Page 13 of Unfinished Noise

Jamie nodded, but Spencer didn’t buy it. His hand slid to the small of Jamie’s back, warm and steady.

That helped. More than Jamie wanted to admit.

He watched Billy line up another throw, watched those blue eyes flick toward Spencer again—quick, but not quick enough.

Jamie exhaled slowly.

He can look all he wants, Spencer goes home with me.

And when Spencer kissed his temple right there in the middle of the bowling alley, Jamie believed it.

They reset the scoreboard for one more round, everyone pretending it wasn’t suddenly awkward with Billy and Farlan standing there. Jamie tried to shake it off. Spencer was beside him, warm and steady, and that helped more than he’d ever admit out loud.

“Alright,” Nathan said, cracking his knuckles like this was a championship match. “Final round. Redemption round. Whatever you wanna call it.”

“Loser buys snacks,” Alfie added.

Spencer groaned. “Jamie eats like a raccoon. This is a trap.”

Jamie nudged him. “A cute raccoon.”

Spencer kissed the top of his head. “The cutest.”

Billy and Farlan formed their own team without anyone having to say it. Jamie didn’t love that, but at least it meant he didn’t have to bowl next to Billy.

The first few frames were fine—Jamie and Spencer held their own, Nathan and Alfie were obnoxiously consistent, and Billy and Farlan were… surprisingly normal. No snide comments. No weird tension. Just bowling.

Then Billy stepped up for his turn. He lined up like he was about to perform surgery. Perfect stance. Perfect focus. Jamie rolled his eyes.

The ball left Billy’s hand, rolled straight down the lane… and veered left at the last second.

Gutter.

Billy blinked at it as if the lane had personally betrayed him.

“Rough,” Spencer said, trying not to laugh.

Farlan clapped Billy’s shoulder. “It happens, mate.”

Billy grabbed another ball, jaw tight, and threw again.

This one went right.

Another gutter.

Jamie didn’t even try to hide his grin. Maybe karma existed.

Nathan whistled. “Two in a row. That’s impressive in its own way.”

Alfie nodded solemnly. “A rare skill.”

Billy glared at both of them, but he didn’t say anything. Good behavior, Jamie guessed. Points for effort.

By the end of the round, the scoreboard was a mess—Jamie and Spencer won by a handful of points, Billy and Farlan lost by more than that, and Nathan and Alfie somehow landed perfectly in the middle.

“Did we win?” Alfie asked.

“No,” Nathan said.