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!947Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIbubYdZBG0
“Not many people gossip here, if any,” Bobbi assures. “Quiet and safe.”947Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGANJAl7f5k
“How many books are here?” I ask.947Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuE7Zgd4B0P
“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.”947Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6isGyQQJes
“I would like to read through his works again,” I admit. “It’s been…a long while. Where is the poetry section?”947Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPBSOVe9X9O
Bobbi points in the general direction of the back and the three of us walk over. “So, Ama says you’re trustworthy…” I start.947Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtkHXW268DO
“Well, I don’t know much about that!” Bobbi laughs. “You say that, Mandy?”947Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡc2jPLPvzWb
“Don’t call me Mandy, but yes,” Ama growls. “I trust you…mostly.”947Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLB4NlJgumV
“Goodness, woman, why?!” Bobbi cackles. “Have you met me?”947Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoCISESIXAy
“Yes,” Ama smiles. “I know your full name, Bob. Don’t tell me that I don’t know you well.”947Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHQgaQqeuE5
Bobbi blushes furiously. “Poetry, here we are.”947Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqRNih9fbkT
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.947Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡn6bhsaD7o1
My head snaps up and Klef runs up to me. “There you are! Where did you run off to?”947Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYQvUDH3gv3
I blink. “Here.”947Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSj6sAFxa9S
“I know that, but why?”947Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgw9KQH0t3h
“Well, typically it’s not a good idea to stay near an attacked area when someone wants to kill you.”947Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFiAGnfa5qF
Klef rolls his eyes. “Ride…”947Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhr5EjSH1Or
“Treble.”947Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGzp4QB56YI
“Please work with me here.”947Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwE9TcujDbz
“Why? This is more fun!” I exclaim.947Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEBkcZEHZBh
Klef rolls his eyes and pulls me down for a kiss. “I was worried,” he murmurs.947Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsGS6NLr51j
“I’m in good hands,” I assure. “Ama and Bobbi here are trustworthy. And I’m clearly fine.”947Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAuUfLvhnK8
“But you weren’t in my hands, Ride. I want you with me.”947Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsPoJDM7HH9
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?”947Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmPlRoXjjbd
Klef breaks into laughter. “Ride! C’mon, I thought we were having a moment!”947Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1cO8MRTBKK
Ama “aww”s behind us. I turn to her and Bobbi. “Please don’t tell anyone,” I request.947Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡc2pmcjXFmM
“Our lips are sealed,” Bobbi assures me.947Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2zkAkHiXkm
“Speak for yourself!” Ama exclaims.947Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmYBx6TEeeO
“Ama. For all your faults you can keep a secret,” Bobbi chastises.947Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWcgqRLmCse
“But they’re so cute together! And they shouldn’t have to sneak around to be romantic if they can help it!”947Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7LmKxkeKZl
“We choose to sneak around, miss,” Klef explains. “We don’t want to be office gossip.”947Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCQArXUnuOC
“‘Office gossip’,” I scoff. “You make this sound like a reputable business.”947Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxNOTLj2Glm
“It is, nowadays,” Klef points out.947Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQxkm6Hz2iF
“Oh yeah? To whom, outside our business?” I challenge.947Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsKSTLapBp1
“Well--” Klef starts. “There’s…” he tries. “Okay. Um. You win.”947Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUc5N5g7UbI
I give Klef a smug smile. “So ha!” I exclaim.947Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8c0ES45qdr
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.”947Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFcs34aErUY
“Do I?” I tease. We both know that he can.947Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7lyiWLRLbI
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.947Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8gfCCLvTx6
“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.”947Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdqtpRc0yn0
I blush. “Shut up. I was going to read. Care to join me?”947Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡreW1Dd6sHt
Klef turns nervous. “Oh, that’s okay. I’m more of a numbers guy.”947Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkKLaqqYI7U
“What, can’t you read?” I tease. “And not just memorizing symbols like I’ve seen you do, actually reading.”947Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡf06WdrvyK5
“I can! Just…not…well.”947Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ608T5QM878
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.”947Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvm0ReivLs4
“Why some kiddie book, though?” Klef whines.947Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJW3Gk2Ch6d
“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.947Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡausF3tMmW5
“Fine. Get me a kid’s book and see if I care,” Klef says, sulking.947Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmoseO4wODK
“Ama? Bobbi? Where’s the kid’s section?” I ask with a sickening smile.947Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqBwnhyQpEp
“That way,” Bobbi says with a smirk. “I can show you where specifically, just follow me.”947Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtRVd0N7Sk4
“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--”947Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡn9vO8YsEPf
“Here we are,” Bobbi interrupts. They must be as bored with this discussion as I am.947Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgLQi8R9uJy
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.947Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjQ2LIZLEaN
“Stealing and Why It’s Wrong is so funny!” I exclaim. “You chose the one book on why you shouldn’t steal!”947Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7hlweA5P0Z
“Oh. Not interested,” Klef says, putting the book back, which just succeeds in making me laugh harder.947Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡt5kAvnZ5Xh
“You should read it, Treble! You might learn a thing or two!”947Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8aIUlagBN4
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.947Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpUkyrXn2Qo
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.”947Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHaHEgllvN1
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.”947Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8phZ4upXEI
“It’s not too bad,” I persuade. I point to the first word. “Don’t you know what this one says?”947Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡViVCsTzSCx
“‘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?”947Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5GH2QF2V03
“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!”947Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxrJ1cyLlc6
“Adopt…as in kids?”947Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOlbSTUzJY1
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.947Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQjhazCAO9k
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.947Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAapj3XxaxJ
Penana
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