Michi FF-The Tie that Binds- Ch24&25/pg25-08/08/09

Chapter 1

Milind Mishra stood in the doorway and watched the organized chaos with interest. People scurried throughout the room as he searched for the leader of the group. His face broke out into a grin as soon as he caught sight of her. "Milind!" Prachi Shah rushed over to him when she saw him in the doorway. "What are you doing here? I thought you were in London for the rest of the week. She never ceased to amaze him when a whole string of sentences came out in one breath. "What?? You're not happy to see me? And here I was thinking how lucky I was to be able to finish up business three days early and come home to see my favorite modeling agent." Prachi giggled at his mock hurt expression. "Of course I'm happy to see you!" She threw her arms around his neck and kissed his cheek. "You're just in time to see the photo shoot. Want to stay and watch?"

"Do I have a choice?"

"No," Prachi laughed. She left his side then to make sure everything was ready. Milind leaned against the wall next to the refreshment table where he had a clear view of the set-up.The wall opposite where he was standing was draped with white curtains over a French-door setting. A table was set for a romantic dinner with silver placing and an elaborate candelabrum. The white, tapered candles were just being lit. Milind knew the photo-op was for a magazine ad for a very popular perfume. As Milind watched the scene, his thoughts were transported to a similar place four years before. Prachi had been wearing a pale purple sheath that fell to her ankles. Her shoes were only a slightly lighter shade, and silver. She had been absolutely breathtaking with her hair curled around her face and hanging loose. She laughed at his look of astonishment. He had never seen her look so beautiful in his life. He was in a white dinner jacket and black tuxedo pants. Prachi had tried not to show the weakness in her own knees, but he'd seen it. That night had been one of the most wonderful nights he'd ever spent with her. They had been so much in love. A sudden sound brought him back to the present. Someone had dropped a board when they were moving it out of the way of a camera angle. Milind shook his head and thought once more of that night. {How could everything have changed so much the next day? It's almost like two different lives had ended and begun in the span of twenty-four hours.} He watched for a few more minutes until his cell phone rang in his coat pocket. He quickly stepped out into the hallway to answer it. "Milind here."

"Milind! Where are you? Do you have any idea how many offices I've called trying to find you?" Milind shook his head with amusement as soon as he heard his partner's voice. "Alap, you know I always carry my cell phone with me. And what's more, they've invented those new things called pagers, you know. They're really neat. You call a number and magically, I know to call you back. You'd really like one, I'll bet."

"All right, all right. Knock it off, Milind. But now that I've gotten a hold of you, where are you? You're supposed to be in London." Alap was used to Milind's smart comments. They threw them at each other quite frequently. "I'm right here. What more do you need to know?" Milind was enjoying playing with Alap. "Milind," Alap's tone was warning, but he didn't say anything else since he knew it was exactly what was expected. "So I take it you're in New York, then? Probably in a sky rise in Manhattan where a certain best friend of ours is working today."

"You're getting good at this." He was thoroughly enjoying it now. "Now why did you need to reach me? Something you can't handle from the London deal?" He knew exactly what kind of reaction he'd get from that. The twinkle in his eyes found extreme pleasure in this. "Milind, you can be so obnoxious, you know that? I was calling to see if you were, in fact, in New York with Prachi. Since you are, I thought we might have dinner tonight. You know the four of us. That is, if you don't have other plans with your wife."

"No, I don't. Let me ask Prachi and I'll call you back in an hour or so when she's finished."

"Sounds good. I've already called Kamya and regardless of you two, we're going to dinner tonight."

." Milind hung up the phone and went back into the room. It looked like Prachi was just finishing up. Prachi shook hands with the ad execs and then came to Milind's side. "Hi, again. Where'd you go?"

"My phone rang and I didn't want it to interrupt." He held the door open for her and when they walked through to the hallway, he took her hand. "Let me guess," she said, swinging his hand and smiling, "it was Alap, wasn't it?" Milind laughed at her perceptiveness and nodded. "Yes, it was Alap. He wanted to know if we could join him for dinner tonight."

"Will Kamya be there?"

"Apparently with or without us." He smiled. "Then, it better be with." She laughed and buttoned her coat before they stepped into the cold November air. "But shouldn't you already have plans?"

"With whom?" Milind knew exactly what she was talking about, but tried as often as possible not to think about it. "You know who I mean."

"Yes, I do, but if I should have plans for that reason, shouldn't you?"

"Good point. Then, neither of us have plans. Wonderful! Call Alap and tell him we'll be there." Milind took out his phone to call him before they left the building. They agreed to meet at a restaurant that night. He hung up and moved closer to Prachi. He held out his arm for her and she took it. Leading her to the waiting limo, they quickly settled back in the plush leather seats. Milind directed the driver to go to his apartment on the Upper Side. Prachi watched out the window for a few minutes, debating if she should do it or not. Prachi reached for the phone on the armrest. Her hand stopped when she felt one already there. She looked up, surprised. "Calling her?"

"Calling him?" They both said at the same time and then they both nodded in response. Their faces were grim at the prospect of having to make the calls. A thought came to Prachi and she laughed mischievously. "What?"

"Oh, it's nothing. I was just thinking."

"About?"

"How about if you call my husband and I'll call your wife!" She laughed again and Milind joined in. The truth of the matter was they would just as soon rather leave their spouses in the dark about the fact that they were planning to have dinner together. Neither one would be too happy to hear it, yet again.

Chapter 2

"Hello?" His voice sounded very annoyed at being interrupted. "It's me."

"Yes?"

"Geez, don't sound so happy to hear my voice."

"What do you want, Prachi?" He didn't have time for these games right now. "I just wanted to let you know I'm spending a few more days here in New York. Something came up and I'll be meeting with someone here." She figured that was easier than telling him she was staying to be with Milind. "What, is Milind there or something?" He was full of jealousy as he always was when he suspected Milind was involved. Prachi's hand began to shake slightly as she fought to keep control. So what if he is here? You can't hold a candle to him! "It's business, nothing more," she said coldly. Now she was lying, but he didn't have to know that. "Fine, do whatever you." He hung up the phone on her then. He knew it had to be for Milind. She didn't schedule meetings so randomly. But he couldn't care less. He had a business trip scheduled to Boston and he certainly wasn't going to postpone it just to see her. Prachi continued to exchange polite comments to the dial tone once he had hung up on her. Milind didn't know the extent to which her marriage had disintegrated. She didn't want him to find out just yet. When she finally hung up the phone she sighed deeply. "Didn't take it well?" Milind asked. He knew more than she thought he did. Not everything, but enough to know she wasn't happy. "I heard you trying to tell him it wasn't me you were staying for."

"Figured that out, huh?" she smiled warily. "He knew, but at least he didn't make a big deal out of it. Why does he always have to be so jealous?"

"For the same reason my wife always is. And I have no idea why that is. It's not like there's anything romantic left in our relationship, right?" But he was only trying to convince himself of that. He knew that at least he felt distinctly different. "Right." Wrong, Milind. Can't you see it? But she also kept her mouth closed on those feelings. She wasn't allowed to feel that way anymore. And he wasn't allowed to know she did. Milind squeezed her hand and smiled slightly, "My turn."

"Good luck." She gave him a supportive smile in return. He picked up the phone and hit speed dial three. The phone rang three times before the housekeeper picked up. "Mrs. Whitter, is my wife home?"

"Yes, Mr. Mishra. I'll go get her. She's out back by the gardens." A minute later, Milind heard her pick up the phone. "Milind." She said it succinctly and with virtually no emotion. Is this what we've come to? "Ayesha, I just wanted to let you know I'm not in London anymore. I'm actually in New York and I'm going to stay at the apartment for the rest of the week."

"Why? Is Prachi there?" She sounded full of contempt at the mere mention of her name. "Must you be like that? And the answer is yes, she is. But I'm not staying for that reason. I have some business to take care of in the city."

"Right, whatever you say, dear."

"You know, Ayesha, sarcasm does not suit you very well." He sighed and wiped a hand over his face. He really was not in the mood for this. "Fine, Milind. Do whatever you want. But don't be surprised if I'm not here when you get back." Milind made every effort to contain himself and turned his tone hopeful. "Really? Do you mean it?" He smiled slightly, knowing he was driving her absolutely nuts. Who cared anymore? Certainly not him. Their marriage had been over for a very long time, almost before it started. "I'm going to have to go now, Ayesha. I'll see you when I get home," he said cordially. He realized he couldn't have said much more without making Prachi suspicious. She had absolutely no idea how bad his marriage really was, and he didn't want her to know. Ayesha hung up the phone on him without saying goodbye. She was fuming in her home in Breakville. She just knew Milind was with Prachi again. Then, as she remembered something, her face softened. She smiled and walked back to the gardens slowly. He was still sitting on the bench where she'd left him. No matter. At least Milind hasn't guessed about Amir, yet. She kissed him as she sat down, determined to put all pictures of Milind and Prachi out of her mind. What Ayesha didn't know was that Milind did, in fact, know everything about Amir Ali. He'd been Milind's employee for years until Milind fired him. He'd been trading inside information for months before Milind finally caught on. Fired immediately, Amir had sworn he'd take Milind down, though Milind dismissed it as a meaningless threat. Now, Ayesha was having an affair with him and thought Milind knew nothing about it. He did, he knew it all, but he was letting her get in deep enough that she would have no basis to get his money when they finally did divorce. As he thought about it now, Milind had no idea why he'd ever married her in the first place. Yes, I do. I know exactly why, but why did I stay married to her? Prachi had been watching Milind's expression since he'd hung up the phone. His clenched jaw told her something was wrong or he was not happy. "Penny for your thoughts." She startled him out of his reverie. "You know, the rate's gone up with inflation." His face relaxed and he turned to face her. Smiling, he said, "Besides, my thoughts just now weren't even worth that." And that is definitely true.

Yeah, right, Milind. What are you so upset about? Prachi searched his eyes with her own, but he gave nothing away. Deciding to drop the subject and move on, she said, "What time are we meeting Alap and Kamya tonight?"

"We agreed to seven o'clock at the restaurant. Is that okay?" He teased her and she laughed. "Not until seven, huh? Then, what are we doing for the next two and a half hours?" She found that talking and joking with Milind was making her forget about Neev and him about Ayesha. Good, maybe we can have a pleasant evening. "I thought we'd go back to my place for a drink and catch up for awhile. We haven't seen each other for over three weeks and I'd like to talk to my best friend." Prachi smiled and grabbed her purse as the limo came to a stop in front of the thirty-two-story apartment building. The door opened and they walked through the impressive lobby to the bank of elevators. They teased and laughed the whole way. The elevator stopped on the thirty-second floor and opened into a small private hallway with a set of double doors at the far end. Milind put his key in the door and opened it. He held it for Prachi and she walked in with him following her. The front foyer reached to the kitchen and Prachi stood in it looking around. Something was different, but she couldn't place it. There was a table to the right of the door and she put her purse down on it. She looked at Milind to find him watching her carefully. "Something's different, Milind. What is it?"

"You tell me," he said cryptically. He was smiling as she continued to search. "Oh, what is it?" she muttered to herself. She could tell it had something to do with her based on Milind's look."You got it? I can't believe you really bought that, Milind!"

"That" was a famed Renaud painting they had seen on display at an auction one afternoon. Prachi had fallen in love with it instantly, thought Milind didn't understand why. "Yes, I bought it." He was laughing at the expression on her face. "But I thought we left before it went up."

"We did. I used a telephone buyer."

"I don't understand why you bought it, though. You didn't seem to like it that day at the auction house."

"It goes with the dcor," he said flipply. "Milind'"

"Seriously, Prachi?" Because you liked it and anything you like, I love.

"Yes."

"I bought it because you like it so much. I thought at least if I had it, one person would appreciate it. Besides, it really does go with the decorating, doesn't it?" She hit him lightly on the arm and laughed. "I'll bet Ayesha just hates it."

"Actually, she hasn't seen it yet. But even if it were a Monet "Water Lily," she'd hate it, if she knew why I bought it." He turned and walked into the room behind him. It was his office, but it always served as a living room with his friends. The windows that covered one wall looked out over the city and it was decorated to compliment the sunsets that could inevitably be seen from the windows. It was Prachi's favorite room in the apartment, for reasons other than its eminent beauty. Prachi took a seat on the L-shaped couch and pulled one leg beneath her. She was mesmerized by the sunset outside. "What would you like to drink, Prachi?" She turned momentarily and said, "White wine would be good." He poured them each a glass and went to sit by her. "It's so beautiful, isn't it?" she said without breaking her glance. "That it is," but he wasn't looking out the window when he said it. They watched the sun disappear behind the horizon, each lost in their own thoughts. Milind remembered something and went to his computer to check for an e-mail he was to have received. When his messages came up and he began to read them, he swore softly under his breath. Prachi turned to him, surprised, "What's wrong?" He sat down heavily in his desk chair and sighed. He took a moment, swore again, and ran his hands through his hair. "Milind, is something wrong?" She was concerned it was more than work. He looked up at her. "What? Oh, it's nothing."

"I know you better than that, I should think." She got up and crossed the room to him. Placing her hands on his shoulders, she began to massage his muscles. "You're extremely tense now. You weren't like this a minute ago. What is wrong?" He took another deep sigh and leaned forward, placing his head in his hands. "God, you are persistent, Prachi. All right," he smiled slightly. "I just had a company taken out from under me again. By the same people who have taken three others in six months." He straightened up and pulled away from her. "I have to make some calls before it's too late." Prachi closed the door behind her as she left. She wandered around the huge apartment before taking a seat in the kitchen. She sat at the baker's island on a high stool, looking at the deepening dusk. She took a sip of her wine and reflected on the day. How did this all happen? Only a few years ago, if things had been different, Milind and I would be married now. How do things always go so wrong? She thought back to those times and a light smile played on her lips. They had been so happy. Who would have guessed that Milind and Prachi would be engaged after knowing each other for five years? All were surprised the day they found out Milind and Prachi had become a couple. Kamya had known Prachi was falling for the guy in her economics class. Prachi met Milind when he sat next to her in a 300-level economics class her junior year in school. They' started sharing notes and studying together. Before they knew it, they'd become close friends. They became inseparable and spent as much time as possible together. They still did now. All of them had sworn at one time that there was absolutely nothing romantic among any of them, but then Milind and Prachi happened. The friendships all continued unchanged, though Milind and Prachi were even closer now, if it was possible. They had said nothing could tear them apart. Not until that night. "There you are. Why are you in the kitchen?" Milind's voice startled her out of her thoughts. She jumped in her chair and swung around quickly. "You scared me!" She laughed. "I was just thinking."

"Not about cooking, I hope." Their running joke on her horrible culinary skills came back to haunt her again. "Ha-ha. No, I was just thinking about my life and the way things worked out."

"For the best, of course. You're a completely capable, very successful businesswoman now."

"Yes, well, right. Are you done with your calls? You look a little happier." She smiled at him. He ran his hands through his hair again. "Yes, I'm done, and yes, I'm happier. I was able to get my company back." This time.

"Good." She looked at her watch. "Are you ready to go? It's almost six-thirty."

Chapter 4

Twenty minutes later, they were wandering among the painting and sculptures of the artists. Kamya and Prachi walked together, occasionally stopping to look at a piece of work. Milind and Alap hung back to talk quietly about business. "It's only a question of what they'll find now," Milind said. "It better not be Ali."

"You know it won't be."

"I know, he's too busy trying to take my wife that he doesn't have time to worry about my business."

"Ayesha? And Ali? They're having an affair?"

"Have been ever since I fired him." Milind stopped and sat on the park bench. "So tell me about Ayesha."

"What about her?"

"How long have you known she was having an affair?"

"Since it started, pretty much."

"Does she know you know?"

"Nope. And she won't until I want her to."

"Don't look at me. I certainly won't tell her." He shook his head in amazement. "I don't even like the woman. I still can't figure out why you've stayed married to her."

"You know why."

No, Milind, I know why you married her in the first place. I don't know why you're still married to her. What happened happened and it's over. There is nothing left of that."

"I know, it's my only regret."

"Let me ask you something. Did you ever truly love Ayesha?"

"Love her? I don't know. Probably not like I should have."

"But you think you loved her? Like you did Prachi?" He saw the look that came over Milind's face when he mentioned her name. It dawned on him then. Something that should have always been so obvious. Milind was still in love with her. Now, it all made more sense. There was no use in pretending. "The truth? I will never love anyone like I love Prachi. But there's only one problem with that."

"Which is?"

"Prachi doesn't still love me. We could never be again what we once were. No matter how much I may want to." He smiled wistfully and thought back to four years ago again. "Of course you'll never be what you once were. You can be even better than that now."

"Alap, she doesn't love me like that anymore."

"How do you know that? Do you think she thinks you do?"

"Do what?" a voice broke in. Alap and Milind jumped up from the bench. "What do you do, Milind?"

"Prachi! How much of that did you just hear?" Milind had a panicked expression on his face. He couldn't let her know how he felt about her. "Not enough. Why? What were you saying? Talking about me?" Prachi teased. She could tell it had been something he didn't want her to know. Alap thought fast and smiled. "No, we were talking about what to do this afternoon, but we wanted to surprise you two."

"Have we made any decisions yet?"

"About what?" Milind said innocently. "You two were supposed to plan the afternoon, remember?"

"Oh, right. Yeah, we did. Thought we'd go see the new movie with Sylvester Stallone in it. What do you think?" Alap had to turn away to keep them from seeing him laugh. Milind was trying very hard not to join Alap. "What? You're not serious!" Prachi exclaimed. She absolutely hated those kinds of movies and Milind knew it. "Of course we are. You know how Alap and I love those movies," Milind managed to choke out. "Well, if that's you're plan, I'm not going." Prachi seemed completely serious. Milind was willing to let one more go. "OK, then do you want to meet us for dinner somewhere?" He began to smile. He was only joking, of course. "Milind Mishra, I am not going anywhere with you now! I can't believe you'd actually think we would want to see a movie like that." She turned to Kamya who was laughing. "Come on, Kamya, let's go. We can go shopping on our own instead."

"No, that's okay, Prachi. You go ahead. I'll stick with the guys." Now she was just playing along. "Fine, bye." Prachi turned on her heel and began to walk away. Alap finally turned around and looked at Milind. He was surprised that Prachi had actually believed them. "Milind, you can't let her leave!"

"Oh, sure, blame me!" He laughed and hurried to catch up to Prachi. "Prachi! Prachi, come on, stop! Prachi!" he called as he tried to close the distance between them, as quickly as his foot would let him. She turned around and stopped. Crossing her arms, she watched Milind coming towards her. A brief look of concern came over her face when she saw how much he was forced to limp. He winced every time he put his left foot on the ground to step forward. He came to a stop in front of her. "What, Milind?" She was trying to keep the concern out of her voice. "We were only joking you know. We had no intention of seeing that movie this afternoon. We thought you'd know that."

She looked skeptical. "Really?"

"Yes, really. You should know Alap and I really have no interest in watching bad acting and non-stop action sequences all afternoon!"

Prachi sighed and relented. "As long as we don't have to see that movie!"

"We won't, I promise." Milind smiled and took her hand to lead her back. They decided on lunch and then to see another movie they all agreed on. Prachi walked with Alap behind Milind and Kamya who were arguing over the finer points of the movie previews. Prachi could tell now that Milind had definitely more than just bruised his foot. He was trying to hide just how much he was really hurting. "He can be so childish sometimes," she muttered to herself. "What do you mean?" Alap heard her and was thinking the same thing as he watched Milind walking. "I mean, look at him. He is obviously in pain." She kept her voice quiet so Milind wouldn't hear her. "We should be going to the hospital, not lunch."

Chapter 5

"No," Prachi said simply and moved toward him again. Alap took hold of her hand and took her away a few feet. Prachi sat down next to Kamya and let them go in alone. They entered the examination room and Milind sat on the bed with Alap standing next to him. He swung his legs around and propped himself on his elbows. He looked at Alap and said, "I don't know what you told her, but thanks." Alap shrugged and smiled, "Oh, I didn't say anything except that you probably didn't want her to see you cry from the pain." Milind's mouth was open in shock. "You didn't! Alap-"

"Good afternoon, Mr. Mishra," the doctor entered the room just then. "So, why are we here?"

There was a large bump on the side of his foot near his ankle. It was a dark blue color and the bruise spread beyond the bump. The doctor began her examination by lightly touching the center of the bruise. "We're going to have to get some x-rays, but my guess right now is that you have a small fracture in the bone." She took out her pen and flipped open his chart. "Why don't you tell me what you did to yourself?" He told her about hitting his foot against the hall table and that he'd thought he was fine. When he was finished, she left to set up the x-ray. " Alap, do me a favor? Go get Prachi and Kamya. I'm sure they're bored out of their minds right about now." Alap nodded and left the room. Prachi was the first to come back into the room and find him that way. She walked to the bed and looked at him. She almost thought he was asleep. She ran her fingers lightly through his hair, brushing it off his face. When her hand touched his under his head, he took hold of it and brought them both to a rest on his chest. He opened his eyes to see the concern in her eyes. "Stop looking at me like I'm dying, Prachi," he smiled slightly. "It's only a broken bone. Last I heard, they weren't fatal." Just then, the doctor returned to the room. A nurse followed with a wheelchair. "They're ready for you in x-ray, Mr. Mishra." He swung his legs over the side of the bed and sat down in the wheelchair. Prachi asked to go with him, but he quickly shook his head. The nurse took him down the hall and they took several x-rays of his ankle and foot. Eventually, he returned to his room to find Alap and Kamya sitting in the two chairs and Prachi on the bed, swinging her legs against the side. They all looked at him expectantly. He shrugged his shoulders and sat back down on the bed once Prachi vacated it. Twenty-five minutes later, the doctor came back carrying several x-ray films. She tacked them up to the light to show him what she was about to tell him. "Mr. Mishra, you didn't actually break the bone, which is good. There is a slight crack along one of the joints, which is probably what you felt on the stairs. It's a small stress fracture most likely caused from your walking on it today. Other than that, you did bruise the bone and break a few blood vessels along the side of your foot."

Alap came back within an hour and Milind took two pills before finally closing his eyes to sleep. Around five-thirty, Prachi went to Milind's room to check on him. He was still asleep from what she could tell. She watched him for a few minutes and just as she turned to leave the room, she heard him say her name."I'm right here, Milind," she said before she realized he was still asleep. "Prachi, please," his soft voice was almost pleading with her. She wondered what he was dreaming about. "Prachi, stay with me," he continued to murmur. He moved his head from side to side as if he were shaking it no in response to something. "Not her, no. I don't love her. I never have." He shook his head again. "No, I never loved her. I love you." Prachi's mouth fell open in shock. Could this be? Was it a dream? Or was he trying to tell her this? "Prachi, I love you. I always have, I always will," he whispered. Prachi didn't know what to think, but it seemed to her that her wishes had been granted after all. But now what was she supposed to do? Milind woke up feeling very light-headed. He'd been dreaming about something, but he couldn't remember it. All he knew was that he had been enjoying it. He sat up in the bed, but immediately lay back down, the color rushing out of his face. He put his head on his pillow and closed his eyes. Then, he heard the clock in the hall begin to chime. He turned his head slowly to look at the clock next to his bed. He couldn't believe it was reading seven o'clock already. As he lay there, he heard the door opening softly. "Milind?" Kamya called softly, not wanting to wake him if he was still asleep. "I'm awake, Kamya. I'm just not getting up for a minute." She noticed the pale coloring to his face. Placing her hand gently against his forehead, she asked, "Why? What's wrong? You don't look well."

"Yes, I'm sure. Where are Alap and Prachi? Are they still here?"

" Alap is, Prachi left."

"Where'd she go? Home?"

"No, she went down to the store on the corner. Alap is fixing dinner and she went to get some food. She seemed awfully ready to leave, though. And she's been gone for a long time, too."

"Really? Was she upset about something?"

"If she was, she didn't tell me about it. But she was kind of quiet before she left. Are you going to get up and come out or should we bring dinner to you?" She was going to go help Alap in the kitchen if Milind didn't need her. He tried to sit up again, only to lay back down and close his eyes once again. "I don't know. I'll let you know. Why don't you come back in a little while and we'll see?" Kamya nodded and closed the door as she left. She was headed to the kitchen when the front door opened and Prachi walked in. Prachi saw where she'd come from and looked towards the closed door. "Is he awake yet?" Kamya nodded, "But he's not feeling well right now." Prachi looked alarmed. "Is he all right? What's wrong?"

"I'm not sure, but he said he was feeling dizzy when he tried to get up. It's probably just a side effect of the pain killers he took earlier." Prachi handed the grocery bags to Kamya and went to check on Milind. She opened the door to find the lights off and Milind in the same place he had been when she'd left. It looked to her like he was asleep again. She went and kneeled next to the bed. Running her hand over his forehead, she lightly brushed his hair back. He sighed softly in his sleep. "Milind," she whispered. When he didn't respond, she continued, "What happened to us? How did we get like this? You are my best friend, but God knows I love you more than anything in this world. And I would give anything to have what we had again. But you're married to Ayesha and I'm married to Neev, and neither one of us is happy with them. I just wish I knew if what you said before was real. I need to know if you meant it, otherwise it's just a prayer that you might. Milind, I need to know, do you love me?" She didn't expect a response since he was still asleep, but it made her feel better to have said it aloud. She kissed him lightly on the cheek before getting up. It was enough to wake him a little. He took a deep breath and moved his head to the side. He must have fallen asleep again, he realized. He saw the door closing as he opened his eyes. "Prachi?" he called softly. The door opened again and she came back into the room. "You are awake," she reached for the light switch He was squinting against the hallway light as he held up his hand to block it out. "No, don't turn on the light just yet." She left the door cracked and went back to the side of the bed. "How do you feel? Does your foot hurt at all?" He shook his head. "Not right now." Prachi left the door open and went to the kitchen. It was so difficult for her to pretend she hadn't heard what she had. But she had to, at least for now. Meanwhile, Milind took hold of his crutches and made his way into the bathroom. He looked at himself in the mirror. He looked pale and there were faint circles under his eyes. He splashed some cold water on his face and grabbed a towel. Running his fingers through his hair, he snapped off the light and went towards the bedroom door. He could smell spaghetti sauce cooking when he got into the hallway. Entering the kitchen a few minutes later, Milind said, "You better not be burning my house down, Alap!" Alap turned to him and replied, "Not right now, but give me some time, I might still." Prachi and Kamya were cutting vegetables for the salad on the counter. "It's about time you got up, Milind. I thought I'd have to put up with these two by myself all night." He grinned. "Maybe that's not such a bad idea, after all." Prachi and Kamya each threw a piece of a vegetable at him while Milind laughed. Prachi was watching him carefully. "Milind, if it's okay with you, I'm going to stay here tonight with you."

. "Why? I don't need you to stay."

Chapter 6

Once they finished their meals, they went into Milind's office. Milind and Alap sat down at his desk to check for an e-mail from the private investigator. "Anything?" Alap asked. Milind nodded. "Yeah, he says Amir Ali's name is nowhere to be found in the company. But that doesn't mean he doesn't have something to do with it. It's owned by an anonymous person, so that could very well be him or someone he's working with. The investigator will need a little more time to figure out who it is. He's starting to run background checks on everyone in the company. He'll let us know more tomorrow." Milind leaned back in his chair. "I just know Ali's involved here somewhere, but he's not this smart. Do you think someone else might be running it for him? Someone more capable?"

"It's possible, but my guess says if he's got anything to do with it, we'll find out. Don't worry. They won't get a chance to steal another deal." They decided to stop discussing business for the night and went over to where Prachi and Kamya sat on the couch. "So now what?" Milind asked. "How long are you two staying? If, in fact, Prachi is staying all night." He looked at Alap and Kamya. "Actually, I was going to leave about now," Alap replied. "Kamya?"

"I think I'll go with you." They got up to leave. Milind sighed and looked at Prachi. "Are you really going to spend the night here tonight?"She nodded, "Yes, and there's nothing you can do about it. You never know what might happen and you do need someone to be here." Milind sat down in the corner of the couch and brought his legs out in front of him. He leaned his head against the cushions and reached for the remote control to the television. Prachi picked up a magazine and began to flip through it. He settled on watching an old movie and put down the remote. Prachi read her magazine quietly until she turned a page and came across an ad she's represented the models for. Actually, she'd done more than just represented the models. The ad had been partly her idea, but she had never admitted that to anyone, not even Kamya. It had come from something in her past with Milind and she hadn't wanted anyone to suspect it and find out. The man and woman were set in a field in the mountainside. All around them were nothing but green, rolling hills. It was picturesque all the way around. A shot from above showed the couple lying on the ground on a picnic blanket with their legs wrapped around each other, seemingly asleep in the grass. What Prachi didn't want anyone to know was that when she and Milind had done the same thing, it had been part of a day when Milind fulfilled one of her childhood fantasies. She had grown up loving "The Sound of Music," so one day he'd taken her up into the hillsides for an afternoon picnic. The setting had been meant to represent the opening of the movie. And when she and Milind were lying on the ground, their arms and legs wrapped around each other, it was the first time Prachi had told Milind that she loved him. Prachi was brought back to reality by a yell on television set. The volume hadn't been balanced and it was unusually loud. She reached for the remote control to turn it down. Milind was still watching the movie when she looked at him. Glancing back at the ad, she gathered her courage. This was why she'd wanted to be alone with him tonight. "Milind, how did we end up like this?" she said, still looking at the ad. "Best friends and nothing more? We went from being engaged to being nothing at all together all because of that night. How? Did we really never forgive each other for the things we said that night? It was four years ago. I know a lot has happened in those years, and we're both married now, but I also know that neither one of us is happy where we are. Milind, I heard what you said today while you were sleeping. I need to know if you meant it or if it was nothing more than a dream." She finally looked up at him. "Milind, do you still love me?" He was silent. His head was cast downward and he didn't move to respond to her. She got up to sit next to him and as she sat down, she realized why he wasn't answering her. He had fallen asleep again. She kissed him gently on the forehead and smoothed back his hair with one hand. "I do know one thing for sure, my love," she whispered softly. "I love you, with all my heart, and nothing will ever change that. Nothing ever did."

Chapter 7

Prachi had been dozing on the couch for about fifteen minutes when a sharp yelp of pain woke her. At first, she thought it was on the television and then she turned to Milind and saw him doubled over in pain, reaching for his foot. She got up quickly and rushed to his side. "Milind! What's wrong? What happened?" Before he could respond to her questions, she ran to the kitchen to retrieve one of the soft ice packs from the freezer. On her way back to him, she grabbed two of his painkillers and a glass of water. She gave him the glass and the two pills. He swallowed them instantly. She pushed on his shoulders and forced him to lie back on the couch. He complied, gripping a pillow tightly in his hands, a grimace registering deeply on his face. Prachi gently undid the splint on his foot, being as careful as she possibly could. When she had the splint off, she touched the ice pack lightly to his foot and ankle. Milind took several deep breaths. Prachi moved to sit next to him after making sure the ice pack was secure. She gently wiped away the beads of sweat from his forehead. When he'd finally calmed down, he opened his eyes and looked at her. "See? Aren't you glad I was here?" she teased gently, smiling at him. "Milind, what did you do to cause all that?"

"I'm not exactly sure," he said after a moment's hesitation. "I think it started as part of a dream I was having."

"What kind of dream could you be having that would do that?"

"I don't know. I was running somewhere and I think I moved my leg or kicked something in my dream and ended up kicking that table right there." He gestured to the low coffee table next to the couch. "I must have hit it in just the right place, though." He winced as he shifted his foot slightly. "No kidding."

"Prachi, I have never felt that kind of pain in my life. Never." I have, just not physically. "It looked pretty bad," she said instead. "Are you sure you're going to be okay?" She was concerned that he would try to cover how much he was really hurting. "Someday, but it helped me make two decisions just now."

"What?"

"One, I know I didn't tell you I wanted you to stay tonight, but now, I am very glad you did. And two, I think it might be a good idea if you were to stay here for the rest of the week with me. I'm not going anywhere until I'm off these crutches and neither are you, if you'll agree." He smiled at her and waited for her response. "What do you mean, Milind?"

"I mean, I am not going back to Breakville until I can walk without help. Lord knows I wouldn't want Ayesha to have to take care of me. As for you, I'm hoping you'll stay here, in the apartment, with me until then. Please, Prachi? It's my only concession to this." She smiled. After what she'd just witnessed, she couldn't let him go through that alone and definitely not with Ayesha. "Okay, you've got a deal. We'll both go back in a week or so." She glanced at the clock then. "Milind, I think it's time to go to bed. Besides, those painkillers of yours are going to make you want to sleep and I think you'd be better off in your bed." A thought occurred to him and he made a face at it. "As much as it pains me to say this, Prachi, I think we may need to put the splint back on before I try to get changed." He pulled himself further back on the bed so that his legs were straight out in front of him. "You're sure?" She knelt in front of him with the splint in her hand. He nodded quickly before he could change his mind. He knew he was in for an immense amount of pain. He lay down on his back on the bed and resumed the position he'd had in the hospital. He took a deep breath and bit down on his lip as he felt Prachi fit the splint around his ankle. Prachi helped Milind stand up to change out of his jeans. He motioned to her to hand him his pajama bottoms while he undid the buttons on his pants and slipped them over his waist. Sitting on the bed, he eased them off his legs, with Prachi's help to get them over his foot gently. She gave him the dark blue silk bottoms and he slipped them on. Finally, he sat again and pulled the gray sweater over his head. Lying back against the pillows, he propped his foot back up on the ones at the end of the bed. Prachi had known he only slept in the bottoms of his pajamas, but this was only serving to remind her why she was first attracted to him all those years ago. She had had to force herself to look away as she helped him take his jeans off and he sat there in only his silk boxers. The slight curl in his stomach now made the muscles stand out in ripples. He had his hands under his head and she could easily see the muscles in his arms and chest, as well. She felt her face begin to flush and she grabbed a pair of his sweatpants and a t-shirt to sleep in. She went quickly into the bathroom and closed the door tightly. Looking at herself in the mirror, Prachi saw the deep red blush spreading on her cheeks and was instantly grateful for the dim lighting in the bedroom. She splashed cold water on her face and forced herself to inhale and exhale in a steady rhythm. My God, what am I doing? Why now? I've always loved this man. Why am I letting it get to me like this now? Milind cannot see me like this-ever. At least, not until I know how he feels. She saw that she looked mostly normal, so she opened the door to the bathroom and stepped into the bedroom. Milind watched her as she emerged from the bathroom dwarfed in his clothes. She's so beautiful. Oh, why is this happening? First, in my dreams, and now in my life. Why is everything changing so much all of a sudden? I can't let her know. I'm not allowed to feel this way about her. Milind smiled slightly at her as she walked toward the bed. "Where do you want me to sleep?" she said with forced lightness. "I don't see why you can't stay in here." Did I just say that?

Okay by me." Did I just agree to that? How am I going to get through the night?! Prachi went quickly to the kitchen freezer and exchanged the ice pack for a new one. If I'm not careful, Milind isn't the only one who's going to need ice tonight! She returned to the bedroom to find him half-asleep already. She carefully put the ice over his foot and made sure it was secure. Pulling the covers up over his chest, she kissed him lightly on the cheek. "Good night, Milind." He smiled tiredly, "Good night." They both kept their next thoughts silent, but they echoed each other in thinking the I-love-you part. Quietly, Prachi got into the bed and made sure she lay one her side of it. How am I going to do this? I'd be better off on the floor! But she stayed where she was as she drifted off to sleep. Milind awoke groggily the next morning. He opened his eyes and immediately regretted it. The room was bright with the mid-morning sun. He put his hands to his head, gently massaging his temples. He had a headache that could easily rival any hangover from his college days. He tried to remain as still as possible. This was how Prachi found him a few minutes later. His eyes closed and hands now on his chest, he appeared to still be asleep. She had come in to take a shower and get dressed. She was carrying a fresh cup of coffee in her hands. Milind heard what sounded like soft footsteps on the carpet. He figured she thought he was still asleep, so she was being as quiet as possible. He had no idea where his headache was coming from, but it was possible that it was from the painkillers for his foot. He remembered how dizzy he'd been the day before after taking them and the dull ache he'd had for a few hours later. He would try not to take any today and maybe that would help. Prachi was still moving around the room quietly and he could tell she was looking for something in his drawers that she could wear for the day. "Prachi?" he said as quietly as he could while still making sure she could hear him. "Milind!" she started, then she noticed the look of pain on his face as his hands flew to his head and he took a sharp breath. She immediately quieted to a whisper. "Sorry, Milind, I didn't know you were awake. How do you feel this morning?" She sat on the edge of the bed next to him, one hand resting lightly on his thigh above his knee. Oh, that's really not helping, Prachi. "I might be a little better if you could do one thing for me," he said with his eyes still closed. "What do you need?"

"Close the blinds for me, please." His voice was still barely above a whisper. Prachi got up and quickly drew the curtains shut. Immediately, Milind felt the slight difference. He slowly opened his eyes just enough to see her sitting on the bed next to him, though he already felt her there. "Milind, should I be worried?"

"I don't know yet. Yesterday, I was dizzy and the headache wasn't nearly this bad. But this is killing me. I'm pretty sure it's coming from the painkillers, as a side effect. Hopefully, I won't have to take any today, and we'll see." He hadn't even thought about his foot until now. "And before you ask, my foot is fine," he tried to move it and flinched. "It only hurts when I try to move it."

"Then don't do that," she smiled. "Do you need me to get anything or do anything for you?" He closed his eyes again and thought for a second. "Not right now, but you can do me a favor." He began to massage his temples again. "Name it."

"Can you use the guest shower instead of mine?"

she would fall for the tall, dark guy with the intriguing accent. He was so easy-going and extremely fun to be with. When their relationship went to the next level, it had seemed like a logical progression of events. Even the engagement was timely and as a result of their immense love for each other. Prachi remembered the night they had dinner in the twilight gardens. He had literally stolen her breath as she came outside. Wearing his white dinner jacket and tuxedo pants, he had never looked do devastatingly handsome in his life. They'd had the very romantic candlelit dinner and then danced the night away to soft music under the stars. That night was the most perfect night of her entire lifetime. The next day, Prachi remembered, everything changed. She and Milind had that horrendous argument and they broke off everything. She still remembered every word of the fight. After that, they had stopped all contact with each other for the next year. Then, out of the blue one day, Milind had called her wanting to meet and talk. Prachi had been throwing herself into her work by then and was starting her own representation business. She had tried to stay busy with herself ever since that night. Milind wanted to meet and she was paralyzed with fear of what it would be about. She could only figure he wanted the engagement ring back finally, or he wanted to give it to another woman he had met. They did meet in the city, and they did talk, but nothing was ever the same. Now, over the last three years, their friendship had been re-building and it was better than ever. Prachi was still in love with Milind, but she wouldn't allow herself to ruin their friendship by telling him. She had never stopped loving him in the first place. They were now different people, but Prachi realized she had come to love the man she knew now even more than the man she knew then. Only two things stand in the way of our being together. And it's because of them that Milind can never know I feel this way. Prachi turned off the water and stepped out of the shower. Dressing in her jeans from the day before and one of Milind's sweaters, she brushed her hair and left it to air dry. She went into the kitchen to fix Milind some breakfast. Finding a plain bagel, she toasted it and got a couple of pieces of fruit for him to choose from. She poured him a glass of orange juice and put everything on a tray. As a last thought, she grabbed the fresh ice pack from the freezer. Milind was asleep when Prachi came back into the room. She adjusted one of the blinds to prevent more light from coming in. She put the tray next to his bed and gently placed the ice against his foot. He flinched, but didn't wake. Returning to the front hall, Prachi was just in time to hear a light knock on the door. She opened it to find Kamya holding a duffel bag. "Hi, Kamya," Prachi said quietly. She put a finger to her lips to indicate that Milind was sleeping. They both went into Milind's office and sat down. "He's okay. Not great, but he'll be fine." Prachi proceeded to tell Kamya about the night and his problems. She ended with the headache he had now. "So, hopefully, it will wear off while he sleeps or something."

"He's lucky you were here from the sounds of it. I wonder how Ayesha would have handled it."

"Probably the same way, but he wouldn't have let her."

"Oh, I doubt she would have even tried. She probably would have left him in the care of the servants."

"Kamya! Why would you say such a thing?" Prachi said in disbelief. "Because it's true. You mean to tell me you don't know their marriage is practically over?"

"Over? No, it's not. Where did you ever get that idea?"

"Oh, come on, Prachi, you have to be able to see it. They haven't been together in years. In fact, I don't think they were ever happy together."

"That can't be right. I would know, he would tell me." Prachi was shocked to hear this from Kamya. "I knew they had problems, but everyone does." She looked at Kamya pointedly, "He would tell me, Kamya."

"Not necessarily. Have you told him about you and Neev?"

"No."

"See? Then it is possible. And you don't think he knows how bad it is between you two. So why would you think that about his marriage?" A thought came to her, "It's probably because you don't want to see it."

"What do you mean by that?"

"I know you're still in love with him, Prachi." Prachi looked up, surprised, but only nodded silently in concession. "You two broke up a long time ago and you, at least, regret it, right? Think about why you broke up and tell me, was it worth it? Knowing what you do now?" Prachi contemplated the question. "No, it wasn't, but Kamya that was a different time. I didn't think I could ever forgive him. Nor did I think he could forgive me. Now, we know differently, but it's too late. We're both married to other people, remember?"

ut neither of you is happy," Kamya pointed out. "Well, I still think you're wrong about Milind and Ayesha." Having said that, Prachi got up to go check on Milind. Kamya remained in the room thinking about their conversation. "Prachi is so blind to it," she said aloud. "Her love for Milind is making her shield her eyes from the problems they both have. She thinks it has to be a secret that she loves him, but it doesn't-"

"Why not?" Kamya jumped from her seat and whirled around. He was standing in the doorway, listening to everything she had said. "How much that did you just hear?" She started to panic. Prachi was going to kill her when she found that he knew! "All of it. Why?"

"Alap, did you really hear everything I just said?" Kamya's face reflected the panic she was feeling. "Yes, I did, but why does that matter? And why is Prachi keeping a secret?" He thought back to what he'd heard her say. "Wait a minute, Kamya, did you say Prachi is in love with Milind?" Kamya nodded. "She always has been."

"This is great! Don't you see it?" His face was lit up with excitement. Kamya was confused. "See what?"

"Milind told me yesterday that he's still in love with Prachi!" Her mouth dropped open. "You're serious, aren't you? Please don't even be joking about this." At his enthusiastic nod, her smile deepened. "Then, the reason they're not acting on their feelings-"

"Is because they're both married to different people," Alap finished for her. "But neither of them is happy."

"Yeah, but they don't know that yet." Kamya told him everything she knew then. Together, the two began to plot their next moves to urge Milind and Prachi together. Prachi had gone to check on Milind. She opened the door slowly and quietly. The room was very dim, but lit enough for her to see clearly. Milind was under the covers on the bed and sound asleep. His head was thrown into his arm as if to block out the light. The look of pain had finally vanished from his face. Now, looking extremely peaceful, Milind slept on. His foot was still up on the pillows at the end of the bed and she slipped the ice pack back onto it. He reacted involuntarily to her touch, moving his head slightly, but still he did not wake up. Prachi began to move silently about the room, cleaning up. His pants from their dinner, his clothes from the day before, they were all still on the floor. After she tidied it, she sat for a minute in the chair that was in the corner of the room. All she did was watch him sleep, as she could for hours, his chest rising and falling evenly. Her thoughts swirled around everything Kamya had told her about his marriage and everything she felt for him. "Prachi?" a voice whispered softly. Alap was standing in the doorway. When she looked up, he came through and closed the door again. He crossed the room and kneeled next to her in the chair. "He's asleep?" She nodded. "How is he doing?" Prachi shrugged her shoulders. "Is he in pain now?"

"I don't think so, but he's been asleep for almost another hour and a half. Hopefully, at least the headache will be gone when he wakes up."

"You know he's not going to want to stay here if it is."

"I know, but he's going to have to. We'll make him. Maybe we should hope it's not gone then," she grinned.

"There's no forcing him to do anything. If he feels up to it, he'll get up, with or without our approval. It might as well be with." Prachi nodded reluctantly. "I suppose you're right."

"Right about what? Me?" The voice came across softly and he still sounded tired. Prachi got up quickly and went to his bed. "Milind, I'm sorry. Did we wake you?" She looked contrite in between throwing stern looks at Alap. "Yeah, but that's okay. I've been asleep too long anyway. What time is it?" He put his hands to his face, rubbing his eyes and trying to wake up. "It's almost noon," Alap replied. "How are you feeling?" Good question. "Like hell." There was now a dull ache in the back of his head. "Is your headache gone?"

"Not quite." He tried to sit up slowly and propped himself against the headboard. Prachi sat down on the edge of the bed. "What about your foot? Does it hurt at all?" Milind moved it from side to side slowly. He winced slightly. "Only when I move it. Prachi do me a favor, please?" His voice was strained a little bit. "What?"

"Can I have a minute alone with Alap?"

"Of course. I'll be out with Kamya." She got up and left the room quickly. Milind closed his eyes, leaned his head back, and sighed deeply." I don't know what I'm doing or how I'm going to get through this." Alap was confused. "What are you talking about?"

"This time with Prachi. Do you know she's spending next week here with me?" Alap's eyes got wide and he began to smile. "What? How did that happen?" Milind opened his eyes and gazed at Alap warily. "It's not funny, you know. I think sometime last night, which I don't really remember all that well-she told you what happened, right?"Alap nodded. "I guess sometime then I asked her to stay with me."

"Why'd you do that?" Alap laughed. "Stop laughing at me. I don't know. I don't really remember doing it, but I know I did. Do you have any idea what those pain pills do to me? I wasn't exactly thinking clearly."

"So tell her she can't stay after all."

"How? How do I do that without her suspecting the real reason behind it? She'll know it's because I don't think I can control myself with her. But I have to. Our friendship depends on me controlling my emotions."

"Why does it have to?" Alap asked innocently "Why don't you tell her how you feel?"

"How can I? She's married-"

"Not happily."

"She's still married, and for that matter, so am I. I know they have problems, but she loves him, right?" Alap didn't answer him.. "Alap, what are you trying not to tell me? Prachi doesn't love Neev?" Finally, Alap nodded slightly. "But she's married to him!" "So, you're married to Ayesha. Do you love her?" The look on Milind's face answered that question for him. "Then, isn't it possible Prachi is doing the same thing?"

"But she would have told me."

"Did you tell her?"

"Alap, stop it. There's no comparison. Ayesha and I got married for completely different reasons. Prachi wouldn't have married Neev if she didn't love him. I know that."

"Maybe not. Maybe she thought she loved him because she couldn't have you at the time." Milind's jaw dropped. "What?! She got married TWO years after we broke up! I was-"

"Already married, remember?" Milind closed his mouth. He had to think. It couldn't be possible. Prachi had sworn there was nothing left of her feelings for him, as he had to her, though his words weren't completely true. Maybe hers hadn't been either, then. "Oh God, Alap. How did everything get so screwed up?"

"What do you mean?"

"The night Prachi and I broke up, we said some things. Things we could never forgive the other for saying. That's what we, then, at least. After I married Ayesha, I realized that I had forgiven Prachi. I always did. I still loved her, even when I was saying my vows to Ayesha. But then I had a wife, and Prachi had never forgiven me."

"How do you know she didn't?"

"If that's true, then I'm the one that did this to us. I always was

Index

chapter 22- pg 22

chapter 23- pg 23

chapter 24&25- pg 25