Page 25 of Becoming His Muse
She knew she could look him up and find his pieces and any exhibits he’d done that were covered by some form of media or press, but she hadn’t. Olani would rather wait until he was comfortable with her to show her himself.
“We’ll have to remedy that. When this collection is finished, I’ll give you a private showing.”
“I’ll hold you to that.”
They spoke for another half hour before saying their goodbyes. She would see him tomorrow for the human art exhibit they were going to, and she was looking forward to it.
Putting her phone on the charger, she turned out her light before slipping down in bed. She would be going in a little earlier tomorrow to make sure any last-minute timecards were processed before the eight o’clock morning cut-off time.
12
Olani was running late. She’d left her house with plenty of time to get to the exhibit to meet Elion, but there was a wreck backing up traffic. She’d texted him, letting him know she may be a little late and the reason why she’d been stuck in the same spot for almost ten minutes. When she finally made it past the wreck and the cleanup that would need to happen, it was already fifteen minutes after seven.
She pulled into the parking lot, finding a space at almost seven-thirty. Half an hour after, she was supposed to meet Elion. As she got out of her vehicle and made her way toward the entrance, she saw him coming toward her, and Olani immediately apologized. She hated being late for anything. Especially something that was her idea to begin with.
He cut her apology off, placing his lips to hers, and she melted into him, following his lead in the slow kiss.
“You don’t need to apologize,” he informed her when they pulled apart.
Olani nodded as he took her hand, and the two of them headed into the building. The parking lot had a decent number of cars, but it wasn’t overly crowded inside. She chalked it up to it being the third weekend of the exhibit and most people who wanted to see it may have already done so.
This was her first time at a human art exhibit, and while Olani didn’t know what she was expecting, it definitely was not the realistic peacock piece that greeted them upon entry. Her eyes widened as she got closer.
Olani could tell that it was a man, painted as a peacock if for no other reason than the thin beard he had. The rest of him was covered in paint. She was no artist, but she could tell there were different brush strokes used to give the illusion of feathers. There were a few feathers that stuck out of the back of his head, and he held some in his hands as well, which were painted to look like peacock feet in gray and black.
The white painted on his face resembled the shape of a heart with more of the blues and greens painted through the eye area. It was exquisite, to say the least, and Olani had to keep her hands to herself since there was a sign asking that the models not be touched.
She circled the first piece, Elion coming along with her since her hand was still in his. Whoever painted that model was talented, and she hoped they would bump into them while they were there. When she’d chosen this for their date, she’d read that there were several artists who were taking part.
“This is amazing. It’s so realistic,” she spoke as she turned to Elion.
“The artist who did this is definitely talented.”
“Let’s go see the rest.”
Olani led Elion around the right side of the wall that separated the entry from the rest of the building. There, she found even more beautiful pieces. Each one was a unique bird, and all were just as detailed as the one in the entry. They saw a bird of paradise, a canary, a flamingo, a hummingbird, and two lovebirds which she expressed where her favorite of the birds.
As they rounded the back wall, they were met with another piece. A snow leopard. Just like the bird pieces, it looked lifelike. Olani wasn’t sure how the artist could get the whiskers to look real with just paint, and the eyes were so big and blue. She leaned in a bit to get a better look at them when the model opened their eyes and the ones painted on her lids disappeared.
Olani jumped slightly, having not expected that, her hand going to her chest. The model smiled at her in apology, and Elion chuckled lightly. She swatted him playfully with her free hand but laughed along with him.
They observed the snow leopard for another couple of minutes before they continued on. Around the other side of the wall, they encountered more predators. That side of the exhibit comprised a panther, tiger, lion, leopard, cheetah, and lynx. The lynx and panther were tied as her favorites.
She could only assume that each of these pieces had taken the artist hours to complete if not half of a day. Each piece was detailed and beautifully painted, and while Olani was very much aware that there were people under the paint, behind the character, it all felt so real. As if she was standing face to face with these animals.
When they returned to the front of the building, she hadn’t realized that almost an hour and a half had gone by. They’d taken their time looking at each piece and being lost in their own world together. So much so that she hadn’t noticed the other people in attendance once she’d spotted the peacock at the entrance.
“I have to remember to find another exhibit like this. It was fun,” Olani stated once they were outside. “I wonder how many artists took part.”
“Five,” Elion responded.
Olani stopped walking and looked at him. “You can tell that from just looking at them?”
He nodded. “Most artists have a signature style or way they do certain things. There were five distinct brush stroke styles.”
She smiled at him. “Okay, then I have a question because it’s been bugging me. Did the same person paint the panther and the lovebirds?”
Elion nodded as they began to walk again. “And the cheetah.” Olani hadn’t noticed they were walking to his car until they were standing in front of it. “The night’s still young. What would you say to getting some ice cream?”
