Michi FF-The Tie that Binds- Ch24&25/pg25-08/08/09 - Page 16

thnks 4 da conceern...even i dunno how it got deleted.

Originally posted by: _ishaara_

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

anyways, thanks for part 22. it was nice....continue soon AC

Hi angel 😊
very nice update ..its awesome 👏
Thanks sweety 🤗 cont soon 😃

thnk u

Originally posted by: -kiran

Hi angel 😊
very nice update ..its awesome 👏
Thanks sweety 🤗 cont soon 😃

Awesome update....

Superb Update!

Thanks angel for the lovely update so ayesha is going out of his house pretty soon so worries for prachi to enter through the windows😉 she peeped into his office too.

thnks for liking it.
i wasnt so confident abt this FF.

Chapter 24

Prachi smiled at the sight before her. There was Milind, leaning back in his chair and he appeared to be asleep. She knew he had to be really tired for him to allow that to happen and she almost felt bad about keeping him up so late the night before. Silently, Prachi walked over to Milind, closing the door behind her. Without disturbing him, she placed her hands on his shoulders and slowly began to massage them. A slow smile spread over his face as he felt her. He hadn't actually been asleep; he'd just been trying to relax for a few moments. He hadn't realized she was coming to see him and he was pleasantly surprised by it. He allowed her to continue loosening his muscles before he let her know he was still awake. After a few minutes, Milind reached up with one of his hands and took hold of hers. She leaned over his shoulder and kissed his lips softly. He opened his eyes and smiled up at her. "Hey, you," he said softly. "What are you doing here?" Prachi came around the side of the chair and he pulled her to sit down on his lap, wrapping his arms around her waist. "I missed you at lunch and I thought I'd come see what kept you so long."

"I'm sorry about that. I got caught with a phone call that I had to take. I was here for the last two hours on the phone. I didn't get a chance to call you and let you know I couldn't make it."

"It's okay, Addie told me when I called. I just wanted to see you, so I had to come down here. I hope you don't mind." She smiled at him. "Certainly not. You just made my day a whole lot better," he grinned. He leaned in to kiss her tenderly. The kiss soon developed into much more and neither one of them wanted it to stop. Prachi pulled back after several long moments. She studied him closely, noting the vague circles and the tiredness in his eyes. "Milind, you look exhausted," she said, concerned. He nodded in response and closed his eyes, leaning his head back against the chair again. "I am, but I have to get this work done."

"But if you don't get some rest, you won't be any good to anyone." Milind sighed. "I know--"

"Can you promise me one thing, please?" she asked, knowing he didn't break his promises to her if he could ever help it. "I can try."

"Milind, please promise me that you will leave early tonight and go home to get some real sleep. Please?" She caressed the lines from his face tenderly and smiled softly. "I can't promise you that, sweetheart. I have to get this work done. I cannot fall further behind. But it's sweet of you to worry so much. I will promise you one thing. I will be fine, I promise. As soon as I get caught up here." Prachi got up from his lap, but held fast to one of Milind's hands. "Look, I have to get going, and I know you have to get back to work. Don't think I'm not going to check in on you and make sure you leave here tonight, though," she warned. Milind smiled and stood to walk her to the door. "I know you will. I will do my best, all right. That's the best I can promise." He wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her close to him as she was about to place her hand on the doorknob. She turned and their lips met in an intense kiss. It seemed like an hour had gone by when they finally pulled away. Prachi kissed him one more time and whispered, "I love you." He whispered back, "I love you, too," just before she opened the door and disappeared through it. Milind closed the door behind her and leaned against it momentarily. He sighed and then pushed away from the door and went back to his desk. He picked up the phone, dialing the overseas number he needed, and settled back in to work for the rest of the afternoon without interruption.

Once Prachi was back in her car, she looked at the clock and decided to call Milind. She promised herself she wasn't going to go back to his office, she was just going to call him and see if he'd left. Milind tied up the few loose ends that he could in twenty minutes, leaving himself ten minutes to get home. He put on his suit jacket and walked to the elevators. Within minutes, he was in the car and turning out of the parking garage to head home to Prachi's waiting arms. Prachi could tell how taxing the day had been on him. The small circles under his eyes had darkened and grown. His hair was mussed as if he'd been running his hands through it nonstop. His tie was loosened and the top button of his shirt was undone. Without saying a word, she stepped into his embrace and hugged him tightly. She held him for a few minutes before she turned and opened the front door with his keys. The front foyer was dark, as was the entire house, leading her to believe that absolutely no one was there, not even the housekeeper. Prachi led Milind upstairs to his bedroom and still, neither had said a word. Milind had felt all of his energy leave him as soon as he stepped into her arms. He was afraid he wouldn't have enough strength to get up the steps, but when he finally stood at the top with her, he stopped worrying about anything except how much work he should be doing. He let her guide him into his room, but he refused to lay down on the bed and go to sleep as she was urging. "Prachi, I don't want to sleep," he protested. "You need to," she argued. He removed his jacket and took off his tie, unbuttoning his shirt and letting it hang open. Prachi sat down on the bed next to him." I have too much work to do."

"Milind! You were supposed to come home so that you wouldn't do anymore work, you know that!" she exclaimed. "Don't you get it, Prachi? This stuff needs to get done now." He got up off the bed and made a move toward his office door, but the room spun suddenly and he had to sit back down. "Milind? Are you okay?" she asked as she watched him put a hand to his head and close his eyes for a moment. He didn't answer her. He turned on the bed and lay his head down on the pillow at the top of the bed. "Milind, please relax," she said softly. "I am relaxed," he murmured, knowing he wasn't. She immediately went to work massaging his shoulders until the knots were gone and he couldn't think of anything except how good her hands felt. He felt himself drifting to sleep, but woke slightly when she got up off the bed. As she leaned down to kiss him and whisper goodbye, he moved and caught her hand. "Please don't leave," he murmured into the pillow. "I have to, Milind," she whispered. "No, you don't. Please, stay," his voice trailed off as he finally fell asleep. Knowing he wanted her to stay made her heart leap with love for him. Careful not to disturb him too much, she lay next to him on the bed. He moved enough to wrap his arms snugly around her. Though it was only seven o'clock, Milind was asleep and Prachi was perfectly content to rest in his arms. Milind woke with a start and sat up straight on the bed. Glancing quickly at the clock, he saw that he'd been asleep for just over three hours. He realized he'd been so tired when he left the office, he barely remembered driving home and going to sleep. Just as he thought that, he also realized that Prachi wasn't in the room with him, as he expected she would be. He did remember that she met him at his house when he got home. He got up from the bed and ran his hands through his hair and stretched his back. The hallway outside his bedroom was dark, as was the rest of the house. He didn't hear anything and he looked at the bedside table to see if there was a note he'd missed telling him where Prachi was. There wasn't one, so he assumed she hadn't left the house. He walked out into the hallway and towards the staircase leading down to the front foyer. As he approached the landing, he saw the light on in the kitchen. He smiled slightly and walked down to see what Prachi was doing. Prachi was attempting to fix herself something to eat, but she wasn't finding what she was looking for in the cabinets. She didn't even hear Milind come in the room while she was opening and closing the cupboards until he put his arms around her waist and scared her half to death. "Milind!" she screamed before she could stop herself. She turned quickly in his arms, laughing nervously. Milind was laughing, as well, as he kept his arms around her waist. "Right here," he responded. She hit him on the arm and backed away, turning back to the cabinets. "You scared me to death! I wasn't expecting you to wake up."

"Sorry," he shrugged, smiling. He watched her looking through the cabinets and asked, "What are you looking for?"

"Crackers," she replied. "I was going to make some soup and I wanted to find the crackers first. Why? Do you know where they are?"

"Not a clue," he said. "But you live here! How can you not know where the crackers are?"

"I may live here," Milind corrected her, "but I don't do the cooking here. I rarely have cause to even be in this room." He grinned. "Unless one of my girlfriends is in here making all kinds of noise," he teased. "One of your girlfriends?" she cocked an eyebrow at him, waiting for an explanation. Milind froze for a second, thinking rapidly. Was she questioning his use of the term or was it the joke? He didn't know for sure. "I--"

""Just exactly how many girlfriends have you had, mister?" she broke into a smile, having enjoyed watching him squirm for a minute. He almost breathed a sigh of relief. "You knew what I meant." Apparently she agreed with his use of the term. He wasn't quite sure how to think of her. 'Mistress' seemed like such an out of date and inappropriate term. 'Lover' didn't adequately describe their relationship. 'Girlfriend' seemed to fit the best, but he knew she couldn't possibly consider him in the same fashion. She wasn't the one who was actually signing divorce papers yet. Prachi stepped toward him and put her arms around his neck. She grinned at him and then kissed him lightly on the lips. When she pulled back, she studied his face carefully again. The circles were still under his eyes, but he didn't look nearly as tired as he did before. His shirt hung loose from his dress pants, revealing his broad, tanned chest. She moved her arms to encircle his waist and leaned in close, kissing him on the chest before hugging him. Milind was surprised by her sudden show of affection. It had come so quickly after their teasing that he wasn't sure what to make of it. Not that he minded in the slightest. He tightened his arms around her waist and drew her mouth back to his, lifting her into his arms as the kiss deepened. He stood back against the counter top as he felt his knees almost go weak. Several long moments later, he pulled away from her and whispered, "Still hungry?" Prachi smiled seductively and responded, "Only for you." He needed no further encouragement to carry her back upstairs to his bedroom and lay her gently on the bed beneath him. He was in complete control as they made love into the night hours.

Chapter 25

Milind awoke the next morning with Prachi's arms wrapped snugly around him. Her head rested on his chest with her ear just above his heart. Her light breath tickled him as she lay sleeping. He opened his eyes and looked at the breaking daylight around the windows of the room. His alarm clock hadn't gone off yet, so he reached over and turned it off before it would wake Prachi. He gently eased himself out of her embrace, reluctantly, without waking her. He smiled and traced his fingers across her lips lightly before putting on his running clothes and leaving the room. He ran his normal course, knowing he wouldn't be tempted to veer off it if the object of his desire was sleeping in his own bed. Just as he was passing by the gates to her allotment, he noticed a sleek, black limousine turning onto the road. He stopped dead in his tracks. Neev was home and he was a lot earlier than they had thought he would be. Milind turned immediately and ran for his house at full speed, taking a few shortcuts he knew.Maybe Neev wouldn't notice that Prachi hadn't slept there last night, that she wasn't still there this morning. When he reached his house, Milind ran for his bedroom, throwing open the door and looking for Prachi. She wasn't in his bed. He looked in the bathroom and she wasn't there either. When he stopped, he realized that there was no trace of her in the house at all. She was gone. And then he noticed the note on his bedside table. He smiled and picked it up. Milind, I have an early meeting, so I had to go as soon as I woke up. Hope you had a good run. See you very soon, I hope. Love, P. He breathed a sigh of relief and sat down on the bed. He just hoped she'd made it home in time to beat Neev.

Prachi was walking out of the shower when the door to her bedroom swung open and banged against the wall. She jumped and whirled around. Her face paled as she saw who walked in. "Neev!" she exclaimed. "What are you doing home already?" Neev gave her a quick glance and then went back to what he was doing, looking in the bedroom desk for a phone number he needed. "My business was finished early, so I came home. Hope it's not an inconvenience." There was a hint of sarcasm in his voice as he turned from her and left the room. She sighed as the door closed again. She was extremely glad that she had woken up when she realized Milind wasn't next to her and had had the foresight to come home to shower and change for work. If Neev had known she hadn't slept in her bed last night, he would have gotten suspicious and that was something they couldn't afford right now. Prachi finished dressing and went downstairs to get a cup of coffee. As she passed his office, she could hear Neev on the phone.

Milind walked into his offices and smiled and Addie who was already seated behind her desk. She smiled back, noticing he looked a lot better than he had the day before."Any messages?" Milind asked her as he passed her desk. "No sir, not yet," she replied.

He was determined to get the problems he'd had the day before solved today. If that meant he would work all day, he would do it, but he was tired of being behind all the time now. Besides, after spending the night with Prachi, he felt like a new person. As he sat behind his desk and picked up the phone to call Ned, he realized he had a goofy grin on his face. He turned serious and set to work. He would have a lot of meetings and a lot more work ahead of him before he left for the day.

Prachi walked into Kelly's, a restaurant on the docks, at almost exactly twelve-thirty. Saumya was already sitting at a table by a window. "Okay, Saumya, so what's up?"

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, I know you. You were giving me that 'I need to talk to you about something really important' look this morning and I want to know what's so important."

"It's Milind."

"And what about Milind?" Prachi instinctively lowered her voice when she said his name.

"I want to know what's going on with you and him. I can tell there's something and there has been since you got back from New York. Is there something between you two? Something I should know about?"

"First of all, you should know that I am going to file for divorce from Neev."

". Prachi Di, I can tell you don't love him. It's in the way you guys talk, or rather don't talk, to each other. I only wonder why you've lasted this long."

"That's the other thing you should know about. The reason it's gone on this long was for appearance's sake only. Neev needs a wife in his business and I didn't want to be alone. I guess now I realize that I was more alone with him than when I didn't have him. But all of that's changed now. I don't want to keep up appearances anymore."

"What changed that?"

"Milind changed that. I'm not so sure I understand it myself." Prachi continued to tell Saumya everything that had happened in New York, or at least everything Saumya needed to know. She told her about Milind getting his divorce and Ayesha's plan to destroy him. She also told her about Neev's involvement in the plan and the speculation that it was because of her relationship with Milind. She ended with the fact that she had every intention of moving on in her relationship with Milind, now and when she was divorced from Neev. Saumya and Prachi finished their lunch and Prachi returned to her office just after one-thirty. She had a few meetings right away and then when she finally had a break, she picked up the phone and called Milind. Addie answered the private line again and told her that he was currently unavailable, but that she would have him call her as soon as he could. She hung up the phone and sighed. She wondered if she would have called his house just to hear his answering machine if the phone hadn't rung a few minutes later. Grinning, she picked it up. "Prachi," she said cheerfully. "Hey Beautiful," Milind said as soon as he heard her voice. "Milind!" she exclaimed happily. "I just called you and Addie told me you were unavailable." She could feel a heated blush coming to her cheeks as she talked to him and felt like she was in high school again and talking to her crush. "Milind, I feel so ridiculous," she revealed. "Why?"

"Well, look at me. I can't go even a few hours without talking to you now."

"And that's such a bad thing because…?"

"It's not, but it's certainly making me feel like I'm sixteen years old again."

"If it'll ease your mind at all, I was going to call you as soon as I got off the phone anyway."

"You were? Why?"

"Because I wanted to hear your voice," Milind said softly. Prachi laughed again. "Yes, but we both know that if I did that every day, not only would we never get any work done and you'd fall even further behind, but people would begin to get suspicious, too."

"speaking of people getting suspicious, did you see Neev this morning?"

"How'd you know about that?" she asked, surprised. "I saw his car while I was out running. When I ran back to the house to get you, you were already gone. Did you make it home in time?"

"Yes, I did. He came in as I was getting out of the shower. He didn't even apologize for not calling to warn me. He just basically ignored me just as he always does."

"Well, at least he doesn't know anything."

"No, he doesn't, but this does present a small problem you know."

"Which is?"

"Now I won't be able to see you without him knowing something is going on, or at least thinking there's something."

"Yeah, I know, but remember, he already thinks there's more than friendship here."

"Yes, but it was never true before. You know I can't lie to anyone in person very well. If he asks me now, it'll show in my face that I'm lying to him." Milind sighed. "I know. It's one of your endearing qualities." There were a few moments of silence as they sat thinking about what they would do now. He was coming up empty for a solution right at the moment. And he heard the buzzer in his office that indicated that his next meeting was there. Prachi heard it, too. She asked, "What was that noise?"

"My next appointment. I have to go here, but I'll call you back later, okay?"

"Okay," she said reluctantly. "I love you, Milind." He smiled. "I love you, too, Prachi," Milind returned to his house a little after nine o'clock. Even he had to admit it was strange coming home to such a completely empty house. Ayesha had asked Mrs. Whitter to stay on with her and the woman had agreed because for whatever reason, she liked Ayesha more than Milind. He didn't really care. When he had time, he'd hire another housekeeper, but he wasn't worried about it now. He opened the front door after parking his car in the garage and he didn't turn on the lights as he walked in. The moonlight from outside was enough to light the front foyer for him. He went immediately upstairs to his office and turned on the light. After he put down his briefcase and turned on his computer, he walked over to the bar he kept and poured himself a drink. He was planning to work on the Ayesha and Neev plan that night. As he lay alone in the bed, he couldn't help but long for her once again. He fell asleep thinking that and was soon dreaming of the life they would have.

Prachi took the first opportunity she had to do some snooping in Neev's office, but she came up with nothing, as she reported to Milind. They hadn't seen each other at all in the last three days, but they'd spoken every day on the phone, at least twice. Milind had been contacted that Ayesha had picked up on the phony company and she was inquiring about it. She also knew that Milind had a vested interest in it, so he was sure that was the reason she was looking at it. They just needed to her make a bid on it to move to the next stage. Milind was alone in his office, working, when his private line rang. He answered it to find Prachi on the other line. "Hi there," he said when he heard her voice. Prachi smiled and responded with, "Do you have any idea how hard it is not to see you every day?" He laughed softly. "I think I have some idea, yes." They talked for a few minutes before he asked, "Prachi, did you ever get a chance to talk to Neev again?"

"Yeah, I did, but he won't tell me anything. I haven't been able to get anything from his office either. I'm guessing Ayesha hasn't talked to him yet."

"He's not suspicious yet, is he?"

"I don't think so, why?"

"Just being careful, I suppose. Ayesha hasn't made a move yet on anything so there isn't much else to do, but wait."

"I know," she sighed. She really wanted to see him. It had been way too long since she'd been able to look at him, touch him, and kiss him. She smiled thinking about it. "I just wish this whole thing was over with already."

"So do I, sweetie, but it won't be long, you know that." Before he could say anything else, the door to his office swung open and banged against the wall. Milind turned surprised at the interruption. Addie was desperately trying to get whoever it was to stand back and wait in the reception area. "I've got to go," he said quickly and dropped the phone into its cradle without waiting for a response. "Addie, what's going on here?" His secretary turned and looked at him helplessly. "I'm sorry, Mr. Mishra. He wouldn't wait in the hallway. He insisted on seeing you now."

"It's okay. Let him in then," Milind consented, not knowing who it was. He was nearly floored when Neev Shergil walked in the door. "I know what you're trying to do, Milind, and it's not going to work," Neev announced as soon as he stepped through the doorway.

i've update chapter 24 and 25.
it's quite long but i tried not to make it boring.
hope u guys enjoy.

hey chap 23 was very nice...ur Prachi is very very different to original prachi. good to see her this way. ok so ill go read chap 24. so far uve done a good job wid the FF. thnx