Duck Lake are you worth your weight in gold, cause you're behind my eyelids when i'm all alone

The feeling of Mahler's gaze on him prompted him to turn his own eyes back to the other. The length of the stare coupled with his companion's tension slowly increased his anxiety, but he found himself frozen. And when the man finally spoke, Alarian found himself at once baffled and breathless and terrified. He knew immediately he couldn't lie, no matter how much he wished he could; he knew rejection was imminent, but some part of him refused to allow his own retreat. Perhaps because he'd already been obvious enough to prompt Mahler's question.
Um, I didn't mean to— I mean, I do want to, you know, but— I wasn't trying to force anything, and— Alarian swallowed hard, regretting everything; why had he admitted this? He always ended up regretting everything. I'm sorry. I don't mean to make you uncomfortable. You're just, um, He swallowed again, ears pinning to his skull and flushing with heat as he realized he couldn't back out of this statement. Really, um— really hot.