Dear Naru,

As I have exams for the next two weeks, I will not be able to email as often. Sorry.

From Mai x

Oliver woke to find the email in his inbox.

He had definitely upset her.

There was only one x.

Dear Mai,

Of course, please concentrate on your exams. If you work hard, I know you will do well.

From Naru xx

It wasn't much. But Oliver was too annoyed at himself. Why had he been so harsh? Mai was by no means ugly. At all.

And Oliver's day only got worse.

At breakfast – which might have been at lunchtime due to the lateness of Oliver's waking – Luella decided to interrogate her son as to why he had still been awake at 4am.

"I want a proper explanation Noll, you need your sleep otherwise you turn into a grouchy sod."

"I was working." Oliver said.

"And that's a lie. You would not have slammed your laptop shut if it had been work."

"And why can't you just respect my privacy?"

"Because I am concerned about you! You are acting recklessly Noll, it's unlike you!"

"Mother, I am 18 years old. I am not a child."

"You will always be my child Noll and I will always worry about you. A lot of people love you Noll and one day you will realise that."

Oliver finished his breakfast in silence and then returned to his room.

Mai had not replied.

Oliver had not expected her too.

But she did not reply the next day either. Or the one after that. Or the one after that…

Mai did not reply for a week and a half.

Oliver had thought about emailing her again, to try and provoke a response. Yet he decided against it. She would reply if she wanted too, and besides, she did have exams to study for.

So he ended up re-reading the emails they had already exchanged.

Over and over again, he would browse her replies and stare at the little x's.

And over and over again he would scowl at his harsh replies. Why was he so mean to the only woman he had ever had feelings for?

Mai finally emailed him again on the Thursday before she was due to fly out to England.

Dear Naru,

My exams are fall over now! We just have tomorrow to get through and then school has finished! I'm sorry for not replying earlier but I really wanted to do well! Even though I don't get my results until after the summer break!

How have you been? Taken any interesting cases?

From Mai xx

Oliver knew, he just knew, that she had forgiven him. He did not deserve it and he knew it.

Dear Mai,

I am glad you studied hard and I am sure your results will reflect this; did your maths exam go well? And your English oral?

I have not been on any cases. Nothing interesting has come up and so I have been stuck in my office for the last week and a half. This has forced me to do some thinking – and not about parapsychology.

I want to apologise for my cruel words before. You do not require any form of 'beauty sleep'. Also, I am sorry for ever implying you were an idiot. I have always known you were bright and merely ignorant of my speciality and it was wrong of me to insult you so.

You are a very fast learner and you are intelligent in a way I will never be.

I hope you can forgive me.

Oliver read back his own words… What had this week and a half done to him?

From Naru xx

He sent it, and waited.

And Mai responded five minutes later.

Dear Naru,

Has someone stolen your account?!

From Mai xx

Oliver scowled.

Dear Mai,

I am not so idiotic as to pick a password that others could easily obtain.

From Naru xx

And he did not have to wait long for a reply.

Dear Naru,

That sounds more like you!

My maths exam went really well. I think it might end up being one of my best marks! My English oral did not go as well as the reading, but it wasn't as bad as I thought it might have been. I've still got the rest of the year until my final exams so hopefully I can improve. I'm sure a summer in England will help!

It sucks that you haven't had any good cases! Hopefully we'll get a good one while I'm there; I kind of miss the danger and excitement.

And of course I forgive you!

I can't wait to see you!

From Mai xxx

Oliver smiled. Not a small rise of the corner of his lips. This smile was probably the closest thing to a grin Oliver had ever done.

She forgave him.