The Funtom Company

28: The |Vincent| Company

Adrian woke up sleeping on Vincent's desk in a pool of his own tears. Sitting beside him on the desk was the familiar face of his boss. Or, former boss. Or, current lover. Take your pick. "Have a bad dream?" Vincent said. He looked smug for someone just out of the hospital. Was this an illusion or was Vincent really there? Where did the ghost of Diedrich go? Sigh. Too many questions and not enough answers. 

"The worst," Adrian sniffled. He hugged Vincent and sobbed into his torso. Guess he must be real then. 

"That's okay," Vincent pet Adrian's head. "It was just a dream." But, the thing was, it wasn't just a dream. It was the past. It was horrifyingly real. That only made him cry more. "You've been taking care of the company in my hospital visit," Vincent observed. "How are the boys? Do you know what they've been doing?" He continued to pet Adrian's head while he asked these questions. 

"Ciel has taken it upon himself to move in with me. I have no idea why," Adrian paused to sniffle. "Leic hasn't said a word to me. I cannot tell you about that one." 

"He was closer to Rachel than he would like to admit."

"Are you okay?" Adrian asked. 

"What do you mean?" Vincent returned the question with a question. He wasn't okay but he wasn't sad either. Anything he had felt for Rachel was gone. It was gone in the moment she'd poisoned him. It was gone in the moment she'd shot him. No, it was gone before that. Perhaps in the moment he'd first realized that his new secretary would be his undoing. No...even before that. When was it that Rachel seemed more like a burden than a lover? The downfall of their marriage...no...even before that? 

"Oh," Vincent's head hurt. "No, that can't be right," he tried to force the idea out but...there was something about it he had to believe. He'd deluded himself into thinking that he loved Rachel because he'd desperately sought some form of love. Why hadn't he realized this sooner? There must've been a time when he had loved her? Right? It wasn't all a lie? Was it?

"Vincent?" 

"Right, sorry," Vincent returned his attention to Adrian. "I've made a discovery that I would much rather forget."

"A discovery?"

"Yeah, a discovery," Vincent sighed. "I don't think I loved her, not really, not ever. It's strange now that I think about it. I should be mourning her death, right? But instead I'm just relieved. I won't have to think about her anymore. I won't have to try and please her. That woman was never satisfied with anything. A burden has been lifted from my shoulders. It's evil of me to think like that. I know it...I'm not a demon. I'm not. Right? I can't tell anymore. What is the difference between a human and a demon? Is it a soul? Is it a personality? What makes demons demons?"

"I don't  know the answer to that." Adrian wished he could help but he couldn't. 

"Yeah, I'm sure you don't." Vincent stared at his hands. He couldn't stop thinking of the blood on them. His blood. Her blood. Diedrich's blood. "There is blood on my hands. I can't wash it off, no matter how much I try. There is blood. I didn't even try to help her. I just assumed she was already dead. What's wrong with me? Why have I become so numb? She was my wife, wasn't she?" 

The vivid image of Vincent cradling Diedrich's body in his arms as blood pooled out of him and soaked his clothing was still fresh in Adrian's eyes. He reached out and he grabbed Vincent's hand. "There is no blood on them, see?" Adrian held out Vincent's hand and examined his fingers closely. "No blood." 

Vincent couldn't help but laugh. "Not literally, Uny," he said. "Ah, I suppose I should tell my sons I'm out of the hospital." Vincent removed his hand from Adrian's grasp so that he might reach into his pocket and get his phone out. 

"Wait," Adrian covered the screen of the device. "Not yet, please," Adrian stared into Vincent's eyes. The barely noticeable light of hope in the past had bloomed into an irresistible hope of the future. Diedrich had nothing to worry about anymore. Not now. The light may be clouded due to the memory of Diedrich so vivid in Vincent's mind after what had happened with Rachel, but it was nothing to worry about. Adrian was sure of that. 

The secretary brushed his hair back into a hasty braid. He say up straight in the chair and folded his hands. He pretended to be in charge here. He pretended that he was the true controller of The Funtom Company. 

"Now, I'm only going to ask you this once, Vinny," Adrian winked. "Will you comfort me?" he asked the familiar question. "I've gone through a lot these past few days with you gone. I am quite distressed, you know?" 

"You're asking quite a lot of an injured man," Vincent held a hand over his bullet wound. The bandages were still a bit bloody. The morphine and other various pain medications were still in his system but they were wearing off. He should refuse. He should refuse and get in contact with his sons. 

But, what's the fun in that?