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!849Please respect copyright.PENANAq8ntqDRaeG
“Not many people gossip here, if any,” Bobbi assures. “Quiet and safe.”849Please respect copyright.PENANAx8E8EoADXO
“How many books are here?” I ask.849Please respect copyright.PENANAH6O5QF8trp
“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.”849Please respect copyright.PENANAUc2UPNg3KE
“I would like to read through his works again,” I admit. “It’s been…a long while. Where is the poetry section?”849Please respect copyright.PENANA9zu3TVxWbp
Bobbi points in the general direction of the back and the three of us walk over. “So, Ama says you’re trustworthy…” I start.849Please respect copyright.PENANAtjvuotpvQn
“Well, I don’t know much about that!” Bobbi laughs. “You say that, Mandy?”849Please respect copyright.PENANATlTKXfvcBa
“Don’t call me Mandy, but yes,” Ama growls. “I trust you…mostly.”849Please respect copyright.PENANAHaEWgvPoJC
“Goodness, woman, why?!” Bobbi cackles. “Have you met me?”849Please respect copyright.PENANA1VRukXFxuV
“Yes,” Ama smiles. “I know your full name, Bob. Don’t tell me that I don’t know you well.”849Please respect copyright.PENANAK6CssLHLzD
Bobbi blushes furiously. “Poetry, here we are.”849Please respect copyright.PENANAs220f4pGFd
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.849Please respect copyright.PENANAOKxHHqumAM
My head snaps up and Klef runs up to me. “There you are! Where did you run off to?”849Please respect copyright.PENANASPVhxg6P9Q
I blink. “Here.”849Please respect copyright.PENANAAyx5DHPtcL
“I know that, but why?”849Please respect copyright.PENANA3rJV0KkkkX
“Well, typically it’s not a good idea to stay near an attacked area when someone wants to kill you.”849Please respect copyright.PENANAHEj3dUTk3Y
Klef rolls his eyes. “Ride…”849Please respect copyright.PENANAaIiHfskTwB
“Treble.”849Please respect copyright.PENANAizrqBYqjEM
“Please work with me here.”849Please respect copyright.PENANAcIb40VVde6
“Why? This is more fun!” I exclaim.849Please respect copyright.PENANABuyZ0C7OAq
Klef rolls his eyes and pulls me down for a kiss. “I was worried,” he murmurs.849Please respect copyright.PENANASmqok9CfqM
“I’m in good hands,” I assure. “Ama and Bobbi here are trustworthy. And I’m clearly fine.”849Please respect copyright.PENANAFOB09zGM2k
“But you weren’t in my hands, Ride. I want you with me.”849Please respect copyright.PENANAedPGs39Ibm
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?”849Please respect copyright.PENANAgqbYzf2Xsx
Klef breaks into laughter. “Ride! C’mon, I thought we were having a moment!”849Please respect copyright.PENANAWHgM9XToAD
Ama “aww”s behind us. I turn to her and Bobbi. “Please don’t tell anyone,” I request.849Please respect copyright.PENANAC7IX34DdRq
“Our lips are sealed,” Bobbi assures me.849Please respect copyright.PENANA1QomiQPGUa
“Speak for yourself!” Ama exclaims.849Please respect copyright.PENANAk24Z7kVr5K
“Ama. For all your faults you can keep a secret,” Bobbi chastises.849Please respect copyright.PENANAy3XVnCGeaL
“But they’re so cute together! And they shouldn’t have to sneak around to be romantic if they can help it!”849Please respect copyright.PENANAIR0BiLYzPT
“We choose to sneak around, miss,” Klef explains. “We don’t want to be office gossip.”849Please respect copyright.PENANAMChKOrQMRJ
“‘Office gossip’,” I scoff. “You make this sound like a reputable business.”849Please respect copyright.PENANAJedhQ55iFl
“It is, nowadays,” Klef points out.849Please respect copyright.PENANA56mZA7YO1A
“Oh yeah? To whom, outside our business?” I challenge.849Please respect copyright.PENANAUz6Ocu8XqN
“Well--” Klef starts. “There’s…” he tries. “Okay. Um. You win.”849Please respect copyright.PENANAaCS6kNmQJG
I give Klef a smug smile. “So ha!” I exclaim.849Please respect copyright.PENANAs8Hd3DGmhh
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.”849Please respect copyright.PENANASSMMznuo2O
“Do I?” I tease. We both know that he can.849Please respect copyright.PENANAYnEY6Y6Zbw
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.849Please respect copyright.PENANArXYl3YRYLK
“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.”849Please respect copyright.PENANAPzYUdVaybv
I blush. “Shut up. I was going to read. Care to join me?”849Please respect copyright.PENANAIcqY2L2c91
Klef turns nervous. “Oh, that’s okay. I’m more of a numbers guy.”849Please respect copyright.PENANAYYQodwaAL3
“What, can’t you read?” I tease. “And not just memorizing symbols like I’ve seen you do, actually reading.”849Please respect copyright.PENANAECWqmgQChg
“I can! Just…not…well.”849Please respect copyright.PENANAykVvnxdObT
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.”849Please respect copyright.PENANAErCGqpWPWw
“Why some kiddie book, though?” Klef whines.849Please respect copyright.PENANATYS8ruA1fB
“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.849Please respect copyright.PENANAd057erFyW9
“Fine. Get me a kid’s book and see if I care,” Klef says, sulking.849Please respect copyright.PENANAb9HznvQ9H2
“Ama? Bobbi? Where’s the kid’s section?” I ask with a sickening smile.849Please respect copyright.PENANASW44ms43H0
“That way,” Bobbi says with a smirk. “I can show you where specifically, just follow me.”849Please respect copyright.PENANANT0ea3Se6X
“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--”849Please respect copyright.PENANAuEAWEFgd0a
“Here we are,” Bobbi interrupts. They must be as bored with this discussion as I am.849Please respect copyright.PENANAPhPRBya1dX
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.849Please respect copyright.PENANAaeSIhLPvi0
“Stealing and Why It’s Wrong is so funny!” I exclaim. “You chose the one book on why you shouldn’t steal!”849Please respect copyright.PENANA5Jq44cRiY7
“Oh. Not interested,” Klef says, putting the book back, which just succeeds in making me laugh harder.849Please respect copyright.PENANAYWLbP4OK6j
“You should read it, Treble! You might learn a thing or two!”849Please respect copyright.PENANAIhnJ4PbBMj
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.849Please respect copyright.PENANAueAHjdf9iE
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.”849Please respect copyright.PENANAblbVt8Z3BU
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.”849Please respect copyright.PENANAm8udBXPM9c
“It’s not too bad,” I persuade. I point to the first word. “Don’t you know what this one says?”849Please respect copyright.PENANA0pgm6XPkhu
“‘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?”849Please respect copyright.PENANAggcC7VIT9t
“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!”849Please respect copyright.PENANAf06xx5Cn6h
“Adopt…as in kids?”849Please respect copyright.PENANAABzQWtBEPD
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.849Please respect copyright.PENANA336vjcmzBG
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.849Please respect copyright.PENANA8PEEafmnF7