He laughed as we accelerated down the road. “Don’t worry, it has a roof and doors for rainy days and a soft top for the summertime, but when it’s cool like this with no rain in the forecast, I like to take it all off,” he said conversationally.
I nodded but didn’t answer since the wind whipping around us made it difficult to hear. I was glad I’d pulled my hair back before I left my room, since riding like this would have surely turned me into a striking replica of a scarecrow. The breeze was downright cold as we sped along, but surprisingly it felt kind of nice as it chilled my face. My fear of tumbling out the side of the jeep had faded as the exhilaration of the ride took over. There was an odd sense of freedom that came from speeding down the road with nothing boxing me in. I didn’t realize I was smiling until Justin commented on it.
“I knew you were a jeep kind of girl,” he said, pulling into a half-full parking lot.
“Seattle Aquarium?” I asked.
“It’s sort of my muse for a new series I’m working on,” he answered, hopping down from the jeep and heading over to my side. He pulled off his gloves and placed his hands on my chilled face. The warmth of his hands and his close proximity set me on edge.
“What are you doing?” I pulled back.
“Oh, sorry. I was just warming up your face. It’s beet red from the wind,” he answered, taking another step closer. We stared at each other for a moment as if in a trance. I couldn’t help focusing on his lips, wondering what they would feel like on mine. Part of me wanted to shove him away, but then I thought about what Melissa had said. My brain was sending me frantic warning messages and I could feel myself leaning in like I had no control of my body.
“Here, let me help you down,” he said, reaching for my hands. I sat for a moment, confused about what had just happened. Did he just play me, or had I misread his signals? The look on Justin’s face gave me no indication. Either he had a great poker face, or he was oblivious and I was the idiot who thought she was about to be kissed.
“Ready?” he asked.
“Huh, yeah, I guess,” I answered, hoping I didn’t sound as squirrelly as I felt at the moment. “I thought you only painted people?”
“Most times I do. I was asked to do a series for the hospital, so I’m kinda mixing it up.”
“Wow, that’s awesome. It must be cool to earn money off your talent while you’re still in school.” Money was kind of tight for me since I only worked a few hours a week at a local daycare. Working around my school schedule had proven to be much more difficult this semester and I had lost a ton of hours.
“Nah, this isn’t a paying gig,” he answered as we approached the ticket booth.
“What? That’s insanity. Your work is too good to give away.”
“It’s cool. I just like being able to do what I love. Besides, think about all the people who will get to see it every day.”
“I guess, but I still think you should get paid. I know a hospital is a more charitable kind of thing, but I also know they make the bucks too.”
He shrugged, making it obvious he wasn’t all that crazy about the direction of the conversation. I wanted to say more about the fact that he was being taken advantage of and that he needed to know his value, but I let it drop. It wasn’t any of my business to tell him what he should or shouldn’t do.
Some of the awkward tension left Justin once we walked through the aquarium doors and he linked his fingers with mine. I could have easily pulled my hand away but became quickly distracted by the large window in front of us with hundreds of fish swimming behind it. We didn’t have anything this cool near Woodfalls. My only experience with aquariums was a trip to the Baltimore National Aquarium I had won in a short-story writing contest when I was thirteen. Ten winners got to go. The best part was our English teacher, Ms. Cooper, was our chaperone. The worst part was the twelve-hour van ride to Baltimore. I felt nauseated the entire way, but once we got there it was completely worth it. I enjoyed seeing all the different exhibits and being able to feed the dolphins and touch the stingrays. The Seattle Aquarium was tiny in comparison, but I kinda preferred the intimate feel. Plus, it was a hell of a lot less crowded.
“Oh, wow,” I proclaimed, staring into the large enclosure.
“Pretty cool, huh?”
“It’s crazy cool.”
“I remember you saying how much you liked Puget Sound last week, so I thought you’d enjoy seeing what’s beneath the surface,” he said, sitting down on a bench. He unzipped an old worn-out backpack that had seen better days and pulled out a sketchpad and a thick pencil.
“So, you’re doing fish for the hospital?” I asked, nodding toward the large window.
He ignored my question and focused completely on the sketchpad in his hands. It was as if he had been put under some kind of trance the moment the sketchpad hit his hands. The pencil seemed to have a mind of its own as it moved effortlessly across the page. I turned my attention back to the fish behind the thick glass. It was entertaining to watch the dynamics of life in a world so different from my own. Some of the fish swam lethargically along, like they didn’t have a care in the world, while others seemed to be chasing each other as they darted in and around the plants. With my eyes still on the live show in front of me, I settled on the bench next to Justin, who still had not looked up. Minutes faded away and many families came and went. Some gasped over the fish behind the huge glass, while others didn’t look impressed at all. Through dozens of screaming and squealing kids, Justin and I remained on the bench. If not for the scratching of the pencil, I would have assumed he had fallen asleep.
It was thirty minutes later when he finally looked up from the page. “Sorry, I wanted to get that down while it was still fresh in my mind,” he said, closing the sketchpad.
“Not so fast,” I said, holding out my hand. “Let me see.”
“It’s not done,” he answered, stowing it in his bag.
I didn’t argue. The intensity he had the entire time he was drawing led me to believe he took his work very seriously.
“So, what do you think?” he asked, indicating the large expanse of windows in front of us. “Pretty cool way to show visitors a glimpse into what it’s like beneath Puget Sound?”
“It’s breathtaking. I could stay here all day.”