Page 2 of Unfinished Noise

Nathan let out a slow breath. “Yeah. I remember.”

Of course he remembered. Spencer didn’t need Nathan to say I fired them—the image was already there in his head: Nathan storming into the rehearsal room, voice low and lethal, telling Billy and Farlan to get the hell out before Spencer walked in and saw them together. Spencer hadn’t even been in the room, but he could still feel the echo of it—the betrayal, the humiliation, the way his chest had gone hollow for weeks afterward.

He rubbed his thumb along the edge of his cup, the cardboard softening under the pressure. “I’m not doing that again.”

Nathan’s mouth twitched, not quite a smile, not quite sympathy—something in between. “I know. Believe me, I know. That whole mess… it sucked for all of us.”

Spencer smiled, almost a laugh. “Understatement of the century.”

“Yeah, well.” Nathan shrugged, shoulders lifting as if he was trying to shake off the memory too. “We survived it.”

“Barely.”

“Still counts.”

Spencer didn’t argue. It counted. But the scar was still there, and the idea of welcoming Billy and Farlan back in stirred up unwanted wounds.

Nathan leaned forward, elbows on the table. “Look, I’m not asking you to forget what happened. I’m asking you to think about what we’re trying to build now.”

Spencer stared at him. “I’m thinking about it. That’s the problem.”

“But things are different now.”

“Different how?” Spencer demanded. “Billy’s still Billy. Farlan’s still Farlan. And I’m not putting myself or Jamie through that again.”

Nathan’s expression softened at Jamie’s name. “I know he’s sensitive about Billy. I know he gets insecure. But you’re not giving him enough credit. He’s stronger than you think.”

Spencer looked away. Jamie was strong, but not about this. Billy had made him feel small, intimidated, like he didn’t belong in Spencer’s world. Spencer had spent months undoing that damage. He wasn’t about to invite it back in.

“He shouldn’t have to be strong about this,” Spencer muttered. “I’m not dragging him back into that.”

“Spence,” Nathan said gently, “Jamie’s your boyfriend, not your shield. You can’t build your entire career around protecting him from one guy.”

“Watch me.”

Nathan sighed. “Look. I already talked to them.”

Spencer’s head snapped up. “You what?”

“They want to come back,” Nathan said quickly. “Both of them. They said they’d behave. They said they’re older now, less stupid.”

“Less stupid,” Spencer repeated flatly. “Wow. That’s reassuring.”

“Spence… this is Rocktoberfest. This is the biggest stage we’ve been offered in years. You’re the leader. You make the final call. But we can’t do this without them.”

Spencer stared at his coffee, watching the steam curl upward. He hated Nathan was right. He hated that the universe apparently had no imagination and kept throwing Billy and Farlan back into his orbit. He hated his chest tightening at the thought of Jamie’s face when he told him.

But he also hated the idea of turning down the biggest opportunity they’d had in years. The road ahead would be long and hard, yet the sound of their own band returning would keep them going.

“Damn it,” he muttered.

Nathan perked up. “Is that a yes?”

“It’s a damn it. Don’t push your luck.”

“So… a yes?”

Spencer dragged his hand down his face. “Fine. Yes. We’ll rehire them. But if Billy so much as looks at Jamie wrong, I’m kicking him off the stage myself.”