The bar's occupants had doubled in size by the time Elliot and Beck had finished their meal and were waiting for the arrival of Cece and Milo. The music was completely drowned out by conversations and loud shouts of laughter. Groups of patrons dressed in matching t-shirts wandered from table to bar and back, with hands full of drinks. A small stage off to the left of the bar was setup and a chalk board with rough lines for a score board was hanging from the back wall.

Elliot sat observing the surrounding crowd, mindlessly eating a fry when the door opened and Cece walked in. She glanced around. When she spotted Elliot and Beck, she made for them. Halfway to them she was stopped by a guy, smiling with the cockiness of a couple drinks in him.

"Hey," he said, his grin lopsided and his version of charming.

Cece smiled back at him with such a brilliant smile, the guy felt surprised by it.

"Thanks so much, but I already have pet insurance," she said, cheerly.

The guy frowned in confusion, his mouth opening and closing. Cece took his temporary lapse in speech to finish her course to Elliot and Beck.

"You don't have a pet," Elliot said. "Though I've thought of marking Tristan as a pet on our tax forms."

"I've thought about that too, but I don't think the IRS would allow it."

Elliot nodded, then started.

"Hey! You're out of your room without the aid of Milo or a group of firefighters," she said. "I'm impressed."

Cece settled onto one of the stools.

"Oh, I asked them if they wanted to join but they decided to be clichés and go save a kitten from a tree."

"What losers," Elliot scoffed, "kittens know how to fly. Everyone knows this. A waste of time if you ask me."

"That's what I told them, but they went anyways. Laughs on them. Is Milo here?"

"No, but he probably wants to make a grand entrance or something."

"Probably."

Cece snatched a fry and ate it while she looked over the bar. Once done with her scan of the crowd, she looked back at Elliot.

"It looks like a good crowd. The usuals, with a new group I haven't seen before," she said.

"It should mix things up a bit," Elliot said.

Beck leaned on the table.

"You know all the people who come here?" he asked.

"Sure," Elliot said, "we've been doing it long enough. We have to know who is good for their IOUs and who isn't."

Beck raised his eyebrows.

"The betting goes further then just you guys?"

Elliot's response was stalled when the door opened and Milo stepped inside. Cece twisted in her chair and met his gaze. A lazy smile slid onto his face as he made his way over.

"Hi," he said, looking down at Cece, the word drawn out.

She shook her head.

"Nope, say hi like a normal person," she said. "I'm not melting in front of all these people."

Milo laughed and kissed her forehead, one arm wrapping around her waist.

"Good to see you in the land of the living," he said. "How did writing go?"

Cece shrugged.

"Fine," she said.

Milo pulled a chair up next to hers as they fell into conversation. Elliot looked away, scowling.

"Still not used to it?" Beck asked.

"Gag reflex at this point."

He laughed and stood up, taking a step towards the bar.

"Can I get you a drink?" he asked.

Elliot stared at him, unblinking. A puzzled smile crept onto to Beck's lips.

"El, why are you staring at me?" he asked.

"I'm reveling in the fact that someone as good looking as you asked to buy me a drink. It's usually just for Cece."

Beck smirked, scrutinizing her. "Are you flirting with me?"

"Are you flirting with me? You're the one who offered to buy their employer a drink."

"You called me good looking."

"You're the smart one in this equation, I'm guessing you can figure out the answer."

"I'd say your intelligence equals my own and so you can answer that question."

"Yes."

"Yes, you're flirting with me?"

"No."

"You're not flirting with me?"

"No, I'm not flirting with you. Yes, I would like a drink."

Beck stared at her for a long time, her smile mirroring his own. He shifted and slid his hands into his pockets.

"What do you want?" he asked.

"Anything that doesn't have alcohol," she said.

"Non-alcoholic beverage despite the fact that we are at a bar."

Elliot shrugged.

"You can't use your intelligence against others if alcohol has been consumed and puts you on their level."

"Very true," he said.

He turned and walked over to the bar, finding an opening. Elliot shifted back and found Milo and Cece staring at her. She jumped and let out a surprised yelp.

"When did you come out of your own world? And how much did you witness?" she asked.

Cece's smirk was enough to tell her they had listened to the whole exchange.

"I plead the eighth!" Elliot said.

Milo scowled.

"That makes no sense, El," he said.

"Have I ever?"

Milo looked at Cece and nodded.

"Good point."

"Now stop accusing me of anything," Elliot said.

Cece sat back in her chair, her arms crossed and shrugged.

"We aren't accusing you of anything, are we?" she asked, looking to Milo.

He shook his head with a calm, deliberate motion. They both looked back at Elliot smiling with a sweetness that spoke of concealed smirks. Elliot rested her head on the table.

"You're going to kill me with your smugness, you understand that, right?"

"Oh, we know," Cece said.

"Gosh I hate you."

"Already knew that too," Milo said.

Elliot looked up and planted her chin in her hand. Unable to continue eye contact, she looked over to the bar. Beck was nodding to a guy, about his age, and shook his hand. They parted, Beck grabbing his drinks and returning to the table.

"Who were you talking to?" she asked.

"A guy I had a class with this last semester. He's here with his roommates for trivia," he said.

The word trivia brought Cece up straight, her eyes roaming over to the new group and eyeing them.

"Alright what can you tell me about them and what are their prospects of winning?" she said.

Beck pushed Elliot's drink over to her and took a seat. He shrugged making Cece scowl.

"Wow, you're completely useless," she said.

Beck took a sip of his drink.

"You're not the first McKenzie to say that to me," he said.

"I probably won't be the last either." Cece said. "You have yet to meet the other side of the family." She slapped her hand on the table and pulled out her phone. "Now, let's get this started!"

A man in a button down shirt stepped up to the stage, holding a mic.

"Hi everyone!" he said. "I want to welcome you to our trivia night!"

The crowd applauded and cheered. Groups of customers, formed around tables, eyed the competition warily while clapping.

"Let me get the names of the teams and we'll begin!" the announcer said.

Teams gave out names, most a mix of puns or smartly worded phrases. Conversations crowded the air with the sour smell of alcohol as the people around the bar ignored the intellectuals.

"Alright! I'll go over the rules and we will begin," the announcer said.

He read off the rules, but was blocked out by those who had listened to them so many times, they knew them by heart. Cece pulled out a small flag and placed it on the table top. Beck shot a look at Elliot, who held up a finger, telling him to wait. A second later a group of guys approached the table.

"Hi Cece," one of them said.

"Hey Mark," Cece said. "Can I buy you a drink?"

He nodded to the score board.

"Second one is my favorite."

She gave him a knowing nod.

"Got it."

He slid a twenty onto the table and Cece covered it with her elbow.

"Good luck," she said.

He gave her a wink that made Milo tense his shoulders. Cece ignored the wink and made a note. Beck turned to Elliot, looking at her with a mocking smile.

"I know," she said. "I wouldn't have gone with the second team either. Dumb move."

Beck chuckled.

"Is the dialogue really necessary?"

"No, but it makes Cece feel cooler."

Beck smiled at her and she shrugged and rolled her eyes. The rest of the group went through the same routine before leaving.

"Let the games begin!" the announcer shouted.

More people approached the table and Cece worked quickly to get the betting in before the first question was answered, stopping all bets after that mark. Elliot received a text from Tristan asking for team names and descriptions. After a quick reply he told her to put twenty on the team Beck's classmate was in. Puzzled, she relaid the information to Cece.

"Seriously?" she asked.

"That's what he said," Elliot said.

Cece shrugged and added his name to her list.

"I'll put twenty on them as well," Beck said.

Elliot and Cece both gave him a wary look.

"I'm supportive," he said.

They didn't believe him, but made no comment.

The night progressed with mass amounts of alcohol being consumed by the surrounding crowd and the tempers rising within the teams. Through out the game, seconds after each question was asked, the member's of Elliot's table would mumble out the answer and fight off annoyance when the teams took longer to get it.

As the game drew to a close, half the occupants in the bar were on the edge of their seats, muttering for this or that team to be faster. Elliot's foot kept up an endless beat on the bottom of her stool and Beck leaned back and watched with a half smile. The bar broke out into loud cries of celebration and anger when Beck's friend's team won. Elliot whipped her head around to him, frowning.

"What didn't you tell us?" she asked.

"Only that he is one of the smartest people I know," he said, smiling wide.

Cece growled and Milo put an arm around her shoulder, as a comfort and a restraint.

"How did Tristan know then?" Cece asked, looking at her companions.

"I texted him," Beck said.

This comment got him a moment of silence and three surprised looks.

"You have his number?" Milo asked.

"How?" Cece and Elliot asked.

"He gave it to me when we met in the Common," Beck said. "Said to text me if I ever felt like murdering El."

"So he could stop you?" Elliot said.

"No, to give me spots to dump the body."

She slammed her hand on the table.

"That jerk!" she said. "I gave him those spots!"

Beck smiled.

"I'm impressed," Cece said. "I should have known something was up when Tristan and you betted on them. My fault."

Milo turned to her. "I'm so amazed you can admit that."

She gave a careless shrug. "I needed to admit a fault at least once this year, or else I would become too smug."

Milo leaned over and kissed her.

"We couldn't have that, could we?"

Cece suddenly went still, her eyes frozen on a distant point.

"That's it!" she said, hitting the table.

She slid off the chair and grabbed her purse.

"Milo, take care of the money and don't let Jerry give you an IOU," she said. She stepped over and gave him a quick kiss. "Also, if you follow me and distract me, I will kill your dog."

She rushed from the bar, bursting out into the warm night air. Milo stared after her for a long second, before turning back around.

"You know she only told you to deal with the money so you wouldn't follow her," Elliot said.

"She's a smart woman," he said.

"I can wait for you while you finish up and we can walk back to the house together," Elliot said.

Milo waved away the offer.

"No, this might take awhile and I have to stop by my place for clothes. Go ahead and leave without me."

Elliot frowned.

"But I don't want to walk home alone," she said.

"I can walk you home," Beck said.

Elliot turned to him, a skeptical eyebrow raised.

"You realize that means you would have to spend more time with me, right?"

"The thought did occur to me," he said.

"As long as you are aware of that fact."

Beck smiled. "Very aware."

Elliot slid off the stool, pulling her purse handle over her head.

"It's settled then," she said. "You'll walk me home." She pointed to Milo. "Milo take note of this in case I wind up dead and ask Tristan for the right places to check for my body."

Milo nodded.

"I'll take note, but also in case Beck disappears."

Beck clapped Milo on the shoulder.

"Thanks man."

"Of course, the McKenzies are only slightly sane," he said.

"And yet you are dating one," Elliot said.

"I never mentioned my current state of mind. I know I lost that after I met your sister."

"Well, at least you are aware of it. See you on our couch in the morning," she said.

She gave him a wave and rounded the table, moving towards the door. Beck took a step forward and opened it, following her out into the night.

**********************************************************************

Asparagus! (🤢)

Today I want to know what is the cutest thing a guy could do for you? A normal, average guy. (Yes, I might be gathering ideas for stories, but when am I not?)

I want to know what the simple thing would be, like him giving you his jacket. (A classic) Tucking hair behind your ear. (I'm melting) Warming your hands when they are cold. (Wow I think my heart just stopped. Is it obvious I'm a hopeless romantic?)

Anyways, what is the cutest thing a guy could do for you? ☺️

Swoon, Sigh, Melt!