hello everyone, a bit of Prachi's sasural and Inder-Premlatha's entry. Cheers 😃
Part 81
The July morning was pleasantly sunny but slightly chilly and Prachi pulled her cardigan closer. They were having a garden breakfast and her face broke into a smile seeing Shweta and Anand walk towards them. She greeted them shyly, her eyes appreciatingly taking in Shweta's beautiful day dress. She looked cool and elegant.
"Mom, looking at you, I can definitely say that summer is here", Milind chuckled and hugged her. "You look great, Mom", he said.
Shweta laughed, patting his cheek and took the cup of coffee that Prachi handed to her. "Thanks, Prachi. So, you two are off to Vicky's place today, right? Both Anand and I will be very busy today. We have meetings scheduled one after the other. I will have to finish off a lot of work today to be able to take the next few days off. Prachi's parents will be here tomorrow", she said.
Anand nodded, "Yes, Milind. We will meet you in Vicky's house for dinner. Look after the boys, Prachi. You can never know when these two will get into mischief", he smiled.
Prachi looked at a laughing Milind. Of course, they were so not going to behave. But she was very excited. She had spent the day before exploring the house with Shweta and she had been awed, impressed and very proud. She had definitely fallen in love with her new home. Milind had left for the office with his dad but he did give her a private tour of their wing of the house as promised later that evening. She coloured at the memory. Dinner had been private with just the four of them and Prachi was loosening up slowly. Her adoration for Shweta had only increased along with her respect for Anand. She could already see where Milind had got his qualities from. He had such fantastic people as his parents. Most of her relatives had warned her about the cold and aloof behaviour of rich people but all Prachi had felt here was just warmth and love. That was what had held this family together inspite of their busy schedules and Prachi cherished it. She knew that she still had a long way to go. Even her dress sense was no match in front of Shweta. And Shweta had already promised that once the wedding reception is over, she will slowly ease Prachi into their social circle. A very apprehensive looking Prachi had just nodded in response.
Prachi knew that a complete make over was a necessary where her dress sense and conversation skills was concerned but Shweta had rubbished her concerns assuring that Prachi was fine as she was and with just a little help she would be a hit in the society. Prachi wished that she shared atleast half of her mother-in-law's optimism. She had been surprised to know that Shweta was the founder and chaired the Mishra's charity foundation and her work sometimes kept her busy even more than Anand. She was a perfect compliment to Anand both at and outside their home. She had made a name for herself and commanded respect in their elite society. The more Prachi knew about her mother-in-law the more she was in awe of her.
Shweta and Anand left immediately after breakfast and Vicky arrived soon afterwards. Picking up the picnic bag that was put together by someone maning the kitchen, they set off with Brute in tow. Brute was in a very playful mood and Milind engaged him. They walked together happily chatting. Vicky being Vicky kept teasing Prachi and Milind encouraged him even more with his blatant answers. They kept kicking and chasing eachother all the way and Prachi had to use her sternest voice to bring them back to her. Prachi was also exploring the garden. While the front garden is ornamentally tended and eye poppingly beautiful, the back garden retained a very homely and relaxed atmosphere. The fountain and the pond looked even more beautiful in closer inspection. They passed the terraced sit out area and Prachi's mind immediately planned a relaxed family dinner there. As they walked closer to the fence, Prachi looked up in surprise at the beautiful tree house. She ran towards it and looked up. Obviously not new but still very beautiful it stood raised above the ground and nestled among the branches. A wodden ladder went up and disappeared into the leaves.
"Wow, Milind. This is so beautiful", exclaimed Prachi.
Milind smiled, "That's dad and Rakesh uncle's handiwork, Prachi. And they are very proud of it even now. They built it when we were five and it has been an important part of our childhood and even throughout our teenage and much later" he said and smiled at Vicky.
Prachi went around looking at it properly, "Milind, can we go up there, please?" she looked at Milind.
Laughing Milind put his arm around her, "I haven't been up there for quite some time now. I will take you someother time", he said.
Prachi pouted, "So, what did you guys do in there?" she asked them.
Vicky grinned, "Depends on when, Prachi? What we did when we were five was entirely different from what we did when we were fifteen" he said and Milind punched him playfully.
Very much interested, Prachi looked at him, "Okay, what did you guys do when you were five?" she asked.
Vicky laughed, "We used to pretend as superheroes. I used to be superman and Milind used to be spiderman. He had a thing for webs, ewwwwwww", he said and Prachi laughed.
"We used to get dressed up and climb trees. We pretended to save damsels in distress", Milind added.
Prachi hit him, "You were into damsels when you were five", she glared.
Vicky laughed, "It was hard to find girls to play damsels in distress, Prachi. So, most of the time, we used to hide dolls in the trees and climb and do pretend fights and save them. Oh, those were the days", he sighed.
"Then came pirates, water fight, hide and seek and treasure hunting", said Milind and Prachi smiled as their eyes brightened up reliving those cute little memories.
Suddenly, Vicky laughed, "Remember, Milind, Micky loved to dress up like Mickey Mouse" he said.
Prachi laughed. So, Micky was in it too. But of course, they were playmates since toddlers.
Milind slapped Vicky's back, "And he was so into digging burrows. Remember when he tried to get Sally dressed up as Minney Mouse. She chased him all over the garden till he gave up" he laughed.
Prachi froze. Of course, it must include Sally as well, mustn't it? Looks like they didn't do anything without her, she thought nastily.
"So, what did Sally dress up as?" she asked slowly.
Vicky frowned, "It all depended on what Milind pretended to be. She would be a damsel in distress if he is spiderman and if became a knight in shining armour, she would be the princess. But whatever he was, his job was to save her, our very own blonde princess", he smirked at Milind and they both laughed.
Princess, my foot! thought Prachi angrily. She stomped in annoyance and sat on one of the ladder steps. "I am hungry", she declared. They sat right there and had their sandwiches. The smell of food brought Brute bounding back and Prachi smiled seeing him lap up his food. They let Prachi find the hole in the fence and after minutes of searching, Prachi gave up. When Milind showed it to her, she gasped in surprise. It was right in front of her but very cleverly hidden.
They walked into Vicky's garden and Prachi tugged at Milind's arm, "Milind, you didn't tell me what you guys did when you were fifteen?" she asked.
With a wicked grin at Vicky, Milind pulled her close to him, "Every naughty thing a fifteen year old would do, honey. You will be shocked if told you everything. I will leave it all to your imagination", he winked at her.
Frowning, Prachi wondered what on earth they could have done.
Vicky laughed at her expression, "Don't imagine too much, Prachi. We used to come here and read books that are forbidden for fifteen year olds, watch stuff on our little DVD player………you know, the whole lot of such stuff" he said naughtily.
Prachi's face flamed as she looked at the grinning two. Oh god, dirty boys! She glared at them, "And?" she asked again.
Milind grinned, "We had our first puff of smoke here when we were sixteen" he said.
Prachi looked at him shocked. "Do you smoke?" she asked surprised. She had never seen him smoke or smelt anything.
"Not anymore, Prachi. He stopped it very soon" Vicky said and Prachi quickly caught the look that passed between the two and was left wondering.
Milind cleared his throat, "Vicky too quit smoking after a couple of years. Now let's get going, Prachi" he said quickly and increased the pace.
Vicky's house was much smaller than Milind's but just as beautiful. Shreya was waiting for them and welcomed Prachi. Prachi had a great time there with Shreya and then with Milind and Vicky in Vicky's room. It too had a great view and for the first time, both Milind and Prachi got to see their wedding photos. The next couple of hours went with them pouring over the photos and watching the wedding video. Feeling Milind tender gaze on her, Prachi smiled at him shyly and moved closer to him. He pulled her snug into his arms and they continued to watch the video. Vicky watched them with a warm smile. Dinner was again fantastic and very well served. It was a long time when they all left Vicky's house. Anand and Shweta took the proper route and left by car along with Brute and Milind and Prachi walked back through the garden. They walked in silence and Milind held Prachi close to him. They sat down close to the fountain and Prachi rested her head on his shoulder. The star lit sky and the midly cold English evening was very relaxing and Prachi sighed. Milind's lips trailed down her forehead, her face and rested against her lips, gently nibbling at it. Sighing, Prachi's fingers curled in his hair and she kissed him lingeringly. When Milind's hand tightened around her, Prachi moved back and shook her head at him. With a small smile, Milind nodded and placing a soft kiss on her forehead, stood up. Hand in hand, they walked back to their room.
Prachi frowned in the darkness and looked at the bedside clock. It was only 4 am and she was already wide awake. Her parents would be arriving mid morning and she was way too excited. She turned to look at her sleeping husband. She had a glimpse of his childhood days this morning and also presence of Sally in it. She wondered again what the look between the two brothers meant when they were taking about their smoking. Milind shifted slightly and Prachi's eyes caught the scar on his neck in the soft light. She ran her finger over it gently. It had faded slightly and she firmly pushed the memory to the back of her mind. She leaned towards him and kissed it softly. He was lying face down and moving closer to him, she lifted his hand and linking her fingers through his, placed it on her chest. It was four days since they arrived in London. She had spent a lot of time on her second day calling all her friends. She had first called Neev and had spoken to him for a long time. He was back in Chennai now and would be looking after the office in her papa's absence. She tried not to sound too excited about her honeymoon and London but she knew that she failed miserably. She had kept most part of the phone call neutrally and more about him and the business. She had sighed after hanging up. For the millionth time, she wished that he would meet his soulmate soon. He deserved all the happiness and her heart prayed for him. She couldn't reach Lisa first and then called Pooja who ended up teasing her so much and she in turn pulled her leg about meeting her future in-laws that Pooja shut up. She was very happy for her and Vicky and hoped they would get married as soon as possible. She would love to have Pooja in the family. Reba and Rita too had teased her mercilessly and when Prachi dodged their naughty questions they vowed to corner Milind the minute he comes back to India. She had reached Lisa on the phone much later and ended up chatting with her for a very long time. She remembered shyly about all the notes comparison they did over the phone. Lisa had been busy in setting up the florist shop in Peter's hotel and the business was doing fine. Prachi had almost held her breathe when Lisa told that she was late almost a week this month. But she hadn't told anything to Peter before she could be sure and begged Prachi not to tell anything to Milind yet. Prachi promised her and had hung up after a long time. She knew how much Lisa wanted to be a mother and prayed with all her heart that her friend confirms the good news soon.
She looked at Milind's sleeping face and smiled shyly. She wondered how many children Milind would want. She herself would love to have a little boy with curly hair and black eyes….a spitting image of his father. She bit her lip shyly and placed Milind's hand on her abdomen. But he had promised her that she would finish her studies first. After a year may be………she thought shyly and hid her burning face in her hands.
Inder and Premlatha pushed the trolley full of their baggage. The flight had been good and they both looked slightly overwhelmed in the new place. Inder's eyes brightened up as soon as he spotted Prachi. She was jumping in joy like a child and waving her hands toward them and with a big smile, Inder and Premlatha walked towards where she was standing with Milind. "Papaaaaaaaa, Mamaaaaaaaaaaaa" a screaming Prachi hugged them and Milind greeted them warmly. Now seated in the car, Milind watched Prachi talking excitedly to her parents. She seemed to have almost forgotten about him and he just had to tag along with the three of them. He shook his head smilingly. After initial conversation, he had been silent and just watched them. He smiled as Prachi explained very excitedly about Tahiti.
Catching Milind's eyes, Premlatha smiled at him, "I thought being married for a couple of weeks would have brought in a bit of change in her but I was wrong, Milind. Is she troubling you too much?" she asked.
Miling laughed, "She won't change even if she was married for 20 years and I don't want her to change. I managed alright but then she was sleeping most of the time. Sleepyhead!" he chided softly and his eyes darkened as she stuck out her tongue at him.
Prachi turned to her mother, "Mama, it's not my fault. I haven't travelled so much in my life ever before. I think I have flown through half the world already", she complained.
Inder laughed, "Don't worry, gudiya. Just endure one more flight and come back to India" he said.
Suddenly remembering, Premlatha said, "Prachi beta, you have passed your first year. We received the results by post only yesterday. Congratulations". Prachi clapped her hands in joy and gave a dimpled smile at Milind.
He cupped her face, "Congratulations, sweetheart. Now this calls for a celebration", he said.
Inder cleared his throat, "And your classes for the second year are starting in September, Prachi" he said.
Milind frowned, "Why should that matter to us? I will get the papers sorted out to transfer you to distance education, Prachi", he said slowly.
Prachi gave a careless shrug and continued with her conversation to her Mom. A look passed between Inder and Milind.
Inder looked at Premlatha watching out of the window of their room. It was a huge guest room with a small lounge area and a balcony. His wife looked as bewildered as him. He expected the Mishra mansion to be spectacular but not to this extent. Its sheer size and opulence filled him with nervousness.
Walking back to the bed, Premlatha sat down heavily. "It's still hard to believe that our daughter is married into this family. We could never have dreamt of such a family", she smiled happily.
Inder leaned back, "Yes, look at the size of this house. It felt like a five star hotel the minute I stepped into it. A hotel that we can't afford to stay more than one night at the most! All that was missing was a reception desk in the lounge", Inder said sarcastically.
Premlatha glared at him, "It's their home, Inder. Have some respect for that", she chided him. "Now, get up and get ready. We have to go down for dinner. Anandji will be coming home soon", she said. Shweta who had welcomed them warmly had apologised for Anand not being there as he was stuck in a meeting.
Inder snorted, "Who dresses up to have dinner in their own house, Premlatha? I feel like I am going to a restaurant", he said.
Marching up to him, Premlatha pulled his arm, "I won't repeat again, Inder. Get ready now", she ordered and sighing, Inder obeyed.
He looked at her, "Premlatha, don't forget to take the map with you. We will have to find our way to the dining room", he teased and annoyed, Premlatha threw a cushion at him.
Just as they were about to leave, a knock sounded on the door and Prachi entered. Dressed in a midnight blue saree and adorned with diamonds, she looked very beautiful and Inder and Premlatha smiled at her. "Mama, Papa. Let's go down now. Dad is already home and everyone is in the lounge. You know, I helped Mom to set up the table. Tell me how it is", she said with pride in her eyes.
Premlatha watched her daughter with a smile. She had talked non-stop about her in-laws and her new home. Premlatha smiled realising that her daughter has eased into the shoes of a married daughter boasting proudly about her sasural and the heart of a mother blessed her child.
Prachi's parents were even more stunned at the elaborate and extravagant dining room bustling with staff. Inder understood the need to dress up to eat here, especially in front of the well dressed staff. Anand welcomed them warmly and along with Rakesh, Inder started relaxing very soon. Milind and Vicky kept the conversation entertaining. Inder frowned when wine was served during dinner. Milind called for a toast to celebrate Prachi's success in her exams. Inder's frown deepened when both Shweta and Shreya raised their glasses and sipped from it. He quickly looked at Prachi and relaxed on seeing her sip her apple juice. Seeing Premlatha's warning eyes, Inder pulled himself together. Dinner became relaxed and soon Inder was enjoying himself. The talk centered mainly on the reception and Inder and Premlatha were baffled to know that they would even be royals present. It was going to be held in their farm house in the countryside. An elaborate garden party had been planned and alternative arrangements had been made in case the weather turned nasty.
After Vicky and his parents left, they sat chatting for a while before retiring to bed. Inder and Premlatha were impressed and proud when both Anand and Shweta praised Prachi. They could see that their daughter had formed a very beautiful bond with her inlaws, especially Shweta. They retired to their rooms happy and content.
Leaning against the window, Milind watched Prachi seated at the dressing table and taking off her jewellery. Their eyes met in the mirror and her eyes shied away. Milind smiled and his eyes roamed over her in blatant appreciation lingering, caressing and watching her body react to his gaze. She looked breathtakingly beautiful dressed in his favourite colour. He walked closer to her and tugged at the clasp of her necklace she had been struggling to open. He threw it casually on the dressing table and watched her as she stood up immediately. His hand closed on her arm as she attempted to move away. He unclasped her hair clip and threw it carelessly, smoothing her hair. His fingers gently played with her hair and Prachi closed her eyes. He moved her hair away from her back and his fingers traced the skin exposed by the deep neck of her blouse. His hands held her shoulders firmly and Prachi shivered feeling his lips on the back of her neck. His tongue traced a warm wet pattern on her back and she trembled. "Mi……lind", she moaned softly.
With a sigh, Milind buried his face in her neck, his arms enclosing her. "If you tell me to wait for one more day, I think I will die", he groaned.
Prachi's face flamed and her fingers curled in his hair but she remained silent.
He turned her to him and cupped her face, "What's stopping you from atleast kissing me?" he said and brushed his lips against hers.
"What if you don't stop with just kissing?" Prachi's voice was breathless and very husky.
Milind smiled against her lips, "Then just pray I do, sweetheart", he said and deepened the kiss. Praying was the last thing on Prachi's mind as his hands tightened in her hair and his mouth drove her senseless.
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