The clinic was quieter than Akanksha had expected.

There was something strangely peaceful about the place. The walls were painted in soft, muted shades, a few small plants were placed near the windows, and the faint sound of the air conditioner filled the otherwise silent room.

No loud conversations.

No ringing phones.

No unnecessary movement.

Just silence.

A silence that should have been calming.

But for Yogesh, it wasn't.

They both sat in the waiting area, waiting for their number to be called.

Akanksha sat quietly beside him, her hands resting in her lap. She occasionally glanced around the room, trying to take in the surroundings and, more importantly, trying not to make Yogesh feel like she was constantly watching him.

Yogesh, on the other hand, couldn't sit still.His foot kept tapping against the floor.

Tap.

Tap.

Tap.

He didn't even seem to realize he was doing it.

His fingers were constantly moving-one moment rubbing his thumb against his fingertips, the next twisting them together before pulling them apart again.

He shifted in his seat.

Looked at the reception desk.

Then at the closed door of the doctor's cabin.

Then down at the floor.And a few seconds later, the same cycle started again.

Akanksha quietly looked at him.

"Yogesh..."

"Hmm?"

His answer came immediately, almost as if he'd been waiting for her to say something.

She glanced at his restless foot.

"You've been doing that for the last ten minutes."

Yogesh looked down.Only then did he seem to notice his foot was still moving.

He immediately stopped it.

"Sorry."

Akanksha's eyebrows pulled together slightly.

"Why are you saying sorry?"

He didn't answer.

His fingers started fidgeting again.

Akanksha watched him for a moment before gently placing her hand over his.

His fingers stopped.

"Relax."

Yogesh swallowed.

"I'm trying."

"I know."

There was no judgment in her voice.

Just reassurance.

He looked toward the doctor's cabin again.

"I don't know why I'm feeling so nervous."

Akanksha gave him a small, understanding smile.

"Because you're scared."

Yogesh's eyes lowered.

"Maybe."

She gently squeezed his hand.

"That's okay."

He looked at her.

"You don't have to be okay with everything immediately, Yogesh."

His expression softened, but the nervousness remained.

"What if..." He stopped.

Akanksha waited.

He took a breath.

"What if I don't know what to say?"

"You don't have to know."

"What if I say something wrong?"

"Then you'll correct it."

"What if I can't explain everything?"

"You don't have to explain everything perfectly."

He stared at her quietly.

Akanksha continued in a softer voice.

"Just tell the doctor what you're comfortable telling them. One thing at a time. Nobody is expecting you to give some perfect answer."

Yogesh looked down at their hands.

His thumb moved slightly beneath her palm.

"You're coming inside with me, right?"

Akanksha didn't hesitate.

"Yes."

His shoulders seemed to loosen a little.

"Okay."

For a few moments, neither of them spoke.The silence returned.

But this time, it didn't feel quite as heavy.

Yogesh's foot began tapping again.

Akanksha looked down at it.

Then back at him.

"Yogesh."

He immediately stopped.

"Sorry."

She couldn't help but smile a little.

"I wasn't going to scold you."

He gave a faint, nervous smile.

"I know."

"Then stop apologizing for every little thing."

"Okay."

A pause.

"Sorry."

Akanksha stared at him.

Yogesh realized what he'd just done.

For the first time since they had entered the clinic, a tiny smile appeared on his face.

Akanksha shook her head.

"You're impossible."

He looked down, still smiling faintly.

And for a few seconds, the nervousness seemed to ease.

Until the receptionist finally looked up.

"Mr. Yogesh?"

His smile disappeared.

His fingers immediately tightened around Akanksha's hand.

Akanksha turned toward him.

"It's your turn."

Yogesh nodded, but didn't move.

She gently squeezed his hand.

"Come on."

He took a slow breath.

Then, with Akanksha beside him, he finally stood.

The door opened with a soft click.

Yogesh stood outside for a second, staring into the cabin as if crossing that small distance suddenly felt much harder than it should.

Akanksha noticed.

She didn't rush him.

Instead, she stayed beside him and quietly said,

"Take your time."

Yogesh nodded.

They stepped inside together.The psychiatrist looked up from the file on the desk and gave them a calm smile.

"Come in. Please, sit."

Yogesh sat on the chair opposite the doctor.

Akanksha sat beside him.

The doctor glanced at the file for a moment before looking back at Yogesh.

"You're Yogesh?"

"Yes."

His voice was barely audible.

The doctor smiled gently.

"Okay. And you can call me whatever you're comfortable with. There's no need to be formal here."

Yogesh nodded.

"So... how are you feeling about being here today?"

Yogesh stared at the floor.

His fingers slowly intertwined.

"Fine."

Akanksha glanced at him.The doctor noticed too, but didn't challenge him.

"Fine?"

Yogesh nodded.

"Yes."

A small pause.

"Are you nervous?"

Yogesh hesitated.

Then he gave a tiny nod.

"A little."

The doctor smiled.

"That's completely okay. A lot of people feel nervous during their first appointment."

Yogesh looked up briefly.

"You don't have to tell me everything today," the doctor continued. "We'll just talk. I'll ask some questions, and you can answer whatever you're comfortable answering."

Yogesh nodded again.

Akanksha quietly looked at him.

She could see how hard he was trying to hold himself together.

The doctor opened the file.

"Can you tell me what made you come here?"

Yogesh's fingers tightened.

For several seconds, he said nothing.

His eyes remained fixed on his hands.

Akanksha didn't answer for him.

She knew this conversation had to come from him.So she simply moved her hand closer to his.

Yogesh noticed.

Their fingers lightly touched.It was enough to make him look up.

"You can tell him," she whispered.

Yogesh took a slow breath.

"I... I haven't been feeling like myself."

The doctor nodded.

"Okay."

"I don't know how to explain it."

"You don't have to explain it perfectly."

Yogesh swallowed.

"It's just..."

His voice faltered.

He looked down again.

"Some days are okay. And then suddenly... everything feels too much."

The doctor listened without interrupting.

Yogesh continued slowly.

"I get restless. I can't sleep properly sometimes. I keep thinking about things again and again."

"What kind of things?"

Yogesh went quiet.

His breathing became slightly uneven.Akanksha looked at him but didn't interrupt.

The doctor noticed his hesitation.

"You don't have to answer immediately."

Yogesh nodded.

After a few moments, he finally spoke.

"Things I've done."

The room became quiet.

Akanksha's expression softened.

The doctor didn't react with surprise or judgment.

"Do you often blame yourself for things that happened?"

Yogesh nodded.

"Yes."

"Even when there's nothing you can do about them now?"

Another nod.

"Yes."

The doctor made a brief note.

"And when those thoughts come, what do you usually do?"

Yogesh looked confused by the question.

"I don't know."

"Do you talk to someone?"

He glanced at Akanksha.

"Pehle to nahi but..ab..yes"

The doctor followed his gaze and then looked back at him.

"Does talking to her help?"

Yogesh's answer came quietly.

"Yes."

Akanksha looked down, her expression becoming softer.

The doctor nodded.

"That's good. Having someone you trust can be very helpful."

Yogesh's shoulders relaxed slightly.

The doctor continued talking in the same calm tone, asking about his sleep, his routine, his thoughts, and how he had been managing things lately.

There was no interrogation.

No judgment.

Just questions.

And slowly, almost without realizing it, Yogesh began answering.

Not everything.

Not perfectly.

But enough.

Every once in a while, whenever he struggled to find the right words, his eyes would drift toward Akanksha.

And every time, she gave him the same quiet reassurance.

I'm here.

You don't have to do this alone.

For the first time since they had entered the clinic, Yogesh's fingers stopped fidgeting.

The doctor let the silence settle for a moment.

He didn't rush to fill it.

Yogesh sat quietly in the chair, his hands resting together now. The constant fidgeting had stopped, but his fingers were still slightly tense.

The doctor looked at him.

"Yogesh, I want to ask you something."

Yogesh nodded.

"Do you feel like these thoughts and emotions are affecting your everyday life?"

Yogesh hesitated.

"Yes."

"Your sleep?"

"Sometimes."

"Your appetite?"

He looked down.

"I don't feel hungry much."

The doctor made a small note.

"And concentration?"

Yogesh gave a tired smile.

"That's probably the worst."

Akanksha glanced at him.

"You've been staring at the same page for twenty minutes sometimes," she added quietly.

Yogesh looked at her.

"Akanksha..."

"I'm not complaining," she said softly. "I'm just telling him."

The doctor gave them both a reassuring smile.

"That's alright. It's useful for me to know what you've both noticed."

He turned back to Yogesh.

"How long have you been feeling this way?"

Yogesh's expression changed.

He looked at his hands again.

"A while."

"Can you be more specific?"

A long pause.

"I don't remember exactly."

The doctor didn't push.

"That's okay."

He closed the file for a moment.

"Yogesh, from what you're telling me, you're carrying a lot of guilt and emotional stress. And it sounds like you've been trying to manage most of it by yourself."

Yogesh didn't respond.

Because the words were uncomfortably accurate.

The doctor continued.

"You don't have to tell me everything in one appointment. And you don't have to solve everything today."

Yogesh finally looked up.

"Then what am I supposed to do?"

The question came out quieter than he intended.

The doctor leaned forward slightly.

"Start by talking."

Yogesh frowned faintly.

"That's it?"

"Not exactly."

The doctor smiled.

"But that's where we begin."

Yogesh remained silent.

"We'll understand what's troubling you, how it's affecting you, and what kind of support will help. We'll take it step by step."

Yogesh swallowed.

"And if I can't talk?"

"Then we'll sit with that silence until you're ready."

Something about that answer made Yogesh's expression soften.

He had expected judgment.

He had expected someone to tell him what he was doing wrong.

Instead, the doctor was simply listening.The doctor then looked toward Akanksha.

"Can I ask you something?"

She nodded.

"What changes have you noticed in him?"

Akanksha looked at Yogesh first.

He immediately looked away.

She didn't want to say anything that would embarrass him.But she knew the doctor needed an honest answer.

"From the time I get to know..his situation He doesn't sleep properly sometimes," she said softly. "He keeps thinking about things. He becomes very quiet. Sometimes he'll be sitting with everyone, but it feels like he's somewhere else."

Yogesh's jaw tightened.

"And he doesn't tell anyone when something is bothering him," she continued.

The doctor nodded.

Akanksha paused.

"He's also very hard on himself."

Yogesh's eyes lowered.

She noticed.

Her voice became gentler.

"I'm not saying this to make things worse for him."

"I know," Yogesh murmured.

The doctor looked between them.

"That's important. Support from people close to you can help, but Yogesh also needs a space where he can talk freely without feeling responsible for someone else's emotions."

Akanksha nodded.

Yogesh looked slightly confused.

The doctor explained.

"Sometimes when someone feels guilty, they start believing they have to punish themselves emotionally for everything that happened."

Yogesh's eyes remained fixed on the floor.

"That's not how healing works," the doctor said.

Yogesh looked up.

"You don't have to forget what happened."

A pause.

"You just have to learn how to live without allowing the past to control every part of your present."

The words stayed with him.

For several seconds, Yogesh didn't say anything.

Then he asked quietly,

"What if I deserve to feel guilty?"

Akanksha's eyes immediately moved toward him.The doctor remained calm.

"Feeling guilty and taking responsibility are two different things."

Yogesh listened.

"If you've made mistakes, you can acknowledge them. You can apologize. You can change your behaviour. You can try to make things right."

The doctor paused.

"But hurting yourself emotionally over and over doesn't undo the past."

Yogesh's eyes became slightly glassy.

He quickly looked away.

Akanksha noticed but didn't say anything.

The doctor continued gently.

"Change is something you demonstrate through your actions over time."

Yogesh nodded slowly.

"So what happens now?"

"We'll start with regular sessions," the doctor said. "We'll monitor how you're doing and work through these thoughts gradually. If I feel you need additional treatment, we'll discuss that as well."

Yogesh nodded.

"Okay."

The doctor studied him for a moment.

"One more question."

Yogesh looked up.

"Do you actually want to get better?"

The question caught him off guard.

He opened his mouth.

Nothing came out.

His eyes drifted toward Akanksha.

She didn't answer for him.

She simply looked at him.

There was no pressure in her expression.

Only quiet encouragement.

Yogesh took a slow breath.

"I don't know how."

His voice trembled slightly.

"But..."

He paused.

"I want to."

Akanksha's eyes softened.

The doctor nodded.

"That's enough for today."

Yogesh looked at him.

"Enough?"

"Yes."

The doctor smiled.

"You came here. You sat through the conversation. You answered questions even when they were uncomfortable."

He closed the file.

"That's a start."

When they finally stepped outside the clinic, the evening air felt different.

Yogesh stood beside Akanksha on the pavement, silent.

Neither of them spoke immediately.

Cars passed along the road.

People walked past them.

Everything around them continued as normal.

But Yogesh seemed lost in his thoughts.

Akanksha waited.

After a few moments, she asked,

"How are you feeling?"

He shrugged.

"I don't know."

"That's okay."

He looked at her.

"I'm scared."

Akanksha nodded.

"Of what?"

"Going back."

She understood what he meant.

"The next session?"

He nodded.

"What if I have to talk about things I don't want to talk about?"

"Then tell the doctor that."

"What if I don't know what to say?"

"Then say that."

He gave her a small, tired smile.

"You make everything sound so easy."

She smiled back.

"I'm not saying it's easy."

Her voice became softer.

"I'm saying you don't have to figure out everything today."

Yogesh looked ahead.

"One day at a time?"

"Exactly."

He nodded.

They began walking toward the car.

After a few st

eps, Yogesh stopped.

Akanksha turned around.

"What happened?"

He looked back at the clinic.

Then at her.

"Thank you."

She smiled gently.

"You don't have to thank me for coming with you."

"I know."

He looked down for a moment.

"But still."

Akanksha didn't say anything.

She simply waited for him.

Yogesh took one more look at the clinic before finally turning away.

Nothing had magically changed.

His guilt was still there.

His fears were still there.

The things he had been carrying for so long hadn't disappeared just because he had spoken about them.

But for the first time, he had admitted something out loud.

He wanted to get better.

And perhaps, for now, that was enough.

One step.

One conversation.

One day at a time.

To be continue......