Vincent had completely anticipated her upset after his absence and their complete lack of communication, but he feigned naivety nonetheless. “Of course I came to see you,” he replied, smiling very gently. “You know… I missed you terribly.” He glimpsed her forlorn expression and came to sit at her side— caressed her cheek, touched her lips to the tips of his fingers; endearing, but not too salacious. Convincing. It was odd how difficult it had become to distinguish their disturbed simulacrum of intimacy from more genuine affection, especially when Vincent made such particular effort. Silent drizzle began to bead the air around them and he tapped his fingers against the wood impatiently.
Of course the feigned naivety would work; the entire act that Vincent had put on for Ada since the first time they official met worked. Ada, too trusting that she was, believed every whispered word of affection uttered to her, and always took what he said with a grain of salt. Of course she’d taken his silence as irrefutable proof that he no longer wanted to see her, but the sweet words paired with affectionate gestures, the Vessalius lost her resolve easily. She couldn’t tell the difference between genuineness and a fallacy, because she believed all the attention he paid to her to be genuine. Finally turning to face him more, Ada turned her face in to nuzzle his hand, but not too much, for she was still unsure of his willingness to see her since a reasoning for his absence had yet to be given. But in an easy glimmer of hope for him that he’d be forgiven soon enough, the hand of his that was cupping her cheek, her own hand came up to cover it and give it a slight squeeze.
It’s been weeks since I saw you though, and I sent you a letter awhile back too, I thought you didn’t want to see me anymore…