FF: Ek Paal... (MP) Prt15 pg28 8/15 - Page 7

thank you all my readers...comment posting and silent....for being so patient with me...😊😊😊...really appreciate it

didi's reception is over, so no more stress about practicing and then performing in front of 400 people 😕😕😕...so now i have some time...i shouldnt...i should be studying...but i nees to blow off some steam adn stress😉😉😉...what better way then to lose myself in michi...lol...😳😳😳

currently working on next update...will post once i get home from work today...that should be aroung 6pm(PST)...hope you will like...and will try to make it a long one since you all waited so nicely for me...😃

JAZ

JAZ, can't wait for your next update, yep make sure its a long one😆😳

Originally posted by: blind horizon

Ah so they are gonna meet finally. Never really knew Neev could physically assault too , important twist. Poor woman has no happiness I felt sorry for her, wish Milind will envelope her in his arms and not let go till she has cried all her misery .To think that pier column could hold so many memories and be a silent witness to so many moments happy and sad.Really loved it update soon. 😊

Originally posted by: PSamid

wow! 👏

Originally posted by: hopeful

👏 Again what can I say but that it is just brilliant.So beautifully written dear.Eagerly waiting for the next part.

Originally posted by: candyfloss

sorry i didnt like it...i didnt read completely.is it NP ff??
Next time pls pm me when u right mp ff.
I h8 reading np story..its time wasting.

Originally posted by: alveera

jaz after reading this, i only have one word to say, "Beautiful".
your potrail of emotions and that bond btw the two is so much showing their true love.
it's superb fantastic and i am waiting for the next part.

Originally posted by: shali

amazing 👏 👏 👏 ....
just love the way your are portraying the situations...
so they are gone meet...
will be waiting 😃 ...

Originally posted by: *lucky_karen*

wow it was spellbinding 😊 ...jaz u develop these charatcers soo well especially the relationship between m and p..it amazing..cant wait for the next part!
great work!

-karen 😉

ps-i could never think of neev doing that but its a very believable aspect of a person's nature, to unite mp theres gotta be a villian 😆

Originally posted by: wande

😆candyfloss dearly so u did not because it's an NP story so far me 2,😳😊but still I think we should wait for sometime it will get better once she put MP together so pls pls put MP's jodi together soon pls and thank u for the story so far😉

Originally posted by: prem_fan

amazing!!! i cant wait for the next part! 👏 😃

Originally posted by: Pori

Awsomee....plz plz plzzz continue soon

Originally posted by: $weet Ema

Beautiful...I love the way you described the surroundings esp Prachi's bus journey home, Poor Prachi, what a life to be living😭

Originally posted by: sneha_17

wonderful 👏 , great going 😊 , keep it up 👍🏼

Originally posted by: arsh1910

aaaaaah jaz...i lov u .....makin MP meet finally...heheehehe...luvd da parttttt...awesummmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm...esp neev..i felt like killin him...post soon..luv
Arshia

Originally posted by: crazy_gal8390

Jaz..
omg i had not been able to read the earlIer update..
Thanx a lot for the pm..
Well coming back to the story.. It was simply mindblowing..
You know its truelly different.. No one has been able to come up with something so good.. 👏 👏

Originally posted by: janu_2006

hey jaz
gr8 part 👏
connt.soooon

Originally posted by: shiv-gauri4eva

OMG neev and an abusive husband?? you have got to be kidding me..poor prachi..i hope milind fill her life with the love and care she needs and deserves..plz conti soon

Originally posted by: damilola

Great FF Jaz 👏 👏 👏

aww the first part was soo sad cos i tot they wuld never see eachother again

buh den part 3 was sadder cos neev seems like such a jerk 😡 😡 😡

he is soo abussive

hate seeing him as a bad guy 😕

and poor prachi crying for milind i think
its soo sad

love this ff

ctn soon

Originally posted by: madhu_vasireddy

Wow Jaz dear,I am eagerly waiting for your update 😍

Baahon ke darmiyaan do pyaar mil rahe hain
Baahon ke darmiyaan do pyaar mil rahe hain
Jaane kya bole mann dole sunke badan
Dhadkan bani zubaan


Khulte badn hote labhon ki ye ankahi
Khulte badn hote labhon ki ye ankahi
Mujhse keh rahi hai ki badhne de bekhudi
Mil yoon ki daud jaayein nas nas mein bijliyaan

Baahon ke darmiyaan do pyaar mil rahe hain
Jaane kya bole mann dole sunke badan
Dhadkan bani zubaan
Baahon ke darmiyaan

Aasmaan ko bhi ye haseen raaz hai pasand
Aasmaan ko bhi ye haseen raaz hai pasand
Uljhi uljhi saanson ki aawaaz hai pasand
Moti luta rahi hai saawan ki badliyaan

Baahon ke darmiyaan do pyaar mil rahe hain
Jaane kya bole mann dole sunke badan
Dhadkan bani zubaan
Baahon ke darmiyaan

Santa Monica Pier:

Milind stared at the figure in front of him for a few seconds, he was sure that his eyes were playing tricks on him. He had been visiting the pier for the past few years, since his encounter with Pari, but he had never seen anyone out here, that too so late at night. He closed his eyes, took a deep breath and let it out slowly, and then he opened his eyes again. He was confident that once his eyes were open again, he wouldn't see anything except sand and water, but he was wrong. In front of him were the larger then life wooden pillars of the pier, the dark sands of the beach, the roaring fury of the ocean, and a few hundred feet away was the small body of someone huddled into a ball near one of the large pillars.

Slowly Milind took steps closer and closer to the body of the person. He placed each step with care and fear, he held his breath, afraid that if he moved too fast he would cause image to disappear. As he inched closer his heart began to race, his palms became sweaty, and his mind raced with a million and one questions. Soon he was only a few feet away; he was so close that he could hear the muffled sobs, the wet sniffles and the ragged breaths. He could now clearly see that this person was actually a female person. She looked disheveled in her miss matched clothing and her hair was a mess.

Milind remembered the night all those years ago that he had met his Pari. He wasn't the kind of person that went around offering handkerchiefs or shoulders for people to cry on, but that night with Pari had been different, he felt like he had to reach out to her. On some level, he felt the same compulsion and need this night. He felt like he had seen this woman so that he could help her. He wasn't stupid; he knew that this wasn't going to be his Pari. He was sure that his Pari had moved on and was living a happy life; her need for the solidarity from the pier had begun and ended with that one night. He knew that this was the last place Pari would be after all these years.

Milind slowly walked up to the crying figure and debated on whether he should of should not disturb the already grief stricken woman. He had decided that he would be the guy he had been all those years ago with Pari; he would be that that guy one last time.

A sense of dejavu filled him as he placed one hand on the woman's shoulder and asked, "Are you alright miss?"

The woman slowly turned her face as she wiped off the tears from her cheeks. Both Milind's and the woman's eyes went wide in shock, their mouths formed an 'O' shape as if trying to say something, but nothing came out. The stared into each others eyes as if they were looking for recognition from deep within their souls.

Moments of silence passed by as neither one had the courage to say anything. Finally it was Milind that broke the silence; he had finally found his voice and some courage as he whispered a soft, almost inaudible word, "Pari?"

As soon as the word left his mouth and hit her ears the tears flowed as if the dam that was holding them back had finally lost the battle and broken. She began to cry out in heart wrenching sobs that shock Milind to the core. It took only a nano-second for Milind to be on the sand next to her, cradling her in his arms.

He held her close to his heart as she cried on him. The million and one questions had multiplied ten fold, as his mind buzzed with questions from left, right and center. He couldn't fathom that after all these years he was seeing his Pari in the same place where they had met…but like this, he would have never imagined.

As she cried, he held her, rocked her back and forth, stroked her hair, and whispered in her ears to get her to calm down. Seeing her crying like this was tearing his heart into a million pieces; he couldn't bare it. After what seemed like ages, but was only a few minutes, the sobs subsided and Pari fell silent. That is when Milind took the plunge, "Pari, what happened? Why are you here, like this?"

She slowly pushed herself away from his body, and stared at his face. She wiped her tears as if trying to get a better view of him. "M...M…Milind?" she stuttered. All Milind could do was smile and nod his head as her cold hands met his face, as if to seek reassurance that he was real. "Milind, is it really you?" she asked again.

"Yes Pari, it is really me."

She got to her knees and threw her arms around him and hugged in tight. It was as if she was holding on for dear life, and Milind could only reciprocate the feelings. Suddenly, she fell limp and inched herself away. Milind looked at her confused, "Pari?"

"No! No! No! I am not Pari, I am no ones Pari! I am Prachi Shah…no wait…I am Prachi Shan…I'm…I'm…what does it matter who I am."

"Pari…"

"Why are you here Milind?! Why did you come back?! Why now?! Where were you when I needed you?! You weren't there for me when I really needed you, so why have you come back now?!" she yelled.

"Pa…" Milind began, only to be cut of by her again.

"You weren't there when I cried myself to sleep every night. You weren't there when my life turned upside down. You weren't there when my family was taken away me. I needed you but you weren't there. What makes you think I need you now?! Go, just go away!"

She began to stumble backwards, but Milind shot to his own feet before she could fall. He steadied her by putting an arm around her waist. He was now terrified for her.

"Pari listen…"

She shoved against him hard causing him to lose balance and fall into the sand. Taking advantage of his situation she began stepping away quickly.

"I am not Pari! I am Prachi…do you hear me…Prachi! Now go away! I don't need you! I don't want you!" she sobbed.

Before Milind could get up she began running away from him, all the while wiping tears from her face.

"Pari…Prachi…Damn it…Wait!" Milind yelled at her. However, she didn't stop, not for a moment; she kept going. Milind ran after her but came to stop at the parking lot. He was hunched over at the knees trying to breathe as he saw an out dated, barely working car zoom past him towards the exit.

That night Milind returned home with a mission on his mind. He was so strung out that he didn't need caffeine or sugar to keep him up. As soon as he got back into his suite, he jumped head first into his project.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

The shrill ringing of the phone woke Prachi up. She opened her heavy eyes with great effort and glanced around the room. She saw that she was lying flat on her stomach on the large couch in her living room. When she turned her head she saw Neev's car keys on the coffee table, her flip flops were carelessly discarded near the door, and her cell phone lying on the floor near the couch.

Her head throbbed as she sat up, and soon it began to spin and she felt queasy, and only one thought came to mind "This is what a hang over must feel like." Prachi put a hand on her head to try and stop the spinning. Her entire body was sore and she felt every ounce of pain as she stretched. She let out a great big yawn as she tried to figure out what happened last night, and how she ended up on the couch like this.

She remembered coming home to a clearly angered Neev, she remembered that transpired between the two of them in the bed room, she even remembered rushing out of the house in the early morning hours of the night with Neev's car keys; from there, however, it was a blur. She tried to remember when some memories floated back to her. She had ended up going to the pier, not a shocking fact because she found herself there often. She remembered yelling at something about something, but the details escaped.

The vibration of her phone told her that she had messages. When her feet hit the ground the memories from the rest of the night came rushing back like the waves of the ocean. She remembered crying and then someone calling her 'Pari'. She vaguely remembered someone trying to comfort her, and for some reason she thought it was Milind. Prachi shook her head as if that was going to shake out the thoughts of Milind. It was as if Milind had been there last night talking to her and comforting her. Giving her head another shake she put all of that down to delusion. She had been tired, stressed and on top of all that Neev hadn't helped the situation.

The incessant ringing of her phone brought her back down to reality from her thoughts. Looking at the screen she saw Nancy, her co-worker's name flashing on the screen.

"Hello?" she managed to say in a groggy voice.

"Prachi, dear Lord, how long does it take to answer your phone? I have been calling you for the past half hour."

"Sorry…what happened…where is the fire, why are you after me?"

"You have to get into work."

"Yeah I know, I'm scheduled for the late shift, so I should be there in a few hours."

"No, let me rephrase; you had to get into work an hour ago."

"What?!" Prachi yelled in confusion.

"Yeah, some big time business man or hotelier is coming to stay at our hotel for a meeting or something. Mr. SUHA is going crazy and is demanding that all his shift supervisors be present ASAP."

Prachi felt an unintentional smile creep up onto her face at the mention of Mr. SUHA. Mr. SUHA was actually Mr. Randal, but Nancy had given him the nickname of Mr. Stick-Up-His-Ass, or SUHA for short. Mr. Randal was always in a foul mood, never had Prachi seen him so much as grin in the past few years.

"Ok Nancy, thanks for calling. I just need to shower and then I'll be on my way in. Just give me 45 min. You think you can manage him until I get there?"

"Yeah, no problem; just hurry."

Bidding their goodbyes, Prachi quickly headed to the bedroom to hit the shower. She hoped that a warm shower would take out some of the knots in her shoulder and back before she headed for work. Entering the room she saw that Neev was still sleeping, or passed out, on the bed. She tip-toed and quietly took her things and went into the adjoined bathroom.

After fifteen minutes Prachi came out dressed in her uniform for Angels Hotel shift supervisor, her day job. The uniform consisted of an A-line black skirt that reached just past her knees, a white silk blouse, and black fitted blazer; the outfit was complete with a black belt that cringed at the waist. When she lifted her eyes up she saw Neev sitting up on the bed. He was looking at her with questioning eyes.

"Um, they called me into work early. Mr. Randal wants all the shift supervisors present as soon as possible." Prachi offered an explanation even before Neev had asked for it.

"Whatever" was all Neev said.

Prachi continued to get ready as she put on some eyeliner, mascara and sheer lip gloss. She clipped on some diamond earrings, clasped on a silver chain around her neck and her watch around her wrist. Prachi was slipping into her black heels when Neev asked…

"When will you be home today?"

"I should be getting off around eight o' clock. I don't have to go into the other job today." Prachi informed him.

"Ok, then I will pick you up today."

"Ok, no problem." Prachi had learned early on that I was good to just go with what Neev said. Arguing with him only caused her problems. "Bye" she said as she exited the house and walked to the bus stop.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

It was nearly 3 o' clock in the afternoon when Prachi finally got a chance to take a break. The Angels Hotel was in havoc since this morning. The CEO of MM Hotels had chosen their hotel to stay in through out the duration of his stay in So-Cal. Mr. Randal, the GM of the hotel, was in a mad dash to get everything prepared before the nameless celebrity arrived. Mr. Randal refused to tell the staff who exactly was coming, why, only he knew. Prachi and the other shift supervisors had made sure his room was ready just as he liked it, they made sure that the kitchen had a stock pile of all of his favorite foods, they made sure that he had the best that Angels Hotel had to offer. His room was stacked with the latest editions of news papers from across the world, fresh cut flowers and spotless furniture.

Prachi could tell that the celebrity had arrived because all the employees in the staff lounge had suddenly shuffled out in a hurry. Prachi stayed back and enjoyed the last few sips of her coffee. As she was cleaning up and getting ready to head back to work Nancy walked in and had the dreamiest look in her eyes.

"Oh my God! What a hunk of man he is."

"Who is?" asked Prachi.

"The CEO of MM Hotels; he is a mix of Brad Pitt, Antonio Banderas, Ashton Kutcher…all the hot men you can think of, but with an exotic twist. Really Prachi, you should check him out." Nancy explained.

"In case you have forgotten, I am married."

Nancy made a funny face at Prachi before she continued, "Looking never hurt anyone!" Nancy said before prancing off from the lounge.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Ever since it was announced that the CEO of MM Hotels had arrived, the entire staff of Angels Hotel were running around like mad people. Mr. Randal was beside himself because he was informed at 5 o' clock pm that the VIP guest would be having dinner and a meeting in their restaurant at 6 o' clock. This meeting/dinner was to contain not only the VIP guest, but also many other CEO's from various other high profile companies. Mr. Randal was at the point of hyperventilation because currently it was already 5:45pm.

Prachi took one last around the sequestered area of the dining room reserved specially for the dinner tonight. Various white candles illuminated the area along with the soft over head lights, the linen was white, the pristine gold plated china set out with the silver wear, the chairs were covered in white fabric with a golden bow tied at the middle; the final and most beautiful touch was the flowers. The florist had arranged various flowers of various colors in crystal vases and placed them across the table. The setting was perfect and it was almost show time.

Prachi was so into her work that she hadn't heard the guests clamor into the dining room. It wasn't until the waiters began rushing out with drinks and appetizers that she realized that the curtain was up. Prachi quickly rushed to get some music playing on the overhead stereo system. Prachi had personally made sure that music that played was nice and soothing, something that was nice in the background but didn't disturb the diners.

It was 7 o' clock and things were running smoothly, no thanks to Mr. Randal who was trying to keep himself from hyperventilating. Prachi noticed that the CD that was playing was almost finished, she put a new CD into the CD changer because she didn't want the tracks to repeat, it was very tacky to do that, so she thought. As he new tracks played Prachi lost herself in the music.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Milind was duly impressed with the setting of Angels Hotel. He wasn't sure if staying at another competitor's hotel would set well with him since he was already frustrated with his encounter with Prachi at the pier. However, once he stepped into the hotel, he was consumed with critiquing each and every detail. He was highly impressed with the dinner arrangements. Milind knew that he hadn't given the staff enough notice that he would be having guests join him for dinner; he thought that they would screw up. Milind had to admit that everything was perfect; the ambiance, the atmosphere and the food was great.

He was about to take another bite of his Chicken Parmesan when a familiar sound filled the air waves. The fork stayed suspended in midair between his hand and his mouth as the familiarity sunk in like a forgotten memory finally coming back.

Who can say
where the road goes
where the day flows
only time
And who can say
if your love grows
as your heart chose
only time

Who can say
why your heart sighs
as your love flies
only time
And who can say
why your heart cries
when your love lies
only time

Who can say
when the roads meet
that love might be
in your heart
And who can say
when the day sleeps
if the night keeps
all your heart

Milind's concentration drifted from the meeting and issues at hand to the most unforgettable dance of his life time; his dance with Pari. He knew this song and its lyrics by heart; it was a song that he loved and cherished, and it was a song he listened to once in a blue moon.

Night keeps all your heart

Who can say
if your love grows
as your heart chose
only time
And who can say
where the road goes
where the day flows
only time

Who knows - only time
Who knows - only time

(Song= 'Only Time' by Enya *MP danced to this song in part 1*)

Somehow he had managed to get through the dinner. He had told the clients that he would get back to them in a few days once he had a chance to properly go over the proposal and details of the project. He excused himself from the group and headed to the lobby to have a chat with the manager.

"Hello Mr. Mishra, how can I be of service?" asked Mr. Randal with a quivering voice.

"Well first I'd like to say that I am enjoying my stay here…so far."

"Well I am glad to hear that."

"There is something I would like to ask you. I would like to know who makes the music selection for the dinner."

"No problems I hope?" Mr. Randal asked with fear in his eyes.

"No, no not at all. I just wanted to give my personal compliments on the selection."

"Oh, ok, why don't you wait over by the fireplace and I will send her over."

"Great." Milind said as he made his way to the couch by the fire place.

After a minute or two Milind heard the distinctive tapping of heels on the marble flooring; he also caught the fragrance of Jasmine in the air. The tapping grew louder and louder until it finally stopped right behind him.

"Hello Sir, how can I be of service?" came a soft, delicate voice that seemed to tug at Milind's heat strings.

Milind quickly got to his feet and turned to face the person behind him, whom he thought was going to be a stranger…

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Prachi stood rooted on the spot where she stood; her eyes wide with shock and her mouth literally gaping open. Mr. Randal had told her that he VIP client, CEO of MM Hotels had wanted to see her and compliment her on her outstanding selection of music for the dinner. Prachi quickly straightened herself out and went to the meet the man of the hour, who was waiting for her in the lobby.

As she approached the man from behind she could tell he was a confident person. His shoulders were squared and straight, his hair was curly but still tamed, and he wore a black suit, which she was sure was tailored. Even from the back there was something familiar about him, like she should know who that person is. Shaking all odd thoughts out of her head, Prachi took a deep breath before speaking to the stranger waiting for her.

When the 'stranger' had turned, it was like the wind was knocked out of Prachi; it turned out the 'stranger' was anything but a stranger. Not believing her eyes Prachi blinked swiftly a few times. She was sure that this was another joke or something that mind was playing on her, just left over thoughts form last night. However, she was wrong. In front of her stood the CEO of MM Hotels, in front of her stood the Angel Hotels VIP guest, in front of her stood a multimillionaire, a powerful man; in front of her stood a man she had secretly yearned for the past four years, in front of her stood Milind, her Milind.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Both of them stood still, and it seemed that with them, time stood still as well. Neither one could fathom that the other was standing in front of them. After last night Milind was distraught with worry about what could have happened to his Pari that made her react the way that she did. Prachi was so sure that her seeing Milind at Santa Monica was just a figment of her imagination; she had brushed it off due to stress, or so she thought.

They stared into each others eyes, eyes filled with joy, worry and questions. The world around them faded away and it seemed like the spot light was on them; the noise faded, the colors all blended together, the people vanished. Their tongues were tied, but still they managed to say something in a barely audible whisper…

"Pari?"

"Milind?"

Each was questioning the others existence, were they really face to face after four years, were they awake or dreaming?

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Iss paal main hoon, ya tum bhi ho?

Ya dono ho ke, bhi naa hai?

Kyun ho, kya ho?

Ho bhi, ke naa ho?

Yah kehna, sunna maana hai?

Tumhe dekh ke yaad aayi,

Woh hi visri kahaani.

Dewaane ka kissa,

Ya phir ek dewaani?

Dono saang saang rehte haar daam,

Aaisa yeh, maine sunna hai.

Iss paal main hoon, ya tum bhi ho?

Ya dono ho ke, bhi naa hai?

Kyun ho, kya ho?

Ho bhi, ke naa ho?

Yah kehna, sunna maana hai?

Iss paal main hoon…