Aiden and Aru

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Aru Shah and Aiden Acharya are two friends and love interests in the Pandava Quintet. Aru is the reincarnation of Arjuna, while Aiden is the reincarnation of Draupadi, one of Arjuna's wives. Aru has a crush on Aiden. It is not explicitly stated if Aiden returns Aru's feelings; however, he has kissed her in *Aru Shah and the City of Gold*.

## Interactions

### Aru Shah and the End of Time

* Aru has a flashback to seeing Aiden through her window and giving him her best smile, with the implication that she wants him to like her. However, she realized she was wearing a horned helmet and panicked, running into the refrigerator and falling face-first onto the floor. Aru then continued to lie on the kitchen floor for another hour.
* Aru and Aiden have their first on-page interaction towards the end of the book when Aru is going home for winter break. It is shown that Aru has a crush on Aiden; Aru was nervous about talking to him since she found him good-looking. Aru was so distracted thinking about Aiden that she bumped into him. Aiden asked if she was okay, but Aru got nervous and blurted out that she knew where Aiden lived. When he got confused, Aru blabbered something about demons and ran home.

### Aru Shah and the Song of Death

* When Aru, Mini Kapoor-Mercado-Lopez and Brynne Rao are framed for stealing the bow and arrow of Kamadeva, Queen Uloopi assigns them a quest to retrieve Kamadeva's bow and arrow. Boo is unable to come on the quest, as he is to be held in custody, so he sends an Otherworld trainee in his place - Aiden. When Brynne finds out that Aru is the "I know where you live" girl, she cracks up. This reveals that Aiden had mentioned Aru to Brynne.
* After Rudy saves Aru, Brynne and Aiden from Takshaka, he asks Aru for her number so that he can contact her later. When Brynne tells Aiden that Rudy asked for Aru's number, Aiden asks why. In response, Aru sarcastically says "Wow, thanks." Aiden, realizing what he said hurt Aru, turns red and tries to apologize, but Aru cuts him off.
* Later in the book, Aiden tells Aru that he likes her. This makes butterflies appear in Aru's stomach, although then he goes on to say that he likes her just as a friend.
* At the climax, when Meenakshi shoots Kamadeva's arrow at Aru in an attempt to turn her into a Heartless, Aiden dives in front of her without thinking about the risk to himself. This results in Aiden becoming a Heartless zombie, and he tries to attack Aru, Brynne and Mini.
* At the end of *Aru Shah and the Song of Death*, on Aru's birthday, Aru goes to Aiden's house. Aiden wants to use a love arrow from Kamadeva to get his divorced parents back together, but Aru helps Aiden realize that he just wants his mother to be happy. In the end, Aiden uses the love arrow on his mother and helps her fall back in love with herself. Aru's helping Aiden shows that she's progressed beyond a shallow crush on him and has become a good friend who he knows well. Aiden is grateful for her help.

#### All By Mah-Selllf (Bonus Scene)

* Aiden and Aru go to the Halloween dance together
* Brynne pushes Aru to go dance with Aiden
* Aiden looks happy to see Aru on the dance floor
* Aiden asks if Aru wants to dance with him, and offers to teach Aru to waltz
* When the music suddenly changes, Aiden says "Another time, then." implying he would like to dance with Aru.

### Aru Shah and the Tree of Wishes

* Aru tells Sheela Jagan and Nikita Jagan that they can call Aiden "Wifey", and after some teasing between Brynne and Aiden, Nikita, still confused, asks why they nicknamed Aiden "Wifey". Sheela, who is a clairvoyant, tells Nikita that Aiden was once the reincarnation of Draupadi, who was married to all five Pandava brothers, and concludes that the only tragedy of the story was that Draupadi loved one brother more than the others. Then, more to herself, but looking right at Aiden, her eyes flash silver, and she asks, "Even lifetimes later?" Aiden responds saying, "What are you talking about?" Sheela was most likely referring to Aru, because all of the other girls in the group are people he either considers family or friends, and it is said that Draupadi loved Arjuna more than her other husbands.
* Aiden stares at Aru after she gets her new outfit from Nikita. He looks at the other two girls too, but he looks at Aru a little longer. When Aru asks what he thinks of the girls' clothes, he says "You look..." but hesitates and looks away. When Aru asks again, he says, "Fine" very flatly.
* Yamuna asks Mini whom she wants to keep alive, when Yamuna's sari bore up Aiden, Aru looks away because she couldn't see him like that, her soul recoiled at the thought. When Mini chooses Rudy, Aru couldn't believe that she chose Rudy over their sister and Aiden. She doesn't know what would happen to him. Luckily, Yamuna brings them all back, and the memory is stolen from Aru.
* When Aru sees her first memory of the Sleeper, and she becomes upset, Aiden, Mini, and Brynne, follow her and comfort her about it.
* When Aru sees her second memory of the Sleeper, Aiden is the first one to comfort her. Afterward, Aiden, Mini, Rudy, and Brynne all tell her about how they were named.
* After meeting with the chakora birds, and everyone is asleep, Aru starts staring at Aiden as he fiddles with his camera. Aiden sees Aru and asks if there is something on his face. Aru,trying to ignore the fact that she is blushing, tells him no, and asks him why he's still awake. Aiden tells Aru that he is staying awake to take some pictures with Shadowfax. Aru tells him she doesn't miss the forest they were just in, and that if she had stayed longer the chakora bid Sohail would probably have passed out from having to endure her presence. As she starts to fall asleep, Aiden says, "Maybe he didn't see you in the right light, Shah." However, Aru thinks she must be dreaming when he says that. Aiden may have been implying that Aru was beautiful.
* When Aiden used the key to open the door to Home Depot, something would be opened inside him. As he turns the key, his eyebrows draw together. He turned, and looked straight at Aru for one full second. His eyebrows went up in surprise, and then he quickly shook himself. He urged everyone to go inside, and Aru was the last person to go in before Aiden. As she passes him, Aru asks Aiden if he's okay. Aiden replies, "Yeah, um, I'm fine, Shah." He then hastily puts the key away. It is implied that the key unlocked a feeling deep inside him when he used it, possibly romantic feelings for Aru.
* After they are inside Home Depot, Rudy states that Aru must hate Home Depot. Aru replies that she doesn't, as she had good memories with her mom at Home Depot. Rudy then invites Aru to visit his father's palaces any time she wants. Up ahead, Aru glimpses Mini slow her pace, and she thinks that Mini might have almost looked over her shoulder, but changed her mind. Aru feels her face grow hot with guilt, as she didn't want Rudy's attention, and she didn't want Mini's feelings to be hurt. Aru then says she will ask Brynne and Mini if they would wanna go, and she tries to catch up with the other girls. As she is walking away, Aru overhears Rudy say, "I really thought she'd hate this place." When Aiden says "Then you don't really know her," Aru imagines that Aiden shrugs and is looking down and fiddling with his camera instinctively.
* Aru can't help but stare at Aiden when he sings a lullaby to the plants. He stares back at her.

### Aru Shah and the City of Gold

* When Aru escapes from the Sleeper's lair with Kara and returns to her home, Brynne, Mini and Aiden welcome Aru back. Aiden says that he couldn't stop thinking about Aru and wondering if she was okay. Aiden looks like he is about to hug Aru, but at the last second he lowers his arms.
* When Aiden catches Aru when she stumbles while trying to escape from the souvenir shop, both Aru and Aiden get flustered and quickly straighten up. Also, Aru mentions that she felt Aiden's warmth which was right next to her very pleasant but slightly distracting.
* When the Vanaras try to wed Aiden and Aru, Aiden gets embarrassed and hurries off.
* Brynne and Mini say that Aiden has been "a little in his head" ever since Aru got kidnapped.
* Aiden tells Aru that he will always be on her side. Aru gets a swoopy-elevator feeling because he was standing too close.
* Aiden says that panic brings out the best in Aru and takes a picture of her. He shows her the picture and says, "It's a good look on you."
* Aru uses Vajra to smack a stranger on the back of the head because the person (Grayson Surapeni) was figuring out how to exploit people when they were worried about their loved ones. Aiden spots Aru, and Aru innocently says he didn’t see her do anything. Aiden replies, “I always see you, Shah.” This causes Aru’s heart to beat faster, but she quickly scolds herself, telling herself that Aiden doesn’t think of her that way and only sees her as a friend.
* When the Potatoes are inside the House of the Sun trying to complete Kubera’s 3rd trial, Saranyu and Chhaya force the Potatoes to choose the more beautiful person between the two of them. Saranyu offers to heal Kara if the Potatoes choose her, and Chhaya will return the Potatoes to Lanka if they choose her. Aiden is the deciding vote, and he ultimately chooses Saranyu, saying, “I have to say that the goddess who shows mercy by letting us go *and* waking up Kara would be the more beautiful one to me.” Aiden then turns to Aru and smiles at her, instead of looking at Kara, which is what Aru assumed he would do. Aiden could be implying that he thinks Aru is pretty, since he looks at her after saying that he found Saranyu the more beautiful person.
* While the Potatoes and Kara are travelling through Surya's storage hall, Aru freaks out when she sees an illusion of her mother crying for help. She spins Vajra around, and it collides with Aiden's scimitar. He tries to use his apsara powers to calm her down, but while Aru is getting sense into her head, an illusion of her mother floats nearby. Aru immediately uses Vajra against Aiden as an accident. He gets up while Aru is apologizing profusely. Aiden gets angry. Aru tries to apologize, but is cut off, and they start to argue. Aiden says that Aru never listens to anything, and she gives him a comeback, which ends up in a full scale shout-fest. While they argue, the goddess Chhaya makes Aiden listen to a prophecy that says that the girl he loves would be the death of him, much to his shock, which is probably the reason why Aiden avoided Aru for eight months.
* Just before they fight the Sleeper's army, Aiden interjects in a rush, "Shah, I need to tell you something...I think, I mean, I know that—". However, he is interrupted by Kubera's announcement, and Aiden never finishes his sentence.
* Aru had spied on Aiden and Kara when Kara was admitting that she liked him. Aiden confessed that he cares for Kara, but only as a friend and Kara storms out in tears. Aru tries to sneak out and feels bad for Kara, but is slightly relieved that she isn't the only one rejected by "Aiden-I-only-like-my-camera-Acharya". Aiden catches her trying to crab-walk out the hall. He asks her what she was doing, to which Aru stands up and says, "Nothing" Aiden, who was most likely remembering the prophecy Chhaya showed him, walks away after coldly responding "I can see that." Aru gets angry at him, and says "What is your problem lately?" Aiden responds by saying, "I don't have a problem." Aru, still upset, asks if Aiden hates her. Aiden responds in the negative, which makes Aru say, "Well, you've been acting like it!...At first I thought you were grossed out that I--". When Aiden asks about what she was talking about, she confesses her feelings for him. She feels that he has grown very tall, but the next second, she suddenly finds his face very close to hers. Aiden then kisses her, saying "Happy Birthday, Aru", as one of her complaints against him was that he didn't even wish her happy birthday. Aru feels "like someone had poured sunlight down her veins, because she was warm all over".

### Aru Shah and the Nectar of Immortality

* Before the Potatoes leave for their quest, Aiden and Aru talk briefly about their kiss. Aiden tells Aru that he thinks they shouldn’t have kissed, and asks her if she was okay. Aru gets upset, and her anger only grows when Aiden asks if he and Aru can still be friends. Aru shoots back that they can be friends, mostly because she doesn't have time to worry about feelings, and tells Aiden that she doesn't want him to ever talk to her again after they complete their quest. After Brynne and Mini hear about the conversation that Aru accidentally broadcast through the Pandava mind link, they start to act cold towards Aiden in support of Aru.
* At the wedding the Potatoes attend to contact Agni, Brynne and Mini walk at the back of the line in case something starts to attack them, and since Aru has to be the one to throw the coin into the sacred fire, she and Aiden have to walk down the aisle together in the front. When Aru almost trips, Aiden catches her and gives her one of his “Meaningful LooksTM”. When the fire portal opens, Aiden grabs Aru’s hand as they are pulled into it.
* When they arrive in Agni’s realm, Mini starts to panic, saying she’s run out of water and that this place was so hot that they could get heatstroke. Aiden offers her a water bottle, which she takes gladly. Aru knew that it was just a simple gesture, but she felt slightly betrayed. Aru was still sitting on the ground, so Aiden offers her a hand. She ignores him and gets up on her own.
* Before Nidra took Aiden away from thee Potatoes, he kisses Aru. She "held the hope that they would have a thousand more."
* Aiden drags Aru's chair over to his, and Brynne says that she doesn't want to see Aiden and Aru "make eyes at each other for five minutes straight."