Do You Still Love Me When We Meet Again? (Aubrey and Damon) novel Chapter 14

Chapter 14

Aubrey, resigned, pulled open the passenger door of Damon’s car, slid in, closed it, and buckled her seatbelt.

Damon handed her phone back, started the car, and drove away.

The atmosphere inside the car was stifling, heavy with unspoken tension.

Aubrey caught Skylar’s sour expression in the rearview mirror, her icy glare filled with undisguised disgust and fury as she stared daggers at her.

When she and Damon first started dating, Skylar had still been a high school senior, and back then, she hadn’t had nearly as much time to constantly hound him.

Now, Skylar had graduated college, had no real job, and had followed Damon all the way to Crestview City.

She figured Skylar couldn’t possibly be Damon’s girlfriend yet.

Because no woman in the world would tolerate her boyfriend constantly interacting with an ex

Skylar’s seething, yet silent, anger was enough to indicate that their relationship was strictly platonic.

At the very least, Skylar had no real control over Damon.

The car drove along a wide, quiet avenue.

Noticing the route they were taking, Skylar quickly interjected, “Damon, why don’t we drop Aubrey off first? It would save time and gas.”

Damon focused on his driving, not bothering to respond to Skylar.

Skylar scoffed angrily, puffing out her cheeks, and crossing her arms over her chest as she leaned back against the seat.

Silence fell once more in the car.

Aubrey turned her head, watching the bustling city lights outside the window flash by, frame by frame.

It was the road leading to Maple Hill Condos.

Twenty minutes later, the car pulled to a stop in front of Maple Hill Condos.

The interior lights came on, but Skylar still hadn’t made a move to get out.

Damon prompted, “Skylar, get out.”

Skylar stormed out of the car, slamming the door shut with a furious thud.

The resounding bang made it feel as if she’d ripped the door off its hinges.

Her fury was impossible to miss.

Damon’s face darkened. He started the car and drove away.

He pulled out his phone, slotted it into the dashboard mount, and pulled up Skylar’s contact on his Whatsapp, his finger hovering over the voice message button.

“Buy your own car, or hail a ride. From now on, you’re not allowed in my car.” His voice was frigid, imperious, brooking no argument. Skylar replied instantly on the app.

Damon pressed play, amplifying the sound to a volume Aubrey could hear.

Damon, you’re being such a jerk. What’s the big deal if I slammed the car door because I was mad?”

While driving, Damon was arguing with Skylar via messages on the app.

“Tomorrow, I’m going to find your landlord, buy the place you’re renting, and make sure you get the hell out of my life.”

“Then I’ll tell your parents. I’ll tell them you’re still having something going on with that bitch Aubrey in Crestview City.”

“Nobody, not even God, can tell me what to do”

“You’re such a jerk, such a jerk, such a jerk… You’ll be crying later, just you wait”

“Get lost,” Damon snapped.

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He swiped on his phone screen while driving.

Aubrey glanced at his phone, just in time to see him block Skylar.

Once he was done, he locked his phone.

Aubrey didn’t find Damon blocking Skylar to be anything unusual.

Damon’s mother and Skylar’s mother were best friends, as close as sisters.

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Skylar came from a wealthy family, spoiled rotten since childhood, a truly pampered princess. Damon, on the other hand, was from an old money family, a lineage of high–ranking officials. He was exceptional in every way–his upbringing, character, and capabilities were all beyond reproach.

For his mother’s sake, Damon treated Skylar like a younger sister, but her temperament often drove him crazy, leading to occasional arguments.

But Damon always had an eye on the bigger picture. As long as she didn’t cross his ultimate line, he would ultimately compromise for the sake of family harmony and his mother’s peace of mind and unblock Skylar.

In the four years Aubrey had been with Damon, this exact scenario had played out twice.

And each time, it was something as trivial as slamming a car door that set Damon off.

Damon had a notoriously low tolerance for others. If someone lacked manners, had poor character, or harbored ill intentions, he simply wouldn’t associate with them.

Aubrey had often pondered this herself.

What was Damon’s bottom line when it came to her?

Aubrey’s heart felt heavy. She leaned her head against the window, the quiet car now suffocated by an oppressive, cold pressure.

She didn’t want to be the villainess in this story, nor did she want Damon to suffer.

But she had no choice.

An hour later, the car pulled into a parking lot in the suburbs, a short distance from her rental apartment.

“Thanks.” Aubrey didn’t know why he’d stopped here, but she thanked him anyway, then opened the door and got out.

Aubrey had barely stepped out of the parking lot when she realized Damon was right behind her. She spun around, a frown creasing her brow. “What are you doing?”

Damon slipped his phone and car keys into his pocket. “I’m coming to your place to get my umbrella.”

Aubrey’s voice was unnervingly calm. “Tomorrow, I’ll have a messenger service deliver it to your place.”

“I’m already here,” Damon said, unwilling to budge. “I’ll just come up and get it myself.”

“It’s too late,” she replied, her voice firm. “It’s not convenient.”

The warm glow of the streetlights spilled over them, casting a soft, faint halo as a heavy silence pressed in.

Damon fell silent, his gaze piercing Aubrey’s calm eyes. They held not a trace of feeling, utterly clear, yet they were unsettlingly cold, almost ruthless.

Finally, his voice a low concession, he said, “It’s already one–thirty in the morning. I’m dead tired behind the wheel and could easily get into an accident driving home. I’ll just come up to your place for a coffee to perk me up.”

Aubrey pulled out her phone. “I’ll call you a ride.”

Damon scoffed, snatching the phone from her hand. “Aubrey, you don’t honestly think I’d try anything with an ex–girlfriend I despise, do you?”

Aubrey watched her phone get snatched again, her anger flaring. “Damon,” she snapped, her voice tight with irritation, “I’m a lawyer. I have a professional sense of self–preservation. It’s because I know you hate me that I need to protect myself even more. Give me back my phone.”

Damon smirked, tucking her phone into his own pocket. He leaned closer, lowering his voice, a feigned, menacing edge to his tone as he spoke each word with chilling deliberation. “Aubrey, if I truly meant you harm, no legal title or badge would protect you”

Had she not known Damon so intimately, she might have actually been terrified.

Aubrey was emotionally drained. She tilted her head back, gazing into the dark, unreadable depths of his eyes, her voice a soft plea. “Damon, we broke up five years ago. What exactly do you want?”

“Nothing, just want a cup of coffee at your place.” Damon sneered, a sharp twist to his lips as he leaned closer, his brow furrowed in mock disbelief.

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“What? You seriously think I’d want to get back together with the ex who betrayed me?”

Aubrey shook her head, a suffocating tightness seizing her chest.

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