Hopelessly Imperfect (Imperfect #1)

by Gabriela Cabezut

  I blinked, confused as she smiled cheekily. She bobbed her head, indicating for me to turn around. My heart skipped a beat as I saw Nathan leaning on his truck with his arms crossed, staring at us. A lopsided smile played on his lips as our gazes locked.

  “What is he doing?” I turned to Farah, panicking.

  She chuckled. “Seems like he wants to help you make dinner, silly!” Her grin disappeared while her expression turned serious. Raising her index finger, she added, “Remember, I want details!”

  Swallowing hard, I ignored her and walked to his truck, completely annoyed at how my stupid stomach was rolling. Gosh. I didn’t feel like this yesterday, did I? I didn’t want to dwell on my answer, because it was pretty pathetic. Of course I had. I was just feeling worse since I’d kind of accepted that I liked him.

  “Hey.” He uncrossed his arms and stood straight, sporting that crooked smile on his face that made him so attractive. Ugh.

  “Hi.” My voice was high-pitched. I cleared my throat. “So, I’ll see you at seven?”

  He chuckled as if what I’d said was funny. “We’re working on math, remember?”

  Scratching the back of my head, I murmured, “I thought we were doing it after dinner.” As soon as the words left my mouth, my eyes widened and my cheeks flushed like crazy.

  Nate’s lopsided smile appeared again as he took a step closer to me. Playfully, he added, “I like this side of you.” He leaned closer, completely invading my personal space. His gray eyes were piercing.

  Placing both palms on his chest, I pushed him away. “You know what I meant!” I said in one breath.

  His gray eyes darkened as he stared at me. “I do, and that’s why I want to finish homework first.” He raised an eyebrow, and I found it difficult to breathe. He burst out laughing and grazed my arm as he opened the passenger-side door of his car for me. “Let’s hurry up with homework, then.”

  Annoyed at his cockiness, I huffed and hopped inside. He closed the door with that stupid smile on his face. As he walked around the car, I gazed at where Farah had been, but she was gone already. That was good since I appeared to be making a fool of myself.

  Sighing, I pulled out my phone and texted Dad that we were coming home to do homework, and I asked him about dinner.

  When Nathan’s car roared to life, Dad still hadn’t texted back.

  “Tsk. So eager to finish homework, Taylor.” Nathan shook his head, smirking.

  “Whatever,” I muttered while crossing my arms and looking at the road.

  Nate chuckled. “So should we pick up what we’re going to eat for dinner?”

  “You’re already hungry.” I shook my head, my lips curving up while I uncrossed my arms.

  He gazed at me before his lips tugged up in a bright smile. “You know me!”

  I lifted my shoulders in a noncommittal way. “Sure, we can stop by the store, but I’m not sure what Dad wants to make,” I said, wondering if I had enough money to get the food we’d need. Reaching for my backpack, I pulled out my wallet and saw I had three twenties.

  Without looking at me, Nate said, “I’ve got it, don’t worry.”

  “I invited you, remember?”

  Once again, he turned to me, and his lips tugged up. “I do.”

  My mouth went dry as my heart raced. That smile is going to be the death of me.

  He found a spot in the parking lot, and we both got out of the car at the same time. My phone startled me as it rang, making Nate crack up. Embarrassed, I pulled it out and answered Dad. “Hi.”

  “Hey, sweetie! So, am I meeting your suitor tonight?”

  Gosh. I clutched the phone closer to my ear, hoping Nate hadn’t heard anything. “Dad, we’re at the supermarket. What do you want to have for dinner?” I said through clenched teeth.

  He laughed. God! What is wrong with him?

  “What about steak and veggies on the side? Maybe some mashed potatoes?”

  That sounded easy enough. I nodded, relieved. “Okay, sounds good.”

  “Remember, I’m buying. Use your credit card.” I peeked through my wallet, and the shiny blue card was there. “Dad?” I scrunched up my nose. Nate was pushing a shopping cart next to me, “It’s just the three of us, right?” When we reached the produce aisle, I gestured for Nathan to stop.

  Dad sighed, all playfulness completely gone. “Yes, honey. Just us. You do know Marie will be coming over again someday soon, right?”

  My stomach clenched, and I pressed my lips together. “Yeah.” Just not today.

  “Okay. I’ll see you back at the house. And honey?”

  “Yes?”

  “Behave.”

  I rolled my eyes. I could totally picture him smiling as he said that. “Bye, Dad.” I shook my head as I ended the call and shoved the phone into the back pocket of my jeans as I peeked down at our cart. It was completely empty.

  “Does steak and veggies sound good to you?” I glanced at Nathan.

  He nodded. “I’m hungry; I’ll eat anything at this point.” My lips curved up at that.

  We were walking down the aisle, all the veggies for supper in the cart, when he asked me, “Is she coming?” His brows were furrowed as he looked at me.

  “No,” I murmured.

  His lips were set in a straight line as he nodded. His hand encased mine for a moment before he burst out excitedly, “Let’s get some goodies.” He wriggled his eyebrows, making me laugh.

  “What kind of goodies?” I marched beside him as he pushed the cart through the aisles.

  “I’m thinking chips, chocolate, and maybe ice cream,” he deadpanned. I raised an eyebrow while staring at him. “What? I’m still growing! I need—” he grabbed two bags of chocolates, “—sugar and shit.”

  I shook my head. “We need to get steaks.”

  Nate shoved me playfully. “What kind of shit do you like?” An old lady glared at him as she passed us, and he smiled mischievously at her.

  “I don’t eat shit,” I answered coyly, making him raise an eyebrow. “However, I do like these—” I gestured at the M&M’s he’d gotten, “and this.” I grabbed a large bag of white marshmallows from the shelf.

  “Marshmallows?” He sounded incredulous.

  “They’re my favorite.” I beamed at him. “But just the white ones.”

  His eyes darkened as he gazed at me. Slowly, he smiled back and grabbed three large bags. “Marshmallows it is.”

  After getting chocolate chip ice cream, we went to the meat section and got the steaks. I tried to pay for everything, but Nate gave the cashier his credit card despite my complaints.

  He drove us to my house after ripping open a bag of M&Ms for him and marshmallows for me. Even though they were my favorites, I didn’t eat them often. I looked down at the half-eaten marshmallow in my hand, thinking about it, when the white fluffy candy disappeared out of my hand.

  “Didn’t you love these things?” Nate’s voice came out muffled since he’d just stuffed the sweet in his mouth. “Because we got three bags!” He made a face as he swallowed.

  “I do love them. I just hadn’t eaten one in a while. I was just thinking about that.”

  He parked in front of my house and turned to look at me. Nodding to the other bags, he grinned at me. “Well, you’re getting back on track tonight.”

  His amazing gray eyes were shining happily, like a little boy’s. My mouth went dry as I gazed into them. I looked at his lips for a moment as I swallowed hard.

  I wondered what it would be like if he kissed me. I wasn’t too experienced with kissing. So far, I’d only kissed Tom, and he hadn’t been so amazing. Except for once at a party where I was drunk. And since he’d never kissed me like that before, I blamed it on the alcohol.

  Nate was just staring at me, and I shifted in my seat uncomfortably. Biting my lip, I grabbed one of the plastic bags and opened the door to get out. The air inside the car was suffocating. He did the same and followed me as I unlocked the door to my house. I left the bag of marshmallows on th
e kitchen counter and started to unpack everything. When I looked up and he wasn’t in the kitchen with me, I stopped putting the food away to search for him.

  He was in the living room, staring at a photograph on the wall. As I approached him, my stomach clenched as I looked at the picture. It was of Mom. It had been taken a few years ago, when she was smiling and looked healthy.

  I stared at the picture, memorizing her wavy, dark hair and her vivacious, brown eyes. The photo showed a much different person than when I’d last seen alive. For a moment, I wondered if Dad was going to put her pictures away.

  “You have her hair,” Nate murmured, still gazing at the photo.

  “And my father’s eyes,” I said absentmindedly.

  “And her smile.” Nate looked at me with a sad expression on his face. My eyes brimmed with tears. I wanted Mom to be there smiling at me like that.

  He cupped my chin, and his thumb caressed my cheek. He seemed like he wanted to say something. Instead, he pulled me closer to him with his other arm. I leaned against his chest and closed my eyes for a moment as he hugged me.

  A warm feeling ran through me as I stayed in his arms for a moment. Eventually, I pulled back as Nate’s gray eyes bored into me. The groceries bags were at our feet. Silently, I grabbed one and walked to the kitchen.

  He followed me, and we unpacked the food. I took out a potato peeler and passed it to him with a small smile. He stared at it as though he’d never seen once before, and my smile widened. “You’re not much of a cook, huh, Rivers?”

  He gazed at me intensely. “I’m a good student, Taylor.”

  “Well—” I passed him the bag of potatoes, “—you have to wash, peel, and put these here.” I placed a large ceramic bowl in front of him.

  “Challenge accepted.” Confidence oozed from his tone. A lopsided grin played on his face.

  “Peeling potatoes isn’t that hard, Rivers.” I shook my head while taking another pot out for the rest of the veggies.

  Nate chuckled. “I’m going to make you sweat after dinner, Taylor,” he said coyly, still teasing me.

  Blushing, I scrunched my nose up and ignored his innuendo. I washed the rest of the veggies while he started to peel the potatoes. He was having a hard time and was taking forever to finish them, so I eventually took the peeler away and ended up doing the whole thing myself.

  As I put them into a pot of boiling water, I gazed at him. “What about your family, Nate? You never talk about them.”

  Nate’s eyes clouded while he gazed at the boiling water. “I don’t get along with them. Especially with my father.” His hand clenched into a tight fist, and I had the urge to grab it, but I clenched my hands at my sides instead.

  “Nate, it’s okay. You don’t have to tell me anything.”

  “I had a sister,” he murmured before gazing at me.

  Had? It dawned on me that when he said he’d lost someone, he was talking about her. I wanted to ask him more about it, but his eyes…his eyes were so sad that it made my stomach churn and my blood freeze.

  Nate closed his eyes for a moment as I swallowed hard. She was the reason he was in so much pain. I grabbed his hand. He opened his eyes. They were still sad, but another emotion passed through them, too fast for me to tell what it was.

  “I’m sorry, Nate.” I meant it. I knew how it felt to lose someone you love. I could tell how much he loved his sister and how it pained him not having her around. Especially because I could tell he didn’t want to talk about this.

  He nodded and his eyes locked on mine as he interlaced our hands. My heart skipped a beat as he leaned closer to me.

  The front door opened, and Dad called out that he was home. We pulled apart, and I grabbed a wooden spoon and checked the carrots as Dad walked into the kitchen. My heart was racing a mile a minute, and my hand was shaking as I stirred the pot.

  “Hello! You must be the infamous Nathan,” Dad greeted us and reached out his hand to Nate.

  “I hope Cassie hasn’t said anything bad about me, sir.”

  Dad’s blue eyes looked at me as I smiled nervously at him. “Let’s hope there’s nothing bad about you, boy.” They shook hands and Dad paced to me. He kissed me on the cheek before surveying the steaming pots in front of me. “It smells good, guys!”

  “It’s all your daughter’s doing, sir. I just followed directions.”

  I gazed at Nathan, surprised he wasn’t as nervous as I was. He was grinning at my father as I tried to calm my racing heart and shaking hands.

  Did I just imagine he was about to kiss me? It sure felt like that.

  My heart sank as I took out another pan for the steaks as Dad set the dining room table while asking Nathan questions. Things like his age, how we met, and stuff like that. Nate leaned on the doorframe while answering.

  Shoving any doubts and questions away, I cooked the steaks as Dad told Nate about his job at Harvard and his imaginary black belt in tae kwon do and all the gold medals he’d supposedly won in it. I smiled at that.

  Overall, dinner was nice. Dad talked about baseball, and I was surprised when Nathan joined in, sounding excited. Apparently, he was a big fan of the sport. They talked animatedly most of the meal as I tried to eat. I couldn’t take my mind off Nate’s lips and eyes and how sad he’d looked before.

  After having the ice cream for dessert, Dad told us to go upstairs to finish our homework while he cleaned up the kitchen. I led Nate to my room and left the door open, since Dad had felt the urge to suddenly create that rule. It was kind of cute how he was trying to be overprotective.

  Nathan stepped into my room and looked around. I took out my math book and my notebook. Flipping through the pages, I frowned at my scribbling. I really had no idea what I was supposed to do. “Are you going to explain this to me or not?” I teased as Nate continued looking at my things.

  Gray eyes gazed at me for a long moment, making my heart race once more. “So you really didn’t pay attention, Taylor?” He shook his head mockingly. “I thought better of you.”

  I narrowed my eyes. “Shut up and help me.”

  His laugh reverberated through my room. We spent the next hour trying to solve all equations on our homework. He was really good at math, I had to give him that. I, on the other hand, had to struggle to understand most of the problems. Especially with him so close, leaning over me to see my answers.

  A little after nine, Dad called it a night and pretty much told Nate to go home. In a much nicer way, of course.

  I walked him out of the house with my hands in my pockets. As we stepped down the porch stairs, I grinned at him. “Thank you for helping me out with homework. And dinner.”

  His lips tugged up. “No worries. I can help you out whenever.”

  My heart fluttered. “Thanks.”

  His steps slowed as we reached his car. “I had a great afternoon, Cass.”

  “Me too,” I responded breathlessly as we stopped walking. “Nate, can I ask you something?”

  “Sure.”

  I looked up and bit my lip before blurting out, “Why do you have to go to therapy? Is it because you’re dealing with your sister’s death?” And why did I think his fighting also had to do with the loss of her too?

  Nate’s gray eyes bored into me. He ran a hand through his hair, looking uncomfortable, as he murmured, “I have anger-management issues, apparently.”

  I nodded. It made sense with all the fighting he was doing. I wondered if he was as sad as I’d been. It dawned on me that maybe that was why he wanted me to write about everything I’d been through in the English essay.

  I wanted to ask him more. A lot more. But this was Nathan we were talking about. He didn’t like to talk about things, and I had to accept that. I just hoped that one day, he’d open up to me. Until then, I was content letting him know I was here, whenever he was ready.

  Chapter Thirteen

  My cereal was all mushy. Sighing, I moved my spoon around, a bit disgusted at it. A moment later, I stared pointedly at my father
, who was pretty much ignoring me as he read the news on his tablet. “Dad?” I’d tried to get his attention three times already, and I knew he was playing dumb. His twitching lips and the small smile on his face was proof.

  “Sorry. What?” His blue eyes sparkled mischievously as I crossed my arms, completely peeved at him.

  “What did you think about Nathan?”

  He shrugged and resumed scrolling on his tablet. “He’s nice.”

  I took a deep breath, trying not to snap at him. “That’s it?”

  “Yup.”

  “Could you elaborate?”

  “Why?” He gazed at me playfully. “Because you like him?”

  My shoulders sagged, and I fought the urge to roll my eyes. “You know what, it’s not even important,” I huffed as I took my bowl to the sink, feeling a little bad for wasting food.

  Dad’s laugh filled the room. “Are you going to Amanda’s?” he asked as I turned to him. I nodded. “Maybe I can pick you up from school and take you there. I have a meeting tonight, and I’m afraid you’ll have to eat dinner by yourself. Well, that is, if your boyfriend isn’t driving you.”

  “He’s not my boyfriend.” I shook my head, quite peeved at my father’s teasing.

  “Yet.” He smirked as I rolled my eyes. “Take care, honey,” he said loudly before I took the stairs to brush my teeth.

  The walk to school seemed pretty short these days since I’d started to jog. It didn’t take me more than five minutes to get there. I saw Farah’s van on the other side of the parking lot, and I waited for her at the entrance. While waiting, I took out my cell phone and scrolled through the news.

  “Hey,” a girly voice said in front of me.

  “Farah, you take forever,” I said as I looked up to find Anne tilting her head, watching me curiously.

  “Farah is the new girl, right?”

  I nodded before glancing across the parking lot. Farah had stopped to greet her boyfriend. That was why she was taking so long. Figures.

  “She seems nice,” Anne said with a sad smile.

  “She is.” I paused for a moment before adding hesitantly, “You could hang out with us at lunch or something.” Anne’s green eyes widened for a fraction of a second. “So you can get to know her.” I shrugged.