FF: Ek Paal... (MP) Prt15 pg28 8/15 - Page 9

Hollywood California - Angels Hotel 7:45pm

A silence fell into their worlds as Milind and Prachi took each other in. It was like they were memorizing each other, as if in the blink of an eye the other would disappear. Prachi noted that there was still a small, pinkish scar above his left eyebrow. Milind noted that her eyes were still the perfect almond shape and chocolate color.

There was an odd silence between them, but the silence was an odd silence; it was a bit awkward but at the same time it was comforting because a sense of understanding and trust that were there. Their eyes did all the talking because their voices seemed to have gotten lost somewhere; both stood mute yet communicating with one another in a way they could never do with another person.

Their eyes were able to see into the depths of each others heart, soul and mind. They had met as strangers one night four years ago, yet that one night had connected them like lost kindred souls, and again as they met this day, it was as if the past four years passed in the blink of an eye.

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

Prachi stood speechless and motion less; it still hadn't fully sunk in that Milind was standing right in front of her. Her mind was running with a million and one questions racing through her mind; what was he doing here, how long was he going to be here, why was he back after so long? She didn't know which one to ask and which one to not ask. However, then a thought occurred to her; they may have shared a special relationship and bond, but that was four years ago, what right did she have to ask him any think regarding his life whatsoever.

The silence was stretching on for far too long, Prachi just had to break it; if she didn't she was going to go insane.

"H…How may I be of assistance Sir?" she asked in a shaky voice at first.

"Pari?"

"I'm sorry, it's Prac…" she was cut of in the middle of her sentence by someone behind her.

"Mr. Mishra, I see that you have found Prachi." Mr. Randal called out from the behind Prachi as he approached the duo in the lobby. "She is the one that put together tonight's music selection." As he finished saying that, Mr. Randal came and stood next to Milind and Prachi.

"Well, Par…I mean Prachi, I must commend your selection; it was an absolutely delight to hear such pleasant songs during dinner. They…really brought back some cherished memories." Milind said, looking directly at her.

"I am glad that you enjoyed it; after all here at Angels Hotel…" Prachi paused for a split second as she glanced over at Mr. Randal, "…we aim to please all our guests."

"Yes, absolutely, I couldn't have said it better myself." Mr. Randal piped in as Prachi finished.

After another moments silence, Prachi glanced over at the large clock that hung in the lobby, it read 7:53pm. "If you gentlemen will excuse me, my shift is about to end and there are a few things I need to wrap up." Prachi turned to face Milind before she continued on, "I hope that you have a wonderful stay here at Angels Hotel. If you need any service at all, do not hesitate to ask."

"Yes, I will see you tomorrow morning?" Mr. Randal inquired.

"Yes Sir" she confirmed with her boss. "Good night gentlemen." Prachi said as she turned to walk away.

For some reason she could feel Milind's eyes on her as she walked away. She could hear Mr. Randal talking to him, but she was almost certain that he was following her with his eyes. Prachi nearly ran to the employee lounge by the kitchen to get away from there. She wanted to gather her things and leave before Milind could find her again, she was certain that he would come looking. She couldn't take the chance of Neev seeing her with him, and Neev would be here any minute to pick her up.

Prachi quickly rushed in and went straight to her locker to get her purse and phone. Her adrenaline was pumping and her body felt hot in the already warm room she stood in. She quickly took off her black blazer which revealed the white sleeveless top that she wore underneath. Grabbing her purse and checking her phone for missed calls from Neev, she stumbled out and nearly ran into Nancy.

"Hey where is the fire? Why are you in such a rush and why are you flushed?" Nancy asked.

"It's nothing, I just need to get out, my shift is over." Prachi tried to play off the fact that her heart was racing and she was blushed at the cheeks because of a certain someone, and not because of the jog she had on her way to the lounge.

"Yeah, hang on a minute; we can leave together since my shift is over too. Let me get my keys and I'll give you a ride home."

"No!" Prachi yelled unintentionally, "I mean no thank you. Neev is picking me up today, he is probably here already."

"Oh" Nancy said. Nancy wasn't oblivious to what was going on between Neev and Prachi. She had even attempted to try and get Prachi away form him and to report him to the police. However, Prachi never admitted to anything. She played it off as if it was nothing, just the typical husband-wife tiff and nothing more. Nancy hated Neev and never wanted to hear his name mentioned in front of her. Nancy finally said something, "Ok, good night then. Prachi, please be careful."

Prachi stopped for a moment and then gave Nancy a quick hug. Nancy was all she had in terms of support in her life. She loved Nancy for being her friend and her confidant. Nancy was the kind of friend who you called at two in the morning to cry your heart out, the one that you ate buckets and buckets of ice cream with just because you wanted to, she was the one that would be by your side no matter what. Many times Prachi had the urge to go to Nancy after one of her incidents with Neev, she knew that she would be safe with Nancy; but she could never go. If Prachi went, it would only confirm what Nancy already knew…that Neev was abusive with her.

Prachi glanced over the entire lobby once before she stepped out into it; she just wanted to make sure that Milind was no longer there. Scanning the lobby she saw that Milind was no longer there. Prachi took the chance and quickly shuffled through the lobby to the side entrance where Neev would be to pick her up.

She was a few feet from the door when she felt a hand on her shoulder, and felt an electric currant run through her body. Shocked, she spun around to come face to face with none other than Milind.

"So Pari, what the hell happened that has you literally running away from me…from ME?" Milind questioned, his eyes cold and dark, like Prachi had never seen them before.

Shrugging his hand off she said, "It's not Pari, it's…" she was unable to finish her sentence as Milind cut in.

"I know, I know, it's Prachi. You've said it so many times it is seared into my brain; you would have to tattoo it into my arm to make it any more permanent." Milind's voice now had and edge that wasn't there when they talked a few minutes ago.

"Actually, it's not Prachi either," she raised her eyes to meet his eyes, "…it's Mrs. Prachi Shergill." Saying that she turned on her heels and walked out, leaving a stunned Milind behind.

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

Angles Hotel Room 1405 – 11:45pm

The same scene kept replaying over and over in his mind… "Mrs. Prachi Shergill"…she was married. When he heard the 'Mrs.' Milind knew where it was leading, how could he not? She had said it with such carelessness that it surprised Milind. It was as if she had taken a knife and stabbed him dead in the center of his heart, then gotten into some care and driven away.

Milind didn't know why he felt so hurt and betrayed at the fact that she was married. He had known that she was getting married the first night he had met her. In his mind he knew that she had been married for the past four years, that was the deal after all. They were only supposed to be together for one night, that was all they had, and then they were going their separate ways. His mind understood that, but his heart refused to accept the fact that she had moved on with someone else, while he still stood where she had left him in Malibu years ago…alone yet swarmed with her memories.

Milind just couldn't wrap his finger around anything at this point. She was married, fine, but why was she avoiding him? After what they had shared that one night, he expected at the least a "Hi Milind, how have you been?" from her. She was purposefully avoiding him and he wanted to know why. What seemed to be nagging at him wasn't the fact that she was married, what nagged him the most was the fact was that when she said she was Mrs. Prachi Shergill, a sadness and coldness fell over her eyes; that the couldn't understand. She was supposed to be happily married, that is why he had walked away form her.

What the hell was going on in her life that had her acting like this? Milind took the last swig of his Scotch as slammed the glass back on the table next to the bottle. He wasn't a drinker, not even a social drinker; he only drank if he was frustrated or stressed, and right now…he was both. He poured himself another drink and dropped some ice cubes into it as well. Picking up the glass he walked over to the open balcony attached to his room. Standing there he could see the Hollywood and Highland complex on one side and downtown LA on the other. Looking up he saw the stars twinkling in the sky and the moon shining down, just like it had the night he met his Pari for the first time.

"No, no! She is not your Pari! She is Mrs. Prachi Shergill!" he said, correcting and scolding himself at the same time.

He once again emptied the glass of its intoxicating liquor. Milind stood straight to walk back into his room but fumbled back. He tried to steady himself, but failed as he stumbled back into the room. He placed the class on the bedside table, or so he thought, when in actuality he just dropped it on the floor. He just fell onto the bed to top of all the pillows and covers. His mind was beginning to fog up, and his eyes were becoming heavy with sleep. The last thing on his mind as he drifted off was that of the black and blue marks he had seen on the upper parts of both her arms., marks that looked too much like hand prints.

-------------------------

Van Nuys – Valley Village Apt#34 (same time)

Prachi found herself sitting in her chair on the balcony looking up at the stars in the night sky. Tonight sleep evaded her completely. She thanked God that Neev was in a better mood then usual. Once they got home she had fixed a simple dinner that they both enjoyed, and soon Neev excused himself to go to bed. Prachi had even tried to sleep but she just couldn't.

As she sat there with the cool air hitting her body, her mind traveled to what had happened earlier in the day. When the guest turned to her and it turned out to be Milind, Prachi didn't know what to do. One part of her wanted to fling her arms around him and cry her heart out, because she knew those arms would keep her safe. Another part of her wanted to run and hide because she refused to let him see her like this, lost over life and miserable. However, she couldn't stop herself and the latter took place.

When she heard him call her 'Pari' after all these years, it was like music to her ears. She felt as if he was giving her the reward of water after being stranded in a barren desert for years. When she told him that she was Mrs. Prachi Shergill, the look on his face, it was like she had driven a stake through her own heart. She could see the emotions playing out in his eyes, from jealousy to anger, but most of all hurt and pain. She could never let him find out how Neev treated her, it would kill him…she just knew it.

Prachi had to admit, as terrified as she was about Milind being back in LA, a part of her couldn't be happier. One corner of her heart, that she had locked away, a corner that she was sure had died out long ago, was now back to life. When he had touched her, just for that split second, it was like the joy was back in her life. The warmth that she just couldn't seem to find all there years had been returned to her, ten fold.

When she saw him she wanted to ask him how he was doing, where he had been, how his father was doing, how is family was doing, so many things.

Prachi now knew that the CEO of MM Hotels was none other than Milind Mishra, her Milind. The man she had me year ago, who was worried about keeping his aging father happy was now one of the top businessmen in the world, running a billion dollar company. Knowing that, the revived corner of her heart felt immense pride and joy.

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

Hollywood CA. Angles Hotel – 12:20pm (next day)

Milind and Prachi both had one mission and one goal for the entire day; Milind's was to make sure he got a change to talk to Pari, or Prachi; Prachi's was to make sure that she avoided Milind at all costs.

Prachi was sure that he would be leaving soon. Milind wasn't just Milind, he was Milind Mishra and Milind Mishra had better things to do then hunt down a working girl from California. Milind on the other hand was going to see and talk to Prachi if it was the last thing he did. Did he have better things to do, sure he did. But did he have more important things to do, absolutely not.

Prachi was breathing a sigh of relief because already half the day was over and she had no run-in's with Milind. Milind on the other hand was about the scream because every time he had spotted Prachi at a distance, someone or something came in between them.

It was almost lunch time and Prachi had a date, sort of. This morning Neev was in a really good mood, he had made her coffee and even dropped her off at work. He told her that he would take her to lunch at her favorite bistro in North Hollywood so she should meet him at 12:30 by the side entrance. Prachi made sure that she was ready and was now waiting for Neev to come.

For the second time in two days Prachi felt electricity flow through her. Turning, she found that she was one again face to face with Milind Mishra. His eyes were almost accusing her and questioning her about the past four years, move over, about the past few days.

Milind had to make a mad dash for Prachi when he spotted her; he wasn't going to let someone come in between them now. He needed answers, and he was going to get time.

"How can I help you Sir?" she asked. Milind didn't say anything; he remained silent until Prachi continued. She gave a soft sigh, as if surrendering before she continued, "What do you want Milind?"

"For starters, I want answers. Why are you running from me?" he demanded.

"We have nothing to say to each other."

"Oh really, so what was four years ago, nothing?" he asked, his voice rising.

"Why delve into the past Milind?" Prachi said, as her eyes darted around the area they were standing in search for something. The look in his eyes crushed her heart, but how could she tell him the truth? How could she tell him that the night they shared four years ago wasn't nothing, it was EVERYTHING. "All we had was on night, no past, no present, no future; your rules if I recall."

"To hell with rules! God damn it, what happened to you?"

"Look we will gain nothing by getting personal. You will leave here in a few days, and I will still be here, so let's not go through all that again ok?" She glanced around the lot once more before she said, "Now if you will excuse me I am waiting for someone and I would appreciate it if you left me to myself."

Milind was surprised by the icy coldness in her voice, then again, so was Prachi, she couldn't believe she had that tone with Milind of all people. Inside she was dying a thousand deaths for treating him like he was some two-bit sleaze ball who was trying to hit on her.

"Fine, I will leave you alone, just answer one question." When Prachi didn't say anything, Milind continued, "What were those bruises on you upper arms that I saw yesterday?"

Milind watched as Prachi's eyes widened in shock, and she took a step back. Now he was sure that something was wrong, it didn't help that she kept looking around the lot for something.

"N…nothing, they are nothing. Just…nothing, I ran into the door frame at home that's all." Prachi didn't know what to say, she didn't think anyone saw her bruise, because she didn't see them herself until she got home. That's when it occurred to her that he had taken her blazer off before she left yesterday, he must have seen it then.

"Pra…" Milind's sentence was cut off when a voice boomed in from behind them.

"What the hell is this and who the hell are you?"

Both Milind and Prachi turned, but only Prachi recognized who the voice belonged to…it was Neev.

Milind was irritated by the intrusion and almost pummeled the man until he caught a glint of the gold ring on the third finger of his left hand. Milind held his hand out in introduction, "Hello, you must be the husband?"

"Yes and you must be the male whore my wife is sleeping with!" Neev accused.

Milind stood stunned and speechless once again, what was the man saying. Milind was sure he didn't hear what he thought he had heard.

"Neev please let's go." Prachi tried to urge Neev to move along before he caused more commotion. This is exactly what she was afraid of, Neev seeing her with another man. He always accused her but never had proof because nothing was going on, but no he had seen her with Milind. She could scream form the roof top that she was innocent but he wouldn't believe her.

"Why? Afraid that your dirty little secret will come out into the open? You should have thought about that before you flaunted it out in public."

"I'm sorry, but you are mistaken…" Milind began, only to be cut off again.

"Don't be sorry, I am thankful. You have proven just how big of a slut my wife is. Going to lunch with your husband after an afternoon quickie with your lover, classy Mrs. Shergill!"

Prachi felt the sting of fresh tears on the back of her eyes, she felt the tears begin to come up into her eyes; she had to fight with all her might to keep them from falling.

"You stay here MY darling wife; enjoy your afternoon with your lover! You two-timing bitch, just you wait!" With that, Neev left Milind and Prachi standing by themselves.

Milind's hands were balled into fists, his eyes filled with rage, as he asked with gritted teeth, "I'm asking you again Prachi, where did you get those marks on your arms from? I want the truth, or so help me God…"

Prachi finally couldn't hold back, she closed her eyes and the tears brimmed over, as she turned her face to the floor. What was she going to say now? How was she supposed to answer that question?

Tere Sawaloon Ke

Tere sawaloon ke woh jawaab,

Jo main de naa, de naa sakoon.

Pighle se, armaan hai,

Do paal ke, mehmaan hai.

Akhoon ke aalon mein,

Chaahat ki lo jaalne do.

Tere sawaloon ke woh jawab,

Jo main de naa, de naa sakoon.

Keh rahi hai jo nazaar,

Tujhe hai khabar ke nahin.

Keh rahi hai teri nazaar,

Tu bekhabar toh nahin.

Tere bina zindagi hai adhuri,

Tere bina kya hai jeena.

Pighle se, armaan hai,

Do paal ke, mehmaan hai.

Akhoon ke aalon mein,

Chaahat ki lo jaalne do.

Tere sawaloon ke woh jawab,

Jo main de naa, de naa sakoon.

JAZ