Vaqzy woke up without an alarm clock the sunlight was already coming through the curtains. Shining unevenly across his room. For a seconds he did not move. He just lay there staring at the ceiling letting that moment last a little longer than it should.
It felt easier that way.
Before everything came back to his mind.
Then slowly it did.
Not all at once just pieces. The college classroom. The whispers. That one laugh from somewhere behind him that he could not even place properly.
His chest felt tight.
He let out a breath. Closed his eyes like maybe it would stop replaying in his mind.
It did not.
He turned his head slightly looking at his phone on the table. The screen was dark. Still.
For a second he thought about checking it.
Just quickly.
Just to see if there were any messages.
No.
He looked away.
Instead he stayed where he was, unmoving, like getting up would somehow make everything real again. Like staying in bed meant he could delay college.
College was what he was thinking about.
He exhaled, a little heavier this time.
"Not today " he murmured.
Honestly he did not even argue with himself about it.
When he finally got up the house was already awake.
The usual sounds were coming from downstairs the clatter of utensils the low hum of his parents talking, something being moved across the floor. Everything felt normal.
Too normal.
He stood there for a longer than needed.
Then he went down.
His father was at the table scrolling through his phone. He looked up briefly when Vaqzy entered.
" Vaqzy?" his father asked.
"Yes " Vaqzy replied, pulling out a chair.
"College?" his father asked.
There it was.
A small pause.
"Classes are substituted " he said, looking at the table of his father.
It came out naturally.
Which felt strange.
His father just. Went back to his phone.
No questions.
No "why."
Nothing.
That should have made it easier.
It did not.
His mother placed a plate in front of him. "Eat before it gets cold."
"Okay " he said.
He picked up the spoon stared at the food for a second then took a bite. It tasted fine. Same as always.
It did not feel like anything.
He chewed slowly almost forgetting to swallow for a second.
"You are quiet " his mother said.
He blinked, as if he had not realized it.
"I am just tired " he said.
The answer came out quickly.
Like he had already decided to say that before she even asked.
She did not reply.
He could feel her looking at him.
That kind of looking.
He focused on his plate instead.
Back in his room the silence came back immediately.
Like it had been waiting.
He sat on the bed. Picked up his phone without thinking unlocking it and scrolling through random things. Videos played. Ended. Switched.
He did not watch any of them properly.
At some point his thumb slowed down.
Stopped.
The college group chat was on his phone.
He just looked at it.
Did not open it.
Then he did.
Messages filled the screen instantly.
His name was there.
Course it was.
He did not read everything. Did not need to. The tone was enough. The kind of jokes that do not sound serious but still are.
His chest felt heavier again.
He locked the phone quickly. Tossed it onto the bed.
"No " he muttered, running a hand through his hair. "I am not doing this again."
A small part of him already wanted to check again.
He ignored it.
Barely.
He got up. Walked to the window opening it wider than before. Cool air slipped in brushing against his face.
It should have helped.
It did not.
Outside everything was normal.
Someone was laughing.
A bike was passing.
A kid was shouting something
He watched for a seconds.
Then a little longer.
"How do they just not care?" he said quietly.
He was not even sure what he meant.
About them.
About himself.
A random memory popped up.
Rohit laughing loudly in class missing a throw completely and still acting like he meant to do that.
Vaqzy almost smiled.
Almost.
Then it faded.
"Was it really that normal?" he muttered.
Was he just remembering it better now?
The room felt quieter when he stepped back.
Not peaceful.
Just empty.
He lay down again staring at the ceiling tracing the cracks with his eyes without really thinking.
Time passed.
"Vaqzy " his mother called.
"Come here for a minute."
He sighed softly. Got up.
She was in the living room folding clothes slowly. When she looked at him it was not the quick glance.
She was actually looking.
"You did not go to college today " she said.
"No I did not " he said.
"Is everything okay?" she asked.
It was a question.
It did not feel like a normal question.
For a second he thought about saying something
Something honest.
Like no it is not okay.
The words did not come.
Maybe he did not let them.
"Yes " he said instead. "I am fine."
It sounded fine.
That was the problem.
She nodded slowly.
"Alright " she said.
Yeah she knew.
Not everything.
Enough.
That evening his father called him outside.
No reason.
Just like that.
They sat together looking at the street. Cars passed. People walked by. Someone laughed loudly at something stupid.
Normal things.
After a while his father spoke.
"You do not have to tell us everything " he said.
" If something is bothering you " he continued, "do not keep it all inside."
The tone was not strict.
Was not serious.
Just calm.
Real.
Vaqzy nodded.
"Yes " he said.
That was all.
It stayed with him.
That night back in his room the silence felt a little different.
Not lighter.
Less sharp.
He lay down again staring at the ceiling.
Same place.
Same cracks.
Same thoughts.
Slower.
The college classroom came back again.
The whispers.
The laughter.
That one moment when everything felt like it was, about him.
It still hurt.
That had not changed.
Something else had.
Just a little.
He could not explain it.
Did not try to.
He turned onto his side pulling the blanket closer.
"Maybe I just need time " he whispered.
It sounded unsure.
Also kind of true.
He closed his eyes.
Not to sleep.
Just to stop thinking for a bit.
End of Chapter 5
Author's Note
This chapter is simple—
But important.
Sometimes, people don't need advice.They just need someone to notice Or to listen to them
Tell me honestly—
Do you think he's healing… or just avoiding better?
Should he open up to his parents? Or is silence easier right now?
Author's Thoughts for –Chapter 5
Yeah… I know this chapter might feel a little slow, maybe even boring to some of you.
Always the same ceiling, the same bed, the same room… and then suddenly it ends.
But trust me, it was needed.
I wanted you to feel that silence… that emptiness… the kind that hurts without making a sound.
Because sometimes pain isn't loud — it's just you, alone, staring at nothing, feeling everything.
I wanted every reader to understand how heavy it can get…
when it feels like no one is there for you.
When your mind whispers things like — "Is it better to just disappear than stay like this?"
But let me be clear… this is fiction.
It's not my love story, not my life.
Yeah, I've faced rejection too
But it never broke me like that… because life showed me things far more painful than rejection.
And maybe that's the lesson here —
not everyone is meant to stay,
not everything is meant to work out.
But you still move on.
You always do.