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God, he couldn’t stand that stupid know-it-all.
As much as Noah was right, Alejandro couldn’t believe what he was hearing from the screen. Had he been that obvious? Sure, Noah was starting to catch on back in Germany, but he didn’t expect the bookworm to be so forward about how much he disliked Alejandro. With the exception of Heather, the womanizer thought he had almost everyone under his finger. Tyler was reliable enough to vote with him, Owen had little to no brain cells, and the rest of the plane was already on good terms with him. To hear one of his teammates try to convince the others not to trust him was disrespectful.
Yeah, Alejandro might be a slippery eel, but Noah didn’t have to be so rude about it!
So when Team Chris loses the challenge, a seething Alejandro couldn’t help but silently celebrate on the inside. With Heather on his ass, Alejandro tries to see this as a blessing in disguise. It was one less loose cannon to deal with, and one less person to expose his sneaky tactics. He didn’t care that it was unfair of Chris to bend the rules. He just needed Noah gone as soon as possible.
Maybe if it was someone like Courtney or Heather saying this, Alejandro wouldn’t have given it a second thought. But Noah? The person that he considered his equal? The one person that he found tolerable on this plane? As they spent more and more time together on the plane, he had grown to admire the little bookworm. His sarcastic comments would make Alejandro smile when no one was looking. Their late night discussions about books they enjoyed or learning about each other’s lives back home almost felt peaceful. Alejandro knows Noah started drifting away since Germany, but he was hoping it would pass over time. He never expected this.
Alejandro knew it was stupid to feel so betrayed, but he couldn’t help but let his mask slip. Of course the first time he meets someone just as funny and charming as him, they end up stabbing him in the back. And to do it before Alejandro could do the same to him down the line? He scoffs at the two boys looking at him with fearful eyes. So much for that alliance he had in mind. That bookworm was dead to him.
When he leaves to sulk in economy class, Tyler hesitantly takes a seat next to him. Taking a quick look around to make sure no one can hear, Tyler leans a little closer to his teammate. “So, who are we voting out tonight?”
Emerald eyes shoot daggers into the jock, as if to say are you really asking me that right now?
Tyler gulps. “Noted. Won’t ask again.” He lets a beat pass before patting his teammate on the shoulder, unaware of Alejandro’s shudder of disgust at the sudden contact. “If it makes you feel better, dude, I don’t agree with what Noah said. I think you’re a pretty rad guy! Really saved our ass in Jamaica last week.”
As much as Alejandro wants to bite back with a snarky comment about how he knows he’s the best player on this team, he holds his tongue and forces a smile on his face. “Thank you, amigo! It really is a shame Noah gossiped about me like that to you two. I thought him and I were quite close this whole time.”
“Noah’s always been an asshole,” a voice interrupts.
The boys turn to see Duncan entering economy class and taking a seat across from them. As if on instinct, he pulls out his knife and begins carving something on the wooden bench. The delinquent’s sudden return to the competition definitely threw a wrench into Alejandro’s plans for sweeping the competition, but, at least for tonight, the womanizer could use this as a way to get a feel for how he can shift the team dynamics. He could use this as some sort of “bonding activity” for the three of them.
“Seems like you have some personal history with Noah,” Alejandro trails off.
Duncan scoffs. “I’ve had beef with that scrawny brat since day one on that island. Stole his pants once because he decided to talk shit to me. He’s lucky he wasn’t allowed in last season, because I definitely would’ve gotten on his ass with Eva not around to protect him.”
Tyler chuckles. “He’s all woof, no chew!”
“Dude, do you mean ‘all bark, no bite?”
“Yeah, isn’t that the same?”
Duncan and Alejandro share a look before the both of them burst out in laughter. Awkwardly, Tyler joins along with them. If Duncan wasn’t the type to be a lone wolf, he could’ve been an excellent replacement for Noah in an alliance. Too bad Duncan pissed him off just as much as the rest of the people on this plane.
“Ah, whatever,” Duncan says, laughter finally dying down. “I’ll vote with you guys if you want. If I have to listen to that dweeb talk for another second, I would throw him out of the plane myself.”
Alejandro couldn’t help but give the widest grin in the world. “That would be wonderful, Duncan! We can’t have someone like him trying to bring the team down with negative morale. If we want to beat the girls, we need to stick together!”
“Hell yeah! No one leaves Tyler stuck to a rack! Teamwork, baby!” Tyler cheers.
The two boys high five each other, ignoring whatever snide remark Duncan mutters under his breath. Of course, Alejandro couldn’t care less about whether or not the team was a well oiled machine or not. All he wanted was Noah out of the picture. Then Owen can fall down with him. One by one, they’ll all go down. He won’t have to worry about a stupid know-it-all outing his devilish schemes to everyone on the plane. One step closer to the million.
An eel, huh? What an insolent boy.
With the elimination ceremony coming up soon, Alejandro felt like he was on a high. A high of pettiness and vindication, but still a high nonetheless. He excuses himself from Tyler’s attempts to make conversation and makes his way towards the confessional. After tonight, Alejandro needed to start thinking about the future of this competition. His meticulous habit of planning ahead had to be rearranged, and all he could think about was just word vomiting in the privacy of the confessional to get his thoughts in order.
While on his way there, he finds Owen in the mess hall scarfing down his second portion of dinner for the night with a glum face. The blonde locks eyes with Alejandro and immediately feels a shiver run down his spine. As much as Alejandro wanted to roll his eyes at his own teammate, he stares at Owen as if he was searching for something.
“Odd to see you without Noah by your side. You two have been attached to the hip recently, haven’t you?” Alejandro asks. “Especially after tonight.”
If he wasn’t so disgusted by the blonde, Alejandro almost would’ve felt sorry for him once those puppy dog eyes came out. “Aw, Al, you know he didn’t mean that! He’s probably just grumpy about… I dunno, but something! He knows you’re a good guy.”
Alejandro clenches his jaw, but still maintains his composure. “Where is he, by the way? I haven’t seen him since you two boarded.”
Owen shrugs. “No idea. I hope he comes back soon, because he’s gonna miss out on this awesome dinner, dude. Are you gonna have any?”
Alejandro doesn’t bother to answer. Ignoring Owen, he continues to the confessional with his thoughts running a mile a minute. Could Owen even be an asset? He knows the former winner is more gullible than Lindsay, therefore he could be an excellent puppet. Could he even manage to keep a solid alliance with the boys when the teams finally merge? A boy full of ideas yet no execution.
The sound of a familiar voice stops him in his tracks once he gets close to the confessional. That same voice that made his blood boil.
“Maybe I could find a way to convince the others to vote him out,” Noah says from a distance. “I mean, come on, I can’t be the only one with a brain here. Did no one else see him completely decimate Team Victory? I knew that guy was trouble since the bus ride to the plane!”
Alejandro clenches his fists. As much as he wanted to ignore Noah and wait his turn, the petty part of him wanted to annoy the bookworm just like he did the entire night. The clock was ticking for Noah. It’s not like Alejandro had anything left to lose. Noah already had him figured out, and Alejandro refused to let his scrawny teammate change the narrative now.
Not noticing the incoming footsteps, Noah continues on. “Yeah, it was nice to finally meet someone that didn’t have the reading comprehension of a five year old, but that guy just pisses me—”
Suddenly, the door slams open, and the bookworm is met with a furious glare from his scorned teammate. “Get out,” Alejandro says with venom dripping from his words.
The shock on Noah’s face is quickly replaced with annoyance. “Ever heard of knocking?!”
“Ever heard of locking the door?” Alejandro retorts. “Ooh, better yet, ever heard of not stabbing me in the back?!”
Noah rolls his eyes. “As if you weren’t planning to do the same to me later on! Now, can you shut the door so I can please keep whatever privacy I have left on this plane?”
That bookworm really should’ve chosen his words more carefully. With a huff, Alejandro steps inside and locks the door behind him. Confusion, annoyance, and a slight tinge of fear filled the air. Noah tries to hold his poker face well, but Alejandro can see right through him. It was one of the reasons they got along so well all this time. Noah didn’t have to try and minimize himself while Alejandro didn’t have to mask what he felt. Ever since their first interaction months ago, the boys felt like they could be around each other without having to hide.
Which makes this even more annoying to Alejandro.
“Ever since the bus ride to the plane, huh?” the womanizer mocks. “You think I’m the slippery one, meanwhile you’ve been lying to me this whole time. Who else are you lying to? Owen? Tyler?”
“Tyler is having a custody battle with Lindsay over who gets their last living brain cell,” Noah deadpans. “Owen is my actual friend, unlike you.”
“You are such an embarrassment. An insolent pest. A boorish, ill-tempered little—”
“Hey, Alejandro, if you’re done reading the thesaurus, can you leave?” Noah asks, finally finding his voice. “Don’t you have some other people to flirt with or, I don’t know, literally anyone else to bother?!”
It hits Alejandro how small the space is in the confessional. How he can feel the air get warmer. How loud his own heartbeat is, and how he knows Noah’s is racing just as fast. All this time of being so close to the bookworm and he finally takes in the sight in front of him. Pouty lips and dark angry eyes with even darker circles underneath them. The world’s choppiest and uneven haircut known to man. The harsh overhead lighting revealing the small freckles littered across his tanned cheeks. Alejandro wonders how he never noticed it before.
Maybe he was never as close as he was before.
Alejandro can’t help but laugh. Noah could be a good actor if he tried, but his face always gave him away. “Oh, my God, Noah, are you jealous?”
If looks could kill, Alejandro would be a dead man. “No. Get out.”
“Upset that I kissed Bridgette? Gave some attention to Leshawna?” Alejandro asks. “Don’t think I haven’t noticed how you’ve been acting since Germany.”
Noah looks away. Alejandro’s grin only grows wider. Only the slightest amount of pink appears on Noah’s face, betraying the exasperated look he’s trying to maintain. “Oh, yeah, totally jealous,” mocks the bookworm. “I’m so jealous that the world’s most annoying playboy decided to sabotage the team just to make a couple of girls swoon.”
“It’s like you’ve never heard of being in a reality show! You’re upset with me for throwing Team Victory out of here to push us forward? You’re upset with me for causing Heather more strife with her own team?” Alejandro rubs his temples. “It’s called ‘playing the game’, Noah. It’s not like I’m trying to fuck everybody on this plane.”
“Could’ve fooled me.”
The womanizer clenches his jaw. “I’m sorry I couldn’t pay more attention to you,” he sarcastically responds. “I’ll try to give you some more during the elimination ceremony!”
As Alejandro turns away to open the door, fear floods the bookworm’s mind. Everything felt like slow motion. Eyes wide and a hand reaching out, he tries to make a million different excuses. Noah wonders how he could get himself out of this situation. After all, he’s always found a way to scheme his way out of trouble back home. It should be easy to convince someone like Alejandro that it was all just a simple misunderstanding.
Then again, this was Alejandro. Someone with the same IQ as him, same amount of craftiness, and a man who couldn’t be bullshitted no matter how hard anyone tried. Noah was stuck. There was no way to change a determined man’s mind no matter how hard he tried. Just as swift as he reached out before, he quickly retracts his hand back in defeat. All he could do is glare at his former friend and accept defeat.
Except the door wouldn’t open.
See, Noah liked to assume he was a level headed person. He disrespected his teammate in front of a dozen cameras without so much as batting an eyelash. He went along with Izzy’s hairbrained schemes for the past year and a half. He didn’t even care when Owen ate the sausages he vomited back in Germany. The bookworm thought he could handle anything that came his way after being trapped in this stupid show.
But being stuck in the confessional with someone who hated his guts? Right before he was about to get shoved out of a plane? That was enough to cause him to worry.
“What the—” Alejandro begins to jiggle the lock. Countless attempts to push on the door. “You’ve got to be fucking kidding me…”
Great. Just great. Noah never considered himself a claustrophobic person—he was a big fan of rolling his eyes every time Gwen complained about it—but there was no way life could be as cruel as to trap him in a room with Alejandro. As his soon-to-be former teammate continues to fiddle with the lock, Noah could only feel the walls closing in. He closes the lid and takes a seat on the toilet, resting his head against the wall.
Bump, bump, bump. A door that never budges once. If the fall out of the plane doesn’t kill him, Noah hopes bashing his head against the wall would do the job.
Dark eyes drift down to those arms pushing against the door, and he can’t help but stare. Yes, Noah can admit Alejandro is attractive, but he’s not as stupid as Bridgette or Heather. He was more realistic about it. The odds of Alejandro even having a sliver of a crush on Noah was next to none, and he slowly came to terms with it over time. Despite their long talks when the cameras were off, he knew Alejandro only viewed him as a friend. He wanted to learn everything about how the womanizer operated. He wouldn’t mind being by his side, but Noah knew better. It was better to be alone.
It didn’t stop Alejandro from haunting his dreams at night—dreams of kissing those heart shaped lips or being held by those strong arms at night. Nights that he wondered if a smile or pat on the back meant more than friendship. It was all so new to him, and he didn’t know how to feel about it. He wanted more, yet he wanted nothing to do with the womanizer at the same time.
So as time went on, Noah backed off. He observed how the guy really was during this competition. As much as he liked his teammate, he knew how dirty Alejandro really played. It was a miracle no one caught on. Toying with people’s emotions and humiliating them? Even with the cameras off, was Alejandro just doing the same to Noah?
Yet, he’s no better than a dog. All of those feelings were brushed aside just to stare at his now enemy's flexing muscles and how cute this guy looked when he’s angry.
Why did it all have to change? Why did he have to move further from him? Why did it all go to shit so fast? What an asshole.
“Hello? Are you listening to me?”
God, I can’t fucking stand you.
Cursing at his thoughts, Noah brings himself back to the present. Daydreaming was better than being stuck in here. “What? I’m too busy watching you fail at opening a door.”
Alejandro narrows his eyes at him. “I can’t count on you for anything, can I? We’re trapped in this stupid confessional and you still can’t contribute anything besides half-assed insults.” Surveying his choices, he opts to sit on the floor rather than beside the bookworm. “The lock jammed. We’re stuck here.”
Noah taps a finger to his chin and ponders. “Chris really is a cheap bastard, huh? There’s no way someone doesn’t notice us missing. The elimination ceremony is about to start any minute now.”
“Good,” Alejandro says. “The sooner you’re gone, the better.”
He hates how Alejandro always had to escalate. Even if his teammate was getting stuck in his competitive ego, Noah was never the one to back down. With a smirk on his face, Noah moves himself down to the floor with Alejandro. With how cramped the space was, the boys try their best to ignore the feeling of their legs touching.
“Why are you being such an asshole? Y’know, more asshole-ish than usual?” Noah asks in a calm voice. “You’re the one who decided that flirting with every girl that breathes on this plane was worth more attention than the challenges. You were the one who broke the track in Jamaica and nearly got DJ killed. I changed my mind—I don’t regret a damn thing I’ve said about you. And if that gets me eliminated, then so be it. At least I know I’m better than you.”
Alejandro, flabbergasted, takes a moment to really soak in the words. Out of irritation, he slams his fist against the door one more time in hopes of opening it. Nothing. Of course not. Why else would life not cut him a break? This was starting to test his patience.
“You can’t be serious right now, Noah. You were the one who went behind my back and told the rest of our team that I couldn’t be trusted!” Alejandro exclaims. Sitting up on his knees, he gets closer to Noah. “You! The only person that I could rely on in this competition. The only person I genuinely liked here!”
Fuck.
That wasn’t supposed to come out. He tries to ignore Noah's wide eyes and the blush creeping up on freckled cheeks. He tries not to notice how cute it is despite his anger.
“Were you just jealous this whole time?” Alejandro continues. “Do you think I actually liked Bridgette or Leshawna? Do you think I even remotely cared about DJ? No! It was all so we could move forward and get ahead of the game. If you opened your eyes instead of pulling away from me, you would’ve seen that this was all just to throw them off their game!”
Noah frowns. “You talk about these people like they’re just obstacles.”
“Because they are!” exclaims Alejandro. “It’s a fucking game! And you were supposed to be my friend and back me up. You’re smarter than this.”
With that classic know-it-all look, the bookworm points a finger at the womanizer. “And this is why I don’t trust you.” He pokes at Alejandro’s chest just to make a point. “If you wanted an alliance before, then just say so instead of pretending to be my friend.”
Immediately, Alejandro grips Noah’s wrist and pulls it away. Shocked, Noah looks down at the sudden contact. It’s as if this was just a casual thing to his teammate. Ignoring how tight the grip is and how weirdly reassuring Alejandro’s thumb rubbing against the skin, Noah doesn’t back down. It’s still a showdown between the boys.
“I wasn’t pretending to be your friend,” Alejandro says in a low voice. “But, it seems like you were, weren’t you? I was trying to get us closer to a million dollars, yet you were just focused on playing Judas.”
Noah searches Alejandro’s face. Those emerald eyes were burning into his skull. Furrowed brows and a permanent frown. He sees why they became close friends. Out of everyone on this plane, he knows Alejandro was only honest with him. After the events of today, he knows the womanizer had nothing left to lose from the conversation. Everything was bound to come out eventually.
He hates that he can’t hide anything from Alejandro. He hates that his body betrays him and his face is pink and burning under the bright lights. Even when they’re both angry at each other, Noah’s heart was beating out of his chest. Usually so quick to have a snarky remark, Noah could only stare into those eyes.
“You’re not angry that I figured you out for what you are…” the bookworm begins. “You’re angry…that I hurt your feelings? Seriously?”
Finally, it begins to feel lighter. The frown remains. “I played dirty. So what? I knew you were the only person I could see with me there. You knew who I was the moment you sat next to me on the bus ride to the plane. Yet, you decided that I was just another cog in the machine. Maybe I underestimated you.”
Noah scoffs and reaches out to push Alejandro away, but his teammate immediately grabs his other wrist away. He tries to wiggle his arms away, but achieves nothing. Backed into the corner and trapped by Alejandro’s strength and that damn busted lock, Noah accepts his fate. All they could do was glare at each other.
“And you know what? I’m glad you’re leaving,” Alejandro continues. “After all, how could I trust you? You’re just a jealous know-it-all with a bigger ego than Chris. You think you’re so much better than everyone else, yet you’re still going to be the one jumping out the plane.”
“Then push me out of the plane, eel,” Noah challenges. “Good fucking riddance to you.”
Alejandro gets close enough to feel Noah’s breath on his face. It’s getting increasingly harder not to stare at each other’s lips. “You think I won’t?” Alejandro retorts. “No one is going to believe anything you say about me. God, I can’t believe I ever liked you. You’re just as bad as me.”
After a few seconds of Alejandro soaking in his victory, he’s met with a devilish grin and half lidded eyes. None of it made sense to him. After all, there was no chance of Noah getting out of this sticky situation. So, what made him feel so cocky all of a sudden? The grip on Noah’s delicate wrists loosens just a touch.
“You can gloat all you want about how happy you’ll be when I’m gone, but don’t forget the key detail here, Alejandro—you followed me into the confessional. You’re the reason why we’re trapped here. And y’know what?” Noah asks. “I think you like it.”
Alejandro’s eyes widen for just a moment before he catches himself. “Trust me, I would rather spend the rest of my life trapped in stupid economy class than spend one more second with you here.”
Noah shakes his head. “I think you’re acting like this because you know how miserable you’re gonna be here without me. You’re running out of people without brain cells to toy around with. You’re gonna miss me because no one else is on our level. This isn’t an educated guess, asshole. It’s a damn fact.”
The bookworm couldn’t bring himself to worry about whether those gorgeous hands would bruise his wrist. He didn’t care if his face was the color of strawberries from how close his teammate was to his face. After finally finding his footing, all Noah cared about was getting in Alejandro’s head. The womanizer wasn’t the only one who could play petty games.
“You liked me that much? Too bad,” Noah continues. “You’re gonna live out the rest of your time on this game wishing that you had me to keep you company. If no one else but me meant anything to you here, then you’re gonna spend the rest of this stupid game with no one to help you… and that’s if you make it out of here before the rest of them catch on.”
Alejandro grits his teeth. He refuses to admit when that stupid bookworm was right. He loves yet hates seeing that shit eating grin in his face. Noah wasn’t allowed to have any power here. Alejandro was supposed to be the one living in glory now.
At a loss for words, all Alejandro could do was scowl. “I try to help you and you act like a snake in the grass this whole time. God, I can’t fucking stand you.”
“I recall you said something else entirely different earlier,” Noah remarks.
Alejandro leans in closer, their noses only centimeters apart. Although Noah would’ve usually shy away from the lack of personal space, he raises a brow at his teammate. The clenched jaw and fiery eyes didn’t faze him anymore. He wanted to challenge the womanizer, as if he was daring Alejandro to prove him wrong. This wasn’t the time to start backing down. He wouldn’t keep going as if Alejandro was above him anymore. They were equals through and through.
“You piss me more than anyone else here with that mouth of yours.”
“I can’t wait to see you crash and burn, Alejandro.”
Still gripping onto those delicate wrists, Alejandro pushes them against the wall. Finally, that stupid smirk finally drops, replaced with confusion and something else Alejandro couldn’t quite pinpoint just yet. Noah was right—Alejandro was enjoying this deep down inside. His anger was always dominating his emotions, yet he was a fool to think that this wasn’t just as entertaining. His gaze drifts towards those full lips. Once Noah bites his lip in anxiety, Alejandro finally faces him.
As much as Noah was the bane of Alejandro’s existence, he could admit that it wasn’t always the case. In a sea full of loud and annoying teenagers hanging on his every word, Noah was always the one to treat him like a normal person. Someone so smart and funny that could keep up with him was something Alejandro had always wanted. It didn’t hurt that he thought Noah was cuter than anyone else here.
“Alright, everyone!” Chris’s voice boomed above from the loudspeaker. “Get ready for takeoff!”
The plane lurches forward, causing Alejandro to lose balance and have his face land on the crook of Noah’s neck. The bookworm’s body was warmer than the sun. After some turbulence, Alejandro finally pulls back, facing his soon to be former teammate. He didn’t want to stare at those big brown eyes, but it was either that or looking down at those rosy lips Noah kept biting out of anxiety.
“Are you gonna let me go?” Noah asks. “Or are you gonna keep us trapped in this hellhole?”
Alejandro raises a brow. “You keep saying how much I’m enjoying this, but look at yourself; Red in the face and shaking.”
“Like you aren’t the same way, huh?”
It was starting to hit too close to the chest. Their masks were slipping by the second. Stillness and their own warm breaths on each other’s faces. The feeling of their noses touching and gradually getting closer than ever.
I can’t stand you.
Noah tried to think of a million reasons to kick his teammate away, but he couldn’t ignore his racing thoughts.
Alejandro tried to reason with himself on pulling away, but he couldn’t ignore what he needed most.
They both hated each other more than words can describe, but they needed each other more than anything.
They didn’t know who leaned in first. All they knew was the distance between them had to close. The consuming feeling of lips colliding hungrily and knees buckling mattered more than anything. Passion and anger fill the room as Alejandro begins to slip his tongue in Noah’s mouth, exploring the man with such urgency as if he’d disappear. He finally lets go of dainty wrists to snake his arms around Noah’s waist close to him. Noah’s mind went blank as he let his teammate take the lead, every nerve in his body on fire.
Alejandro thinks about if it was Noah’s first kiss. He thinks of how he never wanted to kiss another. Running a hand through choppy brown hair and nipping on the bookworm’s lips was all that he could think about. Cold hands grip Alejandro’s face. How addictive and delicious it felt to have their tongues together.
Stay. Please.
Alejandro pulls away, hand still gripping Noah’s hair tightly and chests touching. The tiny, barely audible moan Noah gave after the loss of contact swims in the womanizer’s brain. It’s all he ever wanted to hear forever. It was better than his dreams.
He tries to collect himself, but all he could do was stare at Noah in shock. Without turning away from the bookworm, Alejandro slowly lifts a fist up and bangs against the door. Locked again. Breathing a sigh of relief, he closes his eyes for a moment to try and figure out what to do.
Get. A. Fucking. Grip.
With his teammate stunned, Noah takes the time to ponder for a moment with a smirk. “You did this to Bridgette? To Leshawna? Is this your plan?”
Trying to peel himself away from Alejandro’s lap, he gets stopped by two strong hands at his waist.
“Stop. Talking,” Alejandro seethes. “Ugh, I cared for no one on this stupid plane except—”
He stops himself. The words dared to escape his lips, but he’d rather bite his own tongue off. His grip gets tighter on Noah’s waist as Alejandro looks lost and unsure of himself. Noah could read him like a book, and making his teammate angrier and angrier only led to words left unsaid. Empty words desired, but always hanging between them. Noah knew what Alejandro meant. All he wanted was Alejandro to own up to it.
The bookworm debates on using this to his advantage—maybe some convincing to vote out someone else. Maybe try and form that alliance Alejandro wanted. Yet, vulnerability hidden by false anger was written all over that beautiful face. Words never needed to be said. Noah’s fate was sealed the moment he spoke about Alejandro’s untrustworthiness. The only thing he could do now is relish in the company of someone he never thought he could have.
Someone who is really fucking annoying. What an eel.
Alejandro looks down to his hands, finally realizing how tight his grip had gotten on the bookworm’s waist. “We should find a way out.”
Noah frowns, but nods his head in agreement. No use delaying the inevitable. Yet, neither of them moved an inch. Never truly meeting each other’s gaze nor shrinking away from the contact. It felt painful to relish in the moment, but the anger remained whenever romantic complications left space in their hearts. Not quite lovers, not quite rivals, not quite enemies. For how smart the bookworm was, he couldn’t find a word to describe how he felt about his teammate. There wasn’t a word for how badly he wanted to expose how shitty Alejandro was to everyone. There wasn’t a word for how much he hated to get off Alejandro’s lap.
Lost in thought, Alejandro only wished he could tell what was running through Noah’s mind. He wished he could’ve done it all over again. There was no use in reliving the same dream or playing down how he felt. Alejandro wondered if Noah ever felt regret. He was counting down the seconds until Noah would come to his senses and break down the door himself. His tongue darts for just a second to relish the taste of the bookworm on his lips. A smile barely forms on Alejandro’s lips.
I can feel you in my bones.
Noah tilts his head, causing Alejandro to face him once again. As he braces himself for Noah to head towards the door, he’s met with a stillness. Confusion all over themselves, yet a sense of hesitancy on Noah’s behalf. Alejandro’s breath catches in his throat once Noah’s gaze wanders from anxious emerald eyes to his bruised lips. This hellish situation was bad enough, but if this was Noah’s idea of teasing before leaving him, Alejandro felt like he would die.
Instead, he wasn’t abandoned. Noah slowly leans in, but stops himself right before. Alejandro freezes immediately. Time stretched on slowly, agony clutching his skin like a leash. Eyes wide, Noah searches for any sort of emotion on his teammate’s face. A way out, yet a way in. Was it worry? Was it still hatred? Did it morph into something new that Noah couldn’t quite understand yet? There was no trust left between them. It almost hurts to look at each other.
The space was finally closed. Gentle, yet a touch of sweetness behind it. The boys almost believed it was real. With aching in their hearts, their lips moved slowly and tenderly against each other in sync. No longer tight grips upon each other, but a delicate hand placed on Noah’s burning cheek. Butterflies in their stomach and hearts fully open. It felt like a kiss goodbye.
When they break away, Alejandro wonders if his heart would burst out of his chest. He tries to catch his breath. “Even in your final moments, you’ll still string me along.”
Noah snorts. “Pot, meet kettle.”
“I hate you.”
“Say it like you mean it next time. Maybe I'll take you seriously by then.”
In an instant, they were all over each other once again. Messy, desperate, and selfish. Heads dizzy and bodies aching for each other. Alejandro opens his mouth to explore Noah’s mouth with his tongue, trying to engrave the taste of the bookworm in his mind forever. He doesn’t care if he really is being strung along. There was no going back, and they could rot in Hell together. As long as Noah was on his lap and his hands could still cling towards messy brown hair, Alejandro could push aside his disdain for just a moment.
But that left a feeling they were both too scared to ever truly talk about.
Making out was fine, yet actually talking about whatever the hell was between them felt too vulnerable. The boys try not to reason with it.
Noah’s hand grips Alejandro’s shirt tightly as he tries to leave no space between them. Alejandro curses at himself when a whine escapes his mouth in between kisses. An ache so visceral that his body is on fire. Once a delicate hand reaches under the red fabric, Alejandro nearly rips off his shirt, leaving him only in his white tank top. The need to feel even closer grows coils low in his gut.
“Touch me,” Alejandro whispers in between kisses. “Please.”
As much as Noah wanted to call him pathetic for begging, he knew he was just as pathetic for wanting to hear it more. Tan fingers grip Alejandro’s bicep tightly as his teammate kisses him with even more urgency. Alejandro sucks and bites on Noah’s lower lip, gripping at that blue sweater vest he suddenly began to loathe. Too many layers. Never as close as they wanted. Drunk on the feeling of each other.
With one hand snaked under Noah’s shirts and another pulling his hair tightly, Alejandro begins to wonder if it was possible to be addicted to such a person. To want the worst for them, but crave them in your arms for good. As he buries his face into Noah’s neck and leaves kisses all over, his head is swimming in thoughts of desire. Hands traveling and Noah gripping him tighter, it takes all the strength in Alejandro’s mind not to bite down. Whether out of anger or hunger for more, he’ll figure it out later.
Once Alejandro’s hand starts to undo Noah’s belt buckle, the bookworm immediately pulls away shivering. Ragged breaths and sweat dripping down his forehead. Alejandro lets out a breath he didn’t know he was holding. He so desperately wants to reach out and pull Noah back in for a kiss, but he knows better. Those wide brown eyes didn’t hold disgust or remorse, but instead a tinge of fear or maybe confusion.
It hits Alejandro—Noah’s never done this. Alejandro doesn’t even know if anyone has ever craved him as much as he did. He doesn’t know if Noah ever felt this way towards anyone else in his life, and Alejandro tries not to think about it before he gets too mad. While the womanizer cursed himself for being too hotheaded or leading with his emotions at times, Noah was always putting up walls to protect himself. He was always annoyed, throwing out sarcastic remarks, or off on his own. Noah had to learn how to be vulnerable. It all started through his budding friendship with Alejandro. He wondered if it ended with him too.
We’re only going further from each other.
“I-I’m sorry,” Alejandro stutters. “I—”
“Team Chris is Extra Super Duper Hot!” an annoying voice interrupts from the loudspeaker. “Make your way to the elimination ceremony pronto!”
It was too much at once. They were moving too fast. Bouncing from mutual disdain to mutual need was choking the life out of them. The boys couldn’t tell if the other was regretting it or enjoying it. Hell, they couldn’t tell themselves which one they preferred. How does one show their vulnerability? How does one not completely fall apart upon the words of someone they felt more than friendship for? Their words hung over them like a ticking clock.
Still sitting on his lap, Noah begins to pull away. “We have ti—”
“No, we don’t,” Alejandro cuts him off.
I don’t trust the guy! He’s like an eel dipped in grease, swimming in motor oil.
Leave it to Noah to always try and find a way out. Maybe it was stupid to be so upset over a little thing, but Alejandro never took disrespect lightly. He always found a way to make an example of others. He did it with Owen and nearly had the guy eaten alive in the Amazon. He did it with DJ and let him fly off the tracks in Jamaica. He’ll do the same with Noah. Even if he shudders from the lack of contact.
Without breaking eye contact, Alejandro slowly puts on his red shirt while trying to figure out Noah’s poker face. He almost wants to breathe a sigh of relief once the bookworm smirks at him, but all he could muster was a scowl.
“You didn’t need to apologize,” Noah said. “I’m just not going to third base in the confessional.”
Alejandro folds his arms in annoyance. “We hardly hit second base.”
Noah chuckles to himself. He leans against the wall, looking anywhere but his teammate. “You’re still gonna vote me off, huh?”
I don't want to.
“This…” Alejandro begins. “Doesn’t change anything.”
It almost didn’t sound believable. Alejandro clenches his jaw in disgust. His family would laugh at him for sounding so weak and pathetic. After a few moments, a slow nod from the bookworm. The mutual hatred from before crept back into the crowded room. However, it was a touch lighter, full of hesitation and confusion. Words never needed to be spoken between them—it might have been a mutual hatred, but they both knew it was a mutual admiration for each other.
Despite all their flaws and trickery, they were still the same people they were when they first spoke to each other. Only now, they were slightly more weathered and bruised.
How badly Noah wanted to do this the right way without a competition between them. How badly Alejandro wanted to hold him and kiss him until morning. It wasn’t meant for them.
“Alejandro! Noah!” Chris’s voice boomed from the loudspeaker. “Get your butts to the elimination ceremony! Where are you guys?!”
Once again, Alejandro tries his hardest to break the door open to no avail. The jammed lock refuses to move. No matter how much he jiggles the lock or bangs his fist on the door, the two of them are back to where they started.
A sigh escapes Alejandro’s lips. He lets the tension linger for just a moment longer. “We could’ve made it so far together. A shame you won’t see me at the finale, Noah.”
Noah bites his lip, holding back a smile. There was no use in denying his inevitable elimination, but he could still have some fun with it. “Getting kinda handsy earlier, casanova. You sure you don’t wanna jump with me?”
“Let me repeat myself in case you missed it before, smartass: I’ll push you out of the plane myself.”
“Yeah, sure, that’ll make everyone believe you’re still a good guy,” Noah jests. He stands, extending a hand to his teammate. “Come on, let’s get out of here.”
Complex as ever. Walls that couldn’t be broken overnight, but still had something slip through the cracks. Alejandro couldn’t pinpoint what was really going through Noah’s mind. Noah acted as if he wasn’t moaning Alejandro’s name in between kisses only a few minutes ago. He wonders if this is just to protect himself from wanting this just as much.
Alejandro takes Noah’s hand and stands up. He almost doesn’t want to let go. The boys gaze at each other, and the same thought pops into their heads—what if one more? Savor the taste before falling into the middle of nowhere.
You know better.
All they could do was stare at each other’s lips. Silence felt overbearing. Alejandro lets go and clears his throat, trying to ground himself. Noah, flushed in the face, tries to put as much distance as he can between them.
“I don’t think either one of us can fit through the vent above us,” Alejandro says, suddenly hyper-focused. “I think the best course of action is for both of us to ram the door.”
Noah raises a brow. “Ah, yes, let me grab some shoulder pads out of thin air, while I'm at it. It'll help with my super strength.”
One glare was enough to get Noah in check (although still rolling his eyes). Side by side, the two brace themselves.
“Okay,” Alejandro begins, ready to run. “One, two, three!”
The boys break into a sprint, shoulders hitting the door with no luck.
“Again! One, two, three!”
Nothing. A string of curse words muttered in Spanish while Noah rubs his sore shoulder. Alejandro takes deep breaths before taking his place. One last try. One last countdown.
“Come on! One, two, three!”
As soon as they reach the door, they're greeted by the cold steel hitting their bodies. With the wind knocked out of them, Alejandro and Noah try to collect themselves from the floor. The bookworm immediately groans and clutches the back of his head, while his winded teammate lays on top of him. The cold air of the main area hits them. Blinking rapidly, Noah tries to navigate his surroundings. His eyes land on a familiar red jumpsuit.
“Tyler?!” He exclaims. “What the hell?”
Tyler, bewildered, looks back into the confessional then back to his hand. He held the remains of the busted lock up for the boys to see. “I tried to open the door and the lock fell out. I guess the it was broken. What were you two doing in there?”
“Repeat what you just said and see if it makes more sense the second time,” Noah dryly responds. He looks down at Alejandro, still groaning in pain on top of him. “Get off me!”
Sitting up, Alejandro rubs his temples and throws a fake smile at the athlete. “Noah and I were talking in the confessional and we got stuck inside. Thank you so much for rescuing us! You really are a great teammate.”
If he could, Noah would vomit from the excessive fake sweetness. He couldn’t believe how wide Tyler’s smile got from the compliment. He tries not to notice the athlete helping up Alejandro but ignoring him. Trying to ignore the pain of his head hitting steel, Noah takes the lock from Tyler in annoyance and lazily shoves it back into the hole, not caring if it fits.
“There,” Noah states. “Now it’s someone else’s problem. Can we go now?”
Unaware of the tension, Tyler leads the way to the elimination ceremony. He babbles on and on about something Alejandro had already blocked out in his mind and waits for the moment to fall back to Noah. The bookworm found no use in sulking on his way. If he was going to go out, it would be with his head held high and some sort of snarky remark. Another reason for Alejandro to admire him.
When Alejandro takes his step towards the bookworm, Noah doesn’t even bother to look his way. Frowning, he debates on whether or not it's worth speaking about it all. He didn’t know if what happened in the confessional died with them or not.
“Did you ever give me a reason to trust you?” Alejandro whispers.
Noah shrugs. “I dunno. I don’t care. At least I played fair.”
“You played lazily.”
“Same shit,” Noah retorts. “What makes you think I can trust you?”
Alejandro stops in his tracks, letting Tyler continue walking on without him. Noah stays behind as well. It became a quiet understanding between the boys as they ignored the incoming fate. It always depended on trust. Noah would’ve never opened up to Alejandro before without trust. Alejandro would’ve never planned for their potential climb to the finale without trusting Noah. As they stood closer together, they drifted further apart.
“You’ve done it before.”
Noah ponders his words for a moment before they continue to walk together. His fingers gently touch his lips, as if to remember the feeling. Alejandro tries not to stare. As they trek side by side, Noah takes one final look at Alejandro before they step into the room. His usual perfect hair was sticking out everywhere. That signature red shirt of his all wrinkled from being thrown aside in the confessional. Slight hand prints on his biceps from where Noah gripped him tightly.
Alejandro turns around to meet Noah’s gaze. Time stood still.
“I still hate you,” Noah says.
“Say it like you mean it next time… if there is one,” Alejandro responds.
Noah smirks and passes him, shoulders bumping into each other. Taking a seat next to Owen, the bookworm acts like nothing ever happened. As if his lips weren’t bruised and his body wasn’t shaking. Despite every piece of joy he felt, there was still that feeling that Alejandro couldn’t get rid of.
Make an example out of him.
So he struts in with a large smile on his face. Only Noah could see through him. Just the way he liked it.
“Sorry about the delay!” Alejandro told Chris. “Let’s get this elimination ceremony started.”