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!842Please respect copyright.PENANAm7Kg109uxe
“Not many people gossip here, if any,” Bobbi assures. “Quiet and safe.”842Please respect copyright.PENANAAZJalghgVT
“How many books are here?” I ask.842Please respect copyright.PENANASCpq7CQ4MY
“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.”842Please respect copyright.PENANAh7wnD4sk77
“I would like to read through his works again,” I admit. “It’s been…a long while. Where is the poetry section?”842Please respect copyright.PENANAOlG6N0OvDl
Bobbi points in the general direction of the back and the three of us walk over. “So, Ama says you’re trustworthy…” I start.842Please respect copyright.PENANAcYrP0SqYkn
“Well, I don’t know much about that!” Bobbi laughs. “You say that, Mandy?”842Please respect copyright.PENANAuxvjBvIjBR
“Don’t call me Mandy, but yes,” Ama growls. “I trust you…mostly.”842Please respect copyright.PENANArQep6RzTvi
“Goodness, woman, why?!” Bobbi cackles. “Have you met me?”842Please respect copyright.PENANAepJA80zta9
“Yes,” Ama smiles. “I know your full name, Bob. Don’t tell me that I don’t know you well.”842Please respect copyright.PENANAMUkahD1uEZ
Bobbi blushes furiously. “Poetry, here we are.”842Please respect copyright.PENANAMQlOtABMK4
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.842Please respect copyright.PENANAJVL2omUvvl
My head snaps up and Klef runs up to me. “There you are! Where did you run off to?”842Please respect copyright.PENANAshFzFcorQj
I blink. “Here.”842Please respect copyright.PENANA1Qd8UZxIRk
“I know that, but why?”842Please respect copyright.PENANADxgcfmFxBx
“Well, typically it’s not a good idea to stay near an attacked area when someone wants to kill you.”842Please respect copyright.PENANAlMx77CAYeB
Klef rolls his eyes. “Ride…”842Please respect copyright.PENANAkVXTHvoowA
“Treble.”842Please respect copyright.PENANAq96moHAlv8
“Please work with me here.”842Please respect copyright.PENANAkjkSDMlTmu
“Why? This is more fun!” I exclaim.842Please respect copyright.PENANARyyi7sj7ia
Klef rolls his eyes and pulls me down for a kiss. “I was worried,” he murmurs.842Please respect copyright.PENANA4lDtQQhZvm
“I’m in good hands,” I assure. “Ama and Bobbi here are trustworthy. And I’m clearly fine.”842Please respect copyright.PENANAbxoNL8CzRE
“But you weren’t in my hands, Ride. I want you with me.”842Please respect copyright.PENANA96YE0IDuKz
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?”842Please respect copyright.PENANA3h76EAMwSn
Klef breaks into laughter. “Ride! C’mon, I thought we were having a moment!”842Please respect copyright.PENANAlW731jyfSv
Ama “aww”s behind us. I turn to her and Bobbi. “Please don’t tell anyone,” I request.842Please respect copyright.PENANA1huSZPHUWE
“Our lips are sealed,” Bobbi assures me.842Please respect copyright.PENANAxDPGfGGNlP
“Speak for yourself!” Ama exclaims.842Please respect copyright.PENANAogM7aztcZt
“Ama. For all your faults you can keep a secret,” Bobbi chastises.842Please respect copyright.PENANALg62PtehII
“But they’re so cute together! And they shouldn’t have to sneak around to be romantic if they can help it!”842Please respect copyright.PENANAVmPLiKJz5K
“We choose to sneak around, miss,” Klef explains. “We don’t want to be office gossip.”842Please respect copyright.PENANAlLU9LpTpng
“‘Office gossip’,” I scoff. “You make this sound like a reputable business.”842Please respect copyright.PENANA1H5DED6Hef
“It is, nowadays,” Klef points out.842Please respect copyright.PENANApNjzrxrFY4
“Oh yeah? To whom, outside our business?” I challenge.842Please respect copyright.PENANA4ClheKl9Ds
“Well--” Klef starts. “There’s…” he tries. “Okay. Um. You win.”842Please respect copyright.PENANATHetaMBYTZ
I give Klef a smug smile. “So ha!” I exclaim.842Please respect copyright.PENANAlWzKiQVRyr
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.”842Please respect copyright.PENANAZlS25T3ft8
“Do I?” I tease. We both know that he can.842Please respect copyright.PENANAdimgnz7Djh
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.842Please respect copyright.PENANAGbEA42hSjW
“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.”842Please respect copyright.PENANAgYvUN9jy7U
I blush. “Shut up. I was going to read. Care to join me?”842Please respect copyright.PENANA13Y6u6A7Gd
Klef turns nervous. “Oh, that’s okay. I’m more of a numbers guy.”842Please respect copyright.PENANA4FndzjxDEX
“What, can’t you read?” I tease. “And not just memorizing symbols like I’ve seen you do, actually reading.”842Please respect copyright.PENANASKCRl4ZlZp
“I can! Just…not…well.”842Please respect copyright.PENANAteGY8RyHot
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.”842Please respect copyright.PENANArJV4WUYK5C
“Why some kiddie book, though?” Klef whines.842Please respect copyright.PENANAv1JzXcCvI4
“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.842Please respect copyright.PENANAmAaq2TWcGK
“Fine. Get me a kid’s book and see if I care,” Klef says, sulking.842Please respect copyright.PENANA941kcS6KZ0
“Ama? Bobbi? Where’s the kid’s section?” I ask with a sickening smile.842Please respect copyright.PENANAILjgu3ozSv
“That way,” Bobbi says with a smirk. “I can show you where specifically, just follow me.”842Please respect copyright.PENANAPA9zhJbyLo
“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--”842Please respect copyright.PENANAram6wkfSkO
“Here we are,” Bobbi interrupts. They must be as bored with this discussion as I am.842Please respect copyright.PENANA0TNfSKP4Oe
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.842Please respect copyright.PENANAtvaf8psNTl
“Stealing and Why It’s Wrong is so funny!” I exclaim. “You chose the one book on why you shouldn’t steal!”842Please respect copyright.PENANAZl5tkykycw
“Oh. Not interested,” Klef says, putting the book back, which just succeeds in making me laugh harder.842Please respect copyright.PENANAOAlH3VDkTi
“You should read it, Treble! You might learn a thing or two!”842Please respect copyright.PENANAsvtVCptdd9
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.842Please respect copyright.PENANA2hFB16Urgl
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.”842Please respect copyright.PENANA8M6nBvDM8R
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.”842Please respect copyright.PENANAvmX8DKLLpS
“It’s not too bad,” I persuade. I point to the first word. “Don’t you know what this one says?”842Please respect copyright.PENANAl6IxmXllaW
“‘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?”842Please respect copyright.PENANA8XfHPWB41h
“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!”842Please respect copyright.PENANAGN0JDUQIb1
“Adopt…as in kids?”842Please respect copyright.PENANA4me8gwJlko
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.842Please respect copyright.PENANAdpDmKz8ng3
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.842Please respect copyright.PENANAFf9YwEL2l5