Chapter 72: Art After Dark
[Jasmine’s POV]
"Welcome to the show," Axel said as we stepped onto the busy boardwalk that was next to the local museum.
I stared around in awe at the light show as we walked under a banner that read ’Art After Dark’. Everywhere I looked, there were beautiful displays of artistry. Large metal statues with colorful lights attached, a hall of mirrors painted with bright spray paint with twinkling lights lining the glass, and giant flowers made from pink glass that were at least thirty feet tall.
Even the small lake next to the boardwalk featured artists’ creations on raised glass platforms. My favorite were the watercolor paintings blown up on twenty-foot-wide canvases. I recognized that the stunning mountain landscapes were Axel’s work.
"Wow..." I shielded my eyes from the setting sun as I gazed at the art around me. "This is amazing, Axel. I can’t believe you put all this together."
He waved away my compliment and put his hands in the pockets of his jeans. I was glad that Axel had dressed casually like me. Since he had told me this show wouldn’t be fancy, I chose a blush-pink blouse that only showed a hint of cleavage, dark skinny jeans, and black ballet flats. I left my wavy, honey-colored hair down and didn’t bother with makeup since the sun would set soon anyway.
"Well, I had a lot of help putting this show together," Axel said modestly, a quality I liked in a guy. "I definitely can’t take all the credit."
But as we walked through the displays, a lot of important-looking people came up to congratulate him on a successful show. During each of these conversations, Axel always introduced me, made sure that I felt included in the conversation, and held my hand. Even when a young, attractive blonde tried to flirt with him right in front of me, Axel cut the conversation short, and we left her standing there with her mouth open in shock.
As we walked along the edge of the show, a giant glowing pink jellyfish on the other side of the boardwalk caught my attention. It was swaying through the air—almost like a huge balloon in a parade—but I couldn’t tell what was holding it down. The sun had gone down, and despite the bright lights that surrounded me, I couldn’t see what the jellyfish was attached to.
When I asked Axel, he smiled and pointed below the jellyfish’s legs.
"Can you see the spinning wheels below the legs?"