The final brushstroke feels like the end of a dream.
The canvas before me, still wet with oil and light, is the last in the series—the last of her. Eleanor stands beside me, draped in the loose robe she always wears after a session, her golden hair slipping over one shoulder. I can feel her presence even when I’m not looking, the warmth of her, the quiet gravity she carries without knowing it.
It’s done. Our project, A Woman Within, has taken months, and now it is complete. My greatest work—because of her.
I should be celebrating. Instead, my hands shake as I clean my brushes, my stomach twisted with something too large to name. Because this is the end. She’ll leave after today. Go back to university. Back to her world.
And I will stay here, in this cold, cavernous studio, drowning in the absence of her laughter.
She turns to me, a soft smile on her lips. “It feels strange, doesn’t it?”
I nod, swallowing the words that threaten to rise. Don’t go. Stay. Marry me.
Instead, I say, “You were perfect.”
A quiet laugh. “You make me sound like a painting.”
“You are.” The words slip out before I can stop them.
She tilts her head, studying me. I wonder if she sees the war raging beneath my skin. The need. The fear. The love I have no right to hold.
She steps closer, her fingers grazing the sleeve of my paint-splattered shirt. “So what happens now?”
My throat tightens. This is the moment. The moment to speak, to ask, to hope.
But I can’t.
The clock on the wall ticks on, unmerciful.
Her hand slips away. She gathers her things. I open my mouth, heart hammering, but—
A pause.
She hesitates at the door. Turns back. Waiting.
And I—
Mitchell is an artist—a photographer. He’s pursuing a seductive element within his art, but it’s unobtainable. Each attempt leads to failure. When writing SEETHINGS, I wanted my protagonist’s fingertips to touch the prize, but it’s never enough to grasp it wholly. The struggle is beautiful yet frustrating.
The book is downloadable and free for a limited time. -Michael.
Discover more from Michael Forman – Author of Dark Fiction & Drama
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.