"Well, I think there are no villains in this world. There are just misunderstood heroes." - Tom Hiddleston

IT was past midnight, but sleep was far from Sana. She had been tossing and turning for the last hour, trying to drift off. Her constant shifting had already led to Julia shouting at her to stop disturbing her precious sleep. Poor Julia was exhausted from all the day's activities and just wanted to sleep and dream about her crush-Professor Rajveer.

But what could Sana do? She wasn't at peace either. She was mentally disturbed.

She was tired, no doubt, and wanted to sleep, but how could she when her mind was occupied with thoughts of someone-him.

Something had happened just before their game was about to end. A guy had asked a question, and Sidharth's reaction to it had shaken her.

"Never Have I Ever... thought about killing myself," the guy said, his tone playful.

There was a moment of pin-drop silence before everyone burst out laughing and took a sip of their drinks. Sana joined in. But then, her eyes caught sight of him.

Sidharth Vyas.

She watched him closely.

He wasn't laughing like the others. He hadn't lifted his bottle to drink. He sat there like a statue, his expression unreadable. Her eyes dropped to his hand as she noticed some movement. He was gripping his bottle tightly-too tightly. He lifted it slightly, then lowered it. Her gaze returned to his face. It was still expressionless, but... his eyes. His eyes told a different story.

He seemed to be in a silent debate.

A debate about what to do.

Should he drink? Or not?

Her heart skipped a beat when she realized he had noticed her watching him, observing his actions. Giving her a mocking smile, he finally raised his bottle to his mouth and started drinking. But he didn't stop after just one sip. He kept drinking, determined to finish it all.

The entire time, his dark eyes stayed fixed on her, observing, as if he was trying to read her reaction. Trying to gauge what she might be thinking.

Did she catch me?

But she kept her expression natural, smiling and cheerful. It was as if she hadn't noticed him lying in the game, as if she hadn't seen his hesitation to drink. As if she hadn't realized that he might have thought about ending his life.

He wanted to kill himself? But why?

The thought broke her a little. She hated him... sure. But she wasn't heartless. She couldn't bear the thought of someone wanting to end their life.

What could be the reason?

Before she could dwell on it any further, she saw him drop his empty bottle with a thud, get up, and walk toward his tent.

"Sid... stay for a few minutes!" Karan called out.

But this time, Sidharth didn't look back or acknowledge his friends. Everyone started calling him back, asking him to stay just a bit longer until the game was over. Only two people were left. But she knew better; he had checked out of the game long ago. This question had been the last straw for him.

What could be the reason behind it? His life looked fine to me. He's rich and spoiled; his parents aren't divorced either. Then why?

But she reminded herself that what we see isn't always the whole truth. Sometimes, there's a deeper and darker reality behind the facade.

Like the proverb says: All that glitters is not gold.

Sidharth's life might look glittering from the outside-almost perfect. But in reality, there's the darkness within that's like a lifeless stone.

"I just hope what I saw, what I felt, and what I'm thinking isn't true," she murmured to herself, sitting up coming out from her thoughts.

She wasn't sleepy. Instead, she felt suffocated and restless. But, again, she lay down on the bed, resting her head on her hands, and begged God to help her forget about him, his troubled thoughts, and to let sleep come.

She wanted to sleep.

She tossed and turned once more, trying to find a comfortable position, but his presence in her thoughts wasn't letting her. Still, she tried, closing her eyes and murmuring a prayer.

Jesus Christ, please.

But then, a disturbing image flashed before her eyes.

Sidharth was sitting on his bed in his large, empty room, extending one hand, his face expressionless, but his eyes filled with pain and hollowness. His other hand moved to his side, grabbing a sharp knife.

He picked it up, bringing the knife close to his wrist. His grip tightened before he drew it across his skin, leaving a deep cut. Blood began to flow down his hand, covering it. He let it bleed, pressing down until dizziness set in.

Then, he fell backwards onto the bed with a dull thud, arms spread wide. His eyes remained open, but they were vacant. Hollow. His handsome face had lost all colour, looking pale.

He looked.....dead.

"No!" She sat up abruptly in bed, sweating and silently sobbing as she covered her mouth.

I can't see him dead. I just can't.

After crying quietly for a while, a thought crossed her mind.

I need to see him. I need to check if he's okay.

Before she knew it, she was on her feet, out of her tent, running toward his, still crying but silently. Others were around, and she didn't want anyone to see her like this-acting frantically over her supposed enemy.

It took her a few minutes to reach his tent. There was no light inside, and she assumed he was asleep like the others. It was past 1 a.m., after all.

"Should I check inside?" she whispered, moving closer to the tent to peek through the window, just to make sure he was sleeping. That he was breathing.

She knew she was being paranoid.

"There's no harm. He wouldn't hurt himself, he wouldn't try to jump off the hill. After all, he has me to take revenge on. He has a mission to complete-to destroy me." She reminded herself, feeling her heart begin to relax slightly.

"It's ridiculous to think I have any importance in his life. Even for hatred." A strange pang of pain struck her at that thought.

Why can't I be important to him?

"I should focus on what I came for. I need to get back before anyone finds me here, peeking into Vyas's tent" she mumbled.

She took slow, quiet steps toward the window but froze when she heard a muffled moan coming from inside his tent.

"Umhm."

Is he with someone? That mini-skirt girl?

Her eyes instantly filled with tears at the thought of him with someone else, touching her, being with her, fucking her.

"No. No. No. He won't do it. That's not him." She tried to convince herself that, it was not Sidharth.

But both her heart and mind know that's him. He's inside with a girl. Maybe that mini-skirt girl? After all, this is his tent. His own tent. He's not sharing his tent with any of his friends. With her realization, tears freely rolled down her cheeks and she placed a hand over her heart, feeling a sharp ache there.

"Why is it paining so much?" She squeezed her chest to lessen the pain, but it didn't work. The pain was unbearable. She felt breathless-almost suffocated.

Then, another moan broke the silence, louder this time, and it shattered her heart. Without waiting to hear another sound, her legs sprang to life, and she ran-not toward her tent, but aimlessly into the nearby forest.

She just wanted to escape him, to forget what she'd just heard, to erase what she'd started to feel for him. For that man who didn't care about her, who barely acknowledged her, who wouldn't look her way, who never spoke kindly to her. Who didn't like her, let alone love her?

She started to cry harder.

"Why, God?" she whispered, running deeper into the woods. "Why does it hurt so much? He isn't even mine. So why did it feel like he was cheating on me?"

After running for half an hour, she finally stopped in a secluded spot surrounded by tall, ancient trees and scattered logs. She sank to her knees on the ground, hands covering her face, and cried silently, asking her God for an answer she couldn't find.

Why?

It had only been a few minutes since she'd been here, crying her heart out. Then she heard someone-or something-approaching.

The footsteps were quick, and the sound of dry leaves crunching underfoot was loud.

She immediately became alert.

She stopped crying, wiped away her tears with the back of her hand, and grabbed a thin-looking log she found near her feet.

"God! What is it?" she wondered, feeling a surge of fear.

Soon, she sensed movement behind her, making her heart drop. Whatever it was, it was coming closer, taking slower steps, as though it had finally found its prey.

"God, help me. Please, I don't want to die." she prayed silently, gathering her courage. She got to her feet, holding the log tightly, ready to defend herself.

The next moment, she felt that thing standing right behind her. Because of the night's darkness, it was impossible to see its shadow, but she held her breath as she felt a large, muscular hand on her shoulder.

A human hand.

"S..."

Before the person could say anything, Sana quickly turned around and began striking him with the log, making him groan in pain. She didn't stop until she recognized his voice.

"What the fuck, Baby Girl?" Sidharth groaned in pain, stepping back to avoid her wrath.

The words, the voice, and his intoxicating cologne all made her realize it was Sidharth Vyas-the man she was falling for. The same man who, she'd thought, was with another girl just moments ago. But how did he get here so fast from his tent if he was busy with that mini-skirt girl?

She was confused. "Vyas?"

"Yes. Sidharth," he growled, holding his arm and rubbing it to soothe the pain. "What's wrong with you?"

"I... I'm... so sorry. I didn't know it was you. I thought it was some wild animal or a creep," she explained, feeling guilty for hurting him.

"It's okay," he replied, his voice still pained but gentle. "Why did you run here like that?"

"You saw me?" she asked, shocked.

"Yes," he nodded.

Wasn't he... busy with that girl? Then how did he see me coming here?

"Why did you run?" he asked again, sounding genuinely concerned.

Sana felt guilty for hurting him, though it was in self-defense honestly thought it was a wild animal about to attack.

"What else did you see?" She hoped he hadn't seen her crying for him outside his tent.

It would be so embarrassing.

"You were near my tent and then ran into this forest," he stated, deadpan. There was no taunting, no mocking, no teasing. Just a simple statement of what he saw.

"Oh."

"Yes,"

Thank God he didn't see me crying. But, wait, if he saw me outside his tent and then ran into the forest... who was inside with that girl?

"Sidharth..."

"Stop. First, tell me, are you okay? Why did you run here like that?" he asked, trying to keep his concern hidden.

"Yes, I'm fine." She nodded, smiling at the thought that he actually cared. "But... I have a question."

"Can we do this later? I'm in pain. I need to sit down and relax," he said, his voice as rude as ever.

Sana ignored his tone, assuming it was the pain talking.

"Sure. We can sit on that log," she suggested, patting a large, old tree log.

He nodded, and they sat side by side.

For a moment, there was silence. Both were lost in their thoughts.

On one hand, Sidharth was trying to soothe his pain, rubbing the places where she had hit him. Even a small knock can feel like a hammer blow in winter, let alone being beaten with a log.

Why did she come here at this hour? Was she outside my tent to talk to me about what happened during the game? And what if I hadn't followed her? Something could've happened to her. Stupid girl.

On the other hand, Sana was feeling both guilty and curious. She wondered how he'd seen her outside his tent if he was supposed to be inside with the girl.

Could it be that he was outside all along, and it was someone else with that girl? Maybe Karan, Kartik, or Akhil? Oh God, what if that's true?

"Why did you come here like that?" Sidharth finally broke the silence. He had too many questions, and he wanted answers.

What should I tell him now? Admitting the truth would be so embarrassing. God, what do I do? What do I tell him?

"Sana?" His tone turned slightly impatient.

"I'm not answerable to you, Vyas." she snapped.

"Will you stop acting like a brat and talk like an adult?" he retorted through gritted teeth.

Sana frowned. "What do you mean by 'brat'? Have you looked at yourself? You're always such a jerk to me. What do you expect me to do-be sweet to you?"

Does he think he's a police officer or something? That he'll interrogate me, and I am forced to answer them all?

Sidharth bit back his anger, though he still needed answers.

Can't she understand that I was worried sick for her? That's why I asked?

"Anyway, what were you doing outside my tent?" he asked.

"I..." Oh God, help me. This is so embarrassing.

"Say something, dammit!" he demanded, wincing from the pain in his arm.

"Are you okay? I really am sorry," she said, genuinely feeling guilty and trying to change the subject.

"I'm fine. And don't change the subject, Sana. Answer me." His tone was firm.

"I..." She was still at a loss for words. God, help!

Sidharth grew more frustrated as she continued stalling.

Was she there to see me? Or talk about what happened? Why won't she just tell me?

"I couldn't sleep, so I was walking around for a while. The weather was just so beautiful-cold and breezy," she finally said, relaxing a little as she came up with the excuse.

Thank God, I thought of something.

"Oh," he replied, though he still wasn't convinced.

"Why were you awake, then? And how did you see me?" she asked.

"I couldn't sleep either, so I was outside, smoking," he replied simply.

"Oh. I thought you were in your tent, sleeping," she tried to act casual, as if she hadn't heard anything inappropriate from inside his tent.

Please tell me it wasn't you.

"No, I told you I was outside smoking. But Karan and Payel were in the tent. They needed some privacy." he answered, simply.

"What?!" she almost yelled.

Sidharth looked at her reaction and suddenly began laughing hysterically, leaving her even more confused.

"Why are you laughing, Vyas?"

"Be honest, Sana. Did you hear something from my tent and assume I was with a girl?"

"N..no." She fumbled, for lying.

"Did it hurt you? Me with someone else?" And, then you ran off into this forest?" he teased, still laughing.

Her face turned pale, her eyes wide in shock at how well he'd guessed.

Shit!

Sidharth quickly turned on his phone's flashlight to see her expression. Her face was pale, her nose slightly red, her eyes were red and wide, with traces of dried tears. It was obvious she'd heard something, felt hurt, and ran into the forest without caring for her safety.

"Stupid girl." he mumbled.

Sana realized she was caught. Her expression gave her away.

I should explain myself. I can't let him see how much he affects me.

"Sid..."

But he silenced her with a finger to her lips. Both of them felt a spark at the touch. Sidharth tried to ignore it, clenching his other hand behind his back, while Sana gave in, closing her eyes. Noticing this, he pulled his finger back. She felt disappointed but kept her expression neutral.

"Don't talk. You're stupid, Sana," Sidharth said irritably.

How could she put herself in danger like this?

"I know," she admitted nonchalantly.

He looked at her in disbelief. "Anything could have happened to you. You could've gotten lost, or attacked by a wild animal. What if I hadn't seen you running? Stupid girl." Sidharth scolded her, irritated by her recklessness.

She couldn't help but smile, confusing him further.

"Why are you smiling?" he asked.

"Because you care for me," she replied, smiling even wider.

He looked at her, shocked. "Get lost!" he said, looking away and cursing himself for letting his concern slip through.

I shouldn't have let that show.

"Don't be mad. It just shows you're human-not the heartless monster you try to make the world think you are." She whispered, leaning in slightly to see his face.

Sidharth's jaw clenched in anger. He doesn't want to show his weakness to anyone... especially to her.

"Don't come near me," he snapped. "And I don't care about you. I hate you."

For once, Sana didn't feel hurt by his words. Instead, she felt empathy because she knew he was lying-to her, and to himself.

"Maybe you don't show it to the world, but I think there's still some good in you, Sidharth. I can see that. Hope you accept it too." She didn't know why she said it, but she didn't regret it one bit.

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