Do You Still Love Me When We Meet Again? (Aubrey and Damon) novel Chapter 21

Chapter 21

For a moment, Aubrey felt a jolt. Was Damon really worried about her?

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Regardless if it was genuine or not, she couldn’t bear to let Damon be so agitated. “You might have misunderstood. I just ran into my mom near the office, and she pinned me to the ground and hit me.”

Damon froze for a moment, then gently pulled her hand away from her abdomen.

Aubrey was a little exasperated. She was clearly pressing on her upper abdomen.

must

your lower abdomen hurt too?”

have been her curled–up posture, the way she was so disheveled and vulnerable, that led to his misunderstanding.

1 have a stomachache.”

Jamon exhaled slowly, a massive weight lifting from his chest. The immediate relief was profound, yet his worry remained undiminished. Did she hit Your arm?”

She pinched me,” Aubrey said, her voice surprisingly light, even as she closed her eyes, trying to suppress the wrenching spasms in her stomach. Her raice trembled despite her efforts. “Do you have any stomach medicine?”

Right,” Damon said, immediately getting up. He returned with stomach medicine and warm water, sending onto the sofa and placing the pills in her

alm.

Aubrey had the glass of water ready, about to swallow the pill, when Damon’s hand shot out, clasping her wrist. “Did you eat dinner?” he ground out.

is voice still ragged with fury.

Aubrey hesitated for a few seconds.

Damon’s brows drew together. “You haven’t had dinner yet?”

1 did,” Aubrey said, even as her stomach churned, hollow and aching. It was a vicious combination being starved past the point of hunger. compounded by the emotional wreckage that had brought on this crippling pain.

But she was too impatient to eat anything before taking the medication.

the just wanted immediate relief.

Without another word, she swallowed the medication, chasing it with several gulps of water.

Ls she lowered the cup, Damon suddenly tugged open her jacket

ihe jerked her jacket back closed, her brows furrowed as she glared at him. “What are you doing?!”

Jamon’s voice was gentle. Let me see where you’re hurt.”

That’s not appropriate,” she insisted.

Aubrey,” he countered, his voice low and firm. “Is there any part of you I haven’t seen before?”.

Aubrey’s cheeks flushed crimson, a mix of embarrassment and exasperation. “We’re just roommates, Damn, not a couple. Please watch your words and

Jamon’s expression turned serious, his voice deliberate as he spoke each word. “Auley, if I were trying to seduse you, you could be wearing sun of irror, and I’d still find a way. Right now, all I want is to are your injury. You could be wearing nothing at all, and I would still manage to keep my

andled

Audrey’s agitated heart stilles instantly She lifted her gaze, meeting his simere lumest eyes

thecould almost see the ligla in Damon’s dark eyes, shining with a warmuth

Love aside, Damon was simply a good man

imemity, a blend of dep cancery cartul apprehension, and an

He had been raised in a honor banning with her and positivity. All his life, los family. positive influences.

a

and trends had been high

Ultimately, Aubrey was still a latle shy She wand her gase and muromed Turn around”

Damon’s Adam’s apple bobbed

nk to Aubury.

Aubrey shipped off her jacket, then unbuttoned bes long sleeved shirt. She then pulled the undershirt off her shoulders, keeping it chached so het chest

< Chapter 21

But now, she knew with absolute certainty that her mother didn’t love her.

From childhood, her mother had always viewed her as a rival, competing with her like another woman

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When she was little, if she showed her father affection, her mother would call her “vile.” If she kissed his cheek, her mother would scream “shameless.” And if Aubrey ever dared to cuddle with him to sleep, her mother would accuse her of trying to “seduce her own father.

It had left her racked with insecurity and crippling self–doubt since childhood. She learned to deliberately distance herself from her father, maintaining a stiff, polite distance, which was the only way to appease her mother.

Her mother also had a warped philosophy, claiming “ignorance was a woman’s best virtue.” She’d preach that “studying was pointless for women; they were better off marrying young and starting a family.” And “when a woman married, it should be to someone local, so she could remain nearby to care for her aging parents.

Without her father’s persistence, she never would have had the chance to go t to college.

Her childhood memories were nothing but agony.

Aubrey felt a burning in her throat, as if she was choking on something. Her eyes inexplicably welled up.

She dipped her head, blinking rapidly, trying to swallow the tears back.

But she couldn’t stop them. A single, crystal–clear tear, like a tiny pearl, splashed onto her thigh.

Damon froze. His gaze dropped to her black pants, where a few damp spots, blurred with tears, had bloomed.

His fingers trembled slightly. The hand he’d almost reached out with pulled back. He pretended not to see, unwilling to expose her current vulnerability, giving her the space and respect she deserved. He got up, moved to sit on her other side, and continued to apply the ice pack.

Does your mom often hit you like that?” Damon asked.

He and Aubrey had been together for four years, but she had never once mentioned her family.

Even after he’d successfully proposed and wanted to visit her parents in Crestview City, she had refused.

“She hit me often when I was a kid. Less so after I became an adult, but it wasn’t completely absent, Aubrey said, leaning back against the sofa. She turned her head to look at the night sky outside the balcony. Her eyes were damp, and a pervasive, gloomy dampness had settled deep within her soul.

Damon had been icing her cheek for twenty minutes. That should be enough,” he murmured.

Thank you,” Aubrey said, sitting up straight. She pulled her undershirt back on, slowly fastening each button.

Damon quickly turned, his back now to her, his posture stiff, ramrod straight. His restless hands slowly kneaded the ice pack.

The warm white light made the living room feel stiflingly warm, a faint, lingering scent of intimacy hung heavy in the air.

With his back still to her, Aubrey finished fastening each button.

Damon cleared his throat, his voice a low rasp as he said, “I’ll ice it for you again before you go to sleep.”

“You don’t have to trouble yourself,” Aubrey said, a grateful nod accompanying her words. “I can handle it.” She picked up her briefcase and jacket, then headed for her room,

Damon turned, his gaze following her retreating figure, his eyes darkening with unspoken thoughts.

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