Sunset Valley and leave you like they left me here

Had he been drinking water, he'd have choked on it very ungracefully right then; luckily, he wasn't. What a fuckin' plot twist, huh? Alarian blinked at him.
"I meant it"— he what? You what? He remembered to breathe. I mean— um, He laughed slightly, breathless and very nervous. Are you sure? Don't— don't answer that.
He knew he shouldn't have felt relief right then. In fact, it should have horrified him; Aditya still had a mate, and a pack to take care of entirely separate from Bracken Sanctuary. There was no hope for them— but he couldn't help it. Even if it would never amount to anything— Aditya wanted him. Truth be told, Ali's self-esteem really needed that.
You shouldn't have meant it, He advised, tone suggesting he didn't really mean this. But there was a seriousness to his gaze despite the hints of teasing. I'm a wreck, you know. Alarian allowed the 'and, yknow, mate' to hang silently in the air between them; his expression implied it well enough, surely. His next addition was quiet, rushed: But— I'm... glad you did.

But he wouldn't act on the admission; he respected his friend too much. Instead he relaxed, stretching out lazily and preparing himself for a topic jump of epic proportions. How is Morningside? His tone shifted to business, tinged with concern but firm— there was no going back to the awkward territory he had just shoved the conversation away from.