Chapter 3 — The Search
The next morning, Priya arrived at her mother's office earlier than usual.
Today wasn't about being an employee.
It was about proving herself.
She found an unused kitchen area inside the office and immediately began arranging everything she needed. Fresh vegetables, spices, rice, flour, cooking utensils—she checked every item twice.
By late morning, the kitchen was alive with activity.
Priya tied her hair back, washed her hands, and began cooking.
The aroma slowly spread through the entire office.
Employees passing by started looking toward the kitchen.
"What's that smell?"
"Priya is cooking today."
"Seriously?"
By lunchtime, Priya had prepared everything.
She stepped outside the kitchen and took a deep breath.
"Everyone! Lunch is ready!"
One by one, the employees gathered.
Priya watched nervously as they tasted the food.
Then came the reactions.
"This is amazing."
"Did you really make all of this?"
"Priya, you should seriously become a chef."
A few people even went back for seconds.
Priya couldn't stop smiling.
She looked toward her mother.
Her mother had tasted the food too.
But there was no smile.
No compliment.
Nothing.
She simply put down her spoon, stood up, and walked away.
Priya's smile faded.
She watched her mother disappear through the office doors.
Still, she didn't let it ruin the moment.
For the first time, people were praising something she had created with her own hands.
That evening, Priya met Mina.
They walked through the city together, talking about the day's events.
Mina was excited.
"You did it! Everyone loved your food."
"Almost everyone."
"Don't worry about your mother. She'll come around."
Priya nodded.
But her mind wasn't really there.
She was thinking about someone else.
Jay.
Mina noticed.
"You're thinking about him again, aren't you?"
Priya smiled awkwardly.
"Maybe."
"Priya, you don't even know his full name."
"I know his first name."
"That's not enough to find someone."
"I know."
But that didn't stop her.
That night, Priya opened her laptop.
She searched everything she could think of.
*Jay man met at shore.*
*Jay stranger at beach.*
*Jay India shore.*
She tried social media.
Facebook.
Instagram.
Search engines.
Professional networking sites.
Nothing.
There were thousands of Jays.
But none of them were *her* Jay.
She leaned back in her chair.
She didn't know his surname.
She didn't know where he lived.
She didn't know what he did.
She didn't know his age.
She didn't even know why he had been sitting alone at the shore that night.
She knew only one thing.
His name was Jay.
And somehow, that tiny piece of information felt both precious and completely useless.
Mina looked over her shoulder.
"Give up."
Priya closed the laptop.
"I can't."
"Why?"
Priya thought for a moment.
"I don't know."
Maybe she simply wanted to thank him.
Maybe she wanted to see him again.
Or maybe something about that brief conversation had stayed inside her heart.
Something she couldn't explain.
She looked at the dark screen of her laptop.
"Who are you, Jay?"
There was no answer.
Only the silence of the night.
And somewhere far away, the same moon that watched Priya search for a stranger was shining over another person who had no idea he was being searched for.