Michi FF-The Tie that Binds- Ch24&25/pg25-08/08/09 - Page 15

Chapter 22

Prachi walked in the house and was met with the sounds of music coming from the den off to her right. "Hello?" she called out. No one answered her and she followed the sounds into the room. Saumya was listening to a CD on the stereo and taking notes on the band as she listened. "Saumya?" Prachi said as she walked in the room. Saumya looked up immediately and jumped up from the chair to give Prachi a hug. "Hey! I didn't know you were coming home today! I thought you'd be in New York awhile longer."

"No, I didn't need to stay and there are a few things I've got going on here to take care of. Is Neev around?" She didn't really want to see him, but if they were going to use him for the purposes of their plan, she needed to start the plan in motion as soon as possible. Saumya shook her head. "Didn't he tell you? He went on a business trip a couple days ago and he won't be back for a few more days yet." Saumya pulled Prachi's hand to get her to sit down next to her. "So, how was New York?" Prachi told Saumya all about the modeling shoots she'd taken care of and getting together with Alap and Kamya a couple times. She left out that Milind had joined them until she was sure how Saumya would accept it. Saumya had always wanted her to be with Neev. He was like a big brother to Saumya and he took care of her. Saumya didn't know the extent of the problems Prachi had with him, but she had a vague idea. Prachi was about to go upstairs when Saumya casually mentioned, "I talked to Alap yesterday. He was telling me that he met up with Milind a few times while he was in New York." Saumya loved Milind, too. She had known him for years, longer than Neev, since Prachi introduced them during her college days. Sometimes she even wished Prachi could have found happiness with Milind. That was whenever she noticed that Prachi was upset or unhappy in her marriage. "Did you happen to see him, too?"

"I saw him once or twice while we were there."

"Why didn't you tell me?"

"Saumya, you know why. It's because of Neev. If he knew--"

"I wouldn't tell Neev if you didn't want me to, you know that."

"Oh, I know, it's just I couldn't take any chances right now. Neev's always been so jealous of Milind and I told him I wasn't meeting with Milind at all while I was there. If he knew I did, he would also know I lied to him."

"So, then, how is Milind?" Prachi grinned excitedly. "He's great! We always have a great time together, you know. He had a little mishap while we were there, though." She told Saumya about Milind's injury and how she'd stuck around to take care of him during it all. Still being cautious, she didn't tell Saumya the full extent of her caregiving. After a few more minutes of chatting, Prachi went upstairs to put her things away from her trip. She still shared a bedroom with Neev, but they hadn't willingly shared the bed in over a year. It always seemed as if one of them was away while the other was there. If Prachi wasn't on a modeling shoot, Neev was on a business trip and vice versa. There had been very few nights when they'd had to sleep side by side and inevitably, one of them would get up to do work in the middle of the night. She didn't know why they didn't just get the divorce or at least separate rooms and get it over with. Actually, she did know why. For appearance's sake. As she put her clothes away, Prachi kept glancing at the phone on the bedside table, wanting more than anything for it to ring and for it to be Milind calling her to tell her he loved her. If he didn't call, she was going to call him, she told herself. Milind still hadn't called by the time she finished putting her clothes away and had cleaned up from her trip. She wondered what he was doing right now. Sitting on the edge of the bed, she dialed his private office line in his house, knowing if he were there, he'd pick up right away. She got his voice mail telling her he was either away from his desk or on another call and if she wanted to leave a message, he'd get back to her right away. "Hey, Milind, it's me. I was just calling to say hello and that I'm back. Saumya's here with me, so I'm not alone. Give me a call when you get a chance." She was purposely vague, knowing that Ayesha had beeped into his messages at least once before. She avoided any semblance of emotion other than friendship in her message. When she hung up, she decided to try and take a short nap before dinner with Saumya. She lay down on the bed, still fully-clothed, and closed her eyes. She thought back to the night before with Milind and fell asleep with a smile on her face.

"So then you can transfer the funds as I specified?" Milind asked his account over the phone. He was setting up the preliminary funding for the company they were going to be using. "Thanks very much." He hung up the phone and sat back in his chair. The sun had gone down a long time ago across the backyard. He'd been in his office for the rest of the afternoon and into the early night. Glancing out the window, he saw that it was beginning to snow again. It made him think of Prachi for the first time in a few hours.He wondered what she was doing right now. He wanted to call her, but he didn't want to risk it. He chided himself for being silly and thinking it would matter. It wasn't like he hadn't called her house before. They were best friends, after all. Neev knew that and he would just have to deal with it. He was just afraid he might give something away in his voice that made Neev suspicious. He decided to wait a while longer to make the call. She was probably busy anyway. Milind sat back down at his desk and picked up the phone once again. He heard a beep in his ear indicate he had voice mail and then noticed the light on the base of the phone was lit to indicate the same thing. He listened to the messages in quick succession, but he paused when he heard Prachi's voice come across the line. "Hey, Milind, it's me. I was just calling to say hello and that I'm back. Saumya's here with me, so I'm not alone. Give me a call when you get a chance." He smiled at how ironic it was that he had just been thinking about calling her. He thought about her message for a moment. Saumya was there so she wasn't alone? He wondered why she'd told him that. Saumya was almost always there. But as he thought about it, he realized she had been trying to be cryptic in case someone else had gotten the message before he did. She was telling him that Neev wasn't there, maybe that he wasn't in town. He grinned at her forethought and depressed the connection. Quickly, he dialed the private line in her home, the one that rang only in her bedroom and the studies, both hers and Neev's. The phone rang a few times before he finally heard someone pick it up. "Hello?" a sleep-filled voice answered. Milind smiled again. "Don't tell me I woke you up," he teased her. Prachi's eyes flew open at the sound of his voice. She sat up quickly and held the receiver a little tighter. "Hey, I was waiting for you to call!"

"And you fell asleep waiting? Aww, that's so cute," he continued to tease. "I wasn't asleep!" she tried to protest futilely, but knew she failed. "Okay, I wasn't completely asleep," she laughed. Milind leaned back in the chair and put his feet up on his desk casually, crossing his legs at his ankles. "So how's my beautiful girl?" His voice took on a softer quality and Prachi could practically hear him smiling through the phone line. "I'm fine." She took note of the time finally. "You must have been busy all day. Have you been working?"

"Yeah, I just got your message right before I called. I'm sorry it took so long, but yes, I was working. Actually, I still am. I just took a little break to call you." As much as she loved hearing his voice right now, she longed to see him and touch him. "I wish I was with you right now," she said softly. She didn't want anyone to hear her just in case they happened to be passing by. When Neev called the house, he didn't usually call this line, so she had to be careful what other people might hear her say. Milind ran his free hand through his hair. "So do I, beautiful," he said as softly. "So do I."

"You know, Neev's not here right now. He 's out of town for a few more days yet. We could meet somewhere, and, you know…" she trailed off to imply what they would be doing if they did meet. He shook his head. "I can't. As much as I would love that, I'm sorry, but I can't."

"Oh, Milind, why not?" she pleaded. "I want to see you."

"And I want to see you, sweetheart, but I can't. Not tonight. I have too much work to catch up on still. Plus, Ayesha's here in the house." He sighed. "How about if I sneak into your bedroom late at night?" she teased mischievously. He laughed. "Now wouldn't that be a sight to behold? But I'd never forgive myself when you broke a leg trying to get to the second floor balcony of my room."

"Yeah, you're right," she agreed reluctantly. "Besides, someone would probably see me. And knowing my luck, it would be Ayesha." The name stuck on her tongue before she said it. "With any luck, that won't be for long," Milind said. "Oh? Why not?"

"I told her she had one month to move out as of today."

"Why'd you give her so long?" Prachi asked sarcastically. Milind filled her in on the whole story, including the part where Ayesha asked him if he suspected her of an affair and how he answered her. He talked to Prachi for nearly an hour before he realized it. "Prachi," he began reluctantly, "I've really got to go. I've still got a lot of work to do before I go into the office tomorrow."

"I understand, Milind. I'm so glad you called, though." She smiled wistfully, wishing again that she was seeing him that night. Maybe she could do something about that, she wondered. "Me too," he responded. "I'll call you again tomorrow, okay?"

"Yeah, tomorrow," she said vaguely, already coming up with a plan to see him. She hoped it would work and that he would let it work. "I love you," he said softly, keeping his voice lower than usual in case anyone happened by. "I love you, too," she replied. After saying goodbye, she hung up the phone slowly. Now, she was going to see him if it was the last thing she did. Milind hung up the phone and sat still for a minute. He had almost heard the wheels turning in Prachi's head. He knew she was up to something. He put his feet back on the floor and got up from the desk once more. He walked over to the bar and poured himself a drink, carrying it with him back to his seat. He unbuttoned the top buttons of his dress shirt. He sat down once more and resigned himself to work through the majority of the night. His mind drifted back to Prachi for a moment and he wondered again what she was going to do. And he hoped she wouldn't get caught.

it was great.

thnkx
atleast u replied.

Originally posted by: sam78

it was great.

she going to see him and he knows it.

sorry hun just got home. thx so much for re writing and re updating part 22. that was soo sweet of you. i love how prachi is yearning to see mils and how she is cooking up a plan to meet him and mils knows it. really cute. cant wait for part 23 :)

im sorry more than half of ur FF got deleted. wonder why...

Hi Angel thanks for writting it again👏 it was a lovely update hope prachi does not get caught,lets see whats going on in her head😉 pls cont soon.

Thanx for writing it again....👍🏼

Chapter 23

The midnight oil was burning in Milind's study long after midnight passed. He had been working on contracts and reading proposals since mid-afternoon, taking only a few short breaks. Slowly, he stood up from his desk chair and walked towards his bedroom, unbuttoning his shirt on the way. He shed his clothes quickly and literally flopped down on the bed in exhaustion. He was sure he'd be asleep in seconds, hopefully dreaming of Prachi, as well. Suddenly, Milind felt a draft of extremely cold air come into the room and it woke him from his half-asleep state instantly. He sat up and looked around the room, sure the breeze was coming from inside. He saw a slight figure on his balcony, approaching the inside of the house from the French doors. Milind got out of bed silently. He walked stealthily toward the door and stopped right behind it. A gloved hand wrapped around the door as the person crept inside. Milind grabbed the intruder's wrist and held it tightly in his hand. A soft shriek escaped the other person as he dragged the person inside the room and closed the door to shut out the frigid air again. "What are you doing in my house?" Milind demanded harshly. He pulled roughly for the black cap on the head of the assailant. He was stunned to see a head full of dark brown hair fall around the shoulders of the person in front of him. The moonlight caught the strands of the dark hair, highlighting it so he could see the color. "Prachi?" Prachi pulled away from him and put her hands on her hips. "Geez, Milind! You scared me half to death!" she exclaimed in a whisper. "You?! What about me? I wake up to find someone breaking into my bedroom and you were scared? What are you doing, Prachi?" He stood before her dressed only in his boxer shorts and the moonlight glinted off his bare chest. Prachi walked toward him slowly and wrapped her arms around his neck, smiling seductively. "What am I doing here?" she repeated. "This…" She kissed him softly and slowly on the lips, relishing the feeling she had been missing so much in the last hours. "And this…" she whispered again as she ran the tip of her tongue along the edge of his mouth, hoping to gain quick entry. She didn't receive it as Milind pulled back from her embrace. "Prachi, you shouldn't be here," he said raggedly. "What if somebody saw you?"

"I looked carefully," she said indignantly. "No one saw me climb up here. I waited until I was sure. Don't worry." She moved to kiss him again, but he stopped her once more. "Prachi," Milind said in a warning tone, "it's too dangerous for you to be here." She stepped back from him and towards the door again. "Does that mean you want me to leave?" Without a second's hesitation, Milind replied, "I didn't say that." He crossed the small distance between them in an instant and grabbed her in his arms again. He kissed her deeply and passionately, giving her the entry she had wanted so much before. In one swift movement, she wrapped her legs around his waist and he carried her over to the bed, laying her down in the center. Forgetting his previous exhaustion, Ayesha, and all other reasons they should not be doing this, they made love into the very early hours of the morning. Prachi lay blissfully in Milind's arms as the dawn broke outside. The gray light lit the room dimly and she eased herself up from Milind's embrace. He was sleeping peacefully and she didn't want to wake him. Kissing him softly, she brushed the hair back from his forehead and looked at him lovingly. She dressed quickly and scribbled off a note to him, leaving it on the bedside table next to his alarm clock which was set to go off in a few minutes. She knew she couldn't be there when he woke up or they might be caught. She slipped quietly out the balcony doors and climbed back down to the ground as carefully as she had climbed up the night before. She waited a few seconds before she dashed down the street and ran toward town. Milind's alarm clock went off way too early for his preferences. He hadn't been asleep long enough for it to be morning already. He smiled as he remembered why it was that he hadn't gotten much sleep the night before. When he moved to turn off the buzzing clock, he realized Prachi wasn't there any longer. He saw the note beside the bed and opened it to read. Milind, I knew I had to leave before you woke up or I wouldn't have left at all. Thank you for not kicking me out. I'll call you sometime today. I love you, P.

Milind sighed and sat up in the bed. He dragged himself out from under the covers and forced himself to put on running clothes to go for a jog. He knew the cold morning air would clear his head and wake him up. An hour later, he returned to the house and went upstairs to shower and dress to go into the office. As he descended the staircase to get a cup of coffee from the kitchen before he left, he ran into Ayesha in the front hallway. "Good morning, Milind," Ayesha greeted him coolly. She was putting her belongings in her purse as if she were leaving already. "Ayesha," he greeted her with a curt nod of his head. "Going somewhere?" He stopped briefly at the foot of the stairs. "Yes, actually, it seems I need to house hunting today," she replied, her voice dripping with sarcasm. Milind didn't respond, rather, he went into the kitchen with only a wry smile on his face. He heard the front door slam and figured Ayesha hadn't been too happy with his silence.

Prachi walked silently through the halls of her house, trying to avoid anyone who might already be up. She made it to the bedroom without incident and undressed to take a shower and get ready to go into her Breakville offices. When she went back downstairs, Saumya was in the kitchen, dressed in her pajamas and eating her breakfast. Prachi poured a cup of coffee and sat down across from Saumya, picking up the newspaper and scanning the headlines. "So, Di," Saumya began casually. "Where'd you go last night?" Prachi froze. "What do you mean?"

"Well, I went to look for you before I went to bed last night and you weren't in your room. I never saw you leave. Where'd you go?"

"Did you need me for something?" Prachi avoided the question. "Not really, I just wanted your opinion on an outfit. But you weren't there. I thought you were sleeping last night."

."I just went for a walk. I woke up and couldn't go back to sleep," Prachi covered. "At eleven o'clock at night? Isn't it a little dangerous to take a walk that late at night?"

"I wasn't gone long," she lied. Saumya glanced at her out of the corner of her eye. Prachi looked nervous about something. Saumya wondered what she was trying to hide, but she let it go. Prachi finished her coffee and got up from the table, straightening her suit jacket. "I should get going, I have a few meetings this morning and I need to go over some contracts first."

"All right, well, do you want to have lunch today? I have an easy class load today,"

"Um, no, I think I might have an appointment for lunch today. Maybe some other time this week, okay?' Saumya nodded and Prachi left the kitchen. She breathed a quick sigh of relief and picked up her briefcase from the front foyer. She grabbed her coat and headed out the door for her offices. >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>...............................

Milind walked into his office an hour later, passing by his secretary's desk to get his messages. There was one from Alap that asked him to call him as soon as he got in. He sat down at in his leather desk chair behind the black lacquer desk and picked up the phone. "Milind,"

"Yes, what do you need?"

"Did you get that contract signed yesterday and sent out, first of all?"

"I told you I did and I checked on it again last night. It did go out as you asked." He ran a tired hand through his hair and turned his computer on. "Are you in the office today?"

"For a little while, at least," Alap responded.

"Good, then come up here, please," There was a short knock on the door and Alap walked in without waiting for the consent. "How was your trip back?" Alap asked when Milind finally turned his attentions to him. "Did you come back with Prachi?" Milind shook his head. "No, I came back alone."

"Is she ready to get everything started?"

"Actually, Neev is out of town for a few days so we can't do anything about that just yet. However, I got the funds transferred like we talked about. They were made available first thing this morning. We're ready to go on that front." They spent the next half hour discussing the set up and implication of the new 'company' they were going to compete for. They came up with a few ideas of how to get Ayesha and Amir to go about their actions in underhanded ways, ways they would set up, of course. The intercom buzzed from Milind's secretary as they were wrapping up their plans. "Yes, Addie?" Milind asked "There's a call for you, Mr. Mishra," she replied in her businesslike manner. "Who is it?"

"She wouldn't say, sir, just that it is very important," she stressed the importance of the call, as per the other person's instruction. "All right," he consented and picked up the phone. "This is Milind," he stated brusquely. Alap could tell immediately who was on the other side when Milind's face instantly softened and grin spread over his lips. He gave Milind a pointed glance at the phone intending that he relay that information to who he knew was on the other end of the line. "Thanks, Alap," Milind said and turned back to the conversation as Alap exited the office. Milind turned his chair to look out the expansive window that covered one corner of his office. "Hey beautiful," he greeted her properly. "I thought you were going to wait for me to call you." Prachi picked up a pen from her desk and twirled it in her hand. "I was, but I couldn't wait. I miss you too much. I needed to hear your voice again."

"Already? You just saw me little more than two hours ago," he teased. "Yes, but you were asleep, so that doesn't count."

"Okay, then you last saw me awake a little over four hours ago, right?" he grinned. She laughed softly. "I know, but I still miss you. Did you get my note?"

"Of course I did," he replied. "Though I must say I was disappointed not to wake up with you there."

"I thought it was best for both of us if I left before you woke up."

"It probably was. Oh, before I forget, I was just talking to Alap."

"How's Grandma?" she asked immediately. "He said she's fine."

"Okay, well, do you want to come visit her with me? I'm sure she'd be happy to see you, too," Prachi said, hoping he would agree. Milind checked his schedule to see when he'd be free and if he could go with her. He frowned when he realized he had a meeting scheduled for late in the day that would probably run long. "I can't, I just saw that I have a meeting."

"That's all right. Are you free for lunch?" she asked somewhat seductively. He checked his schedule again. "Actually, I am," he said. She broke into a wide smile, knowing she would get to see him again in just a few short hours. She picked the place and they talked for a few more minutes. He nearly dropped the phone when Ayesha walked into the office. What was she doing there? "Okay, look, I have to go," he said quickly into the phone. "I will see you soon." Prachi realized someone had probably just come into the room. "In a few hours. I love you," she said softly. Milind blanched slightly. He wanted to respond, but there was absolutely no way he could. He merely said, "So do I. See you later." He hung up the phone on a slightly hurt Prachi without waiting for a response. He faced Ayesha. "Ayesha, what are you doing here?" She had never once, in all the years they'd been married, come to his office to visit him. She pulled out a set of documents and handed them to him. "I told you I would get these to you, and now I have." They were the divorce papers. He needed to sign them and his marriage was over. He tried not to look too anxious when she gave them to him. He glanced up from them to look at her coolly. "Thank you. I'll look them over with my lawyer and sign them if they meet my needs." He looked back down at them and then realized she hadn't moved yet. "Was there something else?" he asked. "Just that you should know that I will be moving my things out of the house this evening. I'll be gone by the end of the day." She had found a place already? That was quick, he thought. He wondered briefly if she was moving in with Amir, but then he realized he couldn't care less. He said calmly, "Good, thank you for abiding by my wishes so quickly. Is that all?" Ayesha's eyes turned steely as she realized that Milind really didn't care what she did. "Yes, I suppose it is. Goodbye, Milind," she said coldly as she got up and walked out the door, closing it firmly behind her. Milind smiled broadly as soon as the door shut. Finally! He looked over the divorce papers in his hands and he was satisfied to find that he didn't have anything to argue with. Ayesha must have really been in trouble not to make this turn into something ugly. He figured she was probably banking on Amir to take care of her and the suspected baby. She even had given him the stipulation that if she were to marry, the alimony he was paying her would be stopped and she had given it to him with no apparent argument. But then again, she had already taken some of his money with the last three companies she had stolen out from under him. She probably figured there wouldn't be much left in a few months if everything went the way she was planning. He signed the papers with a flourish and placed them in an envelope to send to his attorney to file and finish. He leaned back in his chair and closed his eyes. Suddenly, he looked at the clock. Prachi was going to kill him! He looked up as the door opened and Addie walked in the room to deliver the messages he had received while he was on the phone. He saw that Prachi had, indeed, called him and wanted him to call her immediately. He tried her cell phone first, knowing she kept it on all the time, and found that it was out of range or turned off. He tried her office and was informed that 'Ms. Shah has left for the day.' He tried the house and got no answer on the private line. Milind hadn't realized how tired he was, but now that he'd just had to deal with the contract problems, he was more exhausted than before. He leaned his head back against his chair, relaxed his body, and closed his eyes. He never heard the door ease open or saw the person walk through it..

thanks hun. i loved how prachi snuck in his house in the night and how they both were scared. its so cute how she was missing him so much in cupl hours and all. what does ayesha have up her sleeve abiding by his wishes and all? daal mein kuch toh kala hai nahi? haha. cant wait for the next update! thx again for posting part 22 again.

it was great.