Nehali bit her pink lips, whereas Sid laid his eyes on her foot movement. She was pricking her toenail into the mud, her eyes were totally disconnected from his. Letting out a warm pant, Sid landed his both hands on her shoulders. "That Pratik! He's such a pain in the neck. He deluded Sara about me. You have to save her from him."

"What's wrong with him?" Nehali caught hold of his Sid's hands in her own. Actually, she was not the one, who's going to lose faith in Sid. In fact, she knows how to read between the lines.

Sid shrugged his shoulder. "I don't know, he hates me. And ... wanna take a revenge."

Both of them kept on staring into each other eyes as in they have decided to use their eyes as medium of talk more than their mouths. All of a sudden, however, Nehali swiped her palm and stamped it on Sid's cheek. It was something he couldn't understand anything at all. The impact of slap made him held his cheek, rubbing it, and pulled his eyes wider—just like double "o" of Google in a great disbelief—in the twinkling of an eye, he burst out, "Why the heck you slapped me!?"

"You dimwit! Why in the world you never reply my Whatsapp messages?" Nehali's voice ablaze with anger,  she had sent him hundreds of apologies messages, but Sid really never cared to reply her. Although she slapped him hard, but it was her eerie way of displaying affection, and it has no hard feelings. Sid got the drift about it when he caught sight of naughtiness glinting in her eyes.

"Well, you're one hundred percent to blame. Remember! It's you who ditched me." Sid voiced an exact sarcasm that made Nehali lower down her eyes in shame, "In fact, just this noon, I shot daggers at Ravi when he brought up your name to tease me."

Nehali fixated her eyes back into Sid's. She came forward and wrapped her arms around his neck. On the other hand, Sid kept on stepping backwards, he got the wind of his intention. But the girl pulled his head and brought his lips closer to hers. "And now what you think about me?"

"Ah... Well... You shouldn't get this clos—" Before Sid could able to complete his sentence, Nehali pressed her lips against his lips. And boy, it was stupefying to get that passionate kiss, Sid spread out his both arms indicating that he's not the one, who's hot and heavy in here.

With a smack, Nehali stopped kissing him; a naughty smile flashed across her perfect-imprint lips. Sid's eyes were squinted shut, he pulled his them open and he realized it was all done. "We did it, at last." Nehali winked, as a giggle ran off her lips.

"Never in a month of Sundays I would've ever done that," Sid spoke up with a voice, which was masqueraded with a chuckle. He gazed at Nehali, who was grinning ear to ear.

The cold wind blew and swept away every light thing with it. Its coldness quivered their bodies like a leaf. Both of them felt they will catch cold; therefore, they went into the house. In Nehali's house, her mother and little sister were fast asleep. So she took Sid to her bedroom. Both of them crashed on bed, and the fluffy mattress pressed against their back. Nehali turned around in the fetal position and took Sid's hand in hers. When both of their eyes met, she spoke up, "You'll be glad to know that I'm single."

Sid sent a mischievous smile at her, he did doubt her intention since she was looking at him amorously. She slowly crawled on top of him and faced him eye to eye. Both of their hot breaths clashed at each other. Deep in her mind, she felt if she surrender herself to Sid, by that she will make him believe her love for him. While on the other side, Sid found himself to be trapped in this amatory. His eyes caught sight of her cleavage.

Something zipped through his mind like a shock wave, he pressed pause button on his titillated senses and pushed himself free from Nehali to go any further. "I'm sorry, I've to go home." 

Breathing heavily, Sid got up from bed to make a move. But Nehali caught hold of his hand, which made him halt. "I thought—"

Her voice trailed off as Sid freed himself immediately and said, "Tell me, where love should be felt?"

"In the region of heart, I guess." Nehali lowered her head in confusion.

"Then why was I feeling it between my legs?" Sid fixated his eyes on her face which held an embarrassed expression. If this was a sarcastic comment or just a genuine query, only he knows.

Nehali got up from her place and wrapped her arms around Sid's neck, pulling him closer. She could make head and tail of this question, however, didn't have any convincing answer.

The boy was totally taken aback by such turned on nature of her, he freed himself from the seize of her arms. "Please, stop it! Believe it or not. I'm on a journey to an unknown destination. I'm trying to find answers to those questions which the world doesn't give or have. I can't be at peace, unless and until I find the purpose of my life."

As these statements of Sid entered into Nehali's ears, she felt ashamed and shook her head to snap herself out of amatory. She was aware of the fact that Sid had a chance to do what he wanted to do, but he didn't. In fact, he didn't act like an opportunist to take her advantage.

*******

Scaling heavily on the stairs, both Sara and Pratik were heading towards the bedroom. Holding each other hands as if it's glued to each other. They sneaked into the bedroom, Pratik locked the door from inside as they were in. Casting his lusty eyes on Sara, he grabbed her by the hips and gave a smack on her lips, which she willingly welcomed. Pratik brought his lips towards Sara's ears and whispered, "I'm gonna make your night very special."

Shy Sara simply let a tight lipped smile made its way up on her face. Pratik thrown Sara on the bed and leaped atop her. He began kissing her lips hungrily. Slowly his hands moved towards her private parts, but she fended it off. However, lust conquered his mind so deeply, that he used force to do that. Helplessly, Sara let him to that what he wanted to do. Because she was under the spell of his love.

It took fifteen minutes to cool down this hot and heavy situation between the two. Both of their clothes were lying here and there on the floor, including inner wears. Just when Sara went into a sound sleep. Pratik hoisted himself up from the bed, and strolled towards a six feet Victorian Showcase. There was a hidden camera, which supposedly captured every moment that happened between them. A evil grin was only thing that was reigning on his face.

Objectively speaking, Sid had a chance to make out with Nehali, but he evaded it with his self-control. However, Pratik did what was expected from him. This was just a comparative difference between the two personalities. People often desires for such bad boys, who have good hearts. In reality, however, such myths of romantic novels are not always true.

The blistering heat of the sun was nullified by heavy blows of wind, that was fluttering everyone's hair. A gust of wind brushed off Sara's open hair, which slightly disheveled her hairstyle. A mild smile was reigning on her face as she was remembering her so called sweet moments she shared with Pratik last night. Being so blindly in love with him, she hardly has any friends with her now, because it became pain in their neck to make her understand about true colors of Pratik. But little did she cared about them as well.

Soft steps was walking towards her gracefully, yet it was mysteriously moving towards her. Sara got the drift of it with intuition, she turned around and laid her eyes on that person who stood before her. Eyes staring in at him in disbelief, Sara curled her lips and muttered, "What's this, Vinit?" It was him, Vinit, who held genuine feelings for Sara in his heart. Yet, she hardly cared about him or his feelings.

"P-peonies and s-some chocolates in a cellophane wrapped box. It's my first salary, s-so I thought to give you a g-gift," Vinit spoke in his as usual shaky voice, his hands and legs were comparatively less shuddering than his previous meet with Sara.

Sara rolled her eyes, because she found it awkward. If Pratik would have done it, by the time she might have been swooned. But this person wasn't fit into her terms and conditions, so it was as clear as day that she didn't appreciate it. Not even a single chance for aw. Unwillingly, she took a hold of flowers and stared at it. "Why are you doing this? You know I love Pratik."

"I-I kn-kn-know, bu-bu—"

"Duh, duh, duh, duh. Just see! You can't even speak properly." Sara imitated stammering habit of his, in order to make him look like a fool. "And you expect me to get smitten by you!?"

These blunt statement of Sara pricked into his heart, as if someone slowly piercing a needle into one's heart. Sara's voice was unnecessarily raised, which turned a few heads towards their conversation. "Just look at yourself in the mirror. Sticky hair, chapped lips, weird specs, clumsy clothes, blah blah blah." Sara's raised her voice little louder so that more heads could turned towards them. Because she had made up her mind to give Vinit a public humiliation. So that, he will eradicate her thought of approaching her again.

"But... I—I really don't—" Vinit's sentence was cut off, when Sara ruthlessly slapped that bunch of peonies at his face, and just then it fell down in shattered pieces. Waves of shock ran through his body, because never in the million years, he expected Sara would do such insult of him. Although the bunch of peonies was slapped just once on his face. But Sara's rash attitude battered his heart many times. Because she wasn't the same kind-hearted girl like before. Her bitterness of heart maybe grew stronger, since no one appreciated her choice of love.

Moving like a wind, Sara brushed off from the scene in her curve flaunting walk. Some peonies were trampled under her heels. Maybe she has done it purposely or not, that might be shrouded in a mystery. But it was a very appalling situation for Vinit to deal with. Every eyeballs were on him, some were glancing at him in pity, while some couldn't hold their laughter. Vinit dropped on his knees and took a hold of one crushed peony. A tear drops cascaded from his eyes and got mixed with mud as it dropped down on the ground.

That which in the beginning may be just like poison, but at the end is just like nectar and which awakens one to self-realization is said to be happiness in the mode of goodness. That happiness which is derived from contact of the senses with their objects and which appears like nectar at first, but poison at the end is said to be of the nature of passion. Sara, however, was getting pleasure from Pratik, the way she wanted. But his evilness was soon going to be her worst nightmare. Love is sometimes so blind that later one realizes, it wasn't love but lust.

******

A/N: It took a little long to write this chapter. But I'm glad how things are developing between the characters. Sid has shown his true nature, whereas Pratik have shown his. What do you think, will Sara be victim of Pratik's evilness? Or somehow or other she will be saved? Please, vote, share, and comment. It really means a lot to me.