**Hello everyone. I finally finished this chapter just minutes ago.
I want to apologize for how long it took me. I was torn at first if I should write an intro to this chapter because I have been dealing with some really rough times, but once I read everybody's heartwarming comments on my story I knew I wanted to explain everything. You could have easily written comments about how irritated or disappointed you were in me, but instead it was all comments of love and support even though you had no idea why I was absent for so long.
Here goes. I've been struggling with infertility for quite some time. My daughter I have is my bonus daughter (I married her father) but ever since I met her at the age of 7 she has been my baby. Now that my husband and I are married and have been together for nearly 10 years, we have been trying to have a baby. Back in February I had believed I was pregnant but sadly it wasn't so. It broke me.
It's been a really long and difficult journey and I have only just started getting better mentally from everything. Writing used to bring me such joy and after everything earlier this year there was a bombardment of other things in my life that weren't going right. I lost all motivation to do anything and my ADHD had/has never been worse. I've been working on myself and learning to come to peace with a lot of things in my life. The biggest hurdle was just trying to get out of my own head and let everything go.
I truly have the whole plot of my story written down but I couldn't get my head in the right space in order to write it all out in detail. I felt like a failure in so many ways and when things start to slack, it just snowballs and creates an even bigger dark cloud looming over my head that just makes me want to hide from it even more. Now that I'm finally trying to better myself and live in the mantra of "everything will be fine/everything happens for a reason" my first step was to finish this chapter that has been half written since February.
I can't promise that chapters will be posted every month, but I am going to push myself and make a personal goal to go no longer than 2 months without an update. I also know that once I get to the next major case I will probably be writing chapters every week like I did at the beginning of this story because everything will begin to come together which is something that motivates me. Though there are still many more chapters left, I see the end in sight and I'm hoping you all enjoy the way the story pans out.
Thank you all for being so kind and supportive during everything and I hope I can make you happy. **
**For this chapter text in bold will reference when they are speaking in Japanese and text in Italics will reference a flashback.
Chapter Forty-One
The streets of London grew dark with shadow as an impending storm grew nearer. Tired brown eyes watched on as the dreary clouds picked up speed. With a sigh, Mai rested her head against the window of the bus, welcoming the coolness of the glass that helped relieve some of the pressure of her headache.
Suddenly, gentle fingers gripped her wrist, startling the brunette. Turning quickly, she relaxed upon seeing Aayko sitting next to her.
The older woman was looking at her with a half-hearted raised brow.
"Did you seriously forget I've been sitting here the whole time? You've been distracted ever since you met with Naru earlier," the woman chuckled, shaking her head. "Let's check that pulse of yours one last time shall we?" She turned Mai's wrist in her hands, pressing her fingers into the soft tissue of the skin.
Mai was silent as the miko studied her wristwatch and counted the beating of her heart. The action had her mind wandering yet again as she recalled what had happened not even an hour earlier.
The tension in the room was bordering on suffocating.
Mai sat awkwardly on the bed while Ayako checked her vitals. She watched on as her friend began to listen to the sound of her heart with a stethoscope, all the while trying to avoid the intense stare coming from a certain blue-eyed man on the other side of the room.
His gaze had been trained on her ever since she had been resuscitated just moments ago.
Resuscitated…
Brown eyes flinched closed at the memory. Even though Mai knew she was no longer in that endless black void that she could only assume was death itself, the drowning dread of nothingness lingered on her mind and body. She could feel bile beginning to rise from her stomach, so she let out a shuddering breath to calm herself before she became sick.
"How are you feeling?" Ayako asked suspiciously, causing Mai's eyes to open.
The brunette quickly plastered a bright smile on her face. "Fine."
Ayako eyed her, unconvinced. "Hmm."
Without looking, Mai knew Oliver's gaze was still trained intently on her, filled with the multiple unasked questions that were eating away at him. Martin was sitting next to his son, discussing something Mai couldn't quite hear.
"Well, your vitals are good. A little too good, if you ask me," the doctor stated in concern. "If I hadn't witnessed it myself, I wouldn't have believed that your heart recently stopped."
Mai looked up at her apprehensively. "Is that a bad thing?"
The older woman let out a heavy sigh and pushed her long hair behind her shoulder. "To be honest, I'm not sure. Whenever I've had a patient who has recently gone into cardiac arrest there are usually tell tale signs in their vitals. But…seeing as this is something new to all of us, I'm unsure if this would be considered normal or not. If you don't mind, I'd like to follow up with you before you leave. Maybe even for the next few days. Just as a precaution." She placed her stethoscope and other tools of the trade in her bag and shook her head. "Good thing Naru asked me to bring my medical kit just in case things went wrong."
"I'd hoped it wouldn't be needed, but I've had enough experience with these situations to know better," a deep voice replied unhappily from across the room.
Mai glanced over at the man guiltily and opened her mouth.
"Don't." Oliver said firmly before she could say anything. He pinched the bridge of his nose. "Do not apologize."
The brunette obediently listened, pressing her lips firmly together, but the internal guilt remained.
As if he could read her mind, a sigh escaped the man and he explained himself. "You did nothing wrong, Mai. I was the one foolish enough to go along with this study even though I was fully aware there could be unknown risks."
"We all took that risk, son," Martin frowned regretfully with a sigh of his own.
Mai's eyes grew wide. "I'm alive and well. That's all that matters. And at least I got some answers out of all of this."
Martin perked up. "You did?"
The woman nodded fervently for a moment before halting and looking between the two Davis men. "Well…to be honest," she began tentatively. "Due to the nature of some of the information I'd feel a bit more comfortable sharing what happened only with Oliver for now…if you don't mind…"
Steely blue eyes knowingly locked with hers.
Before Martin could stand to take his leave, Oliver excused himself first with a courteous nod. "Follow me," he instructed the brunette as he exited the room.
Caught off guard, Mai quickly scrambled to her feet, shooting Martin an apologetic look before following his son out of the testing room. Without a word he led her further down the small corridor. He reached a hand out and opened the last door on the right to reveal another room similar to the one they had just been in.
She raised a brow in silent question.
Before answering, Oliver closed the door and took a seat in one of the chairs against the wall. He interlaced his fingers and gestured with his head towards the empty cot across from him. Once she sat down he finally replied.
"You said you wished to talk to me privately," he explained matter-of-factly. "Even if Father left the testing room we were in, knowing his curiosity he would have listened through the equipment or watched us through the observation glass. There are no cameras nor two-way mirrors in this room, so I believed you'd be more comfortable here."
"Oh," she nodded in appreciation. "Thank you."
"So?" the man began. "I believe it is safe for me to assume you made contact with your other self?"
Right to the point, as usual.
"That's right," Mai replied. "I was in her body again, but this time she was unable to communicate with me and I had full control."
Oliver's eyes narrowed slightly as he listened. "You told my father you were able to get some answers. Explain."
Before she could say anything, he ever so gently shook his head with a small frown and looked up at her with a gentler expression. "Forgive me. I…would you please elaborate on what you saw?"
Mai's eyes softened. Oliver Davis was a no-nonsense man of science. According to those close to him, for years he had always been blunt and straight to the point when interviewing clients. Mai herself had only known him for a few months but she could easily tell that's how he had always been. And yet here he was, mincing his words for her. In fact, if she thought about it, she had only ever seen him reel in his prickly persona when it came to her.
No, no, she thought, shaking her head. She wouldn't entertain the unlikely thought that was making her heart flutter.
She glanced up and saw he was looking at her expectantly.
Reaching a hand up, the blushing woman pushed a strand of hair behind her ear before responding to his previous question. "I was actually able to talk to you; the other you that is. He wasn't too pleased that I basically forced his wife out of her own body so he was straight to the point. You two are very similar."
The man shot her a halfhearted look that clearly stated that his alternate self would obviously act like him.
"Right, of course you'd be," She laughed, and she saw the corner of his mouth pull up in amusement. "Anyway, first we confirmed that our two worlds are happening at the same time. It's the same date there as it is here."
In his notebook, Oliver jotted down her words as she spoke. "Congruent timelines," he stated to himself. "Interesting. Please continue."
"Then I mentioned how I came to know you and how everyone has been training me for the past few months and…" she hesitated.
"And?" he repeated curiously.
Mai hesitated. She suddenly began to feel a film sweat coat her neck as she formulated how to breach the uncomfortable topic of his brother's death. "Well, you know how some people theorize that if one event went differently then it could actually change the future?"
"As in a butterfly effect?" Oliver clarified. "How even the slightest insignificant change could create a ripple that may alter the course of the future?"
"Yes," Mai nodded, shifting awkwardly in her seat. "Well, there may be a couple of things that worked as a 'butterfly effect' in our situation. I started talking about our world and how I came to be in England, but the me in their time never did that. And you, the other you, actually revealed something pretty significant…"
He watched her for a moment before gesturing with his hand to continue. "Which was…?"
"Um, well, you see," she faltered, unsure of how to breach the topic. "I mentioned how Gene's been training me and you were surprised by that."
Oliver's eyes narrowed again. "'Surprised?' Why?"
Mai gulped. "In their world…Well, you see…Gene…"
Though he let out an impatient sigh, his tone was still gentle. "Go on."
"Gene is dead."
Tentatively looking up through her lashes, she studied the man's reaction.
While his expression remained calm, Mai could see the muscle of Oliver's jaw tighten. "Dead?" he echoed. "How?"
"It was over a decade ago," Mai said tentatively. "He was involved in a hit and run."
She watched as Oliver tensed at her words. "Over a decade ago. That was when…" he whispered to himself as if realizing something.
He was deep in thought for a moment and Mai studied him curiously.
Gene's words from after their last case together replayed in her mind.
'He told me he had a dream about my death…He said I died after being hit by a car…'
How could she have forgotten that she wasn't the only one to witness Gene's death through a dream? When Mai experienced hers, it was just the dream of a stranger's death. Yes, it was traumatic having felt every sensation the victim had felt, but since she hadn't yet known Gene it wasn't personal. The only reason she took that late night trip was because if she had knowingly ignored her premonition and then later came to find out that she could have prevented a person's death, she would have been devastated and felt a sense of responsibility until her dying breath. While she did go out of her way to save his life, it was only out of moral obligation and duty.
Oliver, on the other hand, had to watch the death of his own brother. His twin. The most important person in his life. Her heart ached at the thought and she couldn't help but wonder if the other Oliver had to witness Gene's death in the same manner she had, wherein he had to feel physical sensation as if it were him being hit by that car. How traumatizing would that have been to him?
"What was the second thing?" the man's voice caught her attention.
She looked up. "Pardon?"
"You just said there could have been 'a couple of things' that may have caused changes," he explained. "Implying that there is more you haven't shared."
Momentarily, Mai froze. It wasn't like she could just tell him about the premonition that subsequently allowed her to save his brother's life all those years ago, which definitely was a main cause for why she went to England and Naru never went to Japan.
"I did say that, didn't I?" she laughed nervously, causing the man sitting across from her to raise a brow. After quickly racking her brain, she raised a finger as a thought came to her. "Oh! So you know how my visions began after my mother's passing, right? Well, apparently the other me only got her visions once you had gone to Japan after Gene's death. He said that Gene was actually her-what did he call it- her 'spirit-' or 'dream guide', I believe."
This piqued his interest. "Dream guide? How so?" Oliver asked.
"I'm not really sure," Mai shrugged. "He didn't get to go into much detail because it wasn't much longer after that when…" She trailed off as the memories returned.
The slowing beat of her heart.
Fading consciousness.
Being stuck surrounded by darkness and completely alone.
So alone.
Her heart began to race and her skin felt cold and clammy at the dreadful memory. Her fingers curled into a fist, grounding her back to reality and she shook her head to clear her mind. There was no need to think of that anymore. She was fine now. She was alive and breathing and fine. Perfectly fine.
Mai wasted no time in plastering a large smile on her face in an attempt to keep Oliver's suspicions from rising.
"That's when I was brought back here," she said as casually as she could muster.
He was no fool. She could see how he dissected each minuscule movement she made and his brain was probably already busy deciphering what she was withholding from him.
"Thank you, by the way," she quickly said, trying to keep him from learning too much. "Actually, now that I think about it, how did you bring me back anyway? I thought I had to be the one to send myself back?"
Oliver stiffened momentarily and clasped his hands in his lap. "I don't see how that's important, what matters is that you woke up," he said with a clearing of his throat.
Mai puzzled at his response and suddenly she remembered the electricity she felt coming from his hands as she had woken. Upon realizing the only logical explanation as to how he had revived her, she quickly got to her feet and took a seat next to the man.
Without warning she grabbed his wrist and placed her fingers along the artery.
An amused brow raised as he watched along. "What are you doing?"
Pink lips pursed in determination. "Checking your pulse."
Oliver let out a small sigh and rolled his eyes but nevertheless continued to appease her. "Obviously I have a pulse, I'd be on the floor if I didn't. Do you even know what you're doing?"
"O-of course I do," she lied. She had seen Ayako doing it earlier so how hard could it be, right? The brunette looked up at him, unamused. "Anyway, you used your psychokinesis, didn't you?"
"And?" Oliver tilted his head, holding her gaze. "What if I did?"
Casting her head downwards, she replied. "Well, don't. I don't want you putting yourself in danger for me."
After being met with silence, Mai loosened her grip on his wrist. However, before she could pull away, his free hand wrapped around hers, holding it in place. Her gaze snapped up to meet his.
"Of all the people to say that," he muttered to himself.
Blood rushed to her cheeks like wildfire, creating a blush that spread to the tips of her ears. She opened her mouth to repudiate but he beat her to it.
"You just put yourself in a life-threatening situation for the sake of my personal curiosity," he continued seriously. "This wasn't the first time you've put yourself in danger for the sake of others."
"You too," she retorted stubbornly. "If you think about it, your entire job is about keeping others safe from spirits. How many times have you put yourself in harm's way to protect others?"
Oliver rubbed his temples with a free hand. "Why do I feel like everytime I ask you to be safe you turn it back on me?"
"Well it's like that saying, isn't it?" Mai smiled gently, trying to lighten the mood. "'The pot calling the kettle black' or something like that? I guess we both just have big hearts, even if you try to hide yours."
The two locked eyes again in a silent battle for the upper hand.
Blue held fast, refusing to budge, quickly crumbling Mai's resolve. Relenting, the brunette pulled back slightly and frowned to herself.
"You're right," Mai admitted in defeat. "I know I act rashly from time to time. I just want to be of use to you. To all of you. After all that you've done for me, I feel like I'm not giving as much as I'm receiving. All I can offer in return is this ability I have, so I want to be as useful as possible."
Oliver's brows furrowed. "You're not some tool that needs to prove its worth," he stated.
Mai shied, turning her head away in vulnerability. "I don't know how to be anything else."
Oliver's hardened features froze at her confession. Those eight little words were heavy with the depth of their meaning, allowing him a true glimpse into her perceived self worth. In her eyes, what more was she to the world than a tool to be used?
"Mai."
The woman looked up at him cautiously.
"You are not a tool," he said, punctuating each word. "You've proven yourself over and over. With or without your dreams, you are a necessity to BSPR. From now on I forbid you from putting yourself in harm's way as you did today."
Mai nodded slowly, Oliver and herself knowing fully well that she would keep no such promise. Next time danger arose she would most likely be the first to take it upon herself to help the others.
A long sigh escaped the man's nose. "We should be getting back. Ayako will accompany you home while I inform my father with our findings. I think we are all in agreement that there will be no more of these studies."
Mai felt the man release her hand, his fingers carefully caressing her skin as he stood. She felt her cheeks warm; she hadn't realized they were still holding onto each other up until that point.
"O-Okay," she stuttered as Oliver opened the door and disappeared into the hallway without another word.
A pair of manicured fingers snapped loudly in front of Mai, alerting her back to reality.
Ayako was watching her with a studious gaze, clearly analyzing if she should go into doctor-mode or not.
Understanding her concern, Mai sent the woman a reassuring smile. "Sorry, my mind was wandering again. What were you saying?"
The doctor sighed, but seemed more at ease nonetheless. "Houshou and I will actually be staying in London for a bit longer. At least a month. He hit it off with an up and coming band that was at his party the other week and it turns out they're actually looking for a bass player. He's going to work with them for the next month, see how things go, and then who knows, maybe we'll be flying back to England on a more permanent note."
Mai beamed at the older woman. "That's so exciting!"
"I keep trying to remind myself that nothing is set in stone, but I have to admit it would be fun to have a change in scenery," Ayako smiled.
"It would be so fun! Would your parents be okay with you leaving the family hospital?" Mai asked curiously.
"Ugh, don't even get me started," the woman groaned childishly. "That's a whole hurdle in and of itself. My mom could go either way. She may be excited for me but on the other hand she keeps saying she wants to be able to see her grandkids and, first of all we don't have kids, and anyway who's saying I even want kids? I mean sure we've talked about it but we're still young and in our prime. As for my father, he definitely won't let me leave that easily, why just the other day he was saying-"
Mai laughed as her friend continued in her exuberance, waving her manicured hand around dramatically as she talked.
The bus began to roll to a stop and Mai absentmindedly glanced to her left. She was surprised to see a man sitting at the end of the bus, staring intently in her direction. Turning around she tried to see who he was watching at but upon looking back again she realized he was staring at her.
She quickly averted her gaze back to Ayako, unsettled by the man's vacant stare. The forced smile on her face faltered and Ayako's voice slowly began to fade into the background as those empty eyes continued to bore into the back of her head.
Once the new commuters settled onto the bus and they started moving again, Mai peeked over her shoulder.
The man that had been there just seconds before was no longer anywhere to be seen. Shaking her head to clear her mind, Mai quickly turned back to her friend, convincing herself it was all a misunderstanding.
"So anyway, if everything goes smoothly we'll let them know when we return to Japan. Hopefully by the end of this year we will be here for good," her friend concluded with a grin.
"Well, I for one hope everything goes smoothly," Mai said.
Ayako nodded and rearranged her handbag on her lap. "You and I both. Oh, hey, isn't this your stop coming up?"
Mai's attention snapped to the window and her eyes widened when she saw her building already approaching in the distance.
"Yes, it is," she confirmed. Mai stole another glance over to the empty seat where the man had been sitting and cleared her throat. She didn't want to be alone. "Um, did you want to come up to mine?"
Ayako beamed at the invitation. Originally they had planned for the woman to escort Mai back to the building, but it was a good opportunity to do one final check up.
"Sure! What's nearby? I'll order some takeaway," her friend exclaimed.
"Seriously, though. I'm not trying to make light of the seriousness of the situation, but you really should have seen his face when everything was happening. Knight in shining armour material right there," Ayako giggled, popping a chip into her mouth.
Mai covered her reddening cheeks. "Stop, he was just worried, and rightfully so! My heart stopped!" the younger woman groaned and melted into the settee, pulling a pillow to her chest. "Don't go reading into it, because if you do then of course I will and then I'll act a fool thinking I actually stand a chance."
Ayako rolled her eyes playfully. "Fine, fine, I'll stop. Even though I know I'm right, and I know you have a chance, but okay. I'll stop…For now."
Mai shot her a halfhearted pout and Ayako chuckled before picking up another chip.
"No frowning, you'll get lines. Now here, eat a chip and cheer up," she said, holding it out.
Unable to hold back her smile, Mai took the chip into her mouth. "Thank you."
"Yeah, yeah." The older woman leaned back on the sofa and sent the younger woman a mischievous grin. "He is really fit though."
"Ayako," Mai whinged, earning a proper belly laugh from her friend.
"Okay, I think I've tortured you enough," Ayako said with a pleased sigh as she stood from the couch, with Mai following after. "Your vitals still look normal so you should be all set. Oh! I almost forgot!"
She rummaged through her handbag before pulling out two small intricately designed brocade bags.
"Omamori?" Raising a brow, Mai took the outstretched talisman.
"You can never be too safe, right?" Ayako shrugged. "I noticed you didn't have any in your home, and knowing how much of a magnet to danger you are I thought it would be good to have."
Mai chuckled. "Thank you, though I don't know if I should be offended or not at being called a magnet to danger."
Ayako ruffled the brunette's hair playfully. "Well, it's true, isn't it? Heck, you've even said it before. And Naru brings it up all the time, but to be honest I think he enjoys getting to save you so often."
Shooing away the woman's hand, Mai smoothed out her now tousled hair. "Very funny," she said monotonously.
"I know, I'm hilarious, aren't I?" the miko teased. "Anyway, promise me you will call if you start to feel odd in any way."
Mai nodded. "I promise. Here, I'll walk you out."
Leaving the flat, the two made their way down the stairs, to the front door of the building.
"Thank you for the takeaway," Mai smiled.
Ayako waved her off. "It's the least I could do. Also, you definitely deserved some comfort food after that whole ordeal you've had to deal with today."
Mai reached out and gave the woman a grateful hug which she happily returned.
"Goodbye!" she called out as Ayako began to walk away.
"See ya! And remember, call me if there are any changes. You promised," the woman replied over her shoulder.
"I will, I will," Mai chuckled and closed the door behind her.
She began her trek back up the stairs, and glanced down at the silken pouches in her hand. The omamori were beautifully embroidered; one with a flying crane, while the other was peppered with cherry blossom flowers. She felt more at peace even just by holding them in her hand.
Still focused on the omamori in her hands, Mai didn't register the sound of the lift opening as she reached the top step. She had only made it a couple of feet before suddenly bumping into someone.
Simultaneously a metallic loud crash echoed through the hall and a small squeak left her mouth as she started to fall backwards, but before she could fall down the stairs a large arm reached out and wrapped around her waist.
Stunned, she quickly looked up and locked eyes with a familiar face. "P-Phillip?"
"Hiya, Mai," he greeted with a dimpled grin.
Mai quickly gathered her footing and straightened out, though he kept a guiding hand on her back just in case she lost her balance. "I am so sorry! I wasn't watching where I was going!"
"No need to apologize, I'm just happy you're okay," he comforted.
Running a hand through her brown hair, she hastily reached down and picked up the talisman she had dropped in her stupor. However, she gasped upon seeing an open paint tin and brush on the floor.
"Oh goodness! I'm so sorry, here let me help you!" she said guiltily. Before her hands could reach the tin, a hand gently lay atop hers, stopping her.
"It's really okay, Mai. I don't want you to get your hands a mess. Fortunately it was nearly empty anyway," Phillip chirped merrily. "Serves me right for walking around with a lidless tin. I've been trying to touch up all the little marks in the walls that have been accumulating throughout the years."
He saw a small splattering of paint on the wooden floor and frowned. "Bullocks. Pops won't be too happy about that," he mumbled to himself. He looked around to see if he could find anything to wipe the paint up with.
Mai's gaze fell on his shirt and she frowned. "Oh no, your shirt!"
Phillip glanced down to see his once clean shirt was now lightly splattered with wet paint. "That will work," he said with a shrug.
"What do you m-" Mai froze as the man in front of her lifted his shirt over his head, leaving himself quite bare. "W-What are you doing?"
The blonde quickly turned his shirt inside out and began scrubbing carefully at the stain on the floor. "I'm getting the stain out before it sets," he replied distractedly.
She watched wide-eyed as he proceeded to clean the floor for a few more seconds. While he was in great shape, Mai couldn't help but guiltily compare the man before her to a certain blue-eyed boss of hers. Memories of seeing said man shirtless in his house flooded her mind and ignited her face.
Flashing a proud grin, Phillip stood up and flung his shirt over his shoulder before rubbing his hands together to get off any lingering paint. A small squeak next to him caught his attention and he turned to see an even more red faced brunette staring back at him.
His eyes snapped down to his chest, finally grasping the situation.
"S-Sorry! I wasn't- I didn't mean-" he stumbled over his words as he hurriedly threw his shirt back on, albeit backwards. "Well that wasn't very gentlemanly of me now, was it?" he laughed nervously.
"I-It's okay," Mai stammered. "Um, I can buy you a new shirt."
Phillip shook his head fervently. "There's no need! Really! It was an old shirt anyway. I've been meaning to update the wardrobe."
Mai nodded awkwardly and rubbed the back of her neck.
"So how have you been?" the man asked her, attempting to change the subject.
"I've been…fine," she replied, pushing the memories of today to the farthest corners of her mind. "Just busy with work. How about you? You're looking well. Happier I mean."
The blonde smiled softly at her. "Yeah. I've been trying." The smile quickly faltered and his eyes grew somber. "Mai…I really want to apologize about the other day."
Mai thought back to the previous week when she was holding the dress she was going to wear for her date - outing - with Oliver. Phillip had clearly been drinking and had been acting unlike himself.
"It's okay," she reassured.
"No it's not," he frowned and picked up the tin off the ground. He couldn't bring himself to look her in the eye. "I, um, I have a bit of a problem with drinking…and gambling. When I drink I tend to gamble, and when I gamble I tend to drink. Bit of a nasty cycle…not a good combination really. The mates I tend to hang out with don't help any either."
A twinge of pity pulled at her heart looking at the vulnerable man.
"But I just want to say that I'm really trying to get better. I don't like who I am when I drink. I get a bit impulsive, or clingy, and all in all just not very good company at times really." Phillip took in a deep breath and looked up at her with pleading eyes. "I'm really sorry, Mai. I wanted to be your friend and I wound up being an arrogant ass instead. The dress was really beautiful and I hope you had a great time at the orchestra with your boss."
Speechless, Mai stared at him for a few seconds while she tried to gather her thoughts. "Thank you. It was a lot of fun. And thank you for sharing all of that, I know it must have taken a lot to open up about that. I'm glad to hear that you're trying to stay off the drink."
Phillip smiled weakly and looked down at his feet. "You're really too kind sometimes." He let out a sigh and rearranged his grip on the paint tin. "Well, I've kept you for too long. I should really finish before the paint dries up on me. It was really good to see you, Mai."
The brunette watched as he awkwardly turned towards the wall and began painting over any noticeable scuffs in the wall.
"It was good to see you too, Phillip," She watched him for a moment before making her way to the door to her flat.
She put the key in the whole and opened her door but before she stepped in she turned towards the man.
"Phillip?" she called out.
His head snapped towards her in the blink of an eye. "Yes?"
She hesitated for a moment before steeling her resolve. "I still want to be your friend. Would you like to grab a bite sometime? Say Friday? I'd love to catch up and hear how Bertie is doing."
His shock was quickly replaced with a blindingly bright smile. "Friends! Yes! Sounds brilliant. How about Friday? Same pub as before? No drinks of course."
Mai smiled kindly in return. "I'll see you then."
Without another word she closed the door behind her, leaving the elated man alone in the corridor.