Do You Still Love Me When We Meet Again? (Aubrey and Damon) novel Chapter 13

Inside the house.

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The groom’s party poured into the house, a throng of groomsmen, family, and friends. Skylar was right there with them.

Skylar wasn’t surprised to see Aubrey among the bridesmaids. But seeing Aubrey, who’d only bothered with a minimal amount of makeup, look utterly livine, breathtakingly beautiful, made Skylar’s blood boil.

Dozens of red stools were arranged outside the bride’s door, each topped with a small cup of juice, sealed with a black lid.

One of the bridesmaids announced, “Among these cups, three actually contain wine. If you don’t pick a wine, you’ll have to hand over a cash gift in a ed envelope. If you’re lucky enough to find and drink all three cups of wine, then you can enter the room to fetch the bride. No peeking or sniffing!”

in reality, there wasn’t a single drop of wine in any of them.

t was just the bridesmaids‘ clever ploy to tease the groom and snag more red envelopes from the groomsmen.

The game began, and cup after cup of foul–tasting juice had the groomsmen making contorted faces, producing all sorts of hilarious expressions.

The bridesmaids were delighted, collecting red envelopes and having a blast. Even the family and friends watching burst into laughter.

Aubrey stood to the side, her smile especially sweet.

Suddenly, she felt an unusually intense gaze on her.

Her gaze lifted, meeting Damon’s deep eyes. The moment their gazes locked, Damon immediately gave a subtle nod toward a cup in front of him.

Having dated for four years, Aubrey naturally understood the silent plea in his eyes.

Yet, it baffled her that he would dare to ask his ex–girlfriend for help.

How naive!

He must have severely underestimated his ex–girlfriend’s capacity for mischief, hadn’t he?

Aubrey leaned in, whispering a few words to a bridesmaid nearby. After their brief exchange, she slowly made her way to one of the stools.

She locked eyes with Damon for a brief moment, then her gaze settled pointedly on one specific cup.

Damon didn’t hesitate, reaching directly for the cup Aubrey had indicated.

The instant he lifted the lid,

t was his most detested pungent, earthy concoction, a type of herbal drink he abhorred. He nearly gagged.

Drink it! Drink it! Drink it!” the bridesmaids chanted, already having collected a generous tip from the groomsmen, clapping their hands in delight.

A deep frown creased Damon’s forehead, his hand holding the cup trembling ever so slightly as he held his breath, psyching himself up for the ordeal.

Skylar’s heart ached for him. “Damon, you absolutely despise that herbal drink. I’ll drink it.”

A bridesmaid quickly stepped forward to block them. “No stand–ins!” she declared. “As long as you’re not allergic, you pick one and drink it yourself.”

Damon took a deep breath, pushing away Skylar’s outstretched hand. His deep, intense gaze locked onto Aubrey, filled with a potent challenge.

It was as if he was saying: You’re ruthless.

Aubrey’s smile brightened, a mischievous glint dancing in her eyes.

Damon held his breath, tipped his head back, and chugged the juice in one go. The moment he set the cup down, he clapped a hand over his mouth, gagging.

Skylar quickly handed him a bottle of water. He took a sip, but it couldn’t wash away the lingering taste of fish mint from his mouth

He couldn’t take it any longer. His features twisted in a grimace. He whirled around, fists clenched, and slammed his body against the nearest wall, slowly pounding it twice. He fought to suppress the sickeningly metallic taste that coated his tongue, a taste that wouldn’t leave.

The bridesmaids burst into even louder laughter.

Aubrey couldn’t help but cover her mouth and chuckle, but as she laughed, her eyes welled up, a bittersweet pang blooming in her chest.

She remembered a time when she used to tease Damon just like this.

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She’d juiced the fish mint and handed it to him in a coffee cup.

Damon would gag, tormented by the taste of the fish mint, and she’d be beside herself with laughter.

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“You little devil, how dare you mess with me?” Damon would pretend to be angry, making a show of chasing her.

She’d scramble away, laughing, happily and mischievously retorting, “Who told you to make me drink that nasty herbal medicine?

“Your cramps,” he’d retort. “Making you take that medicine was for your own good.”

“And fish mint helps with inflammation and detox,” she’d counter, “so I was just looking out for you 100,”

“You played a trick and think you can get away with it?” Damon would chase her all over the house, and once he caught her, he’d pin her down on the sofa and kiss her senseless.

A soft, choked sound escaped her lips, the kiss stealing her breath. When she finally managed to pull away, she asked, a pout on her face, “What was that for?”

“Kissing cures nausea!”

“That’s enough already.”

“Not enough. I’ll kiss you for as long as that fish mint taste lingers in my mouth.”

“You…”

Her protest was swallowed by his deep kiss.

The happiness they’d once shared was long gone, yet here she was, at someone else’s joyous wedding, searching for the lingering echoes of what they

used to be.

A wave of desolation washed over Aubrey. Her chest felt tight, constricted, and the smile slowly faded from her face.

She turned away from the lively scene and entered the bride’s room.

Seeing Sierra in her wedding gown, looking blissful and beautiful, poised on the edge of the bed as she waited, Aubrey’s heart swelled with a mix of envy and blessing.

“Why aren’t you out there playing games with everyone?” Sierra asked.

Aubrey smiled, shaking her head. “No, I wanted to come in and keep you company.”

She went up to Sierra and gently took her hand. “You look absolutely stunning today, bride.”

Sierra offered a shy, soft smile.

A wave of emotion washed over Aubrey.

If that hadn’t happened, she and Damon might have already experienced a beautiful, lively wedding like this. By now, their child might even be in preschool.

Outside the room.

Damon, having recovered from the wave of nausea, turned and went back to the

games.

He scanned the crowd, but Aubrey was nowhere in sight.

His eyes scanned the crowd, searching, but when he didn’t find her, his desire to play the games evaporated, and he automatically drifted to the periphery

It was only after downing the last cup, which turned out to contain no alcohol, that the groomsmen realized they’d been played

The lively atmosphere persisted, the games continued, and after a few more rounds, everyone poured into the bride’s room

The proposal, the presentation of flowers, the ring exchange, the kiss, the search for the bride’s shoes….

A flurry of rituals unfolded one after another.

Aubrey stood in the corner, a faint smile gracing her lips. Watching her best friend glow with happiness, an uncontrollable urge to cry welled up

her.

The bride and groom paid their respects to the bride’s parents, then headed out to the car.

The crackle of confetti cannons filled the air as rose petals and rice rained down around them.

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inside

< Chapter 13

Aubrey walked towards the bridal convoy.

The passenger door of Damon’s car remained locked. Several bridesmaids tugged at it, but it wouldn’t budge.

Skylar was forced to sit in the back seat.

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Meru

As Aubrey passed Damon’s car, he immediately opened the door and got out, resting one elbow casually on the roof. “Aubrey, get in.”

Skylar, still in the back seat, clenched her jaw in fury, her expression turning stony.

Aubrey’s steps faltered, and she looked at him.

Unbeknownst to her, at some point, the harsh indifference that had been in his eyes during their first reunion was gone. Now, they held a deep, quiet intensity she couldn’t decipher.

“No, thank you,” Aubrey said, her voice flat, and walked past him to get into another groomsman’s car.

Damon pressed his lips into a tight line, reining in his frustration, and slid back into the driver’s seat.

His passenger seat remained stubbornly empty.

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