Everything Has Changed

#Aiden'sDadIsOverParty

A/N In this house, we welcome any and all Mr. Acharya slander. I know this chapter isn't as interesting as some of the others in this fic, but I'll make up for it in the next one ;)

ARU

Aru was having trouble taking in the splendor of Mr. Acharya's house.

Maybe "house" wasn't the best word to describe it. Something closer to "mansion" was more accurate.

She and Aiden had retrieved their luggage and were now standing inside the entryway. Above them, the vaulted ceilings gleamed. All the furniture around was made of burnished mahogany and looked so expensive, Aru was afraid to try sitting on any of it.

Aiden's face was stony and his posture was stiff as his dad emerged to greet them.

Mr. Acharya didn't have devil horns like Aru half-expected, but she'd learned enough about monsters to know that they didn't all look like their true natures. The only things Mr. Acharya and Aiden had in common were the color of their skin and in their curly hair. Mr. Acharya wore a gray suit and a blackstone pin on his lapel. His mouth turned down as he saw them, or maybe that was just his natural expression.

"Kara," he said. "Thank you for watching my son. I trust your father has duties for you?"

Kara glanced at Aru and Aiden. "Yes, but...sir, I'm their chaperone–"

Mr. Acharya cut her off with a wave of his hand. "There's no need for that. I can chaperone them now. Thank you, Kara."

It was a clear dismissal. Kara quickly left, her footsteps echoing through the entryway.

"I've missed you, Aiden." Mr. Acharya stepped forward. Aru expected him to give his son a hug, but instead, he reached out a hand for Aiden to shake.

"You too," Aiden managed.

"What was that? Speak up, son."

"He said, 'You too,'" Aru spoke up, her anger flaring on behalf of Aiden.

Mr. Acharya let go of his son's hand and turned to her. His gaze was analytical, raking over her swiftly. "Aru Shah, correct?"

"That's me."

"I've heard of you. You're Aiden's...friend?" His words were friendly enough, but his tone was icy cold.

"I'm his girlfriend," Aru said sharply. "Thank you."

"Ah. My apologies. My son failed to notify me of this earlier, so–" He gave a theatrical shrug. "It slipped my mind. I've been quite busy this week, you see."

Aru felt a flash of panic as Mr. Acharya reexamined her. She felt as if she were slowly being disassembled under his gaze. He knows. He knows we're not actually dating, she thought, panicked.

"I don't have to tell you everything about my personal life," Aiden said coldly, jolting Aru back to the present.

Mr. Acharya sighed, and Aru was surprised to hear that it sounded genuine. "I wish you could understand that I only want the best for you. I simply want to know you, Aiden."

Aiden shook his head. "You don't know me. Not anymore."

"Be as that may, I want to talk with you now, Aiden. Alone. Miss Shah, you can wait here. We will not be long."

AIDEN

Aiden had never liked his father's study. It was isolated even within the house, away from any other rooms that people regularly inhabited. Security guards routinely patrolled the corridors to prevent anyone from breaking into the study. Aiden had always thought it was his dad's normal paranoia, but now, he wondered if it was because his dad was hiding something.