Cover credit - dellzcreationz
The digital clock beside Aparajita’s bed read 3:07 AM.
Again.
The house was silent in the way only late nights could be. The ceiling fan hummed softly. Somewhere outside, a dog barked once and then stopped.
Appu stared at the dark ceiling with exhausted eyes. Sleep refused to come.
Every time she closed her eyes for too long, memories slipped in quietly. Lalit’s voice, and his anger. The sharpness in his words that still somehow lived inside her head, even months after she had walked out.
“You are a nobody.”
“Who will tolerate you except me?”
“You’re impossible to live with.”
Appu bolted upright, her heart hammering against her ribs.
No. Not again.
Pressing her palm flat against her chest, she tried the grounding technique her therapist had suggested. One… two… three…
It didn’t help. The air in the room still felt too heavy to breathe.
With trembling fingers, she reached for her phone from beside the pillow. The sudden glare of the screen cut through the darkness, making her wince.
3:10 AM.
She opened WhatsApp. She didn't want to talk to anyone, nor was she expecting a miracle. She just needed a distraction. Her thumb scrolled aimlessly through old, dead chats.
Suddenly, a fresh notification popped to the top of the screen.
Rakshit Bharadwaj: You’re awake again.
Her breath hitched. She stared at the words for five full seconds, her heart skipping a beat for a completely different reason this time. Slowly, she typed back.
Appu: You are too.
The three pulsing dots appeared almost instantly.
Rakshit Bharadwaj: Couldn’t sleep.
Appu: Same.
She read that single word twice. In a world full of polite pretenses, that word felt like the most honest thing she had confessed all week.
Across the city, Rakshit sat alone in the balcony outside his room, phone in one hand, and untouched coffee in the other.
The city below was quiet. The night air carried the faint smell of rain. For the past four nights, he had noticed the same thing accidentally.
Every time he woke up to check on his father, and every time insomnia pulled him toward work emails or unfinished reports, Aparajita was online.
Always around 3 AM.
Initially, he thought it was a coincidence. But then he noticed the pattern. She would appear for ten minutes, vanish, and return an hour later. As if sleep was something she kept trying to negotiate with, and losing.
Rakshit looked down at her latest message.
Phatuka: Same.
A tightening pull in his chest told him it wasn't just casual curiosity anymore. It was concern. Before his analytical brain could overthink it, his fingers moved.
Rakshit: Bad dreams?
The reply didn’t come immediately.
When it finally did, it was only three words.
Phatuka: Sometimes they stay.
Rakshit’s jaw tightened. He didn't need an explanation. Not all nightmares happened while sleeping.
That night, they spoke until 4:22 AM.
Aparajita didn’t bring up Lalit, and Rakshit didn’t mention the heavy toll of managing his father’s failing health. They both didn’t talk about the trauma or pain.
Instead, they talked about random things.
They argued about why tea at railway stations tastes better than normal tea. Appu told him how she hated papaya passionately. Rakshit confessed that he secretly listened to old romantic songs while driving alone.
They talked about small, unimportant things. Safe things.
And for the first time in weeks, Aparajita realized her chest no longer felt tight.
-----------------------------
The next night, Aparajita got the notification at exactly 3 AM.
Rakshit Bharadwaj: Hey, Phatuka! When do we start the Insomnia club meeting?
Appu smiled before she could stop herself. A real smile.
She pulled the blanket closer and replied.
Phatuka: Attendance compulsory?
Rakshit Bharadwaj: Yes, absolutely.
Slowly, without discussion, it became a routine.
3 AM. Always.
Some nights they texted silly jokes. Some nights Appu sent blurry pictures of the moon from her window. Some nights Rakshit just typed: You okay?
And because he asked, she actually felt okay.
I am fine. She typed back.
_________________________
A week later, Aparajita was in the market, when a sudden, violent argument broke out between two vendors nearby. A man started shouting - harsh, and venomous.
The tone hit Appu like a physical blow. The market faded, and suddenly she was back in her old living room, shrinking into a corner while Lalit roared.
By the time she walked inside her room, her hands were shaking so violently she could barely lock the door.
She survived the evening in a daze, but by 2:53 AM, the panic attack came clawing back. Blurry-eyed, she opened WhatsApp just to look at his name. Before she could even attempt to type, a message popped up.
Rakshit: How are you?
Aparajita: I’m okay.
She lied, her chest heaving as she struggled for air.
Rakshit: Whenever you say 'okay,' you are not 'fine'.
Her eyes burned suddenly. Neither texted for a few seconds.
Then she saw Rakshit typing.
Rakshit: Himmat in, darr out. Remember? Just breath.
She tried, but the walls felt like they were closing in. Then, the screen changed. Her phone began to vibrate, illuminating the dark room with an incoming voice call.
Rakshit calling…
Appu looked at her phone in surprise. With a trembling thumb, she swiped to answer and pressed the phone to her ear.
"H-hello?" her voice cracked.
“Open the window”
“What?”
“Your room window. Open it.”
Confused, Appu stood up slowly and pushed the window open. Cool night air entered immediately.
“Now?” she asked quietly.
"Now, just focus on my voice," Rakshit said softly. "Tell me five things you can see out there."
She looked into the dark. "The... the moon. The big neem tree. The neighbor's water tank..."
"Good. Keep going," he said.
"The street lamp... and a puddle of water."
By the fifth thing, her breathing slowed down. By the seventh thing, her hands stopped shaking. Warm tears ran down her face. Not because she was not scared anymore, but because nobody had ever stayed through the fear so patiently before.
Rakshit heard her uneven breathing again.
"Appu?" he called her by her nickname for the first time.
She wiped her face. "Hmm?"
"Try to sleep now," he whispered. "I will stay on the phone until you fall asleep."
And for the first time in a very long time, sleep came before the fear did.
____________
Hey guys, I am Shiri. I hope you like the story :)
Focused on their shared pain and the connection. Would love to read more
Seher Hone Ko Hai
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