A/N: Ok, so I know I promised to do the vending machine part in Aru's POV but her brain was dead and she didn't really know what she was doing then, so I decided to fast-forward to confession time instead, which is months later.

Part 1 is on my other book, 'Arundhati Shah' and yeah, I just did another double update :)

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Aru's POV:

Aru panted, inhaling sharp, cold air that made her lungs sting.

"Whose idea was it to climb Stone Mountain again?" She gasped. Aiden, who was bent over next to her, trying to catch his breath, glared at her.

"Pretty sure it was you, Shah. Didn't you say you wanted to go somewhere special and tell me something?" Aru felt her face burn. Tonight was the night she planned on confessing about her crush to him.

So she decided to take Aiden to the one place where they could see the stars in Atlanta. But what if he said no? She slapped her cheeks.

Get a grip, Shah. It doesn't matter what he says, this will be good for your state of mind. You can grow a beard when he rejects you and move to a different country. Plus your mental insanity could decrease and you might even stop talking to yourself. Aru huffed.

"Whatever." Then a sly look entered her eyes and she smirked. "Race you to the top! Last one there gets to be Brynne's taste-testing guinea pig!" Then she took off and ran up the mountain as if her life depended on it; because it did.

"Hey! That's not fair!" Aiden raced after her, camera swinging near his hip. Aru could practically smell the top of the mountain, she could certainly see it. However, she could also see that Aiden was gaining on her.

Just ten more steps! She squeezed her eyes shut, adrenaline pumping through her veins, as she lunged and threw herself at the make-believe finish line. Aiden was five seconds too late.

"And I win! Beat it, snob." She cheered. Aiden rolled his eyes and flopped down next to Aru, who lay on the grass, looking ridiculous, but still grinning triumphantly.

"You cheated and you know it, troll. You had a big head start." Aiden complained, looking disgruntled, but he didn't sound mad.

"Whatever floats your boat, Wifey." He made a rude gesture at her, then started fiddling with Shadowfax. They lay on the grass on top of Stone Mountain, not saying anything and ignoring the weird looks people gave them. Both were lost in thought. When Aru finally sat up, however, she gasped in dismay.

"Where are the stars?" The sky was completely devoid and looked like a black expanse of nothing. Now what was she supposed to do? She had a whole speech planned and everything, and the monologue mostly included the keyword 'stars'. Wait. What were the words again? Aru started panicking when she realized she had forgotten her entire speech.

"Shah?" Aiden asked softly, looking at her in concern as she covered her face with her hands.

"The thing I was supposed to tell you.... no, never mind. I dragged you all the way up here so we could look at the stars, I know how much you love scenic views. It was a really hard climb, but they said it's worth it when you see the bejeweled night sky. But it was all for nothing."

"But there are stars here."

"What?" Aiden stood up and helped Aru do the same, before walking towards the edge of the mountain with the other in tow.

"Look." He pointed down, and Aru saw what he was pointing at. The city lights twinkled like thousands upon thousands of stars, glowing like scattered gems. Her breath hitched and she turned towards Aiden, who was smiling and already taking pictures. So there were stars below the night sky.

Aru leaned forward on the railing, letting the cold from the metal seep into her and ground her. She took a deep breath in, then let it out. She was going to confess, right here, right now. Fuck the speech she had spent hours on through blood, sweat, and tears. She would do this the typical Aru Shah way.

She opened her mouth, then quickly shut it. Nope, nope, nope. No way was she gonna tell Aiden she liked him. She didn't want to move to another continent, the ice cream here was to die for. Not to mention her mom would kill her.

Just when she was about to make an excuse and vamoose, Aiden turned to her. And in his eyes, Aru saw there were more stars out there than the ones in the sky and lighting up the city.

"You know, with you, every day is so strange and random. Like today, I planned on sitting back and relaxing until you came and challenged me to a last-minute hike. I find myself doing things I usually never do." Aru swallowed.

"Oh. Do you- do you dislike it?" Aiden thought for a moment.

"No." Aru took her time calming her mind and burying her negative thoughts, before sighing and blowing a strand of her hair out of her face.

"Well, I guess it's the same for me. Around you, every day becomes weird and extraordinary and mystifying and every synonym in between. But I like those weird days. So, do you want to continue having weird days with me?" She asked, smiling despite her internal conflict.

Aiden looked at her in surprise, mouth opening slightly, causing Aru to laugh gently. "If you need a translation: I'm asking if you want to go out with me?" Welp, now you've done it. Time to skedaddle. She clenched her hands, ready to run to the nearest train that would get her off this planet when Aiden's stunned expression morphed into a gorgeous smile.

"Yes."

"... Uh?" Aiden chuckled softly at Aru's flabbergasted look.

"Yes, I would like to go out with you." She laughed in exhilaration and slight confusion.

"I hope you know what you are getting into," Aiden smirked, looking just as thrilled as Aru, before reaching over and squeezing her hand.

"I don't. But I can't wait to find out. Besides, isn't that what dating's about?" This earned another breathless laugh from Aru.

"Wise words, Wifey. You are learning how to smooth talk from the best, after all."

"Sure, whatever floats your boat, Shah." Aru scowled.

"Oh, shut up." Regardless, she didn't let go of his hand.

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A/N: Again, let me know what you all think, and if I should do a part 3! And yes I think Aru will be the one to get down on one knee. This story was rushed so it may not be the best, plus I suck at confessions. 

Can't forget the many thanks for getting me here, you all are the best and deserve the world and so much more! Thank you for getting me to 1.8K!!!