Brewed For You のすべてのチャプター: チャプター 11 - チャプター 20

“I can explain,” Aria said again, her voice trembling despite how hard she tried to steady it.The once bustling café seemed to have become silent, with everything seeming to fade away to just her and Damian. Aria broke out in a cold sweat, she could almost swear that Damian can hear heart beating.Damian’s hand relaxed slightly on the table, though his eyes didn’t leave hers. “Then go ahead... explain.”Thankfully, Cole still hasn't returned back to the table. Giving them the much needed space for this conversation. Although Damian couldn't see him from where he was sat, he could imagine him sitting in the car playing one of those games he was always playing on his phone in the office. Typical Cole.Aria’s fingers twisted the edge of her apron. “It’s not what it looks like.”“You mean the photo or the threat?” Damian’s tone was careful ...not angry, not accusing, just… controlled. He was trying to be careful not to spook her into not telling him whatever this was.Her throat felt dry

The early morning sun rays seeped into the room through the cracks in the curtains. Aria tried turning, to run away from the sun but she realized her legs were stuck in the blankets. Opening one of her eyes, she remembered she wasn't in her tiny room back at her apartment but in Damian's house. The giant comfy queen sized bed a stark contrast to her old crusty twin sized bed at home.She let out a yawn, untangling her legs from the blankets as she stretched out her limbs. She hadn't slept that good in....well, forever.Then she was attacked by the soft haze of scents creeping into her room... crisp bacon, buttery eggs, and the faint trace of roasted coffee. It was the kind of smell that tugged you out of sleep, lazy and indulgent. Her stomach growled before her mind even caught up, making her self aware of her hunger. Aria blinked awake, blinking against the sunlight filtering through the curtains. For a moment, she just laid there, collecting her thoughts. Her mind kept drifting bac

Tap... Tap... Tap...That was the first thing she heard, even before she opened her eyes. A steady pitter patter of water dropper somewhere close.Aria’s eyelids fluttered open. The world spun for a second before settling into focus, her eyes taking a while to adjust to the dark lighting in the grimy looking place. Her vision was hazy, like looking through smeared glass. A single yellow bulb was the only source of light in the room, dangling by a frayed wire.She tried to move.Her arms wouldn’t budge.That was when she felt the coarse fibers of a rope biting into her wrists, the tightness around her ankles, and the chill of the metal chair beneath her thighs.A wave of panic shot through her chest.Her mouth went dry in an instant. Her breathing picking pace.No… no, no, what's going on here? …She tried again, pulling hard this time hoping it was a dream. A stupid nightmare. But the rope just burned deeper into her skin confirming she was indeed not dreaming. In her panic state she

For a few seconds, silence was the loudest sound in the room.Then came the loud steps from his boots hitting the concrete floor. In four big steps, he had crossed the room over to where Aria was crouched down by the couch. He grabbed the phone from where it fallen on the ground, reading the caller ID.Damian, it read.He scoffed. He had thought she was calling the cops but she had one chance and she used it to call Damian? The thought alone made him boil with anger."Hello? Aria....are you there? Aria..."On hearing Damian's voice on the other line, Ethan threw the phone on the concrete ground. Hard. Smashing it into pieces. The action making Aria scream.“You called him,” he said. He didn't yell...it was worse. Calm. Too calm. “You actually called him.”Aria’s heart fell to her stomach. “Ethan, please, listen...”He laughed, short and sharp, the sound bouncing off the damp walls. “You called him! Not even the damn police! I thought we were starting to rekindle our relationship. I ma

The room smelled heavily of disinfectant.Machines hummed softly,beeping steady in the corner. The blinds were drawn halfway, letting in slices of morning light that painted pale lines across the hospital bed.Aria laid still on the bed, drifting between consciousness. Sometimes she heard muffled words, the doctor doing his rounds, a woman’s sob, a man’s voice that she somehow knew. Felt very familiar.“You’re safe now.”It was what the voice always said.When she tried to move, her body wouldn’t respond. Everything felt heavy; her limbs, her chest, her eyelids. But whenever that voice spoke, her heartbeat kicked weakly in reply. But it all felt like she was stuck in a dream..“Her vitals are stable,” the doctor said, flipping through a chart. “The sedatives are long out of her system, but she's....refusing to wake up. It’s likely trauma-induced coma. Her body’s way of protecting itself.”Damian stood by the window, arms folded as he listened to the doctor. His face looked hollowed ou