“Where are you going in such a rush?” Vin asked as I reached for my wallet and keys for the El Camino.
“The gallery.”
“Ah. You’re still going every night,” Vin mused, and I stopped dead.
“You know I’ve been going?”
He nodded. “I signed you up as a night visitor before you even arrived. I knew you couldn’t resist. It’s a good thing. It tells me you’re not as indifferent to this exhibition as you try to make out.”
I kept my silence, feeling like a fucking douche. Yeah, I gave a shit.
“And you’re going now to check on its progress?”
I stared at Vin and knew the old bastard wouldn’t stop pushing me until I spoke. “I’m gonna go give titles to my pieces.”
Vin’s mouth spread in the biggest fucking smile ever. “Elpi! I’m so glad. The titles will give them life!” Then he frowned. “But why now? You’ve refused for so long.”
My stomach rolled as Aliyana’s face came to my mind. Looking down, I scratched at my beard. “The curator caught me there last night and asked me to name them. I agreed. She was… persistent,” I trailed off; for some reason I felt lighter when I pictured her eager face.
Glancing at the unfinished sculpture set in plaster in the middle of the studio, I already knew what I’d name that one…
“You’ve met Aliyana?” Vin’s question pulled me back to the here and now.
“Last night.”
Something close to humor flashed in Vin’s eyes and he fought a smile. That knowing look just pissed me the fuck off.
“What?” I asked sharply.
Vin held up his hands. “Nothing.”
I glared at him, then took another smoke and slipped it between my lips. I pushed past Vin. “I’m out.”
As I left the studio, I swore I heard Vin laughing.
Opening door to the dark, wet night, I ducked my head as I ran out into the rain and jumped into my black 1969 El Camino. I breathed deep as the rain thundered off my muscle car’s roof. The smoke from my cigarette filled up the newly upholstered cabin.
Looking in the rearview mirror, I pulled out the band that kept my long hair tied back and let my damp hair down. Marble dust covered every inch of me. I shook my head asking myself why I even gave a shit how I looked.
Of course I knew why I gave a shit. The reason was about five feet six, had a fucking body to die for, long dark-brown hair that fell to the middle of her back, and the biggest Spanish eyes I’d ever seen. Yeah, that’s why I gave a shit. A hot woman that got my work.
Leaving my smoke dangling from my bottom lip, I stared at my reflection. Go get this done, Axe. Leave the chick alone. Name the sculptures. Tell her enough background info to shut her up about the text boards. Then leave and never go back.
*****
Entering the back staff entrance, I flicked my chin to the night security guard who was always at his desk. The guy ducked his head behind the desk to break any eye contact. He was terrified of me. Didn’t surprise me; most people were. All except Vin, and maybe Aliyana. Vin because he wasn’t exactly sane, and Aliyana? Fuck knows why.
Noticing the black curtains were shut, I then heard some Spanish-sounding pop music playing from inside.
Taking a deep breath and wishing to God I’d had another smoke to calm me down, I opened the curtain and stepped into the gallery. It looked so different from last night. All the wooden crates and packaging from the sculptures were gone. Only my sculptures and the rigs to position them remained. Handwritten notes were scattered on the floor around each piece.
Hearing off-key singing from the back of the room, I followed the fucking brutal sound. As I rounded the corner, Aliyana Lucia was there dressed in an oversized white shirt, tight black leggings, pink Doc Martens, with her dark hair tied in a messy knot on top of her head.
I couldn’t take my eyes off her.
But the outfit and her looks weren’t what had me entranced. She was holding a paintbrush in her hand, painting what looked like tester pots of tones of white onto the back wall, while shaking her hips, badly singing, “Amor Prohibido murmuran por las calles. Porque somos de distintas sociedades…” in perfect Spanish. She was having fun, letting loose…
My eyebrows pulled down. In all my life, I don’t think I’d ever been around anyone who ever just had fun. I’d never had fun…
An unfamiliar feeling of warmth spread in my chest as I stared at Aliyana. I watched her belting out the lyrics, her brush strokes keeping time to the beat.
For the first time in my life, I wanted to feel that happy, if only for a minute, I wanted to know what that level of freedom felt like. It looked… nice… Aliyana, standing there swaying her hips, not a damn care in the world, was like feeling a ray of light shining on your face when you’d been stuck in a dark pit your whole life.