Page 63 of Unfinished Noise

Spencer woke up to his phone buzzing on the nightstand. For a second he thought it was an alarm he’d forgotten to silence, but then he saw Jamie’s name and the photo attached—Jamie and Alfie beaming like they’d pulled off the best joke of the year. Both of them had three slim silver hoops in each ear, catching the light in uneven flashes. Matching. Bold. Completely them.

Spencer’s chest tightened in that familiar way he never admitted out loud. Jamie’s smile wasn’t only bright—it lit up his entire face, eyes crinkling, cheeks lifted, as if he couldn’t hold the happiness in. It hit Spencer harder than he expected, and his chest warmed instantly. He didn’t even think before sending back a big red heart.

Spencer: You look hot! Dinner date at 6. Be home.

Jamie replied fast, as if he’d been waiting for it.

Jamie: Okay.

Spencer typed again.

Spencer: Did you eat lunch?

Jamie: Yes.

Good. He hated it when Jamie had forgotten to stop to eat.

He got dressed, still smiling at the picture, and stepped into the hallway. Nathan was already there, keys in hand, looking like he’d been up for hours. Spencer wasn’t sure if that was true or if Nathan had that permanent “I’m handling things” energy.

“Morning,” Nathan said.

Spencer nodded. “I need to stop by the jeweler’s.”

Nathan raised an eyebrow as they walked toward the elevator. “Really? What do you need?”

Spencer felt something shift low in his stomach, a quick tightening that wasn’t quite nerves and wasn’t quite exciting, like the snap of a decision locking into place. He hadn’t said this out loud yet, not to anyone.

“Matching rings,” he said, voice steady even though his palms had gone warm. “I’m going to ask Jamie to marry me.”

Nathan stopped walking for half a minute, blinking as if Spencer had told him the sky was green. “No way. I was planning on asking Alfie too.”

Spencer stared at him. Of course, Nathan would pick rings for Alfie too. They were two sets of twins.

“But you haven’t been with him for a year until Christmas.”

“I don’t need your permission,” Spencer said, stepping into the elevator. His voice came out sharper than he meant, but he didn’t take it back. “You know that, right?”

Nathan followed him in, arms crossed. “Are you sure?”

Spencer shot him a look. “Are you sure?”

“I’ve been with Alfie a lot longer than you with Jamie.”

Spencer exhaled through his nose, annoyed but not surprised. Nathan always had opinions—loud ones. “I didn’t ask for your input.”

“Well, you got it anyway.”

They rode the rest of the way down in tense silence, but Spencer didn’t let Nathan’s commentary shake him. His mind kept drifting back to Jamie’s picture—not the hoops themselves, but the way they had shifted Jamie’s entire presence. The earrings had caught the morning light like tiny sparks, but it was Jamie’s expression that stuck with him: that open, unguarded joy that always made Spencer smile.

Jamie had this way of trying new things—new clothes, new looks, new risks—and watching Spencer’s reaction with those bright, searching eyes. And now, with a ring box soon to be in Spencer’s pocket, the photo meant something different. It wasn’t just Jamie being playful.

It was Jamie stepping into the future that Spencer wanted with him. He would. He already had.

By the time they reached the shopping district, Spencer’s nerves had shifted into something calmer—still buzzing underneath, but focused. He knew what he wanted. More importantly, he knew why he wanted it. Jamie’s face in that photo kept flickering through his mind, not the grin or the earrings this time, but the ease in his expression. The trust.

Spencer wasn’t waiting for Christmas. He wasn’t waiting for permission. He wasn’t waiting for the perfect moment to magically appear. He was making the most of the moment.

Tonight, tomorrow, or Christmas, it didn’t matter. The decision had already settled in his chest like a stone dropping into water, sending out ripples he could feel in every step he took.