’s not a good idea to stay near an attacked area when someone wants to kill you.”1145Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFYDnJgq2YB
Klef rolls his eyes. “Ride…”1145Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4cAfvY9BCc
“Treble.”1145Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnpiMpWpA6q
“Please work with me here.”1145Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6yHzYICpEw
“Why? This is more fun!” I exclaim.1145Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsItvt9TufB
Klef rolls his eyes and pulls me down for a kiss. “I was worried,” he murmurs.1145Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDJDaN5M9Te
“I’m in good hands,” I assure. “Ama and Bobbi here are trustworthy. And I’m clearly fine.”1145Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1No1Mfx1IN
“But you weren’t in my hands, Ride. I want you with me.”1145Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLkJ25AKpnu
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?”1145Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡr13JERZAbf
Klef breaks into laughter. “Ride! C’mon, I thought we were having a moment!”1145Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwGK2m26kz1
Ama “aww”s behind us. I turn to her and Bobbi. “Please don’t tell anyone,” I request.1145Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQM2kwyNIvm
“Our lips are sealed,” Bobbi assures me.1145Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKiKjrz2Vz7
“Speak for yourself!” Ama exclaims.1145Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxgh23g6Xku
“Ama. For all your faults you can keep a secret,” Bobbi chastises.1145Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNkKXOMpGSE
“But they’re so cute together! And they shouldn’t have to sneak around to be romantic if they can help it!”1145Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdSwTmsfrtS
“We choose to sneak around, miss,” Klef explains. “We don’t want to be office gossip.”1145Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfyBjnkfpZM
“‘Office gossip’,” I scoff. “You make this sound like a reputable business.”1145Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOqo0P6uNXz
“It is, nowadays,” Klef points out.1145Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHpWNBagEol
“Oh yeah? To whom, outside our business?” I challenge.1145Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRVxSF7cRo8
“Well--” Klef starts. “There’s…” he tries. “Okay. Um. You win.”1145Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOFm3FeDCCI
I give Klef a smug smile. “So ha!” I exclaim.1145Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0iREKRZOLD
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.”1145Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNyXa27Rmd3
“Do I?” I tease. We both know that he can.1145Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡg9PGDjMRPX
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.1145Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzjguFAJdeW
“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.”1145Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVwjkPLpUJj
I blush. “Shut up. I was going to read. Care to join me?”1145Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡloWr2U9d0P
Klef turns nervous. “Oh, that’s okay. I’m more of a numbers guy.”1145Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvVIq94PgRu
“What, can’t you read?” I tease. “And not just memorizing symbols like I’ve seen you do, actually reading.”1145Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡI03xGpGsb7
“I can! Just…not…well.”1145Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHFePSshdb7
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.”1145Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ76VreFcORt
“Why some kiddie book, though?” Klef whines.1145Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVlZRSDgX73
“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.1145Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGrFvnPZJzU
“Fine. Get me a kid’s book and see if I care,” Klef says, sulking.1145Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTkQ7uTkqmv
“Ama? Bobbi? Where’s the kid’s section?” I ask with a sickening smile.1145Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVF8DiWW8hS
“That way,” Bobbi says with a smirk. “I can show you where specifically, just follow me.”1145Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFhy0r8iAZU
“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--”1145Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡV7PR8tSKdV
“Here we are,” Bobbi interrupts. They must be as bored with this discussion as I am.1145Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdxFyLHklZv
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.1145Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzx4cgVgJdX
“Stealing and Why It’s Wrong is so funny!” I exclaim. “You chose the one book on why you shouldn’t steal!”1145Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLweFHCGZZN
“Oh. Not interested,” Klef says, putting the book back, which just succeeds in making me laugh harder.1145Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7ijqeGDg5A
“You should read it, Treble! You might learn a thing or two!”1145Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJggl1757F8
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.1145Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIWMxT2BZ52
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.”1145Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHHQhjfRkd3
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.”1145Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyjojr748Q1
“It’s not too bad,” I persuade. I point to the first word. “Don’t you know what this one says?”1145Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKF3XhAPhN1
“‘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?”1145Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkJSyH4gRva
“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!”1145Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2ZPqCAwgou
“Adopt…as in kids?”1145Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRHXMlHupnD
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.1145Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlJPbJrqhuM
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.1145Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡR830Ujh53M
Penana
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