{"id":1596,"date":"2023-08-03T20:20:16","date_gmt":"2023-08-03T14:50:16","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/aratrikaspeaks.com\/?p=1596"},"modified":"2023-08-21T00:02:50","modified_gmt":"2023-08-20T18:32:50","slug":"to-my-3-am-friend","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/aratrikaspeaks.com\/?p=1596","title":{"rendered":"To my 3 AM Friend"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"pvc_clear\"><\/div><p id=\"pvc_stats_1596\" class=\"pvc_stats total_only  \" data-element-id=\"1596\" style=\"\"><i class=\"pvc-stats-icon small\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><svg xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" version=\"1.0\" viewBox=\"0 0 502 315\" preserveAspectRatio=\"xMidYMid meet\"><g transform=\"translate(0,332) scale(0.1,-0.1)\" fill=\"\" stroke=\"none\"><path d=\"M2394 3279 l-29 -30 -3 -207 c-2 -182 0 -211 15 -242 39 -76 157 -76 196 0 15 31 17 60 15 243 l-3 209 -33 29 c-26 23 -41 29 -80 29 -41 0 -53 -5 -78 -31z\"\/><path d=\"M3085 3251 c-45 -19 -58 -50 -96 -229 -47 -217 -49 -260 -13 -295 52 -53 146 -42 177 20 16 31 87 366 87 410 0 70 -86 122 -155 94z\"\/><path d=\"M1751 3234 c-13 -9 -29 -31 -37 -50 -12 -29 -10 -49 21 -204 19 -94 39 -189 45 -210 14 -50 54 -80 110 -80 34 0 48 6 76 34 21 21 34 44 34 59 0 14 -18 113 -40 219 -37 178 -43 195 -70 221 -36 32 -101 37 -139 11z\"\/><path d=\"M1163 3073 c-36 -7 -73 -59 -73 -102 0 -56 133 -378 171 -413 34 -32 83 -37 129 -13 70 36 67 87 -16 290 -86 209 -89 214 -129 231 -35 14 -42 15 -82 7z\"\/><path d=\"M3689 3066 c-15 -9 -33 -30 -42 -48 -48 -103 -147 -355 -147 -375 0 -98 131 -148 192 -74 13 15 57 108 97 206 80 196 84 226 37 273 -30 30 -99 39 -137 18z\"\/><path d=\"M583 2784 c-38 -19 -67 -74 -58 -113 9 -42 211 -354 242 -373 16 -10 45 -18 66 -18 51 0 107 52 107 100 0 39 -1 41 -124 234 -80 126 -108 162 -133 173 -41 17 -61 16 -100 -3z\"\/><path d=\"M4250 2784 c-14 -9 -74 -91 -133 -183 -95 -150 -107 -173 -107 -213 0 -55 33 -94 87 -104 67 -13 90 8 211 198 130 202 137 225 78 284 -27 27 -42 34 -72 34 -22 0 -50 -8 -64 -16z\"\/><path d=\"M2275 2693 c-553 -48 -1095 -270 -1585 -649 -135 -104 -459 -423 -483 -476 -23 -49 -22 -139 2 -186 73 -142 361 -457 571 -626 285 -228 642 -407 990 -497 242 -63 336 -73 660 -74 310 0 370 5 595 52 535 111 1045 392 1455 803 122 121 250 273 275 326 19 41 19 137 0 174 -41 79 -309 363 -465 492 -447 370 -946 591 -1479 653 -113 14 -422 18 -536 8z m395 -428 c171 -34 330 -124 456 -258 112 -119 167 -219 211 -378 27 -96 24 -300 -5 -401 -72 -255 -236 -447 -474 -557 -132 -62 -201 -76 -368 -76 -167 0 -236 14 -368 76 -213 98 -373 271 -451 485 -162 444 86 934 547 1084 153 49 292 57 452 25z m909 -232 c222 -123 408 -262 593 -441 76 -74 138 -139 138 -144 0 -16 -233 -242 -330 -319 -155 -123 -309 -223 -461 -299 l-81 -41 32 46 c18 26 49 83 70 128 143 306 141 649 -6 957 -25 52 -61 116 -79 142 l-34 47 45 -20 c26 -10 76 -36 113 -56z m-2057 25 c-40 -58 -105 -190 -130 -263 -110 -324 -59 -707 132 -981 25 -35 42 -64 37 -64 -19 0 -241 119 -326 174 -188 122 -406 314 -532 468 l-58 71 108 103 c185 178 428 349 672 473 66 33 121 60 123 61 2 0 -10 -19 -26 -42z\"\/><path d=\"M2375 1950 c-198 -44 -350 -190 -395 -379 -18 -76 -8 -221 19 -290 114 -284 457 -406 731 -260 98 52 188 154 231 260 27 69 37 214 19 290 -38 163 -166 304 -326 360 -67 23 -215 33 -279 19z\"\/><\/g><\/svg><\/i> <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"16\" height=\"16\" alt=\"Loading\" src=\"https:\/\/aratrikaspeaks.com\/wp-content\/plugins\/page-views-count\/ajax-loader-2x.gif\" border=0 \/><\/p><div class=\"pvc_clear\"><\/div>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Hey, <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">How have you been? I am reading this book called \u201cBeautiful world, where are you.\u201d There are two characters, Eileen and Simon, whose rocky relationship reminds me so much of our own relationship.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"768\" height=\"1024\" src=\"http:\/\/aratrikaspeaks.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/image-768x1024.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-1599\" srcset=\"https:\/\/aratrikaspeaks.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/image-768x1024.png 768w, https:\/\/aratrikaspeaks.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/image-225x300.png 225w, https:\/\/aratrikaspeaks.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/image-1152x1536.png 1152w, https:\/\/aratrikaspeaks.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/image-1536x2048.png 1536w, https:\/\/aratrikaspeaks.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/image-300x400.png 300w, https:\/\/aratrikaspeaks.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/image-850x1133.png 850w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 768px) 100vw, 768px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">You were one of the first people I could call a best friend and mean it because, for the first time in my life, I felt that my feelings were being reciprocated. In fact, I think you were my first love. I didn\u2019t even know it for a long time, I suppose. What we had was a cute thing. The one friend who bothered to check up on me after I left school. You stayed in touch. We had our monthly phone calls and met over averagely made pizza when we visited home for the holidays. I don\u2019t know when I fell in love with you. It was all friendship at the beginning. But I felt like you saw me when I was invisible to everyone around me.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">I felt safe with you. And you made sure to keep me safe too. Even when I woke up from nightmares and called you at 3 am, you were fine sacrificing your sleep to pacify me and assure me that I was safe, even though we were both close to 1500 km away from each other.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">God, I miss you. I am writing this now because this book stirred all my memories, and I wonder how you are doing now. Probably married and living a pleasant life. I once dreamt of being married to you, having kids with you. I imagined you would go travel the world and come back home to me. That was a beautiful dream that lasted for a very short time. I still cherish it despite it being painful.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">You were not so nice to me in the end though. Incredibly hurtful and invalidated my trauma, saying I\u2019m lying to get your attention. I just wanted you to be a part of my life, at least as a friend.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">We were never shy to say we loved each other. But for a long time, I didn\u2019t realise it meant something different to both of us. When I said I was in love with you, you could have asked for time or anything. But you said you were in love with your childhood friend and couldn\u2019t get over her. I mean, fair enough. I had you. You had her. What turned you against me was when I moved on fairly soon.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">You refused to acknowledge that at that point in our lives, we were enduring so much suffering that we were taking it out on each other. I apologised, you didn\u2019t. That hurt me. Made me feel like I was some backup plan. Thank God we never made the \u201cwhen we turn 30 if we are still single\u201d pact. Imagine reaching out now and talking. The horror!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">I am writing this courageously because I know you have long moved on from my memory, and none of our mutuals even know I write or, well, know me for that matter. Even if someone saw this and connected the dots, I frankly don\u2019t care. This is me pouring out my heart. A deep scar I have tied with a stinky bandage for so long that it has started festering parasites, for all I know. I am just exhausted to tend to the wound at this point as well. And no, I don\u2019t want to reconcile with you, my friend. I will always love you. But you hurt me beyond repair. No amount of apology can fix that. We are just two very different people now. A part of me is sad that nothing ever came out of my brave confession of love. I was never shy to express my feelings. That\u2019s why I was always the one to get hurt the most.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">I sometimes daydream about what would have happened if we did give dating a try.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Could\u2019ve<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Would\u2019ve<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Should\u2019ve<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Here\u2019s me reminiscing about what could have been a long-lasting friendship, but life had other plans. And well, you just didn\u2019t want to be part of mine anyways!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">But all in all I really do have a life that you dreamt of. I would be happy that at least one of us got what we dreamt of! <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<div class=\"pvc_clear\"><\/div>\n<p id=\"pvc_stats_1596\" class=\"pvc_stats total_only  \" data-element-id=\"1596\" style=\"\"><i class=\"pvc-stats-icon small\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><svg xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" version=\"1.0\" viewBox=\"0 0 502 315\" preserveAspectRatio=\"xMidYMid meet\"><g transform=\"translate(0,332) scale(0.1,-0.1)\" fill=\"\" stroke=\"none\"><path d=\"M2394 3279 l-29 -30 -3 -207 c-2 -182 0 -211 15 -242 39 -76 157 -76 196 0 15 31 17 60 15 243 l-3 209 -33 29 c-26 23 -41 29 -80 29 -41 0 -53 -5 -78 -31z\"\/><path d=\"M3085 3251 c-45 -19 -58 -50 -96 -229 -47 -217 -49 -260 -13 -295 52 -53 146 -42 177 20 16 31 87 366 87 410 0 70 -86 122 -155 94z\"\/><path d=\"M1751 3234 c-13 -9 -29 -31 -37 -50 -12 -29 -10 -49 21 -204 19 -94 39 -189 45 -210 14 -50 54 -80 110 -80 34 0 48 6 76 34 21 21 34 44 34 59 0 14 -18 113 -40 219 -37 178 -43 195 -70 221 -36 32 -101 37 -139 11z\"\/><path d=\"M1163 3073 c-36 -7 -73 -59 -73 -102 0 -56 133 -378 171 -413 34 -32 83 -37 129 -13 70 36 67 87 -16 290 -86 209 -89 214 -129 231 -35 14 -42 15 -82 7z\"\/><path d=\"M3689 3066 c-15 -9 -33 -30 -42 -48 -48 -103 -147 -355 -147 -375 0 -98 131 -148 192 -74 13 15 57 108 97 206 80 196 84 226 37 273 -30 30 -99 39 -137 18z\"\/><path d=\"M583 2784 c-38 -19 -67 -74 -58 -113 9 -42 211 -354 242 -373 16 -10 45 -18 66 -18 51 0 107 52 107 100 0 39 -1 41 -124 234 -80 126 -108 162 -133 173 -41 17 -61 16 -100 -3z\"\/><path d=\"M4250 2784 c-14 -9 -74 -91 -133 -183 -95 -150 -107 -173 -107 -213 0 -55 33 -94 87 -104 67 -13 90 8 211 198 130 202 137 225 78 284 -27 27 -42 34 -72 34 -22 0 -50 -8 -64 -16z\"\/><path d=\"M2275 2693 c-553 -48 -1095 -270 -1585 -649 -135 -104 -459 -423 -483 -476 -23 -49 -22 -139 2 -186 73 -142 361 -457 571 -626 285 -228 642 -407 990 -497 242 -63 336 -73 660 -74 310 0 370 5 595 52 535 111 1045 392 1455 803 122 121 250 273 275 326 19 41 19 137 0 174 -41 79 -309 363 -465 492 -447 370 -946 591 -1479 653 -113 14 -422 18 -536 8z m395 -428 c171 -34 330 -124 456 -258 112 -119 167 -219 211 -378 27 -96 24 -300 -5 -401 -72 -255 -236 -447 -474 -557 -132 -62 -201 -76 -368 -76 -167 0 -236 14 -368 76 -213 98 -373 271 -451 485 -162 444 86 934 547 1084 153 49 292 57 452 25z m909 -232 c222 -123 408 -262 593 -441 76 -74 138 -139 138 -144 0 -16 -233 -242 -330 -319 -155 -123 -309 -223 -461 -299 l-81 -41 32 46 c18 26 49 83 70 128 143 306 141 649 -6 957 -25 52 -61 116 -79 142 l-34 47 45 -20 c26 -10 76 -36 113 -56z m-2057 25 c-40 -58 -105 -190 -130 -263 -110 -324 -59 -707 132 -981 25 -35 42 -64 37 -64 -19 0 -241 119 -326 174 -188 122 -406 314 -532 468 l-58 71 108 103 c185 178 428 349 672 473 66 33 121 60 123 61 2 0 -10 -19 -26 -42z\"\/><path d=\"M2375 1950 c-198 -44 -350 -190 -395 -379 -18 -76 -8 -221 19 -290 114 -284 457 -406 731 -260 98 52 188 154 231 260 27 69 37 214 19 290 -38 163 -166 304 -326 360 -67 23 -215 33 -279 19z\"\/><\/g><\/svg><\/i> <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"16\" height=\"16\" alt=\"Loading\" src=\"https:\/\/aratrikaspeaks.com\/wp-content\/plugins\/page-views-count\/ajax-loader-2x.gif\" border=0 \/><\/p>\n<div class=\"pvc_clear\"><\/div>\n<p>Hey, How have you been? I am reading this book called \u201cBeautiful world, where are you.\u201d There are two characters, Eileen and Simon, whose rocky relationship reminds me so much of our own relationship. You were one of the first people I could call a best friend and mean it because, for the first time&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1596","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-inner-musings"],"a3_pvc":{"activated":true,"total_views":700,"today_views":0},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/aratrikaspeaks.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1596","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/aratrikaspeaks.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/aratrikaspeaks.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/aratrikaspeaks.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/aratrikaspeaks.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1596"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/aratrikaspeaks.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1596\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1600,"href":"https:\/\/aratrikaspeaks.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1596\/revisions\/1600"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/aratrikaspeaks.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1596"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/aratrikaspeaks.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1596"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/aratrikaspeaks.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1596"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}