Aru Shah and Aiden Acharya have not spoken properly since the night of Brynne's Diwali party. She's been fine. She's been absolutely fine. She has a curry plant and a job and two best friends who only ask about him every other week now, which is progress. Then Mini and Rudy announce they're getting married in Hampi, ancient ruins, sacred river, the exact city where Aru and Aiden once stopped being enemies, and suddenly she is a bridesmaid and he is the wedding photographer and they are going to be in the same place for seven days and she has no plan whatsoever. She never has a plan. That's always been his job. Told in two timelines, the present, a wedding week unraveling every unresolved thing between them, and the past, five summers of trips across India that built a friendship that quietly became something neither of them had a clean word for: Every Place We've Ever Been is a story about how far two people can travel together while still managing to miss the point. It is also, unexpectedly, a murder mystery. Because on the second night in Hampi, a body turns up in the temple ruins. A stolen divine artifact is missing. And the only two people with the knowledge and the clearance to do something about it are Aru Shah and Aiden Acharya, who can barely look at each other without two years of unsaid things rising to the surface, which makes the enforced proximity either the worst possible timing or, if Sheela's cryptic non-prophecies are to be believed, exactly the right kind. Somewhere between solving a murder, recovering an artifact that could enslave half the mortal world, and watching their best friends get married in a city that remembers everything, they are going to have to decide whether they're brave enough to say the thing they've been almost-saying for five years.

Sixteen-year-old Aru Shah has never belonged anywhere: not in Atlanta, not in Hyderabad, and certainly not at Acharya Gurukul, India's most ruthless elite boarding school, where old money runs the hallways and the ranking board updates in real time like a scoreboard for a game nobody officially admits they're playing. But Aru isn't here for the Houses, or the gambling rings running beneath the east library, or the children of billionaires sharpening their knives on each other's backs in pursuit of Ivy League seats. She's here because both her parents were students at AG, and both of them are dead. Two accidents. Two closed files. Seventeen years of silence, and a sealed letter she's been carrying for six months without the courage to open. The answers are inside the Parishad, AG's nine-seat student council, locked behind seventy-seven years of legacy exclusivity that no scholarship student has ever broken. To get there, Aru needs rank , and at AG, rank isn't just grades. It's social influence, faculty favor, and the ruthless art of making sure the people above you have fewer reasons to stay there. What she doesn't need is Aiden Acharya. Rank one. Parishad president. Heir to the family whose name is carved above the front gate because they built the gate, the school, and everything inside it. The first person who spoke to her at AG. The boy connected to the letter she hasn't opened. The boy she is absolutely not thinking about. As Aru climbs through sabotaged study groups, gambling tables, and alliances that cost more than she expects, she uncovers a secret dangerous enough that the people who buried it are watching to see if she gets close. The Board keeps updating. The clock keeps running. And Aru Shah, 387th rank, daughter of two dead people and zero useful connections, is realizing the game she came to play is much bigger than she thought. Winning it might cost her more than her rank.

Yamini Kapoor-or, as her classmates call her, "Topper Mini- is a huge outcast at her school. No school friends, focused on studying, and no fun outings either. Just. Studies. What happens when Mini decides to join her classmates on a trek to climb the Bhuta Parvat, and she tries to really fit in? Rudra Sarpa-nicknamed "Rudy" by the school- is the most popular guy in college. His family situation sparks him to long to explore the world, hence this trip. When he meets Mini on the train, their friendship doesn't really take off- Mini's boring. Will these 2 evolve? Dunno. Guess you gotta read to find out :)

Aru Shah goes to college - but thanks to a glitch, her new roommate is the quiet, brooding Aiden Acharya. Two total opposites vs one cramped dorm. Spoiler: They fall in love, obviously.

Aiden Acharya's first love was Aru Shah. He knew it from the moment he saw her. It was going to be her, no matter what. Always. But what happens when the ghosts of past catch up to haunt him? When the fear of turning into a monster overcomes him so much that he can't even bring himself to look her in the eye. Stepping back was something he never imagined he'd do. Not to mention it hurts like hell. But knowing there was someone better for her out there? That, for him, was heaven.

Aru Shah fan-fiction galore. We got a LOT of Aru x Aiden made up moments cos who doesn't love these two. I expect literally no one to read this or see this in general, but if you do, please do tell me what you think! We STAN Wifey ✊🏽😤 THE POTATOES BELONG TO OUR QUEEN AND GODDESS ROSHANI CHOKSHIIIII enjoy :)))

An Aru Shah Gang!AU. Aiden Acharya is the heir of the Mafia gang, Kaali. His mom, Malini, is a feared gang leader. What happens when Aiden meets Aru, a seemingly care-free fun girl who turns his world upside down. Find out in "Cursed Love" TW - gun violence, descriptions of blood, swear words, death Further description inside. YOU DONT NEED TO KNOW/READ ARU SHAH TO UNDERSTAND THIS. This book has an entirely different plot to Aru Shah but just uses the characters. You DONT NOT need to read (or even know about) Aru Shah to read this.

Did Aru want to go to the new years party? No. Would she rather be on her couch in her pajamas watching Lord of the Rings while eating way too much Swedish Fish? Who wouldn't? Her father. Her father wouldn't. He wanted her to go there and "socialize" which was code for "you need to find someone to marry because your life's really sad". It was some party for his law firm he started with one of his friends too, not even like a rager which would've been mildly fun. Aiden's father was a crappy one at best. So when Aiden's dad made him the photographer at some stupid new years party that he was throwing for his law firm, of course he protested. But he couldn't look at his mom so happy about it and still tell her that he didn't wanna do it. So he was still the photographer. Shit. When they both meet, (it's up to you to guess what happens, pretty easy) Okay so this is my first fanfic so please don't make fun of it if it's like REALLY bad but there's an unfortunate lack of aru shah aus that I HAVEN'T read and I'm like obsessed with aruden it's starting to become an issue hahah i'll TRY to update, and if I have writers block or smth i'll give yall a heads up and write something in place of it:) and yes this is very much based off of new years day by taylor swift AS OF NOVEMBER 2025: first place in the RR Presents category for the Fireworks Demigod Choice Awards second place in the Best Platonic Relationship category for Aru and Rudy for the FIreworks Demigod Choice Awards

Aru just came out with her latest album, the majority breakup and love songs she'd written during and after her most recent relationship, which the media seemed to be having a field day on speculating why they'd broken up. Nobody seems to judge her based on who she is. All she was to the world was another rich and famous singer/songwriter. But Aru runs into a particular someone who chooses to look past all her scars and her fame, and she finds the one person who gets where she's coming from. What starts out as something that isn't as fake as they think it is or will be turns into what couldn't be more real. Will they be able to tolerate what others couldn't together? "I'm a mess, but I'm the mess that you wanted." - Dancing With Our Hands Tied, Taylor Swift okay how was thaaaatttt you guys really loved new years day (if you haven't, go read that now and come back here!) so i really hope you'll like this, it's definitely a different approach! imma set some stuff down here first off, ages! aru is twenty five, aiden is twenty six. rudy and mini are the same age as aru, brynne is the same age as aiden! nikita and sheela are twenty one! second, in the books i know it said that aru isn't a great singer BUT HOWEVER they also did state she was in chorus (lol like me) and also i need you guys to use your ✨imagination✨ and think that she is an amazing singer!! okay now the technical stuff! ALL CHARACTERS THAT I HAVE NOT CREATED MYSELF BELONG TO ROSHANI CHOKSHI! ALL LYRICS AND SONGS I MAY USE IN THIS BOOK BELONG TO THEIR RESPECTIVE OWNERS! ALL CELEBRITIES MENTIONED ARE REAL PEOPLE, I DID NOT MAKE THEM UP BUT YOU GUYS PROBABLY ALREADY KNEW THAT! and yes, this book is heavily based off of dancing with our hands tied by taylor swift YAY I'M SO EXCITED FOR YOU GUYS TO READ THIS! MWAH MWAH -samhita❤️❤️❤️ COPYRIGHT: ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

After years away at boarding school, Aru Shah returns home, determined to start over. New school, new life, no expectations. But she quickly finds herself pulled into an unexpected friend group and feelings she never planned for. Aiden Acharya has always hated popularity. To him, it's shallow, exhausting, and built on illusions. People only see his looks and his wealth, never the person underneath. He swears he'll never fall in love. Love only leads to disappointment. Then Aru Shah walks into his life. Caught between high school drama and friendship Aru and Aiden must figure out whether something real can survive in a world built on appearances. Can their story defy the usual high school tropes? Read my other stories:) *All characters belong to Roshani Chokshi from TPQ*