The Dark Window

You have not known fear until you have walked in the shoes of Sarean Landcaster. He knows fear. Sarean was twenty-three and had spent the last four years of his life painting. He lived in a small apartment downtown, with his fiancée of two years, Liandra. Sarean made money from his paintings, but recently he was saving for their upcoming wedding. His shoulder-length brown hair touched the back of his leather studio chair as he leaned back to stretch, taking a break from his latest painting. His clothes were splattered in paint. Liandra always teased him about how he wore more of the paint than he put on the canvas. He smiled as the memories washed over him. He painted in a studio, which used to be the guest bedroom. He had all his previous unsold paintings hanging on the wall in various places, and a few paintings from other artists to inspire him. He painted with oils, which Liandra enjoyed the smell of, but most company found it too strong. He kept the door closed, and had a custom air conditioning system built to help control the cloying odor. "What are you doing, sweetie?" Liandra asked as she wrapped her arms around Sarean from behind. Her long blonde flowing hair fell onto his shoulder as she leaned in to kiss him. He was taller than most people, and she was considerably shorter, so she didn't have to bend down. Liandra was slender and one year younger than Sarean. "Just finishing up a painting." He rotated in his chair and kissed her. "Hmmm. You don't taste like a painter." "How would you know what a painter tastes like? I'm the only one you've ever tasted." He touched the tip of her nose with a clean paintbrush. He leaned toward her as he wrapped his hands around hers and grabbed the back of her neck. He pulled her toward him, pulling her into his lap, and guided her head toward him. He drew in a breath and slid his tongue into her mouth. They kissed, held in that moment for what seemed like an eternity. *** "SAREAN!" Liandra yelled down the hall as she entered the living room. He came out of his studio covered in paint. "I'm right here. You don't have to yell," He said, smiling. She was bouncing with excitement, which could only mean one thing: she found more antiques to add to her collection. Liandra had been collecting antiques long before they had met. She currently used their second bedroom to hold her collection, items from almost every era