aru shah fan fiction

soulmate au: twenty

a/n this chapter is unedited, so i apologize in advance if the tone of the writing sounds awful. this is why you don't write at 11:30 at night lol. i'll edit it tomorrow heh . . .

Well, this is awkward.

Aru fiddled with her thumbs as her eyes darted around the cafe. The air was so thick with awkwardness, she could feel her social skills suffocating. Aiden sat across from her looking no more comfortable than she did, his fingers drumming the table in an almost hypnotic way.

He sighed and brought his hands together, slender fingers intertwining. "We need to address the elephant in the room."

Aru swiveled her head. "There's an elephant in the room?"

He rolled his eyes, but she didn't miss the slight smile on his lips. "Yes and no. You know what I mean."

Aru pressed her palms against her cheeks in a poor attempt to cool her fiery blush. "Yeah, I know what you mean."

"Did I upset you somehow?"

She looked up, eyebrows scrunched. His kiss had made her feel everything but upset. "No, why would you think that?"

"You've just been avoiding me lately," he said. "I thought, like, maybe you didn't want to talk to me anymore because--"

"Because what?"

"Because you didn't like me. And not 'like' in that way! Or, not really. Kinda. I'm just saying I was worried you didn't want to talk to me anymore because you didn't like me anymore."

"Wait a minute, you think I like you?" Aru panicked. "Like, like like you?? That's not true! I mean, kind of. Not really actually, but that doesn't matter! And I don't want to stop talking to you! That would be awful. I've just been avoiding you because I feel like there are just these really awkward vibes between us right now and I don't like feeling awkward because I end up doing something stupid and then I get--"

Aiden's lip quirked up in an amused, almost teasing smile. "Wait, you like me, Shah?"

"No, I never said that!" ALERT. ALERT. YOU DEFINITELY SAID THAT, ARU. ABANDON MISSION. RETREAT!!

He laughed. "I'm not sure about that; I heard differently," he smiled at her, and Aru didn't like the butterflies that swept through her stomach or how warm her cheeks felt. "For what it's worth, Aru, I like you too."

I like you too.

"You like me?" she asked, trying not to sound too curious. "You like me in that way?"

He shrugged nonchalantly without a word, but Aru could've sworn he was blushing.

"And it's not because we're soulmates, right? Like, you feel obligated to have feelings for me?"

He shook his head. "No, I promise you, it's not that. Let me say this before I regret it. Aru, I like you too. I'm not sure when or how that happened, but it did. I like you and all your weird jokes and awful movie references and your obsession with Swedish Fish. Only if you're okay with it, I want to start hanging out with you as a soulmate and partner rather than a friend."

Aru had no idea what to say. What were you supposed to say after hearing something as romantic and swoon-worthy as that? Was she starring in a romance movie? Aiden was definitely handsome enough to be the main lead. She felt the most inappropriate urge to laugh. "All this feels oddly movie-like."

He threw her a look. "I just bared my soul to you, and you're talking about movies?" (a/n if any of you recognize where this quote is inspired from, you get a cookie 😀)

She grinned. "You know me." But underneath her carefree exterior, she turned his words over in her head. I want to start hanging out with you as a soulmate and partner rather than a friend. Could she do it? Could she be involved in a relationship like that? She didn't know a single thing about being someone's soulmate! How did you even navigate something like that? But despite her concerns, Aru found herself wanting to say yes. Yes to being in a relationship with him; yes to being soulmates beyond the tattoos. She also liked him too much to reject him.

"It feels weird to say this so seriously, but sure Aiden. I accept your proposal, under the condition that you take me to Ms. Sugar a lot. That frozen yogurt is just MMMMMMMMM."

He snorted. "I feel like anyone can win your heart over as long as they give you good food."

"Yep."

He chuckled and the two gazed at each other, giddy smiles stretching across both of their faces.

It wasn't until Aru was lying in bed that night when the day's events truly struck her. Aiden liked her. They were, like, official soulmates now. Like Mini and Rudy.

She really hoped she wasn't dreaming. But if she was, this was the best dream ever.

ONE WEEK LATER

"Aru, please stop eating the cookies; you're going to get a stomachache," Aiden shook his head like a mother to a naughty child.

"But they're so darn good," she stuffed a third one in her mouth. "How does your friend make them like this? These are the kind of cookies Greek gods eat."

He laughed. "I'm not sure, but I can have you two meet up sometime soon. Her name's Brynne; she's crazy talented at all things food-related."

"Yes, please introduce me," Aru replied through a mouthful of cookies. "I'll just become her friend so I can eat all her food."

"That's not a good idea; she might kill you," he warned.

"Meh, at least I would have had a good meal before my life ended."

He sighed. "Why are you like this, Shah?"

"Yet you still like me."

He sighed and brought his lips to the top of her head. "Unfortunately, I do."

a/n wow . . . this was the last chapter. it's just the epilogue now. thank you to @Sassy_Blue_Cookies for suggesting a soulmate au. this was so fun and it really helped me improve my writing. thank you!!

also, thank you to every single one of you who have supported me through voting and commenting. i literally get the stupidest, largest grin on my face. and some of you guys just have me bust out laughing; your comments are hilarious.

see you guys on wednesday for the epilogue! again, i'll be editing this tomorrow.

love you all, and thank you for all the support!!! <3 <3 <3

- abbizzzz <3