Sharp Suitors

Chapter 5 - 'Chance' Encounter

"The name's Reid," the man replied, and Elaine thought he sounded almost triumphant.

"Well, I'll see you around, Reid," Elaine said.

And she meant it.

===

A few minutes later, Reid and Gaspar were walking back to the Chalet.

"I can't believe you came up with that stunt!" Reid said ecstatically, pumping his fists. "Thanks, Gaspar. You're a cool guy after all."

Gaspar nodded, retaining his composed demeanor. "Why, of course. It's only natural for me to help you. We must work together."

"Did you see the way she reacted? She liked me!"

"Yes, now whenever she thinks of you, she'll remember what you did for her."

"You're brilliant. Luckily the wind cooperated, too!" Reid exclaimed.

They were about to enter the Chalet when someone called out to them from behind a post, out of range from any cameras. It was one of the other men, but Reid didn't know his name.

Gaspar did, though. "Are you Jeoff?" he asked. "What do you want?"

Jeoff ran a hand through his hair, which was dyed a tacky shade of platinum. He looked irritated. "I know what you guys are up to," he muttered.

Reid's first instinct was to be cautiously friendly, but then he remembered that the Sharp Suitors were complete. Anyone besides the five of them–Gaspar, Markus, Jericho, Alexandre, and himself–was either a potential enemy, or just a regular competitor. Either way, he didn't have to bother pretending to be nice, and Reid responded with equal aggressiveness. "And what would that be?" he asked.

"I know it was a set-up. I saw the two of you whispering to each other while watching Laylett. You planned everything, didn't you? You're nothing but a couple of show-offs," Jeoff huffed.

Reid laughed hollowly. "Sorry for knowing how to take initiative. Don't blame us if you haven't managed to leave an impression on her."

Gaspar gave Reid a warning look, but he agreed. "Reid is right. We are in a reality show, and this is a contest. It is...how do you say it, fair game. We did nothing wrong."

Jeoff snorted. He said, "Suit yourself," brushed past them (making sure to deliberately bump into Reid) and retreated into the living room.

That was certainly a mood-killer. Reid scowled as he went inside and stomped up the stairs. Gaspar regarded him with amusement.

"Aren't you mad?" Reid said to him. "He spied on us, then acted like he was better than us or something."

"I don't waste my time with meaningless arguments," Gaspar stated.

"You sound like a philosopher. Anyway, what if Jeoff was one of the assassins?"

"What of it? He could be, or he couldn't be. We will just have to wait and see."

"That's helpful." Reid sighed.

Soon they arrived back at their shared room.

Markus opened the door for them, congratulating them on their successful 'operation', which made it sound more secretive and important than it actually was. Jericho, who had been watching the whole thing from the balcony, did the same. Alexandre didn't say anything besides a "Good job."

After hanging out for a bit, Jericho and Alexandre went back to their own room, where Aubrey was already relaxing. The rest of the day went by swiftly, and before they knew it, it was evening, and the moment of truth had come at last.

The sky was tinted with a soothing mixture of scarlet and violet, and it cast a pleasant glow over the men, who were gathered in the garden where they'd first arrived. Elaine stood in front of them on a makeshift platform made from driftwood.

Connors stood beside her. She didn't need a microphone; her voice rang out loud and clear. "This marks the end of the first day at The Cupid's Chalet," she declared. "I hope you made the most of your time here, because for ten of you, it will be the last time you set foot in the Chalet. Now, Laylett will call out your names."

Harsh, thought Reid. But he wasn't nervous. He was definitely safe.

Elaine had written the names of the fifteen lucky contestants who'd made it past the first round on a small sheet of paper. If your name wasn't called, then that was that.

She took a deep breath, then read aloud: "Reid."

Oh, would you look at that! First name to be called, too. Reid could barely contain his pride as he took a few steps forward amidst polite applause. The cameras were trained on his face, and he made sure to give them a good show.

Elaine gave him a quick smile, which made his heart swell. Gosh, he shouldn't let this get to his head. Still, he couldn't help but smile back.

Elaine continued to rattle off names. "Tyrell...Richie...Haden...Jeoff..."

Darn it, Jeoff made it?

"Sion...Gaspar...Markus...Carlo...Alexandre..."

Four out of five. Come on, Jericho.

"Aubrey...Nicolas...Sam...Jericho...and Russel."

Ah, there it was. Reid exhaled in relief.

Their first hurdle was complete. The Sharp Suitors had made it. From this point forward, it was officially game on.