Chapter 6

This was nice. Sean sat on his couch reading a fantasy novel on a lazy Saturday afternoon with Elizabeth laying her head in his lap reading her own suspense-thriller. He had dreamed of moments like these. Simply being relaxed and leisurely with someone he loved. He loved her. He had finally come to admit to himself after being with her for the past month. It was one of the most anticipated and frightening concepts of his life. He was in love. Sean couldn't tell her yet though. He had discovered earlier that saying the Big Three would seal his fate to hers forever. It wasn't that he didn't want to be with her, far from it. But there were still things that she had to learn about him and if those skeletons in his closet scared her off after he told her how he felt, it would pretty much tear him apart. He didn't want to go through another break up, the first one still hurt although it happened four years ago.

Gently, Sean stroked Elizabeth's face and looked down at her. She looked up at him and pointedly cuddled up to his hand, smiling contentedly at him. "It's about time I showed you the other room." Elizabeth knew what he meant. Every once in a while Elizabeth would ask about the locked door across the hall from his bedroom and every time Sean would steer the conversation away from it. There was nothing perversely sick about the room, just unusual. Enough so that he was certain it would scare most people. Not even Cheryl knew what was in there. But the fear of losing Elizabeth after he said that he loved her proved too great a fear for him. Best to do it now and get it out of the way.

Elizabeth set her book aside and sat up. "You don't have to show me what's in there, Sean."

"Yes I do. If not now, then eventually I will have to. I think it better that you know early on what you're getting yourself into if you want to be with me. There's nothing perverse in there. Just unusual is all. But it is an important part of who I am. What I am." He held out his hand and led her to the door opposite his bedroom. He pulled a complexly designed silver key from his wallet and placed it in Elizabeth's hand. Sean watched as Elizabeth slowly raised her hand and inserted the key then turned the lock. The door swung silently inward to reveal the other room.

Elizabeth took a moment to look at peer inside the dark room and took a step forward. Sean watched Elizabeth's eyes take in the view of his training room. The walls were covered in various swords, daggers, polearms, and other martial weapons. By the far wall stood what was called a 'wooden man', a five-foot tall log with various foot long pegs protruding out of the body. The adjacent wall stood a short cherry wood table with a black, scabbarded sword. Sean watched as Elizabeth's face as it shifted from surprise to curiosity, no fear.

"I've been practicing various forms of martial arts since I was five. It's sort of become a passion of mine. Every weapon you see here I am proficient in. It's taken me a long time to get this far."