Carson still felt out of sorts a few days after hanging out with Kyle. The thing was, it wasn't the first time he'd ever noticed Kyle. His best friend was an attractive omega. Carson wasn't the most observant, yes, but he wasn't completely blind.

Of course he'd noticed Kyle before.

But Kyle was his best friend. He was always in a box in Carson's head labeled as "Unavailable," and Carson was really, really good at compartmentalization.

He ended up skipping Thursday dinner with both of their families to right his head, which led to Kyle sending him texts full of angry emojis.

You better not skip out on tonight, Kyle had texted the morning after. They were supposed to meet friends at a local bar, but Carson was wholly tempted to skip it as well.

I'm serious, Wood. You left me alone to the wolves. You're in big trouble if you skip tonight, Kyle had texted again when Carson didn't reply.

Rolling his eyes fondly, Carson texted him back. Aren't you supposed to be working? And fine, I'll be there. Wanna walk together there?

You got it, Kyle texted back. And I am working. Unlike you, I can multitask.

Chuckling, Carson loosened his tie, leaning back against his desk chair. He didn't have any client-facing meetings today, and he felt like he could relax a little in his office. He really didn't want to go to the bar tonight, but he couldn't exactly avoid Kyle forever. It wasn't fair to his best friend, but also, he was being ridiculous.

It was Kyle. Just Kyle.

The same Kyle he'd known for decades, and nothing in the last few days had changed that.

There was a pile of work he needed to do, and he did his best to tackle it. By the time five o'clock rolled around, though, Carson was ready to go. He was bored out of his mind, and he needed a break. There were only so many times he could read sheets upon sheets of financial numbers before his brain shut down.

He heard a knock on his door, and he almost breathed an audible sigh of relief. Just in time.

The door opened, and Kyle peeked his head in. "Hey, you ready to go?"

Motioning for him to come in, Carson locked down his computer for the night. "Yeah, let's get out of here. I feel like I'm going to go insane."

Kyle cackled. "Aww, little Carson was stuck in his office all day doing actual work, huh? Poor baby."

"Shut up, there’s nothing little about me," Carson said, his cheeks heating up. He did work--he just vastly preferred the client-facing end of things. It was what he excelled at, whereas Kyle preferred numbers over people. "Someone as amazing as me shouldn't get locked up behind four walls." He winked at Kyle, before putting on his jacket.

"Yeah, yeah, that's what you think," Kyle said, deadpan.

They walked out of the office together, bracing the cold outside. It was late October, and the wind was brisk and biting. No snow yet, though, thankfully. Carson didn't think he was ready to shovel snow this season yet.

It didn't take them long to reach the bar. That was the great thing about living in a small city like Ellsworth. Everything in the downtown core was within walking distance. By the time they spotted their friends, it was clear that the two of them were the last to arrive.

"Late as usual, tsk, tsk," Andre said, shaking his head in mock disappointment.

"Fuck off and get me a beer," Kyle grumped. He sat beside Andre, and Carson took the seat in front of them.

Kyle tried to swipe Andre's beer, but Andre got to it first. "Uh uh, get your own beer."

"No fair," Kyle said, pouting. He looked cute like that, a beanie still on his head, his cheeks flushed from the outside.

The server came, and Carson ordered a round of drinks for everyone. His friends were assholes, but they were his assholes, so he didn't mind buying everyone a drink.

"Big spender over here," Mark teased.

"I mean, I could call the order off, too," Carson replied back.

Mark held up his hands. "Only teasing." He winked at Carson, before finishing off his drink. "You're the best, Cars."

They were a funny little group. They'd known each other since high school, after being paired up for a group project for a required course they all had to take in their senior year. Unlike most groups from that class, though, they'd remained friends. Now, they were all in different industries, with varying jobs and professions.

Andre and Mark were omegas, just like Kyle. Jake was the only other alpha in the group, and Greg was their lone beta. They were a mixed bag of people who theoretically wouldn't be together under normal circumstances, but they'd been making it work for almost a decade.

"What's new with you guys? And don't say work," Greg said.

They spent the next hour catching up, drinking their beers, as they talked about what was new with their lives. They needed to do this more often. The group used to meet once a week when they were younger, but now that they were older, their bar nights were getting fewer and farther between.

They still met regularly--or as regularly as they could--but it just wasn't the same. They all had responsibilities now, Carson supposed, and between work and relationships, it was hard to find time together.

Andre and Jake were sharing a basket of fries, feeding each other lovingly, and Carson had to wrench his eyes away from them. "You guys are the worst," he said.

"You're just jealous," Andre said gleefully.

He was right. Carson was pretty jealous of what Andre and Jake had. Not because he was in love with either of them, no, but he was jealous of the relationship they had with each other. It was silly, especially since Andre and Jake had to work for what they had, even though they'd known each other for years, but Carson couldn't help it.

The two of them were mates. They were also madly in love with each other. They had what Carson so desperately wanted. He was happy for them, of course. He was one of their primary champions in the beginning when they were figuring things out together.

Carson just wished he had what they had, too.

He took a long pull on his beer. He didn't bother responding to Andre's chirp, because he knew any response he made would all just sound the same: longing.

"Have you seen that guy, Kyle?" Mark asked, pulling Carson out of his head.

"What guy?" Kyle asked, confused.

Mark nudged him, subtly pointing to someone behind Carson. "The one at the bar. In the green shirt. He's been staring at you all night. He's pretty cute."

Carson turned around immediately, his eyes falling on a guy subtly making glances at their table. Mark hadn't been wrong. He was cute. Tall, with broad shoulders, and a nice smile--the kind of alpha Kyle probably liked.

Taking another drink, Carson swallowed. Hard.

"The guy with the dark hair? Yeah, he's pretty cute," Kyle said, obviously eyeing up the guy. "Think I should go for it?"

The whole table stopped. What?

Kyle had never been one to pick up guys at bars. In fact, in all the years Carson had known him, he'd never ever seen Kyle pick up anyone at a bar. The rest of the group must have thought the same, because they looked at Kyle strangely, like they couldn't quite believe those words came out of his mouth.

"What? You guys said he was checking me out. It wouldn't be the end of the world if I said hi, right?"

Andre shook his head. "No, no, definitely not. You just aren't normally as forward, that's all. But hey, dude, go for it."

"Definitely," Greg said. "He looks super into you. We'll forgive you for ditching us."

Kyle laughed, throwing his head back. "Well, I mean, if I have you guys' permission." He stood up, straightening down his shirt. "Wish me luck, boys."

Carson was stuck to his spot. He still couldn't believe that Kyle was actually going for it. That alpha didn't look like he was anything special, anyway. He was cute, sure, but cuteness only got you so far. He didn't see the appeal.

"Way to go, Kyle," Mark whistled quietly. "I didn't know he had game."

"It's always the quiet ones," Jake joked.

Carson made the mistake of turning around. He eyed Kyle and the alpha, an unnamed unpleasant feeling coiling at his gut. The alpha moved fast, he could say that much.

He had a proprietary hand on Kyle's hip, and Carson wanted to wrench it away. That alpha didn't deserve Kyle. He shouldn't be touching him, not like that, and Carson saw red.

"Think he'll go home with him? I don't think I've ever seen Kyle go home with anyone. This is kind of wild," Andre said.

Carson's chest tightened. God, he hoped not. He didn't understand why, but the idea of Kyle going home with that guy--it made his fists curl. It didn't help, when he saw Kyle lean in to the guy, their bodies so close together. Kyle whispered something into the Alpha’s ear, and Carson hated that he couldn’t pick up what it was.

The alpha laughed, snaking an arm around Kyle, and resting his palm at the small of Kyle's back.

Carson wanted to scream.

Mine, his brain supplied.

Except Kyle wasn't his. Kyle had never been his, and his mind raced in confusion. Why was he feeling this way?

He felt like he was losing control the more he looked at the two of them, but at the same time, he couldn't look away. It was like he was rooted at the spot, and he couldn't be moved.

"Carson?"

"Carson?"

"Hey, Carson!"

Carson turned back to the table, suddenly aware of all the eyes on him. "Uh, sorry, what's up?"

"You okay?" Jake asked.

Hiding behind his beer, he finished the bottle entirely. "Yeah, why? Of course I'm okay. Anyone want another round?"

Mark looked at him dubiously. "You sure about that? Because you looked like you were going to kill that alpha with your eyes."

Feeling his cheeks heat up, Carson shook his head. "I don't know what you mean, man," he replied, his voice rough. "I guess I’m just as shocked to see Kyle flirt with an alpha."

"Yeah, well, you'll be even more shocked, because it looks like Kyle is leaving with that guy," Greg said.

Carson whipped around, finding Kyle again. Fuck. It did look like he was ready to leave with the guy.

Fucking stop him.

He was torn. On the one hand, he had no claim on Kyle. Kyle could leave and sleep with whoever he wanted. On the other hand, though, his chest was beating wildly, his mind screaming, go. He didn't want Kyle to leave with that guy.

No. He wanted Kyle to leave with him. The realization hit Carson square in the chest, and for a moment, it was like he couldn't breathe.

He started to stand up, but Greg tugged at his sleeve. "Oh, no. You had your chance, man. Don't do this to him, not now, when it looks like he's finally moving on."

Blinking, Carson looked down at Greg. What? What did Greg mean? "I can't let him leave with that guy. He's a stranger, who fucking knows if--"

"Oh, come off it, Wood," Andre said. "How many times have we watched you come home with a stranger? How many times has Kyle watched you come home with a stranger."

He followed Kyle with his gaze, as Kyle started to make his way to the door with the alpha.

"I can't, guys, I--I'll see you later, okay?"

"You and Kyle are such fucking idiots," Jake said behind him, as he made his way to where Kyle was.

Carson didn't have time for Jake's heckling. He needed to stop Kyle. He needed to make sure Kyle didn't leave with that alpha.

He reached them just in time, grabbing Kyle's wrist gently. "Kyle, stop. Don't."

Kyle stared at him, disbelief clear on his face. "Carson, what the fuck?"