Page 62 of Imperfectly Perfect

Ever since her last night with Savannah, she’d been off. It felt as though she was walking on the deck of a ship in the middle of a storm, barely able to catch her balance before the next wave rolled her over. And she had no idea what to do about it.

They’d texted on and off every day, and the closeness was still there, but Fallon suddenly faced so much that she was unsure of. All she wanted to do was pull away and go right back to the way it had been before, when she knew and understood what was happening. When the rules were clearly in place, and when she could see what they would become—or perhaps more importantly, what they wouldn’t become.

“Everything okay?” Tia asked, giving Fallon an extra squeeze before backing up.

“Yeah. Everything’s peachy.” The sarcasm in her voice was stronger than she’d meant it to be, but this was Tia. And if there was one person she trusted in this entire world, it was her. Tia could help her through anything—she’d proven that time and time again.

“Fallon…” The warning was there, and Tia didn’t have to say anything else.

“It’s nothing major.” That was a lie, and she knew it. “I’ve just been feeling off this week.” Another lie. This was more than off. It was as if something disastrous were about to happen, and Fallon could do nothing to prevent it. Was she in a relationship or not? How massively would she screw this up?

“All right, well, I’m here if you want to talk about it.”

“It’s Saylor’s birthday. Let’s just focus on that.” Fallon glanced up to find Monti across the living room, giving her an odd look. Screw her sister for being so observant sometimes. Monti could surely sense everything that was going through Fallon’s mind. She’d always been able to do that when Fallon least wanted her to.

The knock on the door was startling. Tia wiped her hands on a towel, threw it on the counter, and immediately headed for the door. Fallon couldn’t break her gaze from her little sister. What was Monti thinking? Could she see the cracks that were about to shatter her?

A laugh trilled through the air, and a shiver ran up and down Fallon’s spine. She winced. Monti’s gaze narrowed in concern, and Fallon shook her head. Not because Monti shouldn’t be concerned, but because she couldn’t believe it. She turned slowly, needing to see with her own eyes, the voice that she knew viscerally, the laugh that haunted her dreams.

Savannah.

Their eyes locked, and Savannah paused in her step, her smile faltering briefly. What the hell was Savannah doing here? Invading Fallon’s safe place. Barging into her world in a way that Fallon absolutely wasn’t ready for.

Tia must have caught Fallon’s gaze, because the smile that had been on her lips faded instantly. She furrowed her brow in confusion. Savannah half-ignored her and walked directly to Fallon, already shaking her head. “How do you know Saylor?”

Saylor.

Savannah was here because of Saylor, because someone had invited her. Not because she was too close to Fallon’s life.

“She’s with Tia,” Fallon answered, pointing at her aunt. “Tia’s my aunt.”

“Fuck,” Savannah whispered under her breath. She glanced furtively around the room, wringing her hands together andbiting her lower lip. “Saylor’s one of my coaches. She just started with us a few months ago. I didn’t realize Tia was…” Savannah stopped. “Please don’t flip out on me.”

“Flip out?” Fallon scoffed.

Savannah reached out to grab Fallon’s hand, but Fallon jerked back. This couldn’t be happening. She wasn’t ready for this. Nothing good could come of this.

“Excuse me.” Fallon pushed past Savannah and right past Tia. She nearly left the apartment, but she took a sharp turn and walked directly into Tia’s bedroom and shut the door behind her.

Fallon paced the bedroom, her hands clenched into fists by her sides. She couldn’t do this. She wasn’t ready for it. Savannah shouldn’t be there, meeting her family. Fallon shouldn’t be there because all she was trying to do was get to know Saylor a little better. And now she was thrown into a chaotic disaster of a mess.

“Fallon.” Monti didn’t bother to knock, but she shut the door behind her.

Shaking her head wildly, Fallon tried to catch her breath or even find words to explain what was going on, but she couldn’t. She literally could not think of a single thing to say. Which was so unlike her.

“Savannah’s more than Athena’s client.” It was a statement. Something that Monti probably already knew, but Fallon was also aware of the question Monti wasn’t asking.

Fallon could cry. Everything was coming to a head, and she wasn’t going to be able to fix it. Savannah was going to bring her down in one swift move, and it was nothing more than simply being someplace she shouldn’t be.

No, not that she shouldn’t be. Someplace unexpected. Just like the first time they’d met.

“Fallon…” Monti trailed off, trying to get her attention.

But Fallon’s brain spun circles so fast that she couldn’t even breathe her way out of them this time. The walls started to close in on her. Her chest constricted tightly. Her head was light and dizzy. Monti grabbed her arm sharply and tugged her to a stop.

“Breathe.”

Fallon sucked in cold air, thankful that Monti was there to put some sense back into her head. The door opened again, and Fallon whipped her head around, scared to death that Savannah was going to be the one standing in the doorway.

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