Illusions of the sunlight

Zayn chuckled softly as Jane was more like him than she realized, he'd keep that to himself for now and that would freak her out. "I could take you home sooner rather than later, but you're telling Evie because I'm sure she'd give me a cold glare and I don't want that" He said smiling when he caught a quick glimpse of a pink tinted blush that formed across Jane's cheeks from his comment, he took a few more steps as they finally reached the front. He put in the order while also getting himself a large hot fries and also two burgers, he ordered two large drinks before he paid for all of it.

"She does but I believe that everything happens for a reason, she just wants everything to happen faster" He knew his mom did want him to find someone and be happy, but her helping wasn't going to do anything. He stepped to the side with Jane as their order was cooked up, "Maybe one day you can tell Evie that you don't need her help anymore".

---

Evie looked at Liam having no clue what affect she had on him, "I barely survived that. So I think we should get some nachos and hot dogs first with two frozen lemonades" She told him knowing he was probably more hungry than she was, watching him nod his head before they headed over towards the food stalls. The delicious smell was encouraging her and she couldn't wait until they could find somewhere to sit and start eating, "We can get the funnel cakes afterwards" She smiled as she had a big sweet tooth, she loved dessert and chocolate and anything that was sweet and sugary.

"Is that okay? Or did you want to eat something else?" She asked as she always liked to know if Liam was okay with her decisions, both of them needed to enjoy what they were eating and she didn't want to be one of those pushy friends who made all the decisions.

"I don't want to do anything to hurt Evie's feelings," she said, shrugging her shoulders. "She really just wants what's best for me." Zayn would understand if he knew how Evie was, but she was impossible to explain to anyone who didn't know her.

"Here," Jane said, grabbing a five from her small wad of money when she realized Zayn had ordered for both of them. She passed it to him with a soft smile. "For the food." Zayn was too sweet trying to pay for her food, but she couldn't let him. They had only just met and she wouldn't feel right letting him pay for both of them.

---

"No, that's perfect," Liam said, looking over at Evie with a smile. Usually he was the one that had to make the decisions, so he wouldn't say no to anything she suggested. He could definitely eat more than that, but he could always go back for seconds. "That sounds perfect."

He placed his hand on her back as he guided her towards the food stalls, and once they were headed in the right direction, he dropped his hand. As he dropped it, his brushed against hers, and he thought about how perfect it would be to just be able to hold her hand and walk through the fair, everyone knowing that she was with him.

Zayn could somewhat understand why Evie had brought Jane along, she wanted her sister to be happy but it still made her the third wheel and no one enjoyed that. Though he kept his mouth shut not wanting Jane to think that he didn't like her sister, he was sure if Liam liked Evie so much than he would because his friend only surrounded him with nice friendly people.

"You don't have to, I really don't mind" He said but still took the money that Jane nearly shoved into his hand, he didn't even think about it when he paid for the food so he wasn't expecting her to give him so money for it. Though if that's what she wanted and if that made her comfortable, he wasn't going to complain and could also use the money later to buy her something. As they waited for their food to be cooked, he looked at the beautiful girl standing beside him. "I don't mind this in a weird way, but I would like it if we could hang out again. You interest me and I want to see you again" He asked her keeping his voice as casually as he possibly could.

---

Walking in the direction of the food stalls, Evie didn't speak as she didn't need to. Any silences that fell onto them was comfortable, that was until she saw the frozen lemonade stall. "Go get in line and I'll get the drinks" She smiled not giving him the chance to say anything as she had already walked off towards the other stall, the line wasn't even a line but she knew the food stalls would so she wanted Liam in place so they could eat sooner.

She waited for only a few seconds before she asked for two large frozen lemonades, she gave the worker who seemed to be only slightly older than her the money. She waited as he filled the cups and she got herself two straws, "Thank you" She smiled at the male worker as she took the cold drinks into her hands, turning she walked back over to Liam but frowned when she noticed a piece of paper stuck on one cup. She threw it away seeing a name and number written on it, joining Liam in the line she handed his drink to him.

"Really?" Jane asked, sounding a little more confused than she had meant. It wasn't often that guys wanted to hang out with her seeing as Evie was the much better option, though vying for her would never work out for them. Jane didn't really know what to think of Zayn - he was more confusing than anything, really. She didn't know what he saw in her that would make him want to see her again. "You mean other than when you take me home?"

---

Liam kept his eyes on Evie as she walked away, wanting to make sure nothing bad would happen to her while they were apart. They were at a fair so he was certain that nothing would, but he couldn't be too safe when it came to Evie.

"What was that you threw in the trash?" Liam asked as Evie walked up with the lemonades. He didn't mean to, but he couldn't help but notice it. It was part of being a werewolf. Usually he wouldn't have said anything about it, but he only caught a glimpse of what it had said before she threw it away, and he could tell it wasn't just a receipt.

Zayn heard the confusion in Jane's voice and he wasn't sure why, "Yeah. I mean we could just go for a coffee or meet up for lunch... or not, we don't have to" He said not wanting to be one of those guys who were so cocky and confident that they just assumed the girl wanted to spend more time with him, he had enough confidences but he also didn't want to screw this up when he had only just met Jane. "We can exchange numbers and if you decide not to hang out, than that's fine" He looked at her not knowing that guys paid more attention to Evie, to him Jane was stunning beautiful and always would be.

"Why are you so confused? If you don't mind me asking that" He asked wanting to know why she was confused, do guys not ask girls to hang out anymore? He had no idea because he hasn't dated a girl in years, he was too focused on finding his imprint and didn't want to waste time on dating others.

---

Evie rolled her brown eyes as she looked at Liam and wasn't impressed with how the worker at the drink stall had acted, "The worker gave me his number. Like I'd even be interested in him, he tried talking to me while making our drinks and I tried to stay nice but he was annoying. I just wanted my frozen lemonade and he wasn't moving fast enough" She told him as when she wanted something, nothing was going to stop her from getting it and if you tried talking to her than she'd snap at you or just glare.

She took a small sip through the straw and smiled as the cold frozen liquid lingered on her taste buds, "Guys are so stupid. Apart from you, of course" She smiled as Liam wasn't stupid, he was really smart and never made her wait for anything unless it was a surprise for her.

[Sorry I've taken so long with replies the last few days! I just got a new job and it's been hectic getting settled in!]

Jane pressed her lips together, not really expecting to have to answer a question like that. She knew what the answer was, but it sounded much more insecure and self loathing than she wanted Zayn to think she was, so she just shrugged her shoulders while she bought some time. "I just didn't know you'd want to see me again, I guess. I just assumed you were only trying to rescue me from being a third wheel with Liam and Evie."

She wouldn't ever really be able to tell Zayn how thankful she was for that, because he turned what would have been an otherwise miserable day into one that was bearable.

---

Liam had half a mind to walk over and punch that dumb carnie in the face, or worse. Evie was not some person that could just be won over with a slip of a phone number and some poorly made frozen lemonade, and if that idiot knew anything, he wouldn't have wasted his time.

"Guys are idiots, Ev. Don't you ever forget that," Liam said, happy that they'd found something they both agreed on. Liam knew it was wrong of him, but he didn't want to see Evie with anyone else but him. No one would treat Evie as well as she deserved to be treated.

(No that's completely fine, don't worry about it)

Zayn wasn't sure how he should take what Jane said, she didn't seem overly excited at the thought of spending more time with him. "We don't have to hang out if it makes you uncomfortable, I just never find someone who loves art and that is easy to get along with. It's fine, just forget that I ever said anything" He tried to cover up how disappointed he was, he had actually thought she'd agree with him and give him a go but it seemed like he wasn't going to be lucky and have her feel the effects of him imprinting on her.

Which was fine because his Dad had to work hard to get his Mom to go on a first date, however once they did go on a date than everything went along smoothly and their still happily married. He just wanted that for himself, to have someone that he was meant to be with and to not worry about them leaving because their love would be too strong.

---

Evie looked at Liam and gave him a small smile, "I won't forget that and I'm sure you'll remind me if I do forget" She knew that he would, in fact the few boys that she has dated have been idiots though she had been told that by both Liam and Jane. As the line slowly got shorter they stepped forward, she sighed softly once they had actually reached the front of the line. She sipped her frozen lemonade letting Liam order the food, she reached into the pocket of her jeans and pulled out enough to cover her food.

Setting her money on the counter she smiled at Liam knowing he always did try to pay for her whenever he could, though she was sneaky and wouldn't let him always pay for her. At times it was nice but she felt bad if it happened constantly, she was her own person and could pay for herself.

"Oh, I didn't mean -" Jane stopped herself, biting her lip gently. She always did a pretty good job of saying the wrong thing, it seemed, which was probably why Evie was one of the few people that wanted to spend excessive amounts of time with her. "Nevermind," she finished as she pushed her hair behind her ear nervously. She could feel a little bit of uncomfortable tension between them now, and she wasn't sure he would still want to take her home or if she should even bring it up. She hadn't meant to mess things up so quickly, but a part of her wondered if maybe it was for the best since it was bound to happen eventually.

---

Liam would never admit that he always did his best to plant little bugs in Evie's ears when she started dating any guys. He'd talk about the bad things as much as he could, and luckily for him, Jane always added a few things in to make it seem more real. Jane was probably doing it for her own reasons though, and not to help him.

Liam smiled at her as she pulled her money out, quickly grabbing it from the counter before the worker could take it. "You know I can't let you do that," he said, reaching down and putting the money back into her pocket. He knew they weren't dating, even as much as he wanted them to be, but paying for her food just felt right to him. He wanted Evie to feel like a princess when she was with him, and princesses didn't have to pay for anything.

Zayn took a step forward when their order was called out, he thanked the worker as he took the plastic tray that was filled with food and two drinks. "Let's go find a table" He said to Jane feeling slightly awkward now, in his mind he thought he had ruined things with Jane when he mentioned spending time with her. It was weird considering they had only just met and he already wanted to hang out with her, he didn't blame her because if he was her than he would have acted the same way. He never wanted to make anyone uncomfortable, especially not a girl because she could easily take it the wrong way.

Scanning the area with his heightened vision and he easily found a free table, "There's one over here" He said leading the way through the sea of people as Jane followed behind him, setting the tray down on the table he took the food off, sitting down he drank some of the soda that he ordered for himself. "I didn't mean to move too fast Jane, you're a nice girl but I understand that I've just made everything awkward" He admitted to her.

---

Evie gave him an unimpressed look when her money was pushed back into her pocket, "Actually I know that you can let me do that. I've seen it happen before" She couldn't help back smile because Liam was the only guy that ever spoiled her, she had received gifts before but nothing that actually meant anything to her and most guys didn't pay for her when they went on dates. She wanted to always feel like a princess though she could still pay for herself, she'd just have to buy dessert for herself and Liam later on.

She watched the worker take Liam's money before they were given a receipt with a number on it, stepping to the side so they could wait for their food to be cooked up. "I hope this doesn't take long, I'm starving" She never did like waiting for food especially when she was hungry.

Jane followed Zayn to the open table and sat across from him, watching as he dispersed the food between the two of them. She looked across the table at him with her lips pressed together and her eyes blinking softly.

"No, no, you didn't do anything," Jane said, shaking her head slowly. "I'm sorry I made you think that." Jane shifted in her seat nervously, her appetite suddenly disappearing. Evie always warned her about saying stupid things, but she always seemed to do it anyway.

---

"Those were extenuating circumstances," Liam said as he shrugged his shoulders, leaning against the metal cart as they waited for their food. "I believe I was sick for one of them and a few times I didn't have my wallet with me." Liam knew he'd never let Evie get away with paying for herself when he could pay for her. It just wouldn't feel right to him.

The smells coming from the food cart were making him feel even hungrier, and he knew he was going to have to order seconds, and maybe even thirds as well, with a funnel cake to top it all off. "They'll be quick, I'm sure. They want you in and out as fast as possible so you'll spend more money."

Zayn shook his head, "Please don't apologize. How about we start over?" He asked just sensing that Jane wasn't comfortable anymore with him when she shifted in her seat, things were going down hill every quickly and Zayn was desperate to get things back on track. He didn't want Jane to always remember this time whenever she saw him, if she ever did see him again. He wanted her to enjoy being at the fair for as long as she could, he'd still take her home if that's also what she wanted.

"I'm Zayn and I put my foot in my mouth a lot of times" He said as he looked at Jane, giving her a small smile hoping that she'd go along with him and they could start talking about something else.

---

Evie smiled as she listened to Liam's voice, "Well maybe if you leave your wallet at home more often. People will start to think that I'm using you because you always think that you need to pay for me, I don't like using all your money" She had told him this before but he just brushed it off and continued on paying for her, she was constantly trying to sneak money into his wallet or pockets in an attempt to pay him back.

However he usually always caught her or found the money and knew it wasn't his, that was one thing that annoyed Evie because he should be saving his money for something or spending it on other girls. They were only friends but she was holding onto that and not really giving him a chance to date other girls.

Jane laughed at him, nodding her head as she toyed with her food. She'd only met Zayn, but she definitely didn't want him to hate her and was happy to have the fresh start.

"Well I'm pretty sure I say stupid things more often than normal ones. It's part of the reason Evie wants me out of the house. She thinks I'll become feral like a wolf or something," Jane joked, though it probably could have been a true statement with how much time Jane spent at home. It was either home, school or the art studio for her, but that was the way she liked it.

---

"You don't use all my money, Ev. You're a very cheap date, actually." Liam's heart sunk when he realized he used the 'date' word. He had never, ever let it slip before, and goddam it he just completely fucked everything up. Now Evie was probably going to catch onto the fact that he was undeniably in love with her and she'd never want to speak to him again. "You know, friend date," he said quickly, hoping to cover up his little disaster before Evie had a chance to notice.

He'd never forgive himself if he did something to mess things up with Evie, especially when it involved letting her in on the fact that he was in love with her when that was clearly not anything she would be interested in.

Zayn couldn't help but laugh softly at Jane's comment, "I doubt that you'll become feral. Evie will only have to worry when you start collecting cats, don't want you to become the next crazy cat lady now" He grinned as he took a few fries between his fingers and stuffed them into his mouth, tasting the salty goodness as he chewed.

"Or maybe this is you being charming, not everyone can think before they speak and some people like that about others. You just need to find the right people to be friends with" He said knowing he has often spoken before he has thought about his words, it didn't always end up well for him but sometimes he just couldn't help it and apparently Jane had the same people that he did.

---

Evie instantly focused on the word 'date' that Liam had said, she knew him well enough to know that he was trying to cover it up with the' friend date'. She tried not to smile to widely as it was obvious that Liam hadn't meant to say it to her, "I'm only cheap because I don't want you wasting money on me" She told him holding back from doing anything or saying anything else, she'd definitely have to talk to Jane about this later on.

She wanted to say something badly, just to give Liam a little hint but she couldn't think straight and the hint probably wouldn't make sense so she'd just wait.

"Oh, I hate cats," Jane said, pausing to take a bite of her food. "I'm more of a dog person, really." It was true. Even when she was little, she had hated cats and always gravitated towards dogs.

Jane laughed at Zayn's comment, shaking her head quickly. "I am not charming. Just give it a few days and you'll be sick of me, I promise." It happened every time the rare guy did like her, and Evie had accused her a few times of doing it on purpose just to get rid of them. Jane hadn't really denied it, because things never felt right with those guys anyway.

---

Liam had fucked up. He fucked up bad. He was certain that Evie was going to realize that he was in love with her and he absolutely couldn't have that in any way, shape or form. If she realized it now, she wouldn't even want to be friends with him anymore and he wouldn't be able to continue on with his plan to make her slowly fall in love with him. She was his imprint. He couldn't ruin things by letting her know that he had feelings for her before she was ready.

"As long as I have enough money for my date on Friday, I can spend as much on you as I want," he said smoothly, trying desperately to fix what he might have irreparably broken.

Zayn smiled at her, "Than you'll have to be careful that you don't become the crazy dog lady. It could still happen and it'll happen when you least expect it" He said grinning and even though he barely knew Evie, he doubted she'd ever let her sister become like that.

He looked at her as he swallowed a mouthful of food, "Really? You think that it'd be that easy for me to just leave, you seriously can't be that bad" He didn't believe her, she could just not be a big people person and that's why she didn't surround herself with friends. It couldn't be because of the way she spoke to people, "We'll just have to wait and see than. If Evie and Liam are still spending time with you, you can't be all bad" He lifted his burger up and took a large bite.

---

Evie's face fell slightly, "You have a date on Friday?" She asked him before trying her best to act happy for him, "What are you planning to do?" She asked in the way she usually did whenever Liam actually did go out on a date, which wasn't as often as other guys his age. Normally she was happy and encouraging him to date, but now she didn't want to even think about him spending time with someone other than her and Jane. He was her best friend and she wouldn't let anyone take that away.

Before she said anything else their number was called, she watched as Liam took the tray into his hands and she turned around so they could find a table. Once she had spotted one, she sat down before taking her food from the tray and started to eat.

"You just wait, Zayn. You'll figure it out soon enough." Jane shrugged her shoulders, giving him a soft smile as she took a bite of her fries. Zayn spent way too much time talking about her and asking her questions, and she knew little to nothing about him.

"So what about you? I imagine a guy like you has a girlfriend, but then that begs the question: why isn't she her with you?" Jane was sure a guy as gorgeous as Zayn had girls lined up at his feet, just like Liam did.

---

"Uh, yeah, actually." That was a damn lie but Evie didn't need to know that. He might have to actually make one now to cover up his lies, but he knew plenty of girls who would take him up on the offer if he asked. Jump at it, really. He sat down across from Evie and grabbed his food off the tray. "I think we're just going out to the lake. Have a picnic and swim and stuff."

He wasn't sure if that was actually a good date or not, but he was sure Evie would tell him if it wasn't. It would only really matter if he decided to take a girl on a date, which would probably only happen if he thought Evie would see him or something.

Zayn knew that Jane wasn't going to get rid of him anytime soon, "We'll see about that" He took more fries into his mouth as he listened to her, he shook his head and chuckled softly. "A guy like me? No I don't have a girlfriend, I just haven't found the right girl I guess" He answered knowing that reason was pretty true, he was more interested in finding his imprint. He didn't want to waste his time and didn't see the point in dating, it wasn't going to last.

Of course he knew that if he were to want to date than he wouldn't have a hard time finding a girl, not that it caused him to be cocky because he honestly never really thought about it. Only finding his imprint was constantly on his mind.

---

Evie listened as she picked out a corn chip from the nacho box and dipped the chip into the sour cream, "That sounds really nice. She's a lucky girl" She knew if she was taken on a date like that than she'd love it, she loved simple dates where she didn't have to do much, sure she loved the more fast paced dates but she loved having a picnic and just relaxing in the sun.

The idea of calling Liam while he was on his date crossed her mind, it would be extremely rude of her and she'd never want someone to do that to her. But this was Liam, her best friend and she didn't want things to change if he did get himself a girlfriend. She'd see if Jane wanted to do something on Friday, even if they already did spend time together everyday.

Jane couldn't decide if Zayn was telling the truth or if he had some tragic flaw that made him undateable. He seemed like the type of guy that girls would snatch up as quick as they could with his dark hair, perfect cheek bones and deep brown eyes. He was like something straight out of a magazine, so he had to have girls hitting on him daily. Maybe he was just the type to do casual things instead of real relationships. It wasn't unusual for people their age.

"Well, I'm sure you'll find her soon enough," Jane said with a smile, and she was sure he would. He could probably find a great girl at the fair if he wasn't wasting him time talking to her.

---

Liam chuckled as he took a drink of his frozen lemonade. "You think so?" He'd just come up with the idea on the spot, so he was pleased to hear that she liked it, even if he didn't actually end up taking a girl on a date. He took another bite of his food and chewed it up before swallowing.

"Do you have any exciting plans for the weekend?" Liam asked, scooting back on the bench seat. He thought if Evie had anything big going on that she would have told him, especially if it was something along the lines of a date, but it was rare that Evie spend a weekend at home or alone.

Zayn gave Jane a small grin at her comment, "I hope I will too. What about you? You can't say that no guys want to date you, even if you do scare them away with your words. I'm sure some guys could look past that" He looked at her as guys had to find her beautiful, he did and he couldn't understand that she was still single. Liam seems to be around her and sure it's because of Evie, but he seems to not be bothered by what Jane says.

"And if guys aren't chasing you then their blind or just stupid, probably both actually. I'm surprised that you haven't been scooped up yet" He said truthfully and even though that could have been out of line, he wanted to make sure that Jane knew how beautiful she was however he felt like it would take time for her to actually believe that she was worth spending time on.

---

"Yeah, I'd love to go on a date like that. Guys always take me to the movies were we can't talk, or on a date where we're moving constantly and I get tired" Evie said licking away from sour cream from her pink bottom lip, she gave her head a small shake. "Not really, I'll see if Jane wants to do something but I don't have anything planned yet" She said knowing her other friends would welcome her if she asked to do something on the weekend, but she wasn't really in any mood now that she knew Liam was going on a date.

She wanted to ask so many questions about this girl he was taking on a date, but she knew it'd only make her look nosy which Liam knew that she was already but she didn't want to come across as jealous even if she was. "Did you need help packing the picnic?" She asked as she loved food and cooking or baking was what relaxed her the most, art was Jane's passion while food was Evie's passion.

"I guess I'm just a bit scarier than you imagined," Jane said, shrugging her shoulders as she chuckled a bit. She hadn't had a boyfriend in a long time, and only a few guys had been interested in her recently, and even those were only mildly so. She just didn't have the good looks or incredible charm that Evie had, which made her sister the more sought after Carter.

She bit her lip as she took a sip of her drink, looking from the food back up to Zayn's face. She shrugged her shoulders as she tilted her head to the side. "I guess it's kind of like with you. You haven't found the right person yet and the right person hasn't found me."

---

"Those dates can be good too, I guess," Liam said with a shrug. He'd done both, but he mostly picked the movies when he didn't know the girl very well and was nervous about talking. It was nice because you didn't have to worry about running out of things to say but could still get to know the other person a little bit better.

"Uh, yeah, that would be good," Liam said, nodding his head as he took another bite of the food. From the looks of it, he might actually have to go on a date, which wouldn't be a huge deal because there were plenty of girls he could get to go, but he didn't really want to. "Do you just wanna come over before?"