Do You Still Love Me When We Meet Again? (Aubrey and Damon) novel Chapter 53

Chapter 53

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The camping spot they chose was a secluded, off–the–beaten–path stretch of coconut–lined beach right on Crestview City’s coast. Camping in a coconut grove by the ocean during the cooler, off–season months? Only Sierra and Ryan would come up with something like that. Fortunately, winter down south wasn’t usually bone–chilling, though the sea breeze was definitely picking up.

Damon and Ryan scoped out a flat spot to pitch their tents while Aubrey and Sierra settled into chairs nearby, leisurely brewing tea.

Once Aubrey had a warm cup of tea ready, she rose and walked toward Damon, who was still busy with the tent.

She held it out to him.

Damon’s lips curved into a soft smile. He took a grateful sip of the warm tea, his gaze on her exceptionally tender.“Go on, sweetheart. Go sit down, enjoy your tea and snacks. Don’t worry about me.”

Ryan watched the sweet scene unfold, letting out a dramatic sigh. He turned to his wife, a playful scowl on his face, his voice laced with mock exasperation.“Sierra, just look at Aubrey, all thoughtful and sweet. And then look at you, completely absorbed in your own tea and snacks.” Sierra scoffed, rolling her eyes.“If you want something to eat or drink, can’t you get it yourself?”

Ryan was speechless.

Aubrey and Damon shared an awkward, tight–lipped smile.

Soon after, with both tents pitched, Damon looked around.“Only two tents? Is that all?”

“Of course! It’s just us two couples. Aren’t two tents enough?” Sierra retorted.

Aubrey heard that and looked over.

Damon helplessly turned back, meeting Aubrey’s gaze. Their eyes met, a silent hint of awkwardness and restraint passing between them.

As Ryan was packing up the bags, Sierra, however, had noticed something. She leaned closer to Aubrey and whispered, “Bree, you and Damon have been back together for so long. You haven’t…slept together yet, have you?”

Aubrey immediately pulled her gaze away, her cheeks flushing. Pretending not to hear the question, she picked up a pomegranate from the table. She busied herself peeling it, carefully separating the crimson seeds one by one into a clean container.

Sierra ‘tsk–tsked‘ a few times, shaking her head as she declared, “Damon’s no good!”

“Don’t talk nonsense,” Aubrey whispered, a quiet reprimand.

“You two aren’t some innocent teenagers. You slept together for over three years! Forget that you’re back together now; even if you weren’t, living under the same roof, sparks were bound to fly eventually, right? Are you saints? How do you even resist?”

Aubrey felt her ears growing hotter. She let out a soft breath, lifting her gaze to give Sierra a glare.“Sierra, Damon isn’t that kind of man.”

“Okay, he’s a decent guy, a gentleman,” Sierra conceded, clearly perplexed. “But you’ve been back together for ages now, what are you waiting for?” She threw her hands up.“A man as gorgeous as him, with a body like that? If he’s not making a move on you, you should be making a move on him!”

Aubrey was utterly mortified. She picked up a pomegranate seed and tossed it at Sierra, who didn’t even try to dodge, just laughed lightheartedly as it hit her.“Look at you, all red–faced,” Sierra teased.

Just then, Damon and Ryan walked over, taking seats in the lounge chairs.

Damon caught the sight of Aubrey’s flushed cheeks.

Ryan, ever oblivious, grabbed a pastry from the table and shoved it into his mouth.“Who’s blushing?”

Sierra picked up a cup of tea and practically shoved it toward his mouth, her voice going up an octave.“My lord, please, have some tea.”

“Thank you, my lady,” Ryan replied with a grin, taking a boisterous swig of the cool tea.

Aubrey found herself watching their playful banter, a pang of envy stirring in her chest. At least their happiness was clear.

She offered Damon the pomegranate seeds she’d separated.

Damon’s features softened, a gentle smile gracing his lips as he took it.“Thank you.”

Pomegranate–it was his favorite fruit. He especially loved its crisp, sweet taste.

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Damon zipped up the tent, then turned to face her.“Uncomfortable sleeping with me?” he asked, his

gaze direct.

“No.” Aubrey immediately shed her thick jacket. Underneath, she wore a fitted white cotton shirt. She slid into her sleeping bag, scooting over to make

room for him.

Damon shucked off his jacket too, and slid into the sleeping bag beside her.

They both lay stiffly on their backs, their gazes fixed on the tent ceiling. Though it was well into the early morning, sleep stubbornly refused to come.

Compared to their passionate kisses on the beach, they now felt like two strangers, stiff with a sudden, unsettling awkwardness.

As the temperature inside the sleeping bag steadily climbed, the comfortable warmth quickly turned into a stifling heat. Every passing second felt like lying on a low flame, slowly simmering.

Damon was the first to break the heavy silence, asking softly, “Bree, after April, would you be willing to come back to New Haven City with me?”

Aubrey’s heart felt heavy. She was so uncertain she couldn’t bring herself to say yes.

Damon saw her silence and turned his head, his gaze softening as he met hers. “If you don’t want to come to New Haven City, I can apply to stay and work at the Bureau of Aeronautics in Crestview City. I’ll stay in your city. But I need you to give me certainty, Aubrey. Not just… play around with

me.”

In that instant, Aubrey’s eyes welled up, her heart a tangled knot of gratitude and sorrow.

The sorrow stemmed from the fact that she couldn’t give him that certainty, not yet.

After a long, heavy silence, Aubrey finally spoke, her voice barely a whisper.“You don’t have to stay here for me. Honestly, New Haven City has so much more to offer than Crestview, If I could, I’d want to go there too.”

Damon’s hand slowly moved towards her, finding her slightly chilled hand and gripping it tightly.

Soft and delicate, it filled his palm, a profound comfort to hold.

At that moment, Aubrey felt Damon’s warm palm envelop her hand, like an electric current shot through her entire body, and her heart trembled.

His voice husky and deep, tinged with excitement, “Would you come back to New Haven City with me?”

“Yes,” Aubrey nodded.

Damon lifted his head slightly, leaned in, and pressed a light kiss to her lips, murmuring,“Bree, don’t lie to me again.”

“No, I won’t,” Aubrey whispered, a teary smile trembling on her lips as she looked at him.

“I love you, Aubrey,” Damon murmured, pressing another gentle kiss to her lips.

Aubrey lowered her gaze, a blush creeping up her cheeks as she lightly bit her bottom lip, his lingering scent a sweet reminder.

Her heart felt drenched in honey, her voice a barely audible, shy murmur as she confessed, “I love

you

too.”

Damon cupped her face, pressing a soft kiss to her forehead.“Goodnight.”

Aubrey didn’t reply, her eyes fluttering shut, an irrepressible smile playing on her lips.

With that, Damon settled back, reaching out to switch off the light.

Just as sleep began to claim them, faint sounds started to filter in.

Aubrey was the first to open her eyes, her gaze sweeping the pitch–dark tent as she listened intently.“What’s that sound?” Damon hadn’t slept either. He sat up, silently, listening intently to the sounds drifting from the tent next door.

Until the sounds grew louder, clearer, and more fervent.

An instant wave of intense awkwardness washed over them.

“This is the wilderness. They’re out of their minds,” Damon muttered under his breath.

Aubrey was too mortified to speak. The couple in the tent next door was truly wild, clearly thinking they had turned off their lights and were asleep. Their uninhibited sounds, rising and falling, filled the air.

“I’m going out for a walk by the beach. Want to come?” Damon asked.

A thick, charged intimacy settled between them. Aubrey couldn’t listen for another second. She got up and started pulling on her clothes. “Yes.”

< Chapter 53

They grabbed their jackets and phones, then slipped out of the tent.

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Their two bodies, flush with heat and thrumming with unfulfilled desire, found a measure of calm under the sea breeze’s cool caress, Aubrey knew Damon, a man of such strong principles, would never make love to the woman he adored out in the wilderness. Whether in a tent or a car, the risk of being seen by strangers, or worse, filmed and turned into some sordid joke, was too high. Such an incident, should it happen, would be incredibly humiliating and disrespectful to a woman.

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For him, intimacy was sacred and inviolable. Behind closed doors, in the privacy of their own space, they could explore anything they desired. But out in the open, he would never behave like an animal in heat.

He didn’t even trust hotels, fearing hidden cameras.

Consequently, they had never booked a hotel room.

Damon held her hand, continuing their walk along the beach. The sky was dark, the sea vast and deep, and the radiant moonlight was their only guide.

Once they were far enough, Aubrey couldn’t hold back a soft giggle.

Damon then offered a wry smile, intertwining his fingers with hers as he tilted his head back, gazing at the faint stars scattered across the sky.

“Four more days and I’ll be going back to New Haven City. Would you be able to drive me to the airport?” Damon asked softly.

“Sure,” Aubrey readily agreed. She wasn’t working anyway, and practicing her driving with his car sounded like a perfect plan.

“After the Christmas, I’ll be back from New Haven City. Pick me up at the airport.”

“You sure know how to boss people around,” Aubrey said, feigning unwillingness.

I’m just desperate to see you,” Damon confessed with a troubled sigh.“Even though I’m in your city, I’m afraid you’ll run off.”

“Where am I going to run off to?” Aubrey hooked her arm through his, pressing close against him for warmth, leaning into his side as they walked.

“Bree.”

“Mmm?”

“Are you serious about this… about us… this time?”

Aubrey pressed her lips together bitterly and nodded. Damon’s anxiety felt overwhelming, a pervasive fear of gaining something only to lose it.

That night, after an hour–long walk on the beach, they returned to their tent. The one next door was finally quiet.

It was late, and they were both exhausted, quickly falling asleep.

The next morning, the four of them gathered by the ocean to watch the sunrise, taking pictures to remember the moment.

Damon cooked, serving up steaming bowls of comforting egg noodles.

Afterward, they meticulously packed up their campsite, collecting all their trash before driving back to the city.

By the time they reached the city, it was already midday.

Damon treated Aubrey to lunch at a restaurant before they finally headed home.

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