"White Nights" (Russian: Белые ночи, romanized: Belye nochi; original spelling Бѣлыя ночи, Beliya nochi) is a short story by Fyodor Dostoevsky, originally published in 1848, early in the writer's career.

The short story is divided into six sections: The narrator describes his experience walking in the streets of Saint Petersburg.

He tells her that he spends every minute of every day dreaming about a girl who would say two words to him, who will not repulse him or ridicule him as he approached.

He says that he thinks of talking to a random girl timidly, respectfully, passionately – telling her that he is dying in solitude and that he has no chance of success with her.

Before she can answer, he adds that he will be at the spot they met tomorrow anyway just so he can relive this one happy moment in his lonely life.

She grew up with a strict and blind grandmother, who gave Nastenka a largely sheltered upbringing.

Despite embarrassing herself in front of him by revealing that she is literally and figuratively pinned to her grandmother, the young man begins a silent courtship with Nastenka, giving her books so that she may develop a reading habit.

On the night that the young lodger is about to leave Petersburg for Moscow, Nastenka urges him to marry her.

The narrator gradually realizes that despite his assurance that their friendship will remain platonic, he has inevitably fallen in love with her.

They await his reply to the letter or his appearance, but Nastenka grows restless at the other man's absence and takes comfort in the narrator's friendship.

The narrator continues to comfort her, for which she is extremely grateful, leading him to break his resolve and confess his love for her.

Nastenka is disoriented at first, and the narrator, realizing that they can no longer continue to be friends in the same manner, insists on never seeing her again.

The final section is a brief afterword about a letter he receives from Nastenka, in which she apologizes for hurting him and insists that she will always be thankful for his companionship.

The narrator notes that though he had never considered Matryona to be old, she looked far older than she ever had, and wonders if his own future is to be without companionship and love.

...That I should crush a single one of those delicate blooms which you will wear in your dark hair when you walk up the aisle to the altar with him!