Face turned red in anger, Sid's heart was boiling lava in a form of wrath. Unable to bear such misconception, he was flabbergasted. His black eyes appeared like fiery orbs which were flaring with rage every now and then, and at the same time his eyebrows got furrowed. What hurt him the most was, Sara choose to trust a lecherous guy like Pratik, but not him. To whom she called her "best friend."

Not even for once she thought Pratik must be lying? Why she felt no need of cross-questioning her boyfriend, before casting a judgment upon Sid?

Well, you can say, she's in blind love with Pratik. You see, actually, what hurt the most is not, when someone accuse you for no reason, but when a person you can count on anytime misunderstands you.

"What a drag! Sara thinks we'd beaten up Pratik just because I'm in love with her." He pinched the bridge of his nose and shook his head.

"What nonsense!? She knows you love Nehali." Sid sent a dead glare towards Ravi as he gabbled about Nehali. Since, he still held a umbrage for what she has done to him. "You're still smitten by her, right?" Ravi hunched his shoulders up, and let a fish-eating grin ran off from his thin lips.

Glowering right into Ravi's eyes, Sid grabbed his collar. "Don't pick on me by bringing up her name. I've told you this many times."

Fending Sid's hands off of his collar. Ravi burst out in laughter, "His holiness!? I didn't know you would be so angry."

"Don't call me that!" Sid shrieked at the top of his lungs. "Hell with Ahimsa Parmo Dharma. Let's go, someone's going to get a good hiding."

"Ahimsa Parmo Dharma" is a Sanskrit verse means non-violence is the highest religion. However, being in a tight spot, Sid was losing this ideology which he has been nurturing for a while. The triad began scurrying to the person with whom they'd dealt with just this morning.

Now, the afternoon was about to drag. Atop their head, the sun appeared just like a mango. As they caught sight of the real culprit. Visible wounds were marked across on Pratik's body, who was sitting all alone, on a bench with no companions at all. Being enraged, Sid literally jogged instead of walking. Following him from behind, Raj and Ravi were unable to keep up with his pace.

Sid shot a hard knuckle punch on the face of Pratik. Being totally heedless about the incoming punch. Pratik tripped and fell. "Ow!" he cried out, as he caught hold of that impact, "What do you want now?"

Sid seized his collar and hauled him up. So that, they can have a face to face conversation. "You Jerk! When on earth you deluded Sara about me?"

In a response, Pratik was managed to masquerade uncertainty on his bumpy face. He shrugged his shoulder and jutted out his bottom lip. "When the heck I did that? She's your best friend, isn't she?"

However, Sid was smart enough to fathom, it was all Pratik's dirty game. Since, he got the drift, Pratik can't bully him: physically or mentally. Therefore, he has come up with a new evil scheme to abuse Sara's blind faith on him. Although the guy got whack up severely just a couple of hours ago, but still his egoistic nature was not lessened by a bit.

"C'mon! I thought she trusted you, more than me." Pratik taunted him with exact sarcasm that worked as pouring a salty water on the fresh wound.

What delighted Pratik the most was to see that bewildered expression reigning on Sid's oval face, which puts a smile on his own oblong face. As if someone has switched his energy mode on, the zeal titillated every limb of his body. He spoke further, "Now, do you get the drift how easy it was to manipulate her?"

On the other side. Sid tightened his grip on Pratik's collar. He was thinking to come up with a counter attack, but this time the ball was in Pratik's court.

"You know, I'm gonna make her famous."

"What you gonna do?" Sid hissed.

A smirk escaped from the corner of Pratik's lips, "I'll forward you video clip of it."

Sid, Ravi, and Raj, all at once got a shock of their life. Sid swung his arm and gave a blow on Pratik's jaw. Since, he fathomed what he meant by "video clip." There was not a single trail of shame on Pratik's face. However, it doesn't make any difference to him. Backing Sid up from behind, Ravi and Raj retorted in unison, "Cyber police will dig an iron rod up your butt. You freak!"

"I don't care about it. Because things have become much more like a grudge," Pratik blurted out. Being madden by grudge. Now, he was even ready to stake his own image. Simply to massage his false ego. Such is the grasp of ego in one's mind.

This statement of Pratik didn't cease to amaze Sid, Ravi, and Raj. The boy was a total crackpot. From lust arises anger, from anger arises complete delusion, from delusion arises bewilderment of memory. When memory is bewildered, intelligence is lost, and when intelligence is lost, one falls prey to such ghastly activity. In the beginning, he had lusty desires towards Sara, due to lust, he developed envy towards the one who was close to her. That was Sid. Because of him, anger sprouted in Pratik's heart. Later, the grudge became so intense that now he have lost his intelligence.

"I can't believe, you're going to this level." Sid pushed Pratik away. "What you'll get by doing such abhorrent act? She truly loves you."

"C'mon Sid! Only bad people can survive in this world." Pratik gave voice to his reasons for being the way he is. As they say, every sinner has past and endless reasons to be a sinner.

"I never loved her, she's just a fool to fall in love with me. Once I'm bored by getting laid with her, I'll move on to next." Pratik with no sense of conscience kept on spewing out his venom inside his heart. Never in the million years, Sid could make head or tail of why guys like him are smitten by an innocent girl like Sara. How can she even fell in love with him?

However, Raj's anger was on the verge to go wild. He rushed at Pratik in order to take the life out of his body. "I'm gonna rip off your head. You jerk!" he charged at him like a mad elephant, but Sid blocked him in the middle way.

"Hold on! We can't do anything. Because Sara doesn't know his real face. She'll blame us. No matter what we do," Sid whispered slowly enough that only Raj and Ravi could hear.

He turned back to Pratik and made a strong eye contact with him. "You may know how to manipulate a girl's mind and make her fall for you. But you know, deep in your heart you are always guilt-ridden and lonely."

For a second, only eyes remained medium of their verbal attack. These words of Sid left Pratik to stand still. As if he had felt the same. Being done with the verbal battle. Sid turned around and went back on his way, followed by Ravi and Raj. On the other side, Pratik was choked up with emotions. As in, he had stored a sob story somewhere within the corner of his heart.

******

Chirping crickets were spreading their own musical sound in the darkness of the night. Everyone was in a deep sleep. Although it wasn't even 10.30 PM. Sid was observing the sky from his terrace. The glimmering stars appeared like a chandelier, vanishing the pitch blackness of the cold night. Sid pulled off his mobile phone from his striped trouser, which he usually wears before sleeping. He scrolled down various contact list on his Whatsapp, and eventually stopped at Sara's number. He clicked on "type a message" area and typed: Sara! I know, you don't want to talk to me. But believe me, Pratik was the one who started the fight.

As Sid was about to press on "send" button. Something struck his mind that led him to delete the whole message. He scrolled down for more pending messages. While doing so, his eyesight cascaded upon Nehali's contact. There were about sixty-five unread messages, he had received from her. But he had purposely ignored it every time.

Sid caught a glimpse of the online status of Nehali's contact, which displayed last seen at 10.35 PM. On the spur of the moment, Nehali's whatsapp status popped up as online. Sid took the chance and sent a "hi" to her. As if waiting for ages to receive a message from him, Nehali texted back in seconds, you should be glad to know that I'm still alive. A chuckle escaped through Sid's bow-shaped lips. He texted back, very possibly. He fondled his stubble and typed another message, let's meet now.

Without waiting for a reply from Nehali, Sid rushed downstairs and sneaked out of his house. Because it was too late. Therefore, he stole the key of Pratham's bike. And making no noise of the ignition, he slipped away like a wind. Within exact twenty minutes, Sid arrived at Nehali's building. It was a huge residential complex, having buildings on all four corners. However, there was a common garden for the entire residential complex. The green grass was glistening as cold moonlight tumble over it. Sid caught sight of Nehali, who donned with a blue lace long nightdress; heading towards him.

It was like same moment, the day when they were about to be together. But upturn of fate made their way into the two different directions. Both of them adorned an affectionate smile on their faces. As their limbs titillated to hug each other. But Sid was aware of the fact that Nehali is still committed. "Hi," Nehali mumbled. This is what she had to say at the moment. Although happiness stretched across her face were letting out a lot of innermost emotions.

"I... Well... You know... I was..." Overwhelmed with nervousness, Sid pressed his lips together in a thin line, as it was difficult for him to speak up, "Anyway, chuck it."

Nehali covered her lips with her manicure nails and let a giggle escape through her pinkish lips. "We're not planning to stand like this all night, right?"

Flashing an amorous smile at Sid, Nehali switched her jocular facial gesture to sulky, "However, I never thought you were in love with Sara."

Squinting his eyes shut—hard—for a moment, waves of anxiety flooded Sid's mind. He felt a lump in his throat, which led him to be utterly speechless.This bloody guy Pratik, God knows to how many people he'd spread this rumor, that I'm in love with Sara, Sid wondered.

First Sara, and now Nehali. At least, Nehali shouldn't be one of them who fell for lies made up by Pratik. Sid believed, Nehali to be smarter than Sara. But it's too much. Now it'll take heck of time to elaborate every misunderstanding to her. If someone is a tolerant person that doesn't mean destiny has right to keep picking on him. Sid licked his bottom lips and poured his heart out, "I love you. Not Sara."

Sid said something that was not at all preplanned. Maybe that's what came in his mind or he just blurted it out. To make things a bit clear and concise. Nehali eyed back at him with trails of disbelief smeared across her face. A teardrop gushed down from her bottom eyelid as she heard those three words from him, which gave the butterflies in her stomach.

******

A/N: Here was a brief explanation of how lust deludes a person into sheer ignorance. Pratik is one of such examples. So, what do you think, how things are going to sort out between Sid and Nehali? Please vote, share, and comment.