**Hi everyone! I apologize for the late chapter but I've been on a much needed vacation for the past two weeks! Thanks for hanging in there with me ;)

This is probably one of the shortest chapters I've written but it is only because I only had so much I wanted to include and didn't want to just add in unnecessary fillers to make it longer. I'm very excited for my next chapter. I haven't even started writing it but I know once I start I won't be able to stop. I am planning to make a very long chapter for the much anticipated not-a-date. Thank you for all the love and support! **

Chapter Thirty-Seven

"Phillip!" Mai gasped up at the man she had just bumped into. "I'm so sorry, I wasn't watching where I was going."

The man smiled down at her and shook his head. "If it's you bumping into me I don't mind."

Mai laughed lightly and took a step back only to realize Phillip was still holding onto her from when she almost fell. His fingers tightened ever so slightly and his thumb brushed her arm.

She looked up at him expectantly. "Um, Phillip?"

His eyes widened and he took a step away from her with an embarrassed grin. "Sorry."

As he retreated, the distinct smell of alcohol reached Mai's nose. She couldn't help but realize he looked a little out of sorts.

"It's okay," she mumbled. "Um...Have you been drinking?"

The man reached a hand up and scratched the back of his neck in embarrassment. "Maybe just a little bit, but it was earlier."

"Is everything okay?" she wondered, noting that it was relatively early to be drinking on a Monday.

His grin faltered. "Erm...Yeah."

"That's not very convincing. It's nothing to do with Bertie, is it?" she asked worriedly.

Phillip quickly shook his head. "No. Pops is doing okay. It's just kind of embarrassing to admit...You see, luck wasn't on my side at the races today. I haven't been in a while because...well...anyway, it's been a while, and I bet a little bit more than I should have. But everything will be okay. I'll make it back in no time."

"Oh..." she whispered and pulled the garment bag in her arms closer to her chest.

Green eyes looked down at the item in her hands. "That's a beautiful dress. Special occasion?" he asked.

"This?" she echoed. "Actually, yes. A previous client invited me as a guest of honor to the orchestra."

Phillip's brows furrowed unhappily. "You're going to the orchestra with a client?"

Mai shook her head and chuckled. "No. The client is a professor at a university for performing arts. We were there on a case not too long ago. It's a long story, but he invited my boss and I to a special concert in honor of cleansing the school of a spirit."

The man's eyes darkened at the mention of Oliver. "Oh. And that's what you're wearing?"

Mai's smile fell at the man's words. "What do you mean?"

His eyes widened at her tone and he waved his hands in front of his chest apologetically. "Nothing! It's gorgeous! You're going to be gorgeous, you always are. Just...just be careful."

Mai tilted her head at the warning. "Why do you say that?"

A blush crept up on the man's cheeks and he pushed his hair back. "Well, you're a very beautiful woman, Mai. I know I would have a hard time keeping my eyes off of you if you were my date. I just want to make sure that boss of yours doesn't try anything ungentlemanly."

Mai ducked her head in embarrassment. "Thank you for the concern, but I'll be okay. It's not a date. And anyway, Oliver doesn't see me that way. He's just going out of obligation to our client."

"I wouldn't be so sure about that," Phillip muttered too quietly for Mai to hear.

"Pardon?" she asked innocently.

He smiled awkwardly and shook his head. "It's nothing." They finally made it to their complex and Phillip held the front door open for Mai. "After you."

She gave him a warm smile as she walked inside. "Thank you."

The man stopped in front of his door and gave a small wave to the woman. "It was good to see you, Mai. Can we catch that bite to eat soon? I could really use someone to talk to."

"Sure," she nodded and waved in return. "Have a good night, Phillip."

"You too, Mai," he said and entered his flat.

The week flew by. Gene came to visit daily to help Mai with her meditation and Oliver allowed them to use his office during their sessions. Ayako had provided various handmade omamori and other talismans that were then placed around the room. The last thing the Davis brothers wanted was for any harm to come to her during her training.

Everything was exactly the same as their first session aside from the fact that Oliver had made it a point to sit in the corner of the room. He had justified it was for scientific purposes, but she could tell part of the reason was concern for her wellbeing since he still wasn't too pleased about her accidental trip to the astral plane the other day. Though she truly appreciated the sentiment, she couldn't help but be distracted knowing that he was watching her just mere feet away. She hadn't been able to focus at all on Tuesday because of it. Wednesday had been a bit easier to ignore his presence, but Mai still hadn't been able to reach a state of meditation.

She let out a deep breath and settled herself in her boss's chair. They had been at this for the past three days, and today she was determined to astral project again. Gene kept reminding her that their main objective was to focus on meditation and that astral projection was a skill that took years, if not decades, to master, and even then it was a rare skill that not many were able to achieve.

His words didn't sway her. She knew if she could just focus long enough to meditate then she'd be able to find her way back to the astral plane. All she had to do was focus.

Focus…

…Focus…

Her brows twitched.

How could she focus when, even with her eyes closed, she could feel Oliver's intense gaze on her?

Mai stealthily cracked an eye open to peek over at the man who was the root of her week-long distraction. In the dim, candlelit room she could just barely make out the dark haired man was sitting in the corner silently watching her.

"A vital part of meditating is to keep your eyes closed, Mai," his hushed voice reached her ears causing her to blush in embarrassment.

She quickly snapped her eyes shut. "Maybe I'd actually be able to do this if I didn't have your eagle eyes burning a hole into me," she whispered harshly with a frown.

The brunette could hear him chuckle and wanted nothing more than to push him out of his office.

Gene cleared his throat. "If you two are done and don't mind, I'd really appreciate getting things rolling," he ground out impatiently.

Mai winced and smiled over at the man apologetically. "Sorry."

"Mai, close your eyes and focus. Noll, you too. If you want to be a part of these trainings and don't want me to kick you out, I'm going to need you to stop distracting my pupil," he snapped.

If it were possible, the woman could almost hear Oliver rolling his eyes in response. Thankful for Gene's interference, Mai closed her eyes once again and tried to clear her mind.

Almost instantaneously, she felt more at ease knowing those cerulean blue eyes were no longer dissecting every minuscule movement she made.

The smell of the burning incense invaded her senses, grounding her. She began by chanting internally to clear her mind and focus on her breathing until even her thoughts gradually grew silent. All concepts of time dissolved into nothingness and her muscles slowly beginning to relax. Distant, incoherent whispers began to surround the brunette. Like before, she focused on the voices and imagined herself being drawn towards them like a wayward ship to a lighthouse in the fog.

Before she knew it, her consciousness was standing in the middle of the office. Her body felt weightless, as if the slightest of breezes would spirit her away. She looked down at her hands. Upon first glance they appeared normal, however, after a moment she discerned that they were in fact translucent.

Now that she understood what was happening, Mai took the time to take in everything else around her. First, she looked over at her body that was still seated in her boss' chair. Her head was bowed delicately, causing her fringe to frame her face. She had to admit that seeing herself from outside her body was something she wasn't sure she'd ever get used to.

Her eyes roamed the room and she noted Oliver and Gene were both unaware of her soul's presence. They both sat silently, eyes closed, like statues.

Mai decided to practice walking around the room. It was an odd sensation at first, almost like walking through murky water. Luckily, the more she moved the less resistance there was and the easier it became. Before she knew it, she found herself standing in front of Oliver after her feet had taken her there on their own accord.

Her gaze softened as she looked down at the dark haired man. It wasn't often that she saw him with such relaxed features, and it made her heart skip a beat. She wondered if he was able to sense her in this realm like Gene had. His hair draped over his brow, and she had the sudden urge to feel how soft it was. Slowly, she reached out a hand, but froze before her fingers made contact. Her hand gently fell to her side and she was about to turn away when a thought came to mind.

He shouldn't be able to see her while she was in this realm, right?

Maybe a little just punishment was in store for the man who had distracted her so much the past few days. Something to make the ever stoic professor jump, perhaps? A small smile pulled at her lips at the mischievous plan.

Biting her lip in anticipation, she ever so quietly bent down, bringing her lips a hairs breadth away from his ear.

"Hello, Naru," she whispered giddily.

Blue eyes instantly shot open, causing her to stumble backwards. A small bubble of laughter left her lips at the look on his face but her mirth didn't last long.

It began slowly; the faint rattling sound that filled the room. Mai looked around curiously. Her eyes widened in shock as she realized where the sound was coming from. Items on the desk and bookshelf were shaking gently, including the teacup she had brought in to her boss not too long ago.

Mai stood up quickly in remorse and looked at the man sitting in front of her. She could feel that he was the cause of the quivering items. The air around her in the astral plane grew thick and began to feel almost electric. The hair on her arms stood on end as her skin prickled. Mai's chest ached in regret as she wondered if she had somehow hurt him.

"Naru? Are you okay?" she whispered in concern and his eyes snapped in her direction. He couldn't see her, but she could tell he'd heard her. She comfortingly reached a hand out to touch his cheek, hoping to calm him. Her fingers brushed up against his skin for the briefest of seconds before a wave of electricity shot up her arm. A startled yelp of pain escaped her lips as a sudden force pushed her back into her body.

Her eyes opened in a flash. Gasping, she realized she was back in her physical body, and she held her hand to her racing heart as the phantom pain ebbed away. By this point Gene was staring over at his brother with a serious expression on his face.

"Noll, what happened?" he asked as he quickly got to his feet. "Noll?"

Mai looked over at her boss who was now standing in the corner of the room. The rattling items slowly stilled and the room grew quite once again. A look of genuine shock was on Oliver's face as he stared at her.

"I-I'm so sorry," Mai frantically apologized. Her eyes stung with unshed tears of guilt as she held his gaze. "I was just trying to see if you could hear me. Did I hurt you?"

His eyes held hers for and Mai's breath caught in her throat. There was no pain in his eyes, but instead he looked...flustered? Even in the dim light, she caught sight of the blush spreading across the man's cheeks and she felt the pace of her heart quicken. Oliver suddenly blinked, breaking their trance, and he shook his head as if to clear his mind.

"No." He quickly glanced over towards the door and cleared his throat. "You did not hurt me. I just...didn't expect that," he reassured. Clearing his throat once more, he quickly picked up his notepad and pen that had been on the table next to him and he made his way to the door. "Gene, I think it may be best if I'm not present during these sessions just yet."

Without another word, Oliver left the office and closed the door quickly behind him.

Mai turned to see Gene looking at her, baffled. "What did you do to him?"

She felt her cheeks growing warm and cast her eyes to her lap. "I-I just thought it would be funny to surprise him a bit."

"Surprise how?" he pried.

"I-I said 'hello' to him, but then everything started to shake and, and-" she began.

A small huff could be heard and Mai looked up curiously at her friend. He was holding his forehead in his hand before a laugh broke through the silence. "Maybe it is best for him to stay out of our sessions until you've had more training. You're going to give the poor guy a heart attack one day."

Mai gaped in horror at the man's statement.

Gene winced at his choice of words. "I mean metaphorically. Don't worry, you won't kill him by contacting him through astral projection. At least I think you won't," he mumbled to himself.

"But then why did everything start to shake? He was using his powers wasn't he?" she asked softly.

Gene ruffled a hand through his hair and smiled awkwardly at the brunette. "I think your plan to startle him worked a little too well. Noll's always in control of himself, it's part of the reason he's always perceived as so reserved. Every day he's holding back an enormous amount of psychic energy."

Mai gasped. "Really?"

Her boss's twin nodded. "It's almost like how I'm trying to help you create a shield for your consciousness. Noll has a mental shield, so to say, that keeps his powers in check. He's been doing it his whole life so it's practically second nature to him now. I'm just surprised he lost control just from you saying 'hello' to him. Is that all you did?" Gene gave the brunette an amused smirk.

Mai's cheeks tinted and she averted her eyes.

"Wait," Gene said in shock. "Did you do something else to him?"

"I was kind of close to him when I said it. And then when I touched him-," Mai stuttered as her cheeks reddened further.

Gene's mouth fell open in pure shock and Mai's eyes widened.

"Oh my-N-Not like that!" she exclaimed in embarrassment, waving her hands desperately. "When things started shaking I tried to calm him down and just touched his face to see if I could help. Once I touched him, it felt like a bolt of lightning went through me and I was suddenly back in my body."

"That makes sense." Gene nodded slowly in thought. "That mental barrier of his could have forced you back into your body."

"It sure felt like it," Mai agreed. She looked down at her fingers as she curled and flexed them, trying to sooth the tingle that still lingered.

"Well," he continued. "Seeing as everything is set up already, we can continue if you wish or we can call it a day. Which would you prefer?"

Mai thought about it for a moment before answering. "I'd like to try again, if you don't mind?"

"Sure. However, I'd highly suggest not touching anyone during your little excursions until you gain more control," Gene said with a teasing grin.

"You don't have to tell me twice, I've learned my lesson," she admitted in embarrassment.

The pair once again took their seats and closed their eyes as the soothing music and incense lulled them into another meditative state.