** Finally! I've been juggling getting my classroom ready for my Kindergarteners graduation as well as fighting off a sudden sinus infection so this chapter took longer than expected. It is shorter than most of my other chapters but I also like writing these fun little interactions between the characters. Thank you all again for the wonderful reviews and follows/likes. I'll try to reply to some reviews once I get a chance! Hope you enjoy it! I also didn't get a chance to edit so if you see any grammatical errors feel free to PM me. **
Chapter Thirty-Five
The front door of the office flew open as a certain brunette rushed through the door.
Her entrance was anything but graceful as she quickly hobbled into the entryway. Before she could limp much farther, the closing door was once again pushed open by none other than the black haired man she was so desperately trying to evade.
"Mai," Oliver called after her impatiently, easily catching up to her.
"I said 'I'm fine!' Naru," the brunette hastily replied, keeping her eyes glued to the ground.
Though her eyes were covered by her fringe, the man could see the vibrant red blush that covered the woman's face. Sighing, he reached out and gently grabbed her wrist, effectively ceasing her retreat.
"You just fell in the middle of the street," he stated.
"Oh really?" she shot back sarcastically before wincing at her words. "Sorry...but I know. I was quite obviously there," Mai muttered and tried to pull her arm away from the man to no avail. She kept her eyes hidden behind her hair, avoiding his gaze.
Rolling his eyes, Oliver dropped to one knee in front of her. His hand fell from her wrist to her calf as he inspected the large scrape on her knee.
"W-What are you doing?" Mai stammered in bewilderment. The touch of his fingers against her bare leg was nearly electric causing her to jump backwards. The back of her knees bumped into an armchair and she fell onto it with a soft 'thump'. The green midi skirt she wore fluttered down against her legs and her hair fell away from her eyes, framing her face.
Blue eyes stared up at her, clearly not amused with how uncooperative she was being. Mai's breath caught as his left hand cupped the back of her calf while his other hand gently prodded her leg. The hem of her skirt rose up her thighs as he lifted her leg slightly and she quickly reached a hand down to hold it in place. Fortunately for her, Oliver didn't appear to notice. Instead his brows furrowed as he assessed the cut on her leg.
"You're bleeding," he frowned.
"Yes, well, that tends to happen when someone falls in the street," she muttered embarrassedly. "I blame you, by the way."
"Me?" he replied in amusement with a raised brow. "Do explain."
"Yes, you," she confirmed, gripping the hem of her skirt tightly. "If you hadn't been teasing me I wouldn't have been so distracted and fallen."
A little playful smirk pulled at the corner of his lips and he leaned in slightly. "My apologies for being such a distraction to you."
Mai's cheeks grew a brilliant shade of red at the deep timbre of his voice. "Th-That's not what I mean. You're twisting my words around. You've been teasing me since we finished the case."
"Whatever do you mean? I've merely been repeating what you'd told our client," he shrugged, feigning ignorance.
Mai's lips pursed in a line. "She said you were handsome and asked me if I agreed. What? Was I supposed to be rude and ignore her? I was obligated to answer so don't let it go to your head. It's not like you don't realize how attractive you are anyway. And, to be honest…" she trailed off in a hesitant whisper and cast her gaze to the side timidly. "I didn't realize you were in the room to hear me."
The brunette expected a smart reply from the man, but none came. She cautiously looked at him from the corner of her eye and her heart fluttered as she saw the small smile he was wearing. He reached a hand into his pocket and withdrew a clean handkerchief. He folded it a few times before holding it in place on her knee.
She opened her mouth to tell him not to sully his handkerchief but all words died on her tongue. All at once, she suddenly grew hyper-aware of the fact that he was still holding her leg in his hands. The pads of his fingertips tenderly pressed into the smooth skin of her calf as his fingers slowly slid down towards her ankle. A small gasp escaped her lips and she couldn't help but think of the dreams of him that had been plaguing her sleep every night.
Intense blue eyes met brown and Mai had to remind herself how to breathe. His proximity was intoxicating and she found herself drawn to them.
The sound of someone clearing their throat caused the two to freeze. Mai's head quickly turned towards the sound and she felt her stomach drop knowing that she and Oliver hadn't been alone.
Yasuhara was sitting behind his desk, smirking at the pair. He gave Mai a quick wink and that's when she heard the sound of laughter being held back. Her eyes grew even wider upon realizing there were two other's standing next to Yasuhara's desk. Gene and Masako were turned away, pretending to talk to one another but clearly were just trying to conceal their entertainment.
Oliver quickly released her leg and stood from his kneeling position as if nothing had happened. He turned his head slightly in Mai's direction with a stoic expression.
"You should clean that before it gets infected," he instructed. He ignored the other's prying eyes as he walked out of the room. "I'll be in my office if I'm needed."
Mai watched him leave and heard the door to his office close after a few seconds. She slowly turned to see the two men grinning at her in mirth, while Masako hid her smile behind a polite hand.
"Have you…" she started nervously.
"Been here the whole time?" Yasuhara finished for her, propping his chin on his fist.
Mai nodded.
"Yes," the bespectacled man readily confirmed.
The brunette went to stand but hissed at the pain in her leg and sat back down. She looked down and her knee with a frown, only just realizing how hurt it was. She picked up the fallen piece of cloth Oliver had been using and held it back in place.
"Wait there, Mai," Masako chimed before rushing into the kitchenette.
Mai timidly looked over at Gene. "When did you get back from America? I thought the two of you were coming back this weekend."
Gene placed his hands in his pockets and casually leaned against Yasuhara's desk. "They wrapped up filming earlier than anticipated so we hopped on the next flight out."
"I'm glad everything went so smoothly," Mai smiled.
"We couldn't be happier," he grinned in agreement. "Anyhoo, I have some things to discuss with Noll so I'll leave the two of you girls to talk."
The man made his way out of the room and it was only seconds before Masako came back from the kitchen with a first aid kit in hand. The woman sat down next to her friend with a smirk.
"Fell in the street, did you?" she asked knowingly in Japanese.
Mai laughed, looking down at her leg. "Just a bit."
Gene opened his brother's door and let himself in.
"Would it kill you to knock?" Oliver asked in irritation without looking up from his computer.
"Who knows? I've never knocked before so I don't want to take the risk," his twin jested before closing the door behind him and casually dropped into the empty seat across from his brother.
"You're back early," Oliver stated. "I'm assuming everything went according to plan?"
Gene beamed. "Swimmingly. If I hadn't gone, I'm sure they would have pressured her into another year or two of contracts. I had a nice little chat with the bossman. Let's just say Masako shouldn't be hearing from them again." He leaned back in his chair and looked at his nails, pleased with himself.
Naru cast a quick look towards his brother. "Nothing unsavory I hope?"
The elder shrugged. "If he can shamelessly blackmail my fiance for years, he deserves a taste of his own medicine. Let's leave it at that."
Blue eyes rolled before he began typing. "Just make sure nothing reflects poorly on Mother and Father."
"Noll, do you really think I'd be that careless? Anyway, who would the media believe? The controversial and crooked boss of hers, or the world renowned medium with a squeaky clean record?" Gene smirked. "On another note, I wanted to come by and talk to you about training that beautiful assistant of yours, but after that little display out there I wonder if we missed anything noteworthy while we were away," he finished with a devilish grin.
An audible sigh left Oliver's lips. "I don't know what you're talking about."
"Oh, yes you do, you sly dog. I've known you my whole life and I've never seen you treat anyone the way you treat her," Gene smiled encouragingly. "You fancy her don't you?"
"If my memory recalls correctly, which it always does, we've had this conversation already," he said as his fingers continued typing away. "She's my employee."
"Oh, and office romances are unheard of," Gene replied sarcastically. "She's smart, has ever-growing psychic abilities, and is a quick study. If she's not a perfect match for you, I don't know who is. On top of that, she's beautiful, don't you think?"
"Gene," the youngest warned.
"You can try to deny it all you want, but I know the truth. I see the way you look at her. You know she's gorgeous, so admit it," Gene pressed.
Oliver's fingers hesitated over the buttons of the keyboard and slowly reached up to pinch the bridge of his nose. He closed his eyes momentarily before looking at his brother awkwardly.
"I suppose she is rather...aesthetically pleasing," he replied quietly, having difficulty choosing his words.
"Aesthetically pleasing?" Gene echoed incredulously before letting out a bark of laughter that earned a glare from his brother. "Okay, okay, I'll stop. I guess that's the best I'll get out of you for now. So, did anything happen between you while we were gone?"
Noll sighed. "Nothing has happened."
"But you want something to happen?" his twin hinted.
"I won't dignify that question with an answer."
"Oh come on, Noll. You've got to give me something! I'm not teasing you, I promise. I'm just excited that's all," Gene clarified sympathetically.
"You said you wanted to talk about her training?" Noll stated shortly, dropping the subject.
His brother paused and studied him carefully before deflating slightly. "I love you Noll. I only want my little brother's happiness."
"We're the same age," Oliver grunted.
"Well, as someone four minutes older and wiser than you," Oliver shot him a look, "and engaged, I'm just trying to help you out in the romance department," the other man said while waving a hand flippantly. "Is that such a crime?"
"Again, you said you wanted to talk about her training?" Oliver repeated impatiently.
"Fine," Gene conceded. "I've been studying cases of people with similar powers to her and I have some ideas on how I can help. Here, it's all in this file."
The elder brother held out a manilla folder which Oliver quickly took. He skimmed through the contents before giving a small nod.
"That looks like a good course of action. When will you start?"
Gene stood from his seat and dusted off his trousers. "Good. I can start as soon as tomorrow. Do you have any cases coming up I should know about?"
Oliver shook his head, black hair falling across his brow. "No. Just be sure to keep her weekends open."
Gene raised an inquiring brow. "Ohh, big plans coming up?"
"Are we done here?" Noll replied flatly.
"Yeah, yeah, we're done," Gene chuckled and made his way out of the office. "Masako and I have to start packing, anyway. We found a flat not too far from here. Be a dear and help us move later, okay? Okay. Thanks!"
Oliver leaned his head back against his chair and looked up at the ceiling. His brother definitely knew how to poke all the right buttons. Sighing, he turned his head and looked at an opened envelope that was resting on his desk. Picking it up, he looked inside and stared at the contents for a moment as if debating something. He could hear the sound of his brother and the others being their typical selves and gently tossed the envelope back into its place. Long fingers reached up and ran through his ebony hair before he turned back to his computer in determination.
Back in the lobby, Masako took out a gauze pad and some hydrogen peroxide and began wiping Mai's knee. "So... what was all that about?" she asked, curiosity piqued. "The two of you were looking rather cozy."
Mai rolled her eyes, trying to hide her embarrassment. "It was nothing. He just enjoys teasing me, that's all. But, hey! What about you? How was America? Gene told me things wrapped up early."
The dark haired medium placed a plaster on the brunette's knee before sitting up straight. "Gene was with me the first day I met with the company. We told them I was done and wouldn't be signing any more contracts. They played nice while he was around, but once filming started and Gene wasn't nearby they started pressing me and going back to their old tactics."
"So what did you do?" Mai asked in concern.
"I left in the middle of shooting," Masako grinned proudly.
The brunette gasped in shock and let out a laugh. "Really?"
"Really," she said with a nod. "I called Gene, told him what was happening, and I only returned to film once he arrived. He stayed on set with me all day, every day, and he would tell them off any time they overstepped or tried to pressure me. He denies it, but I'm pretty sure he met with my boss and scared him off. He said he had to 'take care of something' and then the next day filming was suddenly wrapped up. We finished filming yesterday and booked the first flight home," the medium explained.
"Gene's a good fellow through and through. However, if anyone is idiotic enough to mess with the ones close to him, Lord have mercy on their soul," Yasuhara chimed in from behind his desk. Mai had forgotten he was still there.
Masako smirked giddily. "I don't know what that fiance of mine did or said, but the next time I saw my boss he was like a completely different person. The man looked terrified and kept looking over his shoulder...Do you want to know a secret?" she whispered and leaned forward in excitement. "I'm glad he was so scared! He was a horrid man and deserves it."
"Bravo," Mai encouraged. "You've been pushed around too long, I'm happy you're standing up for yourself."
"Me too," Masako sighed in relief. "It feels good."
"I bet. By the way," Mai added. "I almost didn't recognize you when I first saw you. I like the new look."
Masako looked down at her outfit. In lieu of her usual kimono attire, she was wearing a long sleeveless dress. "Oh, yes. I can finally wear what I want to wear now that I no longer have a contract to follow...Though, I have to admit, I've had to wear a kimono for nearly half my life so I feel like a fish out of water right now. I don't even really know what style I like anymore."
"I think you look beautiful," Mai complimented and touched the soft floral fabric of Masako's dress. "We should go shopping together some day!"
The other woman beamed. "Sounds like a plan! How about this weekend after Gene and I are done moving?"
"Okay!" Mai agreed.
"Just don't let Mrs. Big Boss hear about it unless you want to be stuck shopping with her for days," Yasuhara chimed in, lazily flipping the page of his book.
The women looked at each other and laughed lightheartedly.
"I don't think I'd mind that," Masako began. "She has more fashion sense than me, and I do love spending time with her. Also, seeing as I don't have a job anymore, I haven't really thought about what I'll be doing all day so I've got nothing but time on my hands."
Gene reappeared at that moment with a mischievous grin. "Need some help picking out clothes? I can help you find something, sweetheart," he winked.
Masako's cheeks grew red and she rolled her eyes. "You showed me some of your 'ideas' on the plane. They've been denied."
Her fiance frowned and pulled her into a hug. "But why?"
She looked up at him with a glint in her eye. "Fine."
"Fine?" he looked down at her, slightly shocked.
"Let's get what you want, hm? I'm just surprised you wouldn't mind me walking around London in nothing more than a-" she bluffed.
"-I was joking! You're not wearing that!" He interrupted desperately, causing the other three in the room to laugh.
Masako smiled sweetly and pressed a kiss against his cheek. "Thought so."
The end of the was drawing near and it was just about time to close up the office. Yasuhara had already left, leaving just Mai and Oliver. She looked at the clock and then back at her boss' door. He hadn't come out since they had returned from their case earlier that day. He hadn't even asked for tea. She didn't like when he did this. Soon after starting this job, she saw how he would often deprive himself of basic necessities such as food and drink.
The brunette frowned. She packed her things and made her way into the kitchenette in order to make a cup of tea for the man. Within minutes she was knocking on Oliver's door, awaiting a response.
"Come in," his voice called out.
She slowly opened the door and gave him a small smile. "I'm going to be heading out soon. Can I help you with anything?"
He looked up from the folder he was holding and shook his head. "I can manage."
"Okay." Placing down the cup of tea in front of him, she turned to take her leave.
"Mai," his voice halted her.
She turned and tilted her head at the man. "Yes?"
He watched her momentarily before standing from his seat. He took the open envelope from his desk and held it out to her.
The brunette looked at him in confusion, but she took it nonetheless. "What's this?"
Oliver crossed his arms over his chest and leaned against his desk. "Open it and see."
She did as she was told and it was mere seconds before a brilliant smile crossed her face. "A concert in memory of Petra?"
Her boss nodded. "Mr. Stiles invited us both as guests of honour. He wanted to pay tribute to her talent and share her music with the world."
"That's a bit fast isn't it? I thought they needed months to practice for a concert." Mai said in awe.
"When I last talked to Mr. Stiles, he mentioned Petra's family is going back to Slovakia soon," Oliver explained. "He wanted them to hear her music as she envisioned it. Apparently, they've been practicing around the clock in order to be ready in time. All proceeds will also be donated to her family and they are creating a scholarship in her name."
Mai felt like she wanted to cry from happiness. "That's wonderful."
She looked back down at the ticket in her hand and read the information on the ticket. Oliver noticed her eyes falter as she read the date.
"Is there something wrong?" he asked.
Mai quickly shoved the ticket back into the envelope and shook her head. "Nothing at all! So it's next Saturday?"
Oliver looked at her suspiciously and nodded. "It is. They are asking for formal attire, as well."
"Really?" Mai asked in excitement. Luckily, she and Masako were planning on going shopping that upcoming weekend so she would be able to find something to wear.
He nodded again, wondering if she had ever attended an event such as this. "Don't worry about transportation, either. I will pick you up."
"O-Okay," she agreed. Her mind traveled to the idea of spending the day with Oliver at the concert and couldn't help the smile that pulled at her lips. She pulled the envelope against her chest and bowed slightly. "Well, then, I should be off. Be sure to head out soon. Too many late nights in the office are unhealthy."
"I will be alright," he replied.
"I'm going to hold you to it," she chirped and opened his door, making her leave. "Have a good weekend, Naru."
"You as well, Mai," came his quiet reply as she left the room.
She smiled the entire way home that evening. Even though it was just an obligatory visit to a previous client, she was already counting down the days until the concert was there. She imagined what Oliver would look like in a formal suit and bit her lip. This upcoming week couldn't pass fast enough.