Faces in the Blur
For a city of 20 million, Mumbai had never felt this empty to Shreya.
Every corner she turned, every shadow she passed — it all whispered the same thing:
It had been three days since the message about the man in the café photo.
She hadn’t replied. She hadn’t blocked the number.
She just… waited. And watched.
Her sanctuary — Studio Grind, a small café tucked between an old bookstore and a tailor shop. It was where writers, coders, and photographers buried their burnout in coffee and quiet playlists.
Shreya ordered a black coffee ☕, chose the farthest corner seat, and opened her laptop.
But before she could even click "File Explorer," she heard that voice.
Tanya Deshmukh (FL bff)
You're ghosting your ghostbusters. I called you three times. 😤
Tanya Deshmukh (25)
Fashion stylist | Loud, loyal, and brutally honest
FL former Client and bff
Shreya Singh (FL)
I’ve been working. And thinking. And possibly losing my mind.😮💨
Tanya comes and sits on the opposite chair
Tanya Deshmukh (FL bff)
You know, if I didn’t love you, I’d tell you to go to therapy.
Tanya Deshmukh (FL bff)
But since I do, I’ll tell you to email the creep to me. I’ll forward him to Rohan.
Tanya Deshmukh (FL bff)
Rohan cracked a medical database last week just to cancel his hospital bill.😏
Tanya Deshmukh (FL bff)
He can trace a ghost if you give him five minutes and a signal.
Shreya Singh (FL)
And a few felonies, I assume.
Tanya Deshmukh (FL bff)
Minor details. 😇
Rohan Malhotra (27)
🖥️ Cybersecurity consultant | Tanya’s ex-ex-turned-tech-ally
🔎 Cynical, awkward, but brilliant
🧠 Thinks feelings are malware
Shreya hesitated. She wasn’t ready to make this real.
Not yet. Not until she had more proof.
She took a deep breath and opened the photo from the café again — the one with him.
A crowded space. Laughter blurred in the background.
Light poured through the window like gold.
And in the corner… the man.
Not blurry. Not candid.
Standing still in a moving crowd.
His eyes fixed straight at the lens — almost like he knew she’d look back. 😨
Shreya Singh (FL)
He wasn’t in the room when I shot this. I would’ve noticed him.
Tanya Deshmukh (FL bff)
Then maybe he wasn’t part of the room.
Tanya Deshmukh (FL bff)
Maybe he was part of you. 😶🌫️
Afternoon: Client Shoot in Colaba....
Later that day, Shreya headed to a boutique opening — a regular client, nothing dangerous.
She set up her camera and tripod along the sidewalk and began snapping the models in natural light.
Everything felt normal. Ordinary.
Until it didn’t.
Across the street, a man stood still beside a newsstand. Black jacket. Neutral expression.
But again — those eyes.
Not scanning the crowd. Not distracted.
Focused. On. Her.
She raised her camera instinctively. But this time, when she clicked — he was already turning away.
Gone.
Unknown
📱Snap all you want. But not every face is meant to be captured. 📷🚫
She dropped her camera bag. Her stomach turned cold.
This wasn’t random. This was targeted.
She immediately texted Maya
Shreya Singh (FL)
📱He was there again. Watching. No expression. No phone. Just… staring.
Maya Kapoor (FL cousin & bff)
You NEED to go to the police.
Shreya Singh (FL)
Not yet. I want to catch him. I want to know.
Maya Kapoor (FL cousin & bff)
This isn’t a documentary, Shreya.
Maya Kapoor (FL cousin & bff)
This is how true crime podcasts begin. 😰
Shreya lit a candle. She always worked better in low light.
She opened her laptop and created a new folder.
FOLDER NAME: “SUSPECTS” 🗂️
Inside, she placed:
The café photo 🖼️
A still from the boutique shoot 🧥
The anonymous messages 📲
A screenshot of Aarav Agnihotri’s LinkedIn view 🕶️
Shreya Singh (FL)
💭I don’t know who you are.
Shreya Singh (FL)
💭But I swear… I’ll find you first.
Somewhere in an empty boardroom, Aarav Agnihotri leaned back in his chair, staring at the very same café photo.
A flicker of amusement crossed his otherwise unreadable face.
Aarav Agnihotri
So she noticed. 🖤
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