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!1187Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZa0Q5vmf8M
“Not many people gossip here, if any,” Bobbi assures. “Quiet and safe.”1187Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVwx2Vq6CRU
“How many books are here?” I ask.1187Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxPe8s4nZyz
“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.”1187Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFORh0yiywr
“I would like to read through his works again,” I admit. “It’s been…a long while. Where is the poetry section?”1187Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzuLhurkrvk
Bobbi points in the general direction of the back and the three of us walk over. “So, Ama says you’re trustworthy…” I start.1187Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHqPHKMbLfk
“Well, I don’t know much about that!” Bobbi laughs. “You say that, Mandy?”1187Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiCQHD1DAvG
“Don’t call me Mandy, but yes,” Ama growls. “I trust you…mostly.”1187Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGA6MhhQYaq
“Goodness, woman, why?!” Bobbi cackles. “Have you met me?”1187Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡt3gobgguSk
“Yes,” Ama smiles. “I know your full name, Bob. Don’t tell me that I don’t know you well.”1187Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGZc2vgzdnc
Bobbi blushes furiously. “Poetry, here we are.”1187Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiWq5k1i5ap
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.1187Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtJtuYEZdpQ
My head snaps up and Klef runs up to me. “There you are! Where did you run off to?”1187Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtKI8wA5D7L
I blink. “Here.”1187Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrDdIoongKx
“I know that, but why?”1187Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlwNrLsLkuy
“Well, typically it’s not a good idea to stay near an attacked area when someone wants to kill you.”1187Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOJFFET1t3r
Klef rolls his eyes. “Ride…”1187Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡI6SurkM3hs
“Treble.”1187Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡh8irzyWwzU
“Please work with me here.”1187Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqQdqkwAzt5
“Why? This is more fun!” I exclaim.1187Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUCf0NWoqoB
Klef rolls his eyes and pulls me down for a kiss. “I was worried,” he murmurs.1187Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡr1K7oHjSEa
“I’m in good hands,” I assure. “Ama and Bobbi here are trustworthy. And I’m clearly fine.”1187Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpm8l57yomp
“But you weren’t in my hands, Ride. I want you with me.”1187Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ42BrTlzbLo
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?”1187Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnXeNFWkzlR
Klef breaks into laughter. “Ride! C’mon, I thought we were having a moment!”1187Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2FWVyEHNRK
Ama “aww”s behind us. I turn to her and Bobbi. “Please don’t tell anyone,” I request.1187Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4TUxpRHtRJ
“Our lips are sealed,” Bobbi assures me.1187Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡczLZh7Yu65
“Speak for yourself!” Ama exclaims.1187Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSnmzL0i4DE
“Ama. For all your faults you can keep a secret,” Bobbi chastises.1187Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡk9K4ZGbCTT
“But they’re so cute together! And they shouldn’t have to sneak around to be romantic if they can help it!”1187Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYKPlJD1Q0F
“We choose to sneak around, miss,” Klef explains. “We don’t want to be office gossip.”1187Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGs7ap9xpjC
“‘Office gossip’,” I scoff. “You make this sound like a reputable business.”1187Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡe9FVuixjej
“It is, nowadays,” Klef points out.1187Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrllm3ByFam
“Oh yeah? To whom, outside our business?” I challenge.1187Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnNaeA9aCwT
“Well--” Klef starts. “There’s…” he tries. “Okay. Um. You win.”1187Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhgGemNj7kw
I give Klef a smug smile. “So ha!” I exclaim.1187Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgOz2YwhVdn
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.”1187Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzVnUh8rYkq
“Do I?” I tease. We both know that he can.1187Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCk3BPNhBIC
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.1187Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqUn9xOlRiR
“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.”1187Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPiOhjNqbnV
I blush. “Shut up. I was going to read. Care to join me?”1187Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDho9soNHVf
Klef turns nervous. “Oh, that’s okay. I’m more of a numbers guy.”1187Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDNPkKAaKPH
“What, can’t you read?” I tease. “And not just memorizing symbols like I’ve seen you do, actually reading.”1187Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6aKEqpaR8P
“I can! Just…not…well.”1187Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMCXq1sYnpH
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.”1187Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZkMyeZWiHM
“Why some kiddie book, though?” Klef whines.1187Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnLYyRhzg3B
“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.1187Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDAAFREN5Gx
“Fine. Get me a kid’s book and see if I care,” Klef says, sulking.1187Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8TzoVhTPNg
“Ama? Bobbi? Where’s the kid’s section?” I ask with a sickening smile.1187Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTWmhEX0nrl
“That way,” Bobbi says with a smirk. “I can show you where specifically, just follow me.”1187Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnbf8vesGBR
“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--”1187Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡB9ICKGLpHx
“Here we are,” Bobbi interrupts. They must be as bored with this discussion as I am.1187Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡM6n7Mqygiq
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.1187Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUJvEz1yopw
“Stealing and Why It’s Wrong is so funny!” I exclaim. “You chose the one book on why you shouldn’t steal!”1187Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNkKYbORhby
“Oh. Not interested,” Klef says, putting the book back, which just succeeds in making me laugh harder.1187Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuPL730xj9B
“You should read it, Treble! You might learn a thing or two!”1187Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNuCCgG1cVd
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.1187Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡg2GXDPNPnZ
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.”1187Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzV57hUEh6Y
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.”1187Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOkCPG7G1PO
“It’s not too bad,” I persuade. I point to the first word. “Don’t you know what this one says?”1187Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmfD0I77gDW
“‘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?”1187Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgVdtfZSCNY
“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!”1187Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfb58HpJgNZ
“Adopt…as in kids?”1187Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJNMqFm0SHe
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.1187Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpTCi2D6oQ3
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.1187Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9ouKRP12Ye
Penana
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