My Unheard Story: A Journey of Self-discovery

The Midnight Haunting

The night was eerily quiet, except for the occasional rustling of leaves and the distant hoot of an owl. Inside the girls' tent, Swati lay in her sleeping bag, wide awake.

Not because she wasn’t sleepy.

But because he was here.

Rishabh.

She had been avoiding him ever since they reached the campsite, acting cold, distant—anything to make it seem like she didn’t care.

But she did.

The way he had been acting lately—distant one moment, teasing the next—was driving her insane. She didn’t know where she stood with him, and it bothered her more than she’d admit.

"Forget him," she muttered under her breath, turning to her side.

But sleep still refused to come.

Then—

Rustle.

She froze.

Her pulse quickened as she strained her ears.

Rustle. Rustle.

A whisper followed.

"Swati… get out… before it’s too late."

Her breath hitched.

She immediately shook Shruti beside her.

Swati: "Wake up! Did you hear that?"

Shruti (groggy): "Huh? What?"

Another whisper.

"Run… or she’ll take you away… forever…"

Shruti shot up, eyes wide.

Shruti: "What the hell was that?!"

The fabric of the tent shifted, as if someone was brushing against it.

Swati’s stomach twisted.

Swati: "Ruchi, wake up!"

Before Ruchi could react—

A loud SCRATCH ran along the tent wall.

Swati screamed.

Shruti screamed.

Ruchi screamed in confusion.

From the other tent, Pooja yelled, "WHAT IS GOING ON?!"

And then—

Laughter.

Loud, infuriating laughter.

Swati yanked open the tent zipper—

And there they were.

Rishabh, Rahul, Aryan, and Shrey, laughing their heads off, holding sticks and dried leaves.

Rahul (wheezing): "Oh my God, you should’ve seen your faces!"

Aryan (wiping a tear): "That was priceless!"

Swati’s eyes immediately found Rishabh.

He was leaning against a tree, arms crossed, a smug smirk on his face.

Rishabh: "Ghost stories still scare you, Swati?"

His voice was light, teasing—like nothing had changed.

Like he hadn’t been avoiding her for the past few days.

Swati felt something snap inside her.

Swati (coldly): "You think this is funny?"

Rishabh (grinning): "I think it’s hilarious."

That was it.

She clenched her fists, jaw tightening.

She wanted to yell at him, to tell him how infuriating he was.

But she wouldn’t.

Instead, she gave him the same cold treatment she had been all day.

Swati (flatly): "Glad you had your fun. Now move."

Rishabh’s smirk faltered for half a second.

Only half.

Before he could say anything, she turned and stepped back into the tent.

But then—

A hand caught her wrist.

Swati stilled.

The touch was warm, firm—yet hesitant.

She didn’t turn around.

Didn’t move.

Rishabh (softly): "Still mad at me?"

Swati closed her eyes, took a breath, and pulled her hand away.

Swati (quietly): "Go back to your tent, Rishabh."

And this time, he let her go.

Shruti and Ruchi were staring at her with huge eyes.

Shruti (whisper-yelling): "DID YOU JUST IGNORE RISHABH?!"

Ruchi: "Forget that—did he just try to hold you back?"

Swati didn’t answer.

She just climbed back into her sleeping bag, heart hammering.

But she wasn’t the only one unsettled that night.

Across the camp, Rishabh sat outside his tent, staring at the fire.

Rahul nudged him.

Rahul: "What’s up with Swati?"

Rishabh exhaled.

Rishabh (muttering): "She’s mad at me."

Rahul smirked.

Rahul: "And why do you look like that bothers you?"

Rishabh didn’t answer.

Because he honestly wasn’t sure why it did.

Ending Hook:

Swati lay awake, staring at the tent ceiling.

She had wanted him to notice her silence.

She hadn’t expected it to hurt when he actually did.

But she wasn’t going to be the first to break.

If Rishabh wanted things to be normal, he would have to fix it.

And until then—

She would make sure he felt the distance she was keeping.

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