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!1044Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1LCmDBVjBZ
“Not many people gossip here, if any,” Bobbi assures. “Quiet and safe.”1044Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgYuRAx1RGW
“How many books are here?” I ask.1044Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMGLlyl2evD
“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.”1044Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwozYG9SfAa
“I would like to read through his works again,” I admit. “It’s been…a long while. Where is the poetry section?”1044Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5aSbgIfENF
Bobbi points in the general direction of the back and the three of us walk over. “So, Ama says you’re trustworthy…” I start.1044Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlp6mtbTNXv
“Well, I don’t know much about that!” Bobbi laughs. “You say that, Mandy?”1044Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4TdrZ8d1D2
“Don’t call me Mandy, but yes,” Ama growls. “I trust you…mostly.”1044Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2Ju6svzLnc
“Goodness, woman, why?!” Bobbi cackles. “Have you met me?”1044Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4Ya1a1K10t
“Yes,” Ama smiles. “I know your full name, Bob. Don’t tell me that I don’t know you well.”1044Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIVmlCjCjIn
Bobbi blushes furiously. “Poetry, here we are.”1044Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyZGTHTba1H
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.1044Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXjMGh3hUur
My head snaps up and Klef runs up to me. “There you are! Where did you run off to?”1044Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoTjIgltIhW
I blink. “Here.”1044Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeUpjy6IEDK
“I know that, but why?”1044Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjpJSRBg48b
“Well, typically it’s not a good idea to stay near an attacked area when someone wants to kill you.”1044Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpbaMAGAnwb
Klef rolls his eyes. “Ride…”1044Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWJYAAcbKFW
“Treble.”1044Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmPBwv3F2FH
“Please work with me here.”1044Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7WMQIsQWVe
“Why? This is more fun!” I exclaim.1044Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡB77mkp724e
Klef rolls his eyes and pulls me down for a kiss. “I was worried,” he murmurs.1044Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAQx2MHiH8p
“I’m in good hands,” I assure. “Ama and Bobbi here are trustworthy. And I’m clearly fine.”1044Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFN2XewZBed
“But you weren’t in my hands, Ride. I want you with me.”1044Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3kUKr7Vh48
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?”1044Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6uQH5UAPf3
Klef breaks into laughter. “Ride! C’mon, I thought we were having a moment!”1044Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaMhCf3vCyi
Ama “aww”s behind us. I turn to her and Bobbi. “Please don’t tell anyone,” I request.1044Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡq7Gx9li1l9
“Our lips are sealed,” Bobbi assures me.1044Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtO4OK4wrPs
“Speak for yourself!” Ama exclaims.1044Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnQ74b8w9bX
“Ama. For all your faults you can keep a secret,” Bobbi chastises.1044Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡN0BF4oO2C8
“But they’re so cute together! And they shouldn’t have to sneak around to be romantic if they can help it!”1044Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgFIlEnHcjc
“We choose to sneak around, miss,” Klef explains. “We don’t want to be office gossip.”1044Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSy6WRjAaZJ
“‘Office gossip’,” I scoff. “You make this sound like a reputable business.”1044Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuXqIZKslPV
“It is, nowadays,” Klef points out.1044Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡss9yCQKlJA
“Oh yeah? To whom, outside our business?” I challenge.1044Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnCm4yFTfCU
“Well--” Klef starts. “There’s…” he tries. “Okay. Um. You win.”1044Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQhNt1Qyu2R
I give Klef a smug smile. “So ha!” I exclaim.1044Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2kyw4a2t2Z
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.”1044Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIj74A7TsRt
“Do I?” I tease. We both know that he can.1044Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkvn5fpM2Qk
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.1044Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡI3LJe3S3xf
“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.”1044Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNxzQKMjBd3
I blush. “Shut up. I was going to read. Care to join me?”1044Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡb4vVbKOzva
Klef turns nervous. “Oh, that’s okay. I’m more of a numbers guy.”1044Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhd8VyNKMkF
“What, can’t you read?” I tease. “And not just memorizing symbols like I’ve seen you do, actually reading.”1044Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1I6AcwL8c5
“I can! Just…not…well.”1044Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBC5KWcOAt1
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.”1044Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUGm8HpOOc7
“Why some kiddie book, though?” Klef whines.1044Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSWqK5tT4yT
“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.1044Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWJS175mhOt
“Fine. Get me a kid’s book and see if I care,” Klef says, sulking.1044Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqUuJ3EdPf3
“Ama? Bobbi? Where’s the kid’s section?” I ask with a sickening smile.1044Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfA2lqHgdOA
“That way,” Bobbi says with a smirk. “I can show you where specifically, just follow me.”1044Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnumRCtyu3R
“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--”1044Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ42XvvXLhub
“Here we are,” Bobbi interrupts. They must be as bored with this discussion as I am.1044Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJdp9dA1AFc
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.1044Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpaE45dq155
“Stealing and Why It’s Wrong is so funny!” I exclaim. “You chose the one book on why you shouldn’t steal!”1044Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOQ9FS44Z3D
“Oh. Not interested,” Klef says, putting the book back, which just succeeds in making me laugh harder.1044Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡd2LpCmoXCB
“You should read it, Treble! You might learn a thing or two!”1044Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡl0E4s2cB8i
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.1044Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9N0VRhsYMu
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.”1044Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwf5u6IM0EE
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.”1044Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJNyXbKS1bx
“It’s not too bad,” I persuade. I point to the first word. “Don’t you know what this one says?”1044Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbSQU4Mr5d9
“‘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?”1044Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIS1wEiItmE
“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!”1044Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPCaha02cIr
“Adopt…as in kids?”1044Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8BlZoYQEJL
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.1044Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡt8LA7276jA
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.1044Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzvckOoFNGl
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