Page 39 of Perfect Imperfections

“Is there something wrong with your ear, Ellie?”

One of the mom’s—Jennifer, she thought the woman’s name was—tilted her head, staring at the hand Ellie hadn’t realized was tugging on her lobe. Dropping her hand, she took a deep breath that did nothing to calm her anxiety and pasted on a bright smile.

“Oh, um, no. It’s fine. I just…” Feeling the walls closing in on her—which was impossible since they were outside and there were no walls—Ellie blurted out the first excuse to come to her mind. “Excuse me, I need to use the restroom.”

Ignoring the confused expression on Jennifer’s face, Ellie tucked her head down and made a beeline for the back door. Thankfully, no one stopped her to chat as she hurried inside the back door. Making her way through the kitchen, she quickly slipped into the empty bathroom. Her heart pounded in her chest as her brain screamed at her.

What is wrong with me? Why can’t I just be normal?

With shaking hands, she turned the tap on the sink. The cool water pooled in her cupped hands, calming the frantic nerves. She splashed the water onto her face. The chilly liquid just the slap in the face she needed to ease her racing heart.

After a moment or two, she shut off the water, glancing up to gaze at her dripping wet, harried reflection.

“Get a grip, Ellie,” she admonished herself. “It’s just a party. A kid’s party. Everyone is here having a good time. Don’t freak out and ruin everything.”

But the dark voice whispered that she already had. Taking another deep, calming breath, she pushed the voice away. So one person had caught her ear compulsion. No big deal. The woman probably thought she was adjusting her earring or something.

Dammit! That was a good excuse. Why couldn’t she have thought of that in the moment?

Didn’t matter. Her abrupt escape may have startled Jennifer, but no one else noticed her leave the party. Everything was fine—

“Ellie?”

The soft knock on the bathroom door caused her to gasp, whirling away from the sink to stare at the dark wood, recognizing the person belonging to that deep, familiar voice standing behind it.

“Are you okay?”

Great. Just perfect. Someone had noticed her frantic rush inside. And not just anyone. Sullivan.

See? You’re ruining his daughter’s party. Way to go.

She squeezed her eyes shut. Counting to three. Willing the dark voice back into the little box in her mind, she preferred to keep it locked up. If only she could lock that box and throw away the key.

The voice would just get out anyway. It always did.

Determined to rise above this, she opened the door.

“Hi, Sullivan. I’m fine.” She tried for a cheery smile. “Just needed to use the bathroom.”

His brow furrowed, green eyes taking in every inch of her expression. Her fake smile must need improvement because Sullivan’s lips turned down.

“You don’t have to pretend.” His gaze swung to the right where sounds of the boisterous party filtered down the hallway. When he glanced back to her there was a fiercely protective glint in his emerald eyes. “If someone said or did something to upset you, I will—”

“No.”

She reached out to place a hand on his arm. The moment she touched his bare skin, her fingers burned like they were on fire. Not painful, but hot and heady. She immediately released her grip, curling her hand into a fist at her side to resist touching him again. Sullivan said nothing, simply raised one eyebrow and waited.

“No one did anything to upset me. I just…” Oh damn, this is why she didn’t have many friends. Why dates always dumped her after a few weeks. Social situations were a nightmare for her, especially large gatherings with perfect strangers. But she’d wanted so badly to be here for Charlotte’s special day. “I get a little…anxious in large groups of people I don’t know. I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to ruin Charlotte’s birthday party.”

Sullivan smiled, taking a step toward her. His hand came up to cup her cheek. Ellie sucked in a sharp breath at the contact. All the tense anxiety she’d been experiencing a few minutes before shifting into something that felt just as tense, but much flutterier and more enjoyable.

“Ellie, never apologize for being who you are. And you didn’t ruin Charlotte’s party. No one even noticed you left.”

She swallowed past the dryness in her throat. “You did.”

He stared at her, something she couldn’t read in those beautiful green eyes, leaving her breathless.

“The party is almost over, but if you need to leave—”

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