Throughout the afternoon
Dante gave Weslyn the tour around Minnesota for as much as he could, he showed her the park he use to go to, he showed her the locations were. the cathedral, the saint paul gangster tour, the zoo and even showed her the mall where the Jingle All The Way movie was filmed at.
The tour may not be so much of a 'wow', wasn't like they're in Hollywood or anything. Though Dante was delighted enough to show her around his home state. Not entirely but as much as he could.
Now Dante was driving them on their way to the county state fair while he kept his eyes on the road. "So how did you enjoy the tour?"
Weslyn was all smiles "It's pretty cool. Especially the mall! It's interesting to know that some scenes were shot there for Jingle All The Way" then she lightly gasped "Oh! Imagine if we actually find a Turbo Man toy over there" she added.
Hearing her mention Turbo Man, Dante beamed while his attention was still on the road "Right? Though their shelves maybe stocked with Booster instead"
Weslyn laughed softly knowing that in the movie, nobody likes Turbo Man's trusty sidekick, Booster. She never understood the reason why, but he's mostly been hated on through the entire movie.
People barely buy the action figure of him and Sin Bad's character telling the furry sidekick 'You know what? Nobody likes you Booster!' then uppercutting him off the parade float. Weslyn felt somewhat bad for the character in the movie but did find it funny when a gang of children went beating up on him.
"Well maybe if I visit here again, we could spend time at Mall Of America. Just seeing how it looked inside the film, I already think that's it's the greatest mall ever in the US. Which is my opinion of course" Weslyn stated
Dante nodded "It's a great mall. My family even celebrated my birthday there once, it was awesome. It's even better when you go there around Christmas season, just by entering that mall, you'll be filled with joy and everyone else around is so jolly"
Weslyn smiled contently when hearing him talk about the mall so dearly and having memories of his birthday there. She always felt so happy and warm inside when hearing someone talk about their good memories, I suppose she was a sucker when hearing these kind of things.
"Sounds beautiful.." She spoke gently with a sweet, friendly smile.
Dante kept his attention on the road, driving carefully and took a left turn. "If you like to put any music, you can. It has Bluetooth so all you got to do is pair."
Weslyn thought it was a nice idea to listen to some music so she got out her phone "Alright. Just hope you're okay with my music choices" as she then began pairing her phone to the Bluetooth was able to connect.
From there, Weslyn went through her playlist and smiled tapping on it, raising the volume to a minimum, playing Yung & Dum by Issues.
Usually it's not very often of her to be listening to this kind of music but this one in particular she likes because it's something she could relate to. Not to mention, wasn't a dull moment to play it.
When listening to this song the first time, Dante grew to enjoy it as he could be seen bopping his head a little while driving carefully. "Not bad" he said
Weslyn wasn't able to hear him since the music was louder than he is. "Huh?"
Dante stopped at a red light and turned his head as he thought he heard Weslyn spoke so he repeated "Not bad!"
Weslyn knew he was saying something but still couldn't hear him enough so she temporarily lowered the volume down some with a bit of a confused face "What was that?"
Dante chuckled a bit "I said it's not bad. The music" he replied.
"Ohhh okay! Glad you're enjoying it!" Weslyn then puts the volume back up and the two would jam to the music together, enjoying the rest of the drive.
Afterwards
They soon arrived at the countery fair and getting themselves out the car while the bright sky was now settling down, indicating that it was going to be dark soon. Twinkling, bright flashing lights were accompanied by the sounds of roaring rides, shrills of excitement and laughter.
The cold air kissed their cheeks while the aroma of food lingered around.
Pretty soon, Weslyn and Dante made their way to the ticket booth to buy tickets for some rides and games. Dante managed to pay this time and he didn't mind it either.
From there, they entered the county fair to begin their fun.
Weslyn kept a hold of his arm while walking around then gazed up at Dante "So, your call doll face. What's first?"
Dante looked around to see if he spots anything he like to do first. When he spotted something, he shifted his eyes to her "Are you afraid of heights?.."
Weslyn shook her head without giving it consideration. "No, why?"
Dante turn to give her his attention "I was thinking we could get on the drop tower first"
"The drop tower?.."
Dante nodded in response then points to it.
Weslyn faced her direction to where the drop tower ride is seeing how high the people are going in their seats then repeatedly drops down fast hearing their frightened, shrilling screams.
Her whole dimeanor changed, her face turned a little pale, almost as a sheet and she gulped while being still like a statue.
Dante took notice of her and asked her
"Weslyn? Are you alright?....If it's too extreme we can go on another ride?"
Snapping out of it, Weslyn turned to him and immediately replied back "I-it's fine! I always wanted to ride on something like....." She paused to look at the drop tower again seeing how swift everyone drops down on the ride, screaming with terror and excitement.
Weslyn then turned her attention back to Dante and finished her sentence "That......"
Dante gazed at her carefully "Now are you sure you're not afraid to get on there? I'm being serious, if it's really not up your alley, we can move on to a different ride" he spoke with caution.
Hearing this, Weslyn forced herself to pull her act together, letting out a playful huff.
"Afraid?? Pfftt!! You kidding?? I'm not afraid of nothing mister! I'm all in for it!" she spoke out with a smile which is also forced. She doesn't want him to think that she was some yellow belly coward, she especially didn't want to come off as a complete killjoy because that wasn't what she represents in her book.
Dante smiled "Okay, just making sure. Wouldn't want you to end up dying on me" he said
Then the both of them made their way to get in line for the drop tower as Dante got tickets out for the ride.
'Ohhh dear lord.....I'm going to die........' Weslyn thought to herself whilst keeping her forced smile.
The two of them waited in line which is not too short but it wasn't long either. So as they waited, Weslyn turned to Dante "Is this your first time getting on this ride?" She asked.
He looks over at her and grins softly "No, I've been on this kind of ride with some friends of mine when I was a teenager. And I also got on drop tower rides with my brother, Darius. The first time he got on with me, he would repeatedly pass out, it was hilarious" he replied with an amusing smile.
As funny as this did sound, Weslyn also felt bad for Dante's older brother for his first time experience of going on this sort of ride.
"Oh my.....Poor Darius....." She spoke lightly feeling her smile start to fade away due to the thought of Darius passing out repeatedly on the drop tower ride. It made her think to herself.
'Am I going to end up passing out too? Or will I be DEAD??'
Weslyn had to once again force a smile and let's out a soft little laugh.
"So let me guess, he got sick after the ride?"
"No, he wanted to go again" Dante chuckled
Weslyn didn't expect that answer as she assumed his brother would get sick and vowed to never get on again.
Soon the lone grew shorter as a group of people got on the ride. That makes Weslyn and Dante first in line now. Knowing that they'll be up next along with a few more people waiting in line behind them, Weslyn grew more nervous.
Despite on how she was feeling, she kept herself together and mask herself as this girl who isn't afraid of anything.
Dante was gazing at the drop tower as he had more enthusiasm than Weslyn. He turned to her "Since you're excited to get on it with me, you're going to love it" he said while unaware how Weslyn really felt about the drop tower.
After a few minutes, the group of people were unlocked from the seats and were getting off as Dante handed the guy two tickets and soon were allowed to go next along with a few other people.
'Next stop, the death express....' Weslyn thought in her head as she went to go get on a seat right next to Dante. When everyone else got on, they were now getting securely locked in and buckled up, making sure nothing was loose and locked in correctly.
Weslyn's heart was increasing pace since she was feeling more nervous while gripping tightly onto the handles for dear life. Dante glances over at her, noticing that her body language seems different. "Hey, you okay?" He asked.
Weslyn looks over at him and forced a smile "Yeah, yeah I'm fine, it's no big deal" she replied. Soon the seats began rising up from the ground as Weslyn gasped and grips onto the handles even tighter. Weslyn began panicking in her thoughts
'Oh my god Oh my god Oh my god!!!....'
Once they were up high, Weslyn felt herself turning pale, seeing how far down everything else is, yes, she regrets opening her mouth but it was too late, she's already on the drop tower ride, up at the very top.
Then soon, the ride instantly dropped down as everybody on the ride was screaming, including Weslyn.
Weslyn kept her eyes shut tight as she didn't want to look while screaming at the top of her lungs with fright. Feeling the cold blowing at her face. Her guts felt like they were moving up in her stomach when the ride drops down.
The ride went up and repeatedly went down throughout the whole minute.
Finally, the ride came to an end and were finally lowered down to the ground.
When their seats released them, Dante was all smiles as he got off with Weslyn "Wow, what a rush.....Wasn't that great or what?"
Before getting an answer, Dante noticed how pale Weslyn seemed and see her trembling.
"Hey, what's wrong, didn't you like the ride?.." He asked
Weslyn took a moment to settle herself down and some then turned to him "I'll be fine.....It's no big deal....."
Dante couldn't help but feel guilty for not making extra sure that she wasn't all for going on the drop tower. It wasn't fair that he enjoyed it but she didn't.
"Gee, if I should've known, we would've went onto another ride instead. I'm sorry, Wes..." He said with sympathy.
Weslyn shook her head "Please....Don't be sorry. It isn't your fault.....Besides, I had it coming for pretending to be all 'cool' about it.."
Dante gazed at her some then spoke "Well then, how about you pick a ride this time?"
Weslyn couldn't stop her hands from trembling, no matter how hard she tried, it wasn't wearing off.
He took a step closer with a little sympathetic frown then opened up his arms to her.
"Need a hug?" He asked, patiently standing there.
Weslyn turned to him and can see how genuinely sorry he was just by the sincereness within his eyes.
There was no way that she was just going to deny his offer, I mean......Just look at him!
He's gazing at her with sorry, puppy eyes, looking like a child asking a mother for a hug.
So she went into his arms for a comforting hug, feeling his arms wrap around her, feeling him gently rub her back to soothe her.
Weslyn stayed in his hug for a bit until she felt more settled. She pulled back giving him a soft smile. "Thanks, doll face"
Dante grins softly in return and nodded "You're welcome."
Weslyn then gazed around some then pointed "Wanna get on the bumper cars?"
"Sure! I'm up for it" Dante responded then the two of them made their way to go to the bumper cars ride.
Eventually they got on it, having fun bumping and crashing into others. Then so on, they got on the carousel, they went on the Octopus ride and a rollercoaster. It was all smiles and laughs until lastly, they decided to go on the Sky Glider.
Once they got on the sky glider, it started to move and they gazed seeing the whole county fair and the people down below.
It was much more colder up where they are than it is down there.
Dante turned to Weslyn "It's quite a night, ain't it?"
Weslyn had her attention on him and nodded "Yeah. To top it off, it's cold. But it's alright, I've been through something far worse than the freezing air"
"What's worse than the cold?"
"Being stung by a bee. There was that one time when the dog I was watching over, his name was Vicks. Yes, he's named after an ointment. He's a black labrador. Anyway, he was far out in the backyard, barking at other dogs in the neighbors yard. I tried calling Vicks to get him back in the house but he basically just flat out ignors me" Weslyn began and softly scoffed while rolling her eyes.
"Typical dogs, right? Though besides that, since Vicks didn't listen, I went down those little steps and made my way to him on the yard. Now as I took my 5th step one of them little bastards stung my toe, which hurt LIKE HELL! It felt as if somebody stabbed my toe with a sewing needle. I shouted out so many obscenities as I dropped down. I'm not gonna lie, I was almost on the verge of tears.." Weslyn explained
"Ah damn" Dante empathized. "I know what it's like getting stung as a kid. Not fun" he added
"Well duhh! Nobody likes to be stung by a freaking bee.....And not to mention, my obscenities and pain managed to get Vick's attention. I couldn't even walk correctly cause the bee sting was so bad, I ended up limping my way inside with Vicks"
"You sure it wasn't a Wasp instead of a bee?" Dante asked.
The question did threw her off guard since it only got her to forget and confused about whether if it was a wasp or bee. Since she couldn't determine if it was a wasp or not, Weslyn shrugged.
"You know, I really don't remember....But I do know for a fact that the pain was unbearable from that sting alone. Before you ask, I was wearing flip flops"
Dante stretched a little then slightly gripped onto the bars that secured them in their sky glider seat.
"You okay?" Weslyn asked
Dante grins as he sets his gaze on her "Oh yeah! I'm good" he responded.
"So tell me doll face, is there anything that is worse to you other than the cold?" Weslyn asked.
"Well I......I remember the day I lost Kitty....." said Dante
"Aawe, you lost your cat?...." Weslyn asked as she was starting to feel sorry already.
Dante shook his head "Uh no.....It's actually my stuffed animal that I named Kitty."
Weslyn didn't saw that coming but for a split second she felt embarrassed all because she assumed. But laughs some since it was indeed funny when Dante stated that it was an old stuffed animal he use to have. Though this caught her interest as she kept a smile, folded her arms in front while looking at him.
"Care to elaborate, doll face?"
Dante gave himself a moment to think of where to begin then he faces her.
"I named the stuff animal kitty because it reminded me of Sully from Monster's Inc. It was actually a blue beanie baby. Anyway I would take it everywhere with me, I was 5 years old. Kitty was one of my favorite stuffed toy to take. So one day, my mom takes me and my brother, Darius to the playground. Of course, I took Kitty with me. Me and my brother would goof around, play hero's and bad guys. I had Kitty as a side kick. Then after a while, my mom would call out yo my brother and I since it was our time to go have lunch. Long story short, as soon as we arrived at the restaurant, I realized I didn't have Kitty with me. I was begging and pleading my mom to go back to the park to find him. She suggested that we grab food first and then return to the park asap. But unfortunately, when we returned, Kitty was nowhere to be found and I ended up in tears from there" Dante explained
"Oh my god, noooooo........" Weslyn spoke sympathetically "I'm sorry you lost Kitty.." She softly added and placed her hand on his in comfort.
Dante nodded "Yeah. Since then I've cried day after day. It's funny how something small can make such a big impact in your life"
Weslyn kept her hand on his "I agree" she said. The two of them would chat and look at the view together for a couple minutes.
Soon, Weslyn caught Dante staring at her with a gentle, steady gaze that somehow easily warmed up her skin, forgetting the cold air. His face was leaning in, inch by inch until Weslyn quickly turned her head away, remembering Tyler and feeling guilty. "Oh god........."
Dante stopped "What's wrong?....." He asked
Weslyn felt completely flooded with guilt, shaking her head and was confused. "I can't, Dante.........I'm sorry.......I'm so stupid......" She babbled nervously.
Dante would assure her "No, it's fine.....Don't be sorry"
Weslyn was shaking her head "No......No it's not alright.....I'm sorry.........Don't know what I was thinking...."
Just in time, the ride was finished as they both got out as Weslyn began speed walking while her mind raced. Dante goes to catch up to her.
"Look, it's really not your fault......I'm the one who should be sorry........I had no intentions on making you feel uncomfortable....." He spoke doing what he can to reason with her.
Weslyn barely gave him any eye contact, not because she was mad cause that wasn't the reason. As I said, she felt guilt and overwhelmed with confusion. "Just drop me off at the hotel.......Alright?"
With that being said, Dante went with her to the parking lot to go into the car and from there, drove and drops Weslyn off at the hotel for her to stay for the night.
Meanwhile, Weslyn got herself a room for the night and made herself at home, though that didn't stop her from feeling the way she does. Before she hits the hay, (in other words, turn in for the night). She gazed at her reflection in the mirror, trying to figure herself out because she was having a hard time understanding herself since she hasn't had the slightest idea on what the hell was going through her head.
Weslyn really loves Tyler, she's crazy about him and already missing the way he touches and his kisses which lights her world on fire every time. But she couldn't get over the fact that with Dante, she felt sincere and he was trustworthy and when he was so close to kissing her earlier at the fair, Weslyn almost allowed it! It was like she wanted to. Afterwards, Weslyn went ahead to sleep in for the night, just hoping to sleep away, forgetting that the awkward moment never happened.