"Damn. Hasn't even been that long and you got a whole rock on your finger now, huh?"
"...What are you doing here?" She unthinkingly rubbed her swollen belly, the tight knots forming in her stomach at the same time.
"What you mean? I came for the art...
Zolina 'Zo' Smith [ tues, oct 31st 🎃 1:57 PM ] Zolina's - Art Gallery
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Carved pumpkins were stacked neatly near the entry doors of Zolina's. Tangled webs with rubber spiders clung to the long windows, and ghost string lights hung from the high ceiling.
A matte black, 12-foot skeleton was set up in the centre to look down on all of the guests, with a blood red, anatomically correct heart dangling from the opening in its ribs. It was a show-stopping structure that Zolina had worked hard on for months.
The entire gallery was decorated for Halloween, and Zolina had called on local artists to submit their spookiest works to be put on display.
Guests circulating the pieces were asked to vote as they viewed, in order to determine which piece of artwork was the best. The winner would be guaranteed an exhibit in Zolina's for six months.
She wanted to do her best to support the other up-and-coming artists around the city, remembering not too long ago how hard it was for her to get exposure while she was green.
It was one of several reasons why she had decided to open her own gallery.
Zolina lifted her eyes from the list of tasks written down in her planner after she heard a few knocks echo throughout her office.
She smiled instantly when she saw Ace's head peek through the door and waved him inside, enjoying the feeling of butterflies fluttering up inside of her.
Butterflies that never seemed to go away.
"Wussup, pretty girl?" He stepped inside and closed the door.
"Hey." She smiled even harder at the sweet name. "What are you doing here?"
"Taking you out to lunch." He leaned over the desk and gave her a few tender pecks before sitting down across from her.
"I can't." She pouted her lips, wanting to kiss him again, while her ears perked up at another knock on the door. "Come in."
Nycki appeared in the doorway with a pair of cat ears on her head, and whiskers painted on her face for the occasion.
She carried a small ballot box filled with the votes that needed to be counted, and a stack of portfolios from more artists that were looking for an opportunity to show a piece at Zolina's.
"Why not?" Ace drew his eyebrows together.
"I still have work to do." She silently thanked Nycki with a smile and tapped her phone screen to check the time. "There's canvases I need to wrap so they can be shipped by 4:00 PM."
It hadn't even been a full month, but the gallery was booming since the grand opening. Zolina's daily schedule had yet to slow down; every hour was stacked with different tasks that she needed to complete, or be present to sign off on.
