5

Step Two: Social Media Hunt

If Google wasn’t giving him answers, social media had to, right?

I opened Instagram. Searched.

Nothing.

Facebook? Nothing.

LinkedIn? Still nothing.

“…Is he even a real person?” I muttered.

Seriously, how was someone this invisible?

Everyone had something online—some old account, some cringey username from high school, some blurry photo from a wedding they didn’t want to attend.

But Mehul? Ghost.

My fingers hovered over the keyboard, debating the next move.

And then—a small hit.

A barely-there account under his name. No profile picture. No posts. Private.

I clicked on it. Only one visible thing—a bio.

It was blank.

Except for one line:

“If you’re looking for something, you won’t find it here.”

I stared.

Then laughed.

Oh, he was good.

I leaned back in the chair, rubbing my face.

So, Mehul was impossible to stalk.

Fine.

But did that mean I was gonna stop being curious? Absolutely not.

I tapped my fingers on the desk, thinking.

Then, smirking, I picked up my phone and sent a message.

Vihaan: “You know, you’re very hard to find on the internet.”

A few minutes passed.

Then—three dots.

Then—

Mehul: “Why were you looking?”

I blinked.

…Okay. Didn’t see that coming.

Vihaan: “Curiosity?”

Mehul: “Try again.”

I stared at the screen.

This guy.

I grinned, already hooked.

Vihaan: “Maybe I just wanted to know if you secretly post thirst traps.”

Mehul: “…Goodbye.”

I laughed out loud, earning a few confused stares from my coworkers.

Yeah. This was going to be fun.

But was I done? Nope.

I leaned forward, propping my elbows on my desk, and texted again.

Vihaan: “So mysterious. What are you hiding, Sharma?”

This time, his response came quicker.

Mehul: “Privacy.”

Vihaan: “Oh? So no embarrassing childhood photos? No angsty teenage poetry?”

Mehul: “No.”

Vihaan: “Liar. Everyone has one.”

Mehul: “Not me.”

Vihaan: “You expect me to believe you weren’t an emo teen?”

Mehul: “Correct.”

I squinted at the screen.

Vihaan: “Okay, but have you at least posted a cat meme? A food pic? A blurry concert video?”

Mehul: “No. No. And no.”

Vihaan: “You are the least fun person I know.”

Mehul: “Yet you’re still texting me.”

…Okay.

That was fair.

I huffed, tapping my fingers against my desk, trying to think of a comeback.

Vihaan: “Maybe I’m just determined to crack the mystery that is Mehul Sharma.”

Mehul: “You won’t.”

Vihaan: “That sounds like a challenge.”

Mehul: “It’s not. It’s a fact.”

Oh, he really thought he was untouchable, huh?

I grinned, shaking my head.

Vihaan: “Well, now I have to find out something about you.”

Mehul: “Good luck.”

Vihaan: “At least tell me one thing about yourself that I wouldn’t know.”

Mehul was typing for a long time.

Then—

Mehul: “I don’t like social media.”

I groaned. “That doesn’t count.”

Mehul: “It does.”

Vihaan: “Fine. I’ll find out something else. Just you wait.”

Mehul: “I’m shaking.”

I rolled my eyes but smiled.

This was fun.

Too much fun.

And now?

Now, I had a mission.

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