~ wdw imagines ~

37. the carnival pt. 1 (zh)

"y/n, come on! it's gonna be fun!" i heard my best friend calling me downstairs.

"carly, i don't want to go. you know how i feel about carnivals," i said as i walked down the creaking wooden stairs of my house.

"look, just because that idiot broke up with you on a carousel doesn't mean you won't find love on another one. life's like a merry-go-round. sometimes you get on a majestic white horse, and other times you're stuck riding on a bench," i heard her call from the living room. "damn, that was deep. i can see why you're a writer," i said, entering my cozy living room and sitting down next to her.

"you never know what could happen. i mean look at me, i found my boyfriend by chance," she said, her eyes smiling into mine. "daniel's coming, right?" i ask. "you bet," she says, her cheeks turning the color of rose petals, "you never know, y/n. just you wait."

little did i know that something was coming my way. or, more specifically someone.

as we arrived at the carnival and finished buying our tickets, carly  spotted daniel. as she waved to him, my eyes drifted towards the boy next to him. he seemed so familar, but i couldn't place name with face.

as daniel picked up carly and spun her in the air, i thought about how much i wanted a relationship like theirs. their whirlwind romance all started back at a meet and greet many long years ago, when why don't we was still in the early stages of fame. she told me the oddly romantic story of how she spilled flaming red punch all over her white crop top and matching shorts and daniel comforted her embarrassment, helping her clean her outfit. they were made for each other and i just hoped and prayed to find a relationship like hers and daniel's.

and that's when i noticed the boy smiling at me.

he was just a bit taller than myself. his eyes were a sweet chocolate brown, and something about his wide smile seemed to warm my heart. he walked up to me, and introduced himself.

"hey, i'm zach! you must be y/n. i think we've met before, you seem familiar."

then, it hit me. this wasn't just any boy, this was zach herron, daniel's fellow band member and close friend. he'd grown up into quite the rare find, with the smooth charm of his sly smile slowly swirling into my soul.

"let's leave these two lovebirds alone. i got tickets for us!" zach said, excitedly. whatever adventures awaited me and him, i was so ready. well, at least i thought i was.

"i don't remember you being in the band," i say, honestly.

zach laughs to himself, and i see that sweet little grin again. "i mean i'm not that memorable, but yeah, i've been in why don't we since the beginning," he says squinting at the sun.

"they're really cute together, don't you think?" zach points at carly and daniel ahead of us. my heart skipped a beat at how tight they were holding each other's hands, and how many loving glances daniel snuck at carly when she wasn't noticing.

"i wish i had someone like that," i say, before i realizing what i just said. well, there goes my chances of actually being with zach ever. and then, my hopes were restored.

"yeah, me too," zach says, still looking at them. then his head turns towards me. i catch his warm eyes looking into mine, and a warm feeling spreads across me as i look at him.

"i've got an idea," he says, as he moves to whisper in my ear. what i heard next changed everything.

"we should what?" i say, shocked by zach's words. his chocolate eyes widen, as he smiles slyly at me, before bursting into laughter. "jeez, it's not like i'm asking to do something dirty. all i'm saying is we should pretend to be a couple to trick daniel and carly," he says, before pointing to them, ahead in the road, "see how lovey dovey they are? they're the definition of "couple goals, y/n," he said, as i gazed at them, my heart beating. carly said something to daniel, causing him to laugh and put his arm around her. oh god, why were they so adorable? i'd seen those cheesy, sweet moments from them all morning, and now more than ever, i wished i had someone to do those sweet things with. but maybe, with zach, i could pretend to.

plus, zach was quite the flirt, and had that type of quality any girl would be smitten with. i'd fallen a bit for him, and i honestly wouldn't mind pretending to be the girlfriend of someone like him.

"all i'm saying is that, for fun, we could pretend to do the same things the whole day, like we're the couple with all of the cute romance tricks, instead of them," he says, as i take in his words, and i finally reach a decision.

"let's do it," i say, grabbing his hand tightly, as a smirk spreads across his face, and he squeezes my hand back.

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read part 2 next time!!