~ Cole ~

The next forty-five minutes passed in a blur of caffeine-induced adrenaline and a room of twenty-somethings on the edge of their seats to crow the next answer louder than each other. All except for Cole, that was.

Six of the teams had dropped out, leaving only Cole's merry band of misfits and the table beside them. The rest of the teams had opted for coffee refills at the counter or waiting anxiously on their bar stools for the winner to emerge.

The score was tied up to an even thirty-nine between both teams. Cole had known Piper was smart, but she really knew what she was doing with picking the team. She and James had slaughtered the Business and Art History questions, pulling answers such as 'The Kennedy Slide of 1962', 'Peter principle' and 'impasto' out of their back pocket.

Ethan and Leo had dominated the History and Entertainment categories too. Cole thought he'd never seen someone more passionate about the mechanisms of the USS Enterprise than Ethan, proven everytime he gushed to Leo about all of its wonders in the science-fiction world.

Still, none of them compared to Adam.

The boy beside Cole was like a wildfire, brilliant and blazing through hundreds of acres just to see how bright it could burn.

He had an answer for every question, even if it wasn't their designated category. On the off chance he got one wrong, he missed the mark only by a hair width. Their score card had filled up quickly, decorated in Adam's neat script.

Cole watched as Adam laughed at something Leo said, all long lashes and high cheekbones and melodies falling from graceful lips. His laugh - true and unrestrained - bloomed from deep within his chest and rose to bestow a pure symphony over the room. Cole had never heard such honesty before. Such a sight was as magnificent as it was rare.

"Okay, folks," the woman on stage with the microphone said. "We have two teams left and because we've nearly hit the fifty-minute mark, we're going to do a sudden death round."

Piper chugged the remaining coffee in her mug before slamming it back down on the table and picking up her pen. "Okay, guys. We've got this. Everybody get ready."

Leo mocked a battle grin, which caused Ethan to laugh. The smile Leo gave him was so purely theirs that Cole redirected his gaze to the front of the room.

"And the final question follows," the hostess announced. Pausing for effect, she declared a moment later, "This United States Democratic-Representative nearly derailed their career after a scandalous affair with a burlesque dancer while intoxicated."

There may have been hope, if for the briefest millisecond. The other team's buzzer sounded before Cole could even look to Adam.

"Team Seven?" The hostess questioned.

A gangly looking boy with thick rimmed glasses looked nervous as he spoke. "John Andrew Young?"

"Good guess, afraid not." The hostess turned to Cole's table. "Team Nine, you have thirty seconds to answer before the other team goes again."

Leo looked between Cole and Adam. "Do either of you know who it is?"

"Do I keep up with a full list of democratic-representative sex scandals in American politics?" Cole asked, voice dripping with sarcasm. "Yeah, right after polo practice and violin lessons."

Piper rolled her eyes. "Adam?"

Adam had a dubious look on his face. "I mean, I have a few ideas but can't say for sure."

"Is there one that takes priority?"

"Maybe? I-I don't know. It's only what I've read in books and articles."

Cole turned to James. "As if you don't know. You're the one who actually pays attention in class."

"Simmons' lecture on political scandals was two years ago," James said, somewhat sympathetically. "Even if I did remember every case study, my memory is unfortunate recalling state representatives in office prior to the eighties."

"Twenty seconds!" the hostess called. 

"The other team already confirmed it wasn't John Andrew Young," Piper said, looking around the table. "Who does that leave?"

"Most notorious political sex scandals took place between the seventies to nineties," Cole remembered. He glanced at Adam. "That leaves a narrower window to work with."

Piper looked back to Adam. "Any ideas?"

Adam was tapping the pen rapidly against the tabletop. "Robert Bauman fits the profile. He was involved with a sixteen-year old prostitute and charged under the influence. The ordeal led to his defeat in re-election in the 1980s. But he's a republican."

"Wait," Leo piped up. "There was a newstory earlier in the year. Something about a stripper involved in a sex scandal during the seventies. She passed away this year. Uh, what was her name? Fan...n...y-"

"Fanne Fox." Cole replied as realisation dawned on him. He'd seen the news coverage on her earlier too. He turned his head to Adam. "Her real name was-"

Adam's eyes widened. "Annabel Battistella! Of course! She was involved with Wilbur Mills. He delivered a press conference from her dressing room while intoxicated. He resigned following the incident."

"Ten seconds!" the hostess announced.

"So, Wilbur Mills?" Piper looked around the table. "That's who we're going with, yes?"

"I can't think of who else it could be." Adam said. He risked a shy glance up at Cole. "What do you think?"

Cole held his gaze, speaking low enough for only Adam to hear. "If you think it's right, I believe you."

"Cole?" Piper asked, practically vibrating out of her seat on the other side of the table. 

Cole shrugged. Louder, he said, "I say with go with Adam."

"Five seconds!"

"Someone hit the-"

Leo's hand shot out to smack the buzzer. "Wilbur Mills!"

A silence fell over the room as the countdown stopped. The hostess smiled at their table. "That is correct. Ladies and gentlemen, I believe we have a winner. Congratulations Team Nine!"

Their table broke out in cheers. Piper reached over the table to high-five Adam. James smiled adoringly at her, sliding an arm around her shoulders as she curled against his side. Ethan bumped Leo's shoulder and said something to him that Cole couldn't hear.

Adam was quiet, the corner of his mouth turned up in a small smile as he watched his friends celebrate. The pen was still gripped between his fingers. 

Cole leaned closer to him, a soft, "Congratulations."

Adam's smile grew. "You too."

"You were amazing."

"Not just me."

The hostess approached their table as the cafe buzzed to life again. "Congratulations," she said, handing Piper, who was sitting closest to her, an envelope. 

Piper took the envelope and ripped it open. Sliding out the piece of paper inside, she laughed softly and turned it around for the rest of the table to see. "Fifty-dollar voucher for Georgios."

"You know," James said, gently extracting the gift certificate from Piper's hand. "I think Cole and Adam should have that. They did win the final question for us, after all."

Adam shook his head. "N-no, that's okay. I really don't-"

"Hey," Leo whined. He gestured to between himself and Ethan. "Some of those history questions were really intense. I feel like we at least deserve some recognition in way of Italian cuisine."

"You're lactose-intolerant." Piper told him.

"Fair point."

Ethan nudged him playfully. "I'll buy you a cinammon jam donut to make up for it."

"Okay," Leo said, resigned. He slid off his stool and he and Ethan headed toward the fast-growing line at the counter.  "As long as there's extra cinammon."

Piper slid the voucher across the table. "For you two. Knock yourselves out."

"You have it," Adam told her. "You guys answered more questions than we did."

"Ours weren't as hard as yours." James told him. "Really, Adam. It's okay."

Adam gazed at the paper on the table, clearly uncomfortable with the gesture. 

Putting him out of his misery, Cole reached over and picked up the coupon, sliding it into his pocket. "Okay, we'll take it."

Adam looked up, eyes wide. "We will?"

"This," Cole tapped his pocket in show, "is not worth the mental strain. It just means we'll have to share it."

"Oh," Adam's cheeks were tinged pink. "Like, just the two of us?"

"Unless you don't want to."

"No! I, uh," Adam shook his head, seemingly trying to figure out his response. He looked back to Cole. "That would be fine."

"So, it's settled then." Cole said, shoulder lightly brushing against Adam's. "Dinner, sometime. You and me. Okay?"

Adam met his gaze, the warmth of his smile returning in the small space between them. "Okay."

***

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