When Strangers Lock Eyes
Mumbai Art Gallery: “Lens & Light” Exhibit
The gallery buzzed with curated conversations and overpriced wine glasses 🍷. A mix of photographers, journalists, influencers, and art buyers drifted beneath white ceilings and soft jazz.
Tonight’s exhibit theme: “Unseen.”
Perfectly ironic.
Shreya wasn’t here to network or show her work. She had come because someone left an anonymous invitation in her mail slot —
with nothing but a handwritten note:
Sometimes the only way to see the truth is through someone else’s frame.
—A
Shreya was here with Maya, Tanya and Rohan
Maya Kapoor (FL cousin & bff)
Tell me again why we’re here? *whispering*
Shreya Singh (FL)
Because someone wanted me to be. And I want to know why.
Rohan Malhotra
People don’t just leave cryptic notes unless they want something.😐
Rohan Malhotra
This isn’t a scavenger hunt. It’s bait.
Tanya Deshmukh (FL bff)
Relax, Rohan. It’s just an art show😂
Tanya Deshmukh (FL bff)
Worst-case scenario, someone steals your soul through a portrait. 😈
Shreya’s eyes scanned the space.
Photos hung like confessions — all black-and-white, abstract, faceless.
In the far-left wing, a photograph caught her breath.
The red-toned shot from the café.
Untitled. No artist name. Framed perfectly. Hung like it belonged.
Except she never submitted it.
Never shared it. Never printed it.
Maya Kapoor (FL cousin & bff)
Shreya… that’s yours. Isn’t it? 😧
Shreya Singh (FL)
Yes. But I didn’t put it here.😶
Rohan stepped closure to the picture
Rohan Malhotra
Then someone stole it. From your drive.
Rohan Malhotra
Do you still think this is just curiosity?
Shreya stepped forward, reading the tiny placard beside the frame:
Artist: Anonymous
Title: “The Girl Who Saw Too Much”
She felt a chill run down her spine.
Then came the voice.
A calm, smooth voice. Low, controlled. Dangerous.
？？？
I didn’t expect you to notice so quickly.
She turned.
There he was.
Shreya Singh (FL)
You’re Aarav Agnihotri.😬
Aarav Agnihotri
And you’re the girl who keeps looking in the wrong direction.
Aarav Agnihotri (28)
💼 CEO of Solvex | Reclusive tech entrepreneur
Dressed in a tailored black suit, no tie, stubble lined perfectly
His eyes — dark, unreadable, intelligent
He looked like someone who knew exactly how much power he held — and never needed to say it aloud
The crowd faded. Even the jazz felt muted.
It was just her… and the man whose name had haunted her messages.
Maya Kapoor (FL cousin & bff)
IS THIS REAL LIFE OR NETFLIX?? *whispering*
Tanya Deshmukh (FL bff)
Both. Now shut up and let the show begin.😏🔥
Shreya Singh (FL)
You stole my work.🤨
Aarav Agnihotri
I preserved it. There’s a difference.
Shreya Singh (FL)
Who are you to decide that?🥶
Aarav Agnihotri
The one who saw it… when you didn’t even realize what you’d captured.😏
There it was again — that feeling.
Like he knew something she didn’t.
Like he was the camera now, and she was the subject.
Shreya Singh (FL)
You’ve been watching me.❄️
Aarav Agnihotri
I’ve been… observing.
Aarav Agnihotri
There’s a difference.
Aarav Agnihotri
Watching implies interest.
Observing means purpose.
She was sharper than he expected.
He thought she’d run. Instead, she confronted.
That made things... complicated.
Shreya Singh (FL)
Why me?❄️
Aarav Agnihotri
Because someone else is watching you too.😐
Aarav Agnihotri
And unlike me… they don’t want you to know they exist.
That moment struck like lightning.
There were two watchers.
And only one had shown his face.
Shreya Singh (FL)
What do they want?
Aarav Agnihotri
I don’t know yet.
Aarav Agnihotri
But I do know this — you’re already in the frame.
And if you don’t play smart...
Aarav Agnihotri
They’ll decide how your story ends.
Phone buzzes. Unknown Number.
Unknown
📱He found you first. That’s too bad.
As her fingers trembled on the screen, Aarav looked at her.
Not with concern. Not with empathy.
Like someone who had been on the inside of the frame once…
And barely made it out.
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