Illusions of the sunlight

Zayn took a drink of his soda, "There isn't anything scary about you. I'm pretty sure about that, you haven't scared me yet" Turning his attention onto the beautiful brunette that he was sharing the table with, he listened to her speak before nodding his head in agreement. "I'm sure the right person will find you soon enough, hopefully sooner than later so Evie doesn't have to drag you along anymore" He knew being the third wheel couldn't be any fun.

He'd have to make sure that there weren't any guys around Jane that could cause any trouble for him, he didn't want to get stuck in the friend zone like Liam has. He wanted to ask Jane out now but he was positive that wouldn't end well, so he'd take his time and earn her trust and let her get to know him.

---

Evie nodded her head, "I'll come over" She looked at him with her brown eyes as she continued to eat the food in front of her, "Besides if the date doesn't go well than we could always make plans to do something." She suggested knowing that there would be a long line of girls that were willingly to date Liam, she had seen the looks he received and the glares that were shot at her constantly.

Deep down a thought crossed her mind, she hoped that the date didn't go well just so she could keep Liam to herself and not be threatened by another girl.

"That would be very nice," Jane said with a chuckle, though she hadn't really thought much about finding a guy. She never really thought about it until a guy actually liked her, and that didn't happen too often. It wasn't that Jane wasn't interested in guys; it was just that she'd never met one she liked enough to get serious with, and searching for one wasn't something that was on her mind.

"What exactly are you looking for in a girl?" Jane asked, trying to keep the conversation going. She knew this wasn't exactly small talk, but Zayn had brought it up and it had always been in her nature to be curious about people.

---

Liam laughed, leaning his elbows on the table as he looked at Evie. "You really think I'm such a bad date that I'll need you to rescue me?" He tried to play it off as best he could, but he couldn't really imagine what he'd do if she thought that. There was no way he could make her fall in love with him if she thought he was an awful date. No way in hell.

He already knew that it was going to be hard enough to get Evie to fall for him and there were a thousand obstacles in his way, but this would just be another difficult thing to add to the list of things keeping Evie from him.

Zayn didn't even need to think about the type of girl he was looking for, "I want to be with someone who I can be myself with and not have to worry about what she thinks. Someone I can have fun with but also someone who I can stay in with but still have fun" He told her softly just wanting to be with someone who he can be comfortable with and trust completely, "What do you want in a guy?" He asked her as he was curious what she liked in a guy.

He wasn't always the nosy type of person unless he was close to the person, Jane was different because he was honestly interested in her and what she thought about. Usually he wouldn't even bother asking a girl what they wanted in a guy because he never cared, though he was still nice about it.

---

Evie looked at him before shaking her head, "That's not what I meant Liam. I was thinking that this girl could not be your type so you wouldn't enjoy the date, I already know that you'd be a great date to have. I always have fun when you take me places" She explained herself and secretly she hoped that this girl wasn't his type nor would she be interesting to Liam, she didn't want him to have a crappy date because it would upset him but then he'd find her and they could spend more time together.

"And if she isn't a good date than you can just forget about her" She told him not caring how bitchy or rude she sounded, she didn't think anyone was good enough or deserved Liam.

What Jane wanted in a guy was a lot like what Zayn wanted in a girl. She thought the most important thing in a relationship was just feeling like you could be yourself and not having to hide who you really were, which was what Jane always felt when she was around guys. They always made her feel like she needed to be more like Evie, sweet and charming and gorgeous.

"I'm not too picky," Jane said with a smile as she took a sip of her drink. "He'd be sweet and a gentleman, but not to the point that it seemed forced. We would always have fun together, even if we were just lounging around. I'd always feel comfortable around him and not like I needed to pretend to be something I'm not." She paused, pressing her lips together. "I guess that is a little picky."

---

"Well, hopefully it won't be too bad," Liam said, though he wouldn't tell Evie if it was. He wanted her to think that he would go well with any girl, so maybe she'd think that he'd go well with her too. It was something he never really tried before, but maybe he could show Evie that he'd be great in a relationship by showing her he could be great with someone else. Clearly what he was doing wasn't working so far, since she so obviously still had him in the friend zone, so maybe it was time he switch things up a little bit.

He knew it would be risky because in the time Liam was trying to show Evie how good a boyfriend he could be, she might find someone else. She could easily find someone else. But Liam couldn't let that happen.

"I wouldn't say that you're being picky, it's nice to see someone who actually does know what they want. Usually girls just say whatever they think I want to hear" Zayn said liking that Jane wasn't anything like the other girls that he has been around and talked with for whatever reason, she was her whole person and wouldn't just change because someone wanted her to and he really did admire that. "You know that there are more girls who would change for someone than be like you, you're being yourself and can think for yourself" He looked at her as it was a very nice change for him.

"We all need to be with someone who we're comfortable with, otherwise the relationship is never going to work out and I know that first hand. It's never nice" He ate more of his burger, licking the sauce from his bottom lip as he didn't want to come across as a pig when he ate.

---

"I'm sure the date will be fine, just be yourself and she'll love you" Evie smiled at him as she knew he'd be the best person to date, he's always sweet and charming so any girl he was interested in was very lucky. She continued to eat with him until she noticed some salsa on the corner of his mouth, without thinking she grabbed a napkin and wiped the sauce away which wasn't really something that friends do to often. She cleared her throat not wanting it to be awkward between them.

"You'll be the perfect date Liam, I know you will be" She assured him though she'd have to make herself think of something completely different, otherwise she'd drive herself crazy with thinking about Liam and his date.

"That's exactly what I think," Jane said with a smile, happy that someone finally agreed with her. It seemed like people her age were only concerned with getting laid or dating the most handsome guy. If Jane was going to be in a relationship, she would want it to be something real and something that would last, though she knew at her age she was unlikely to find something like that unless she dated a much older guy who already had his life together.

Jane didn't know what else to say to Zayn, her biting her lip nervously as she looked at him. She hated not always knowing what to say. If she were Evie, she'd never run out of things to talk about, because Evie was always so great at being friendly and charming.

---

"Well, I hope so," Liam said, rubbing his hands together as he looked at her. He took another bite of nacho, blushing when she reached up to wipe of his face. He never failed to be a pig when he ate, even when he was trying his best not to look like it. It was hard to eat cleanly when it seemed like you couldn't get food in your face fast enough.

"So, what do you want to do for the rest of the evening?" He asked her, not sure how long she wanted to stay at the fair and really hoping they wouldn't have to go find Jane and Zayn anytime soon.

Zayn was so grateful that Jane wasn't the typical girl that tended to be around these days, he couldn't stand them and would never date someone like that. Though guys his age were just as bad in his opinion, being a gentleman has gone out the window and they just think about themselves and when they'll get laid next. Jane was rare to find in someone their age as she hasn't fallen victim to the trends or what other girls are doing.

"Seems like we have more in common than just art" He gave her a warm smile noticing every time that she bit down onto her pink bottom lip, a nervous habit. He gave her that smile to hopefully make her feel less nervous, taking a long drink of his coke he let his dark brown eyes wander around at the people walking past. "Did you want to do anything after we finish eating or shall I just take you home?" He asked her softly as he was fine with whatever she wanted to do.

---

Evie smiled as she was completely used to how and the amount of food Liam would eat, so wiping salsa from his face wasn't a big deal to her. "We could go look at the games and play a few" She suggested though she wasn't the best at the game or getting a decent score, she always had fun trying even if it meant Liam would tease her about it later. She was hopeless at aiming and throwing anything which is why she always convinced Liam to win her prizes that she couldn't get for herself.

"I'll be right back" She smiled standing up from her seat before she rushed over to a stall where there wasn't any line, she brought a funnel cake and a hot dog for Liam while she got herself a sauce covered corn dog. Making her way back to the table she knew he wasn't going to be impressed that she spent money on him, "Here you go" She smiled sweetly at him as she sat down and set the food in front of him.

Jane had noticed herself all the similarities she and Zayn seemed to have, but she tried not to think about it because thinking led to feelings and Jane knew that getting feelings for anyone, especially someone like Zayn, would just lead to conflict and unhappy endings.

"I'm horrible with decisions," Jane said with a laugh, shrugging her shoulders as she puffed out her lips at him. "Why don't you just pick?" She had always been bad with choices, but this just seemed even worse. She was enjoying spending time with Zayn more than she would care to admit, and she knew it would probably be a bad idea to keep doing it, even as much as she wanted to.

---

"That sounds good to me. Give our stomachs a break before I try to get you on another coaster," he joked, smiling at her as she stood up from the table. He didn't have a clue where she was going, but he took her word that she'd come back. In the back of his mind, he worried that she might be going back to talk to the guy who had hit on her earlier, but he tried to brush those feelings off.

"What did you - that was damn sneaky, Evie," Liam laughed as she laid the food out in front of them. He shouldn't have eaten it out of principle, but it looked so damn good and there was no way Evie would be able to eat it all on her own.

Zayn chuckled softly and thought about what they should do, "How about after this we take a walk? We can find your sister and have her hate me, before I take you home. How does that sound?" He asked knowing her sister probably wouldn't like the idea of Jane leaving early considering the reason why Jane was even at the fair in the first place, he could deal with Evie or so he thought. But if Jane still wanted to go home than he wasn't going to say no to her, he'd rather make sure she was home safely.

"You never know, we could take a walk and you could decide to stay here longer" He grinned as he finished off his burger and licked his fingers, taking the napkin he wiped his mouth not wanting to leave any sauce. He never was an overly neat person when it came to eating, though he still didn't want to embarrass Jane by looking like a slob.

---

"Who said anything about going on another ride?" Evie looked at him though if he picked a ride that was alright and wouldn't take too long, then she'd consider going on the ride with him but she wouldn't actually tell him that. She smiled at him widely, "I know but if I told you what I was doing, you wouldn't have let me. So I didn't say anything, but you still have to eat it because I got you funnel cake" She knew Liam wouldn't say no to food.

She took a bit of her corn dog and smiled at how delicious it was, "Besides I went on a roller coaster without much complaining. Don't you start complaining now, mister" She pointed her finger at him as if that was going to help her get her point across better.

"That sounds great to me," Jane said before finishing off the last of her food. She was absolutely stuffed, so she probably needed to walk it off anyway, and there was a lot more that the fair had to offer that she hadn't seen. Maybe they'd even see Liam and Evie kissing by some goldfish, but that was certainly a long shot.

She stood up from the bench and tossed her trash into a nearby trash can before turning back to Zayn with a smile. He'd eaten more food than she had, but they'd eaten it in the same amount of time. He was just like Liam in that regard.

---

"I'm not complaining," Liam said, holding up his hands as he laughed at her. "I'm just trying to be a gentleman." Regardless of whether it was an actual date or not, Liam never wanted Evie to pay for anything when he was around, especially not anything for himself. He was still trying to make her realize that she was perfect for him, and that certainly didn't involve her buying him treats all the time.

He reached over and pulled off a piece of the funnel cake, which looked absolutely delicious. Evie always did know what to do to make him happy, or did it make him happy because Evie had done it? It was anyone's guess.

"Good because you might as well try to have some fun while you're here" Zayn followed Jane with tossing his own trash into the bin after he had finished eating, he had enough to hold him over for a while. "Let's go this way" He suggested leading Jane in one direction that they hadn't walked in yet, the fair was large and had much to offer them in whatever they wanted to do. "Is there anything that you'd like to do?" He asked wanting to know if there was anything that she wanted do.

He didn't want to just leave the fair and have Jane secretly wish she could go on a ride or play a game or even get her face painted, he'd feel horrible if he let that happen because the fair only came around once a year.

---

"I know you are, but if you're going to win prizes for me than I'm going to pay you back in food" Evie thought that was pretty fair considering Liam always brought food for her when they were out together, "Nothing could stop you from being a gentleman" She looked at him knowing he was raised the right way and put everyone before himself, well he at least put her before himself which sometimes was annoying but still sweet at the same time.

She continued eating her corn dog which she always got at fairs and basically whenever she could, she tipped the corn dog into more sauce and licked her lips after taking a large bite.

Jane shrugged her shoulders, looking back and forth at each of the food stalls as they passed them and headed onto another part of the fair. Liam and Evie were probably still riding rides, if Jane had to guess, and there was little to no chance that they'd randomly run into them with how big the fair was, unless they were really lucky (or unlucky in Liam's case). "I'd be happy with anything," she said, shrugging her shoulders. There wasn't anything special she wanted to do considering the only reason she'd even come was because Evie had made her. There were plenty of great things for couples to do, but those were too romantic for Jane and Zayn.

---

Liam finished up the funnel cake more quickly than he expected and probably ate more than his fair share of it. He looked over at Evie from above his empty plate and smiled. "What would you like to do next?" He asked, hoping that it wouldn't involve finding Jane and Zayn. They'd barely gotten any time alone together outside of eating and the coaster, and Liam still had a few plans to wow Evie. Aside from winning Evie a snuggly animal to cuddle with, he had a few things he wanted to do before they left.

Zayn felt pretty similar to Jane as he didn't have anything at the fair that he needed to do before he left, "Let's just walk around and see what we find" He did pull his phone out from his pocket, he quickly wrote a text message to both his little sisters telling them he was taking a friend home shortly. They could either meet him at the car or get a lift home with their friends, he honestly didn't mind as he and his parents trusted his sisters friends. Pushing his phone back into the pocket of his dark jeans, he turned his attention onto Jane once again. "I'm surprised that Evie actually managed to get you here" He said with a small smile.

---

Evie was still eating her corn dog when Liam was finished, though that was normal for them. "I want to check out the games and see what you can win for me" She smiled standing up from the chair, she held her frozen lemonade and corn dog in one hand while she threw her trash away into a bin. She waited for Liam and continued eating as she'd finished shortly after they started walking, she didn't really have anything else that she wanted to do after this. "After this you can decide on what we do, I don't have anything else in mind. We could try and find Jane" She said looking at him.

"You know, so am I," Jane said with a laugh as she folded her arms across her chest. Though she hadn't wanted to go to the fair in the first place, it was giving her a lot of inspiration for some artwork when she got home. She was thinking something with an old ferris wheel, but not much beyond that. "What about you? How'd you get suckered into bringing your sisters?" The little girls seemed nice enough in the very brief time that Jane had saw them, and they looked so similar to Zayn, but he didn't really seem like the babysitter type, though he did seem caring enough to be a good big brother.

---

Liam laughed, following Evie as they began walking back through the fair. "Maybe we can find you one of those minions you love so much." Liam would have done his best to win Evie any gift he could, no matter what the game was. He secretly hoped it would be a game involving strength, because there was no way he wouldn't win one of those. He usually had to hold his strength back in those games, or else he'd break them, which he had learned the first time he and Evie had gone to the fair together. "Right, we could do that," he said, though he absolutely didn't want to look for Jane. It wasn't that he didn't like Jane, of course, he did, he just hadn't got his fill of alone time with Evie yet, and he was sure Jane was either having a good time with Zayn or she had killed him by now.

Zayn knew where both sisters were coming from, he knew Evie just wanted her sister to get out of the home and have some fun while he was similar to Jane and would love to stay inside if he had that choice. "When they asked me, they gave me puppy dog eyes and I struggle already to say no to them. They're mine weakness and they know that, so they use it against me" He said not minding if she knew that, he never hid how important family was to him as it's a huge part of who he is. "Besides if I hadn't come with them, then I never would have saved you from being a third wheel and having to stay here until the others decided to leave" That was just one good thing about coming to the fair, he had also met Jane though he'd keep that to himself for right now in case it makes her uncomfortable.

---

Evie's attention was instantly captured and her hand reached out, she grabbed onto Liam's arm and stopped them from walking. "You'll win me a minion? All I want is a minion" She told him seriously as she absolutely love the Despicable Me movies and has lost count of how many times she'd watched the films, of course the minions were her favourite and suddenly that was the only thing on her mind. She scanned the area around them before she literally started pulling Liam along with her in her search of finding a minion that he could win for her, she was beginning to lose hope until a bright yellow minion caught her eyes. Pulling Liam over so they could join the line, she noticed the game was one where you hit a platform with a hammer and a little marker went up a pole. There was a bell at the top which needed to be hit for her to get a minion, "Liam please?" She looked at him.

"Well, at least one good thing came of it then," Jane said with a laugh. She was sure she could have found a way away from them by now somehow, but she wouldn't have had a ride home and would still be stuck at the fair, though by herself instead. She probably would have found some place to sit and just watch people until Liam was done making Evie fall in love with him.

Jane and Zayn were walking through the fair, passing all sorts of games, rides and food carts. There were plenty of things to do, but nothing that really caught Jane's eye, and she figured Zayn was probably starting to realize just how boring she actually was.

---

Liam laughed at Evie's excitement, wishing that he could make her as happy as that minion could. He followed behind her as she practically ran frantically from booth to booth, looking for her new bed time cuddle buddy. Liam was beginning to get worried that they wouldn't find one when Evie finally spotted one in the distance and dragged him towards one of the strength games. There was no doubt in Liam's mind that he could win this one, he'd just have to go easy lest he get caught or accused of cheating.

"Anything for you," he said, looking down at Evie with a smile before he pulled out his wallet and passed a few bills to the game attendant. "One game please." The man then passed Liam the fake sledge hammer and Liam pushed Evie a step back, so he wouldn't accidentally hit her. Using as little strength as he could, he dropped the mallet down and watched the marker shoot up until it reached the very top.

Zayn nodded his head lightly as they continued walking, "It might be harder to find your sister than I first thought" He could easily sniff Liam out but he thought that would seem strange to Jane, how he'd suggest directions to take and be lucky enough to come across Liam and Evie. This way he could spend more time with Jane without anyone else around, "We could just head off now? My sisters are going to be dropped home by their friends, so we don't have to worry about them" He knew his sisters would want to stay longer, they were having fun with their friends and he didn't want to ruin that for them.

But at the same time, Jane didn't seem to be interested in any of the games or rides. He had already been on all the rides and played the games in previous years, he wasn't missing out on anything that he hadn't experienced before. He had done what he wanted and that was give Jane the chance to find something to do, though she hadn't and he wasn't going to force her or tell her what do.

---

Evie stood back behind Liam and watched intently as the marker flew right up to the top, the bell sounding before the marker fell down to the bottom again. A little noise of excitement sounded from her lips as she wrapped her arms around Liam, she hugged him tightly and her smile was beaming. "Thank you so much" She smiled at him happily and waited until the attendant brought down a minion and handed the large plush toy over to her, she thanked the man before wrapping her arms tightly and securely around the minion.

"I always knew you could get to the top, you always do win me things" She was more happy than she really should be, but she still had all the prizes that Liam won for her in her bedroom. She'd always keep them because they reminded her of Liam and the time they spent together at the fair.

"I'm sure Liam is going to do his best to keep us from finding them," Jane joked, knowing Liam would do anything to keep his time with Evie just the two of them, especially at a place as cheesy and romantic as the fair.

"Is there anything you'd like to do?" Jane asked, folding her arms across her chest as she walked beside Zayn, kicking her feet lazily against the dirt with each step. "I usually just do what Liam and Evie want. We can leave if there's nothing else."

---

Liam laughed, smiling as he watched Evie admire her minion. "Well, I try my best," he said, pausing for a moment as she cuddled her minion. "I'm glad you like it." He knew that Evie always kept the stuffed animals he gave her in her room, but he wondered if she would sleep with it in her bed or not.

"What would you like to do next?" He asked as he took a look around the fair. It would be tough for Evie to carry the big stuffed minion everywhere, but there were still plenty of things to do, though he didn't know if Evie would want to do any of them, especially if it meant leaving her minion behind to get on a ride.

Zayn was glad that his friend had found his imprint but it seemed like Evie didn't know it yet, hopefully she'd realise shortly and they can start making each other even more happy. "He probably does have everything planned out and we'd just ruin it for him" He chuckled softly as he looked at Jane, "There isn't anything I really want to do. I've gone on every ride and played every game in previous years" He told her letting his eyes fall over the people passing them by.

"How about we do what you want, now that you have the chance. Liam and Evie aren't here, so you decide what we do next and whatever it is will be fine with me" He told her not caring if she just wanted to be taken home, he'd be happy leaving the fair considering he was only there because of his sisters.

---

Evie couldn't wipe the smile from her face, "I love it" She looked at Liam happily before she glanced around, none of the other games or prizes captured her attention or interest. Not now that she had her very one minion. "I guess you could pick another ride we could go on, but only if there's a safe place we can put him and he won't get stolen" She knew it was only fair to go on another ride with Liam, however the smarter choice would have to go on the ride beforehand.

But she couldn't do anything about that now, she had seen a few places where bags and prizes could be stored while a ride was going. She'd prefer to take the minion on the ride with her, though that wasn't very practically and it wasn't allowed anyway.

Jane paused for a moment, trying to think of something that she would want to do that she'd never done before. She spotted the booth on the corner where they dressed you up in old western clothes and took an old timey photograph. She pointed to the booth and looked at Zayn. "We could go get our picture taken." She dropped her hand, biting her lip anxiously. "Or is that too nerdy?"

---

"We could go back to my place, if you'd like. I've got that new Seth Rogen movie we can watch." Liam paused, smiling at Evie as he stuck his hands in his pockets. "Jane can come too, if she wants." Liam knew it was better to just extend the invitation to Jane right away, even if she didn't want to go. Evie was much more likely to do things if Jane was given the opportunity too, even though Liam really just wanted to spend some more time alone with Evie, just the two of them.