Do You Still Love Me When We Meet Again? (Aubrey and Damon) novel Chapter 253

Chapter 253: Long Distance

Ever since her father’s appeal went through, Aubrey was buried in paperwork. She spent every waking hour pouring over the details of the old case.

Being in a different city made the investigation impossible. She couldn’t get face time with the Crestview PD or stay on top of new leads. It was time to head back to Crestview City.

She didn’t know how long she’d be gone. The trial date was still up in the air, and the investigation could drag on for months.

When she packed her bags, she kept it light. The South was warm, even in winter. It usually stayed in the teens or even the

twent es.

Damon walked into the room and took the clothes from her hands, tucking them into the suitcase. He grabbed her shoulders and looked deep into her eyes. “Bree, listen to me. Whenever you have a break, come back here to see me. Don’t even think about the price of a plane ticket.”

Aubrey gave him a small smile. “And you?”

“Any time I get a day off, I’m on a plane to you.”

Looking at his eyes–full of sincerity and longing—she realized he hadn’t smiled in days.

Her heart ached, too. “Once my father’s case is over–no matter what the outcome is–I’m coming back to you.”

“Yeah.” Damon’s gaze turned sharp, his voice dropping an octave. “No going to shady clubs with Sierra. And absolutely no hiring male strippers.”

Aubrey stifled a laugh.

Damon didn’t find it funny. “Did you hear me?”

“I heard you.”

He cupped her face in his hands, leaning in until their breaths mingled. “Sierra likes her guys young,” he said, emphasizing every word. “Don’t you go getting any ideas.”

“Fine, I get it.”

“If you run into any trouble you can’t handle, you have to tell me. Immediately.”

“I will.”

“Take care of yourself. If you don’t want to cook, hire a housekeeper to do it. Don’t try to save money by living off fast food.”

Aubrey kept nodding, her heart growing heavier with every word. She hadn’t realized how hard this would be, but his obvious attachment was making her throat tighten with emotion.

Trying to break the heavy atmosphere, she offered a soft smile. “I wish I could just pack you up and take you to Crestview with me.”

Damon saw the sweet smile and the playful spark in her eyes. It was clear she was ready to get back to her life in Crestview. To him, it felt like she wasn’t nearly as sad to leave as he was.

At the very least, she didn’t seem to have that desperate, can’t–live–without–him kind of love.

She wasn’t the same Aubrey anymore. She couldn’t love him with that same desperate, inseparable intensity she once had. Damon let out a long sigh. He wrapped his arm around her shoulder, bending down to bury his face in the crook of her neck. “Call me often. Text me. Don’t forget.”

“I will,” Aubrey murmured, wrapping her arms around his waist and leaning her head against his chest.

Honestly, she still didn’t quite understand why Damon got so emotional every time they had to part. It wasn’t like she wasn’t coming back. We live in a world of planes and Face Time; they were never really out of reach. She felt a little pang of sadness, sure,

Chapter 253.

but nothing compared to the heavy gloom he was wearing.

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Even though Damon hated saying goodbye, he still saw her to the airport. Unlike last time, he didn’t turn away early. He stayed right there, watching her until she completely disappeared through the boarding gate.

Once she was on the plane, she sent him a quick text and fell asleep.

When she landed in Crestview City, Sierra was already there to pick her up. She whisked Aubrey away immediately to the best Country Inn Retreat in the area and ordered a table full of her favorite seafood.

As they are and talked, Aubrey didn’t feel a hint of longing for Damon. Instead, she felt a surge of excitement.

She stared the big news with Sierra–her father’s appeal had been approved. The two of them grabbed drinks to celebrate, toast after roast in high spirits.

After they ate their fill and dropped her bags off, Sierra helped her give the house a deep clean. Once they were finished, they sat back down, ordered takeout, and kept right on talking.

Sierra didn’t head home until late that night.

Only when the house finally went quiet did Aubrey start to miss Damon.

She

sat on the sofa, pulled out her phone, and messaged him on the Grid. [You there?]

şat

Damon replied instantly. [Yeah. I’ve been waiting for you all night. Out eating and drinking with Sierra?]

He’d already guessed Sierra wouldn’t let her return to Crestview City without a proper welcome.

[Yeah, she just left.]

[I didn’t think I was going to get a text from you tonight.]

[Well, I’m texting you now, aren’t I?]

[Look at the time.]

Aubrey finally checked the clock on her phone. She hadn’t realized it was already almost midnight.

No wonder she felt so exhausted.

[Sorry! You should get some sleep. I’m all settled in now. Sierra helped me scrub the place, so it’s spotless. I already put a word in with an agency, too. They’ll send a housekeeper over to cook and clean once they find someone good.]

[Okay. You’ve had a long day. Get some rest,] Damon replied.

[Goodnight.]

[Goodnight, Bree. Miss you.]

Aubrey stared at those last three words, a sweet warmth spreading through her chest. She set her phone down, a smile tugging at her lips.

It was only her first day back, and he already missed her?

From that night on, “I miss you” became the standard sign–off for every WhatsApp message Damon sent.

When they talked on the phone, he’d say it out loud, his voice heavy with a deep, aching longing.

He wasn’t being extra or cheesy. He was just… sincere. When he said he missed her, he meant it with everything he had.

As the investigation officially opened, Madison Lewis returned to Crestview City to cooperate with the police.

Aubrey saw her once.

It happened at the station. Aubrey had been called in to give a statement, and they brushed past each other in the hallway.

wane Miracultu tear Aubrey limb from

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ven with his high–priced lawyers

dach hail gathered, the case moved

from years ago was a complete fabrication.

murdering his father–all of it. He glared get out, I’m going to make you wish you

ming back, sharp and terrifying.

whip and the nightmare of being bitten by

place.

home.

he could have taken.

ly clearing the fog. Her memories were

r childhood had come back.

motions in check.

there the second his holiday break started.

had to cancel his flight that same night night.

Even crazier.

to dry up.

‘ear break, Damon was grinding at the base, and she was stuck in Crestview City,

he point in flying out to spend the holiday there.

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