"And who is Vanessa?" I asked, completely caught off guard.
"Ohhh, sorry. That just slipped out. She's my best friend," he said, his face returning to neutrality.
"The girl your friends were talking about?" I asked.
"Yeah," he replied quietly.
And just like that, the car fell into an awkward silence.
He focused on driving while I stared out the window.
After a while, he picked up speed and the car moved faster than before.
Soon enough, we arrived at the fair.
He parked properly and we both got down.
It was such a beautiful sight to behold, and as I stood there staring at the fair, I instantly felt the urge to take pictures.
I quickly unlocked my phone and snapped a picture of the entrance.
"You want me to take a picture of you in front of the fair?" he asked.
"Yeah sureee," I replied excitedly.
I handed him my phone and stood in front of the entrance, smiling at the camera.
After about three pictures, I took my phone back and immediately sent everything to Raymond.
Wait.
OMG!!!!
I totally forgot to tell Raymond about this date.
I can't believe I've suddenly become such a bad friend.
Dang!!!
"What's wrong? You kinda look sad," Daven noticed.
"Oh, it's nothing. I just miss my best friend," I said, waving it off.
"Ohhh, you mean Raymond?"
he asked casually.
I turned to him immediately.
"How do you know his name?"
"Have you forgotten you're a public figure? And you both own the story company, yeah?" he replied.
"And you know this how? Don't tell me you're a stalker?" I asked suspiciously.
"I did research on you once after reading one of your books. And I'm not a stalker—it only happened one time. I just have a sharp memory," he explained. "Now enough about that. The fair awaits us."
I pushed the entrance open and we walked inside.
The place was alive with flashing lights and loud music. Kids ran past carrying oversized stuffed animals, while the smell of popcorn and cotton candy drifted through the air. Everywhere I looked, there was another ride, another game, another reason to spend money.
I seriously wanted to try everything.
Then my eyes landed on the giant Ferris wheel.
I had only ever seen one online, but now I was standing right in front of it.
If Ray was here, he'd probably call it a dream come true.
"Ohhh, so that's what you've been staring at this whole time," Daven finally said after letting me admire the place.
"Wanna try the Ferris wheel?"
"I would love to, but after the other rides and games. Now come on, let's try that slide," I said dramatically.
And just like that…
the fun officially began.
We went on the ball pit slide multiple times before moving to another game where we used a controller to guide a metal claw and try to grab whatever prize we aimed for.
I absolutely sucked at it, but after trying so hard, I finally won a bunny.
Then I remembered my "bad friend" status and decided to redeem myself by winning something for Raymond.
Ray had an unhealthy obsession with cats, so I tried to get a stuffed cat teddy for him.
After so many failed attempts and wasted coins, I finally got it.
Daven played too, but he didn't win a single thing.
Honestly, it was just a waste of coins.
"You know, as a kid I always loathed this game and I still do," he grumbled.
"Are you trying to justify failing eight times?" I teased.
"What? Noooo. I'm not justifying anything," he defended quickly.
"Okay calm down boyy, I was joking," I laughed.
"Good for you, because I'm actually the king of games. Just not these kinds—the professional ones," he bragged, puffing his chest.
"You know what? Come here."
He grabbed my hand and pulled me toward one of those spinning rides.
The moment he held my hand, butterflies hit my stomach and I forgot how speaking worked.
Before we got on, he leaned close and whispered in my ear:
"I bet you can't stay on this ride for fifty minutes without getting dizzy and passing out."
"Oh really? Challenge accepted. Whoever loses gives the winner a piggyback ride," I said confidently.
"Deal."
We told the operator about the bet after that we got on.
At first, the ride was slow, so I wasn't worried.
Then gradually…
it started getting faster.
And faster.
And even faster.
Until I couldn't stop myself from screaming my heart out.
To be fair, I wasn't the only one—everyone looked like they were fighting for their lives.
But Daven?
Daven just sat there completely motionless.
I could see myself losing the bet already, but there was no way I was going down without a fight.