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Alejandro let out a deep sigh as he reclined his seat back. Team Chris Is Really Really Really Really Hot had finally returned to first class after winning the challenge in Newfoundland, and after having spent so many days and nights in economy, it was a welcome change. It may have required some… extra work on Alejandro’s part, but as long as they’d secured the win, the steps taken to get there didn’t really matter. Now they could experience luxury once again, and Alejandro was one challenge closer to winning the one million dollars.
Despite his victory, though, Alejandro felt restless. He was slowly losing his grasp on the other contestants. His plan to bring DJ onto the team and gain an ally had been foiled by Chris, and it seemed that some people, most notably Heather, were catching onto his act. If he wanted to last, he’d need an ally, preferably on his team. But who would be a suitable ally? Tyler and Owen were easy enough to string along, but their ignorance had cost their team before, and it easily could again. Izzy was intelligent, but too unpredictable to trust long-term. That left Noah.
Alejandro didn’t dislike Noah, per se. He was smart, loyal, and strategic. However, he could be lazy, and his sarcastic remarks could get quite frustrating to deal with at times. Out of everyone on the team, he was also the most likely to catch on to Alejandro’s plan. This made him a threat—unless Alejandro could get him on his side. So Noah it was, whether Alejandro liked it or not.
Readjusting his seat, Alejandro glanced around the compartment. Owen was eating while Izzy gnawed on his arm, Tyler was trying to write a love letter to send to Lindsay, DJ was sitting at the bar with a glass of sparkling water, and Noah was reading a book. Now was the perfect time to strike. Alejandro stood up and made his way over to Noah, sitting in the seat next to him. “Hello, Noah. What are you reading?”
For a moment, Noah didn’t acknowledge his presence, and Alejandro was worried he’d already figured him out and was refusing to speak with him. Then he held the book out, a silent invitation for Alejandro to join him. Alejandro peered over Noah’s shoulder, scanning the open pages. The book wasn’t familiar to him, and trying to comprehend what was happening from the middle of the novel wasn’t easy, but it seemed interesting enough. He continued reading over Noah’s shoulder, slowly beginning to understand the complex love-hate dynamic between the characters and how their secrecy kept them from becoming closer. They soon reached the end of the chapter, and Noah closed the book.
“That novel seems very interesting,” Alejandro tried. Noah offered a small shrug.
“Sort of. It’s a good idea, but the writing isn’t really my thing.”
Alejandro raised an eyebrow. He didn’t want to argue with Noah—that was an easy way to turn him against him—but he didn’t believe he truly disliked the book. He was choosing to read it, after all. “Really? I can tell that it’s a standard romance, but it doesn’t seem like classic formula fiction. From what I read, I thought it was more of a commentary on how societal pressures and expectations impact relationships. That seems like it would be quite the interesting read.”
Noah faced Alejandro. He seemed more willing to talk now, perhaps even interested in doing so. “It is, but the way it’s written does a disservice to the concepts. The romance is fine, but the dynamic is full of overused tropes, and so far, all of the serious moments have been brushed off with a kiss. If they’re going to try to discuss serious topics, they could at least put some effort into it.”
“Hm, I understand. So, you say it’s cliché and the author does not seem to care about the topics discussed. Obviously I have not read as much of the book as you have. Tell me more about this.”
The two continued talking about the book for some time, eventually moving on to comparing their interests in literature and trading book recommendations. Alejandro soon lost sight of his original goal as he became invested in the conversation. Since joining Total Drama, he rarely got to have intellectual conversations with anyone, and Noah was very passionate about literature. He actually made rather good company when they were discussing a shared interest.
About an hour later, the conversation ended after they finished discussing what constituted a good literary fiction novel—Alejandro’s favorite genre, and one that Noah was very critical of if it was not written with proper thought and care. Both of them had lingering smiles on their faces as they relaxed into their seats. Alejandro looked over at Noah, who was staring at the cover of the book. With excitement and anticipation still coursing through his veins, he debated what to discuss or do with Noah next. He still needed to work on creating an alliance with him, but in order for his plan to work, he had to get closer to him. Even aside from that, Alejandro found that he wanted to keep bonding with him. He felt comfortable with Noah, like he could let his guard down, even if only slightly. He could talk with him about his interests, and he could enjoy himself. He hadn’t been able to enjoy himself at all since joining this show. Competition and alliance aside, he wanted to spend time with Noah.
Okay, maybe he was starting to stray from his initial plan. The excitement must’ve gotten to his head. But he could still form an alliance with Noah while having a good time.
“Noah.” Noah looked over, his eyes wide with interest, and Alejandro felt his heart flutter. “Let’s…” What should they do? He pondered for a moment what Noah would want to do—so he could get on his good side, of course, not because he truly cared about Noah’s happiness. “Let’s… do a puzzle.” Perfect. An activity that required thought, but still left room for conversation and coercion.
Noah didn’t seem as impressed as Alejandro thought he would be. “Are there even puzzles here?”
Alejandro nodded eagerly, but quickly tried to reign himself in. “Yes, they’re in one of the overhead compartments. Some of the girls on Team Amazon were talking about them the other day.” He decided not to mention that he’d been listening in on their conversation in hopes of finding some way to exploit them.
The two opened a few compartments before finding the right one. They were met with about a dozen puzzles ranging in size and design. “Which one should we do?” Alejandro asked. “Personally, I’m partial to the beach one.”
“That’s a terrible idea.” Alejandro nearly reeled back at Noah’s instant negative response. “About half the picture is just the sky, and another third is the sand. If you want to spend all your time in first class frustrated over a puzzle, be my guest, but count me out.”
Alejandro sighed. He hated giving in to people, but if he wanted Noah on his side, he supposed he’d have to compromise. “Fine. How about the flower garden? It has a lot of different colors, so it should be easier to match the pieces.”
Noah grabbed the box and studied the picture for a moment before handing it to Alejandro. “Sure. That one’s good.” They returned to their seats where Alejandro moved the book off of the table to make room for the puzzle. He poured the pieces out of the box and began sorting out edge pieces. Noah followed suit, albeit less enthusiastically.
This was the perfect chance for Alejandro to try to charm him. Although doing a puzzle was supposed to be a leisure activity, he couldn’t lose sight of his goals. No amount of happiness or excitement would get in the way of his one million dollars. “Wow, Noah,” he began. “You assembled that border quite quickly.”
Noah didn’t fall for his flattery. He never did. “It took a lot of effort. I’m not sure if I can keep going.” To illustrate his point, Noah fell dramatically back against his seat. “It’s all up to you.”
Alejandro let out a small, genuine laugh. He wasn’t used to Noah’s sarcasm being playful and not targeting other people, but it was a pleasant change. “Don’t worry, querido. I will complete this puzzle in your memory.” This prompted a smile from Noah, and for some reason, Alejandro felt incredibly proud of himself.
The two fell into a comfortable silence again as they resumed their work on the puzzle. The flower garden had definitely been the right choice; the pieces were easy to sort due to their colors, but their shapes still made the puzzle challenging. As they worked, Alejandro frequently found himself glancing over at Noah. It was rare to see him so invested in an activity other than reading, and Alejandro felt fortunate to be the one that Noah was choosing to spend time with. The moment was peaceful, so much so that Alejandro didn’t want to try talking again. However, as nice as the moment was, it would mean nothing if he didn’t try to form an alliance now. They’d spent some time together genuinely bonding over interests and activities. Surely Noah would be willing to listen now.
“So, Noah, as you know, we’re quite a few challenges into the game now,” Alejandro said. Noah looked over, seeming confused, but his gaze quickly dropped back to the puzzle. Only the barest change could be seen in his expression, a tightening of the lips. Alejandro almost wanted to backtrack. “And as such, the stakes have risen dramatically. I see you as a very valuable player; your intellect and strategy could easily bring you to the end of the game—that is, if there were no other physical challenges, which we know will not be the case. So, I’d like to offer you a deal. I’ve found myself to be quite capable in the physical challenges as well as those requiring more intelligence. With our abilities combined—”
“I’m going to stop you right there.” Noah held up a hand, still putting puzzle pieces together with the other. “I don’t want to talk about the show right now, and even if I did, I wouldn’t agree to an alliance with you. You haven’t exactly proven yourself to be the most trustworthy teammate, and a single evening of talking about books and doing a puzzle isn’t going to suddenly capture my heart. I’m not going to fall for you and go along with whatever you say like you’ve been making everyone else do.” He attached a long chain of pieces to the border of the puzzle, completing the sky. “Stay if you want. But I’m not interested in an alliance right now.”
Alejandro was speechless. He’d never been outright rejected in any way before. It… hurt more than he expected it to. Even worse, he knew Noah’s response was completely justified, and he wasn’t upset at him for it. Noah was too smart to simply agree to an alliance with him. He probably trusted Alejandro even less now, which could be detrimental in future challenges. But Alejandro could always try again later—after all, he’d only said he wasn’t interested right now—or if it came down to it, vote him off. He didn’t want to get rid of him just yet, but if he became desperate, it was always an option.
For now, though, he was content to stay here with Noah, alliance or not. He was right; they didn’t need to worry about the show, or potential alliances, or if they even liked each other. They could just exist together and enjoy each other’s company, an experience that Alejandro rarely got to have with anyone. He turned back to the puzzle and continued working on his side of it. There were only a few large flowers left for him to complete before he could begin filling in the area around them.
Alejandro glanced at Noah again. Noah studied each puzzle piece carefully before slotting it into place, almost never making an incorrect guess. His abilities really were impressive. As he got closer to the middle of the puzzle, Noah leaned in towards Alejandro. Though they’d never been this close before by choice, Alejandro didn’t mind it at all, and it seemed Noah didn’t either. Alejandro continued to watch him, amazed by his intelligence and precision and willingness to try to bond with him despite Alejandro’s reputation. Noah’s focus and efforts were such a stark contrast to his typically apathetic demeanor, and Alejandro had to admit that he found it… attractive, in a way. Alejandro leaned closer as well, allowing their shoulders to brush. If he and Noah had met elsewhere, he thought they could’ve been quite good friends.
He let Noah put in the final piece, the center of a white camellia. The complete flower garden glowed in a myriad of oversaturated colors. Alejandro smiled brightly, his grin widening when Noah gave a smile back. He watched the way Noah’s gaze stayed fixed on the puzzle and how a light smile still remained on his face minutes after, as if he were proud of their work. Alejandro felt that maybe he should be. They’d put time and effort into the puzzle, and they’d both worked together to create something lovely. Hopefully it would not be the last time they did something like this.
Even if his plan hadn’t succeeded today, Alejandro really hoped he and Noah could be allies in the future. They’d already demonstrated their capabilities for success when working together, and if Alejandro could help it, he wanted to keep Noah in the game for as long as possible.