ᴀʟᴡᴀʏs | ᴊᴀʏ ʜᴀʟsᴛᴇᴀᴅ

𝚌𝚑𝚊𝚙𝚝𝚎𝚛 𝚏𝚘𝚞𝚛𝚝𝚎𝚎𝚗.

✧･ﾟ:*✧･ﾟ:*

Jay takes another sip of his beer, trying to stop himself from texting Adam for the third time in the last hour by watching the Blackhawks game. He can't help but worry about Mia, wanting to just tell Voight he'll take every shift staying with her. That would be way too obvious, though, and he would definitely say no. When Kim returned to the district to do some quick paperwork before heading home, she told him that nothing exciting had happened and that Mia seemed to be in good spirits, all things considered.

Standing from the couch, Jay sets the bottle on the coffee table and makes his way towards the closet in his bedroom. He grabs the old shoebox nestled in the back corner before settling on his bed, memories flooding his mind as he sifts through the photos he never framed. He hasn't revisited them in years, the pain of the loss of his mother still too raw. The guilt is overwhelming, eyes lingering a moment too long on Mia smiling softly next to his mother lying in a hospital bed. Uncovering the dozens of pictures hidden at the very bottom of the box, a small smile tugs at the corners of his mouth.

The years with Mia were the best years of his life, both as his best friend and as more. He truly had always loved her without even realizing it, the smiles on his face a clear indicator of the overwhelming happiness he felt. Memories of walking the streets of Chicago, sharing ice cream from their favorite little spot near Lake Michigan, watching the sunset at Oakwood Beach, fishing trips to his grandfather's cabin in northern Wisconsin.

A knock on the door pulls him from his trip down memory lane, and he glances at the time on his phone, confused as to who it may be. Placing the lid back on the box, Jay stands and makes his way to the door before opening it and smiling gently. "Hey," he greets, still slightly surprised, "What's up?"

Will grins back at his younger brother, tampering down the nerves bubbling in the pit of his stomach, "I need your help with something."

"Come on in," Jay moves aside, closing the door and following his brother towards the couch. When he sits down, he glances at the small booklet he didn't notice before, brows raising at the photos of engagement rings, "Oh."

"There are so many choices. You gotta look at size, cut, color, clarity," Will rambles as he flips through the pages with wide eyes.

Jay chuckles before snatching it out of his hand to stop the frantic movements, "Okay, chill out. Don't you want Mom's ring? I still have it." He just saw it in the shoebox, actually.