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!1085Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ28dslJfkaL
“Not many people gossip here, if any,” Bobbi assures. “Quiet and safe.”1085Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXDzhwJ7TUC
“How many books are here?” I ask.1085Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXVQJGWnmUx
“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.”1085Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡO6f0JT9PEd
“I would like to read through his works again,” I admit. “It’s been…a long while. Where is the poetry section?”1085Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡt6pzrorwZZ
Bobbi points in the general direction of the back and the three of us walk over. “So, Ama says you’re trustworthy…” I start.1085Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLrAY1lLGMP
“Well, I don’t know much about that!” Bobbi laughs. “You say that, Mandy?”1085Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhvy59TR5YV
“Don’t call me Mandy, but yes,” Ama growls. “I trust you…mostly.”1085Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1HHFTFrcvT
“Goodness, woman, why?!” Bobbi cackles. “Have you met me?”1085Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsmabO93ssp
“Yes,” Ama smiles. “I know your full name, Bob. Don’t tell me that I don’t know you well.”1085Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡS6rUqD6Og0
Bobbi blushes furiously. “Poetry, here we are.”1085Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡi4FUKmPq2H
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.1085Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxMqjcgVSrl
My head snaps up and Klef runs up to me. “There you are! Where did you run off to?”1085Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEDr2wgU77b
I blink. “Here.”1085Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeH9XGAZ6uz
“I know that, but why?”1085Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuDHKUwFBRv
“Well, typically it’s not a good idea to stay near an attacked area when someone wants to kill you.”1085Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡL6aXMtBxP5
Klef rolls his eyes. “Ride…”1085Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSLr9XsAMKx
“Treble.”1085Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡf3gbSISUeE
“Please work with me here.”1085Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡN8Yl5xAHzi
“Why? This is more fun!” I exclaim.1085Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGlVny0m9lz
Klef rolls his eyes and pulls me down for a kiss. “I was worried,” he murmurs.1085Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVk3USi6osr
“I’m in good hands,” I assure. “Ama and Bobbi here are trustworthy. And I’m clearly fine.”1085Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbFty4SYrWv
“But you weren’t in my hands, Ride. I want you with me.”1085Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJzfoeb03aB
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?”1085Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQfPAwODcDe
Klef breaks into laughter. “Ride! C’mon, I thought we were having a moment!”1085Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPVa9klk7Vb
Ama “aww”s behind us. I turn to her and Bobbi. “Please don’t tell anyone,” I request.1085Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWfL369rtZa
“Our lips are sealed,” Bobbi assures me.1085Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhV3wWFzgfd
“Speak for yourself!” Ama exclaims.1085Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVHqpFsIhrc
“Ama. For all your faults you can keep a secret,” Bobbi chastises.1085Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡftBNRtdozl
“But they’re so cute together! And they shouldn’t have to sneak around to be romantic if they can help it!”1085Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBudF0Xpgtq
“We choose to sneak around, miss,” Klef explains. “We don’t want to be office gossip.”1085Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4BM6CVhaYr
“‘Office gossip’,” I scoff. “You make this sound like a reputable business.”1085Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡp9MmIIk5MF
“It is, nowadays,” Klef points out.1085Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWiCHjwT8tP
“Oh yeah? To whom, outside our business?” I challenge.1085Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡA0nMoLiQGv
“Well--” Klef starts. “There’s…” he tries. “Okay. Um. You win.”1085Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmeiUsHNL1x
I give Klef a smug smile. “So ha!” I exclaim.1085Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPgRXMt3haU
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.”1085Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBApb9sA3Kt
“Do I?” I tease. We both know that he can.1085Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡws7oc9YEn3
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.1085Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqEAblru8ti
“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.”1085Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3fQOK9EuwM
I blush. “Shut up. I was going to read. Care to join me?”1085Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYPkZuBjvSw
Klef turns nervous. “Oh, that’s okay. I’m more of a numbers guy.”1085Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡddMQ9i9sTs
“What, can’t you read?” I tease. “And not just memorizing symbols like I’ve seen you do, actually reading.”1085Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlUyKJpqKQJ
“I can! Just…not…well.”1085Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4HzNCLyxu6
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.”1085Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOwgvjF9r5h
“Why some kiddie book, though?” Klef whines.1085Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsEcd2a0alh
“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.1085Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡN9eIzePJBh
“Fine. Get me a kid’s book and see if I care,” Klef says, sulking.1085Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqWMp9Q2Ucy
“Ama? Bobbi? Where’s the kid’s section?” I ask with a sickening smile.1085Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBD0DACe1Sr
“That way,” Bobbi says with a smirk. “I can show you where specifically, just follow me.”1085Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIBLgDgukq4
“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--”1085Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBNpNfU0qR4
“Here we are,” Bobbi interrupts. They must be as bored with this discussion as I am.1085Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡj1xXbMlr1n
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.1085Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrbbbX3ZAKB
“Stealing and Why It’s Wrong is so funny!” I exclaim. “You chose the one book on why you shouldn’t steal!”1085Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8XJgzskbK3
“Oh. Not interested,” Klef says, putting the book back, which just succeeds in making me laugh harder.1085Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDVsSNP3T8U
“You should read it, Treble! You might learn a thing or two!”1085Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUVXXKRtreH
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.1085Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡN6gXV1bF3M
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.”1085Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvWB2QU85Lb
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.”1085Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVmfjBMeBZL
“It’s not too bad,” I persuade. I point to the first word. “Don’t you know what this one says?”1085Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOHkzbGtGb8
“‘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?”1085Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbg7Qyuokmy
“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!”1085Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsVpshUnlMO
“Adopt…as in kids?”1085Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSwT4WBI7dl
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.1085Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡH7RDbfhR3L
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.1085Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLYNU8evFN7
Penana
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