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Tick. Tock. Tick. Tock.
Aside from the clock sound, the room was completely silent and Shane was bored.
At least this wasn't the end of his career. Shane used this affirmation to excuse all the boredom he has been through the last eighteen hours. The arm sling was a little itchy, but the concussion symptoms were the most annoying experience ever; Shane felt dizzy at the mere act of thinking.
Right when he got hurt, Shane felt sleepy, but everyone told him to resist, so he did. Now after the exams, when Shane was finally allowed to sleep, he felt more awake than ever. Yuna spent the night with him, trying to keep him company, but she ended up falling asleep around 3 a.m. Without his phone and unable to watch TV due a mild insistent headache, Shane spent the night counting the ticks of the clock.
Nothing changed much through the day. Looking at the ceiling was basically the only thing he was able to do. His mother left not long ago and Hayden would arrive anytime soon to spend the night with him in the hospital. Shane was saving his screentime to watch a game with Hayden tonight, and they would probably talk nonsense with Hayden's kids through facetime too, so being trapped in a hospital bed wouldn't be so bad.
The combination of lack of sleep and strong medication for pain also made him feel he was made of jello, especially his brain. Shane had said so many weird things out of the blue in the last hours to acknowledge the fact he had his social filter compromised by painkillers.
But again, at least this wasn't the end of his career.
The sound of the door made Shane low his gaze from the ceiling to his new visitor.
"Ilya..." He first murmured in chock. Then a wave of happiness took over him. "Ilya!"
"Shh. Shh... "
Shane instantly covered the mouth with his hand, he had said it too loud... again. Something like that happened early in the morning when a nurse brought him food and he couldn't contain himself to happily greet the pancakes for breakfast.
"What are you doing here?" He asked in a normal tone this time.
Ilya peeked through the glass side of the door for a second, then stepped away from the door and stood beside the end of Shane's bed. He looked around the room, seeming a little nervous.
"I.. Um. I just wanted to... Are you ok?"
"Concussion and a fractured collarbone. Out of the playoffs, but..."
"Could have been worse." Ilya completed.
"Could have been worse." Shane confirmed.
Ilya pressed his lips and sighed.
"Ok.. ." He mumbled to himself.
"Sorry. I was loud. These painkillers are numbing all my senses. I only realize what I say after it comes out of my mouth, it's embarrassing."
Ilya nodded. He still looked tense.
"Hey..." Shane called, but Ilya didn't move. "Heeeeeeyy..."
He was loud on purpose this time? Maybe, but he needed Ilya to get closer and it worked.
"Ok... Ok... Shh..."
Now Ilya was by his bed side, and Shane could finally see him better.
He was avid to meet Ilya again since he heard about his father's death and his sudden travel to Russia. Shane felt glad Ilya kept contacting him though such a personal moment; he even unburdened himself to Shane in Russian.
Not knowing what Ilya told him in that call didn't bother him at all. They were in common ground since the last All-Star Game, but relying on the feeling still required limits. Shane was good in respecting limits, but since Tampa Bay, any piece he could have of Ilya he would take right away with no regards.
Ilya's expression remained very serious. Shane also noticed the movement of his eyes, constantly analyzing him and the surroundings.
"Relax. It's just us here." Shane assured him. "My mom left an hour ago and Hayden is supposed to be here in ten minutes, but I know this means thirty. We're fine." Ilya just nodded. "How’s it going? You know... After you come back from..."
"I'm okay."
Was it the way Ilya interrupted him? or his tone of voice? Maybe how he tilted his head like it was nothing important? Shane simply knew Ilya didn’t want to talk about Russia. No Russia then.
"I'm glad you're back. I didn't expect to see you so soon..." Then Shane's smile suddenly dropped. He was supposed to see Ilya in five weeks from now which means... "Wait, Boston has a game in San Francisco today! Or was it yesterday?"
"Today."
"What? But... What are you doing in Montreal?"
"I saw the accident on TV. I tried to call you... but you didn't answer."
"Oh, no...no, no, no... You're missing your comeback game because of me?"
"You scared me, Shane."
"No,no... Why did you do this?" Shane whined covering his face with his hand. He felt terrible.
"It's ok. Don't worry about the game."
"I can't believe you came all the way from San Francisco..."
"It’s ok."
"No, it's not! It's too far!"
"It's ok, Shane."
"You were even allowed to be here?"
Ilya made a tiny grimace. Absolutely not. That's why he was preparing himself to receive a very irritated call from his coach any minute now. But Shane didn't need to know that.
"Everything is ok."
"Look, when I was in the ambulance, everything was so loud… But I swear that I thought about letting you know I was fine, but they told me screens are forbidden! I've been watching TV with sunglasses like an idiot. My phone was taken away from me and I can’t even ask to use it for a minute because my mom will not let me do it. She said she can send messages for me but she would ask who Lily is and..."
Apparently, drugged Shane was a yapper, and his pronunciation sucked. Ilya played close attention but everything sounded conjoined as fuck when he spoke fast. He couldn't contain the urge to touch the freckles of his face gently while he kept talking nonsense. Shane giggled a bit but continued to talk non stop.
"...I don't remember anything from that point. My mom was more concerned than my dad, I thought it would be the opposite, it’s always the opposite, but she freaked out a little. Then I saw it on tv this morning and I can understand the commotion, it was terrible to watch. The actual experience is not much better but I'm cool now… Anyway, sorry I couldn't text you."
"It's ok."
"Did you just say it's ok again or I'm having the same deja vu on repeat as weird late side effects from my concussion?"
Ilya didn't understand a single word from that sentence. Shane's pronunciation was about 80% intonation and 20% actual words by now.
Shane suddenly closed his eyes with a grimace.
"Can you adjust the curtains? It's too bright and I think I'm getting dizzy..."
Fortunately Ilya understood that. He partially shut the blinds, just enough to reduce the brightness but keeping the room well lit.
"How about now?"
Shane opened one eye for a second, then he closed it again and extended his hand.
The message was clear: hand
Ilya looked at the door. He should just leave before somebody appears, his mere presence there was too risky already. He had done what he wanted to: see Shane. The accident wasn't serious, he was going to be okay, staying wasn't necessary…
But there was Shane, two steps away, still trying to reach him, waiting for him, with eyes closed and cute freckles…
Ilya took Shane's hand gently.
Shane smiled still with eyes closed.
"Better."
Unfortunately that moment didn't take long, a click on the door made Ilya jump away letting go of their hands.
Shane opened his eyes to see that his second visitor wasn't Hayden.
Yuna Hollander entered the room with a suitcase in one hand. She couldn't hide the surprise when her eyes focused on Ilya Rosanov's face. She also spent an uncomfortable amount of time analysing him from head to toe. Ilya knew he was obviously taller and stronger than Yuna, but something in her eyes made him feel very small.
"I almost didn't believe it when the nurse told me who was your visitor, Shane." She said placing the suitcase on the side. "Hope you're not here to try finishing the job on him?"
"Mom!" Shane said horrified.
"I'm sorry, but we don't get to see that everyday..."
"I came in peace." Ilya said. It sounded so cartoonish that Shane made a weird expression.
"All the way from San Francisco?"
"I was around Montreal today." Ilya bluntly lied.
"Mom, where's Hayden?" Shane intruded.
"Oh, he is not coming. Something with the kids, nothing serious. We traded places so he will stay with you tomorrow."
"But we're going to watch the game today..." Shane pouted for a second then his face suddenly lit up. "Ilya, wanna watch the game with me today?"
"Hollander..." Ilya prayed for Shane to understand by the sound of his surname that it was the worst idea ever, but he kept staring at him with a hopeful expression even when Ilya started to shake his head almost imperceptibly.
"What? Can't you stay? Why?"
"Shane, I'm sure Rozanov has other things to do." Yuna said. "I'll watch the game with you."
“ No, he doesn’t.” Shane replied instantly.
"It’s better for you to stay with your mother, Hollander." Ilya endorsed.
"It's not the same..." Shane whined.
"Do you prefer the Boston Raiders captain over your mother?" Yuna crossed her arms, staring at her son.
"Mom, he's a friend!" Shane claimed, outraged.
Yuna's gaze softened in a particular way that made Ilya know she was already used to drugged Shane.
"Since when?"
Shane opened his mouth and closed it twice before turning to Ilya with a confused look on his face.
"Since when were we friends?"
"We are not."
Shane smiled wide.
"You're right, there's no definition for what we are yet."
Ilya tensed. He looked to Shane's mother but she just shook her head with a tiny smile, completely oblivious to the true meaning of that phrase. Yuna took a pair of black sunglasses and handed it to Shane before turning on the TV.
“Take the chair behind you, Rozanov.” Shane said.
“Hollander…” Ilya tried to bring Shane back to his senses again. Apparently Yuna had already given up on this.
“Please, sit.” Shane calmly asked.
“Hollander, I shoudn’t…”
“Sit, sit, sit, sit, sit, sit, sit, sit…”
Ilya seated in a second. Anything for Shane to shut up in order to prevent something revealing to come out of his mouth in front of Yuna.
Watching the game wasn’t as bad as Ilya imagined when he ended up agreeing to stay for it (by Shane’s coercion). Ilya and Yuna stayed silent and concentrated, while Shane was constantly giving his tactical analyses about every move. Ilya noticed that Yuna, even though she was silent, was paying attention to everything Shane pointed out. But things started to get weird soon when Shane decided to constantly link the game events to random facts about his life, making Ilya nervous. Yuna was in the room with them. What if Shane said something compromising to his mom to hear? What would happen if she connected the dots?
It had already been insane to go to Montreal, and irresponsible to give in to Shane's tantrum to stay and watch a game together. He searched for his own name on the internet a few times. Nothing about him being in Montreal, and nothing about the fact that he would no longer be playing in San Francisco today.
By the second period, Shane's energy suddenly vanished and he fell asleep. At least now Ilya wouldn't have to worry about him saying anything revealing. He kept his eyes locked on the screen but not really paying attention. Ilya knew he wasn't supposed to be there at all. But he was. He shouldn't stay for so long. But he did.
And for some reason his coach hadn’t called yet which made him a little anxious.
"They're gonna win." Yuna suddenly commented and Ilya was pulled back to the real world.
"The game?"
"The cup."
Ilya paid attention to the game for a second and realized she was talking about the New York Admirals. The Admirals winning this year's cup? Nonsense.
"Who said that?"
"Me."
Ilya blinked slowly looking at her. Shane's mom was saying straight to his face that Scott Hunter will win the cup this year? Ouch.
"Boston has good chances too."
"Highly doubt."
Ilya couldn't control his laugh.
"Do you wanna bet?" Yuna asked. He could see the playful defiance in her eyes. She was joking around with him.
"No, thank you. It'll be embarrassing when I win and dedicate my victory to you."
Now it was Yuna who laughed in disbelief.
"Wow. I have to admit, Rozanov... You're fun."
"Ilya."
"Ilya." She endorsed it.
“And you’re fun too.”
She gave him a warm smile.
"You were the last person I expected to be here today but...thank you for passing by."
Ilya shrugged.
"I was just around here, it’s nothing.”
"I still don't understand how you and Shane are friends. I mean, I thought you hated each other... "
He would have preferred Shane to say whatever was best to satisfy Yuna's curiosity, but he was unavailable at the moment. So Ilya thought that maybe he could just make the friendship that Shane said they had more convincing.
"No, not hate. We just were... not close before."
"So when did this friendship start?"
Ilya thought for a second; he needed something that made sense.
"At the last All-Star Game in Tampa, we drank together at the Hotel bar. I mean, I drank… Shane prefers Ginger Ale… He contacted me when my father died too. He was nice."
Ilya knew that if he pulled the dead-parent card people wouldn't ask any more questions. At least it wasn't a total lie.
"I heard about your father's passing. I am very sorry for your loss."
Yuna sounded truly considerate towards him, but thinking about his last time in Russia still made Ilya nauseous. Unable to formulate a proper response he just nodded with a tiny smile to show his appreciation.
She didn’t say anything else, neither did Ilya; both were comfortable with that.
"Who's winning? " Shane's sleepy voice popped up a few minutes later.
"Nobody." Ilya replied.
Shane turned to his mother.
"Mom, I've been thinking… I'm hungry. Hungry for something... something... "
"Something super special?"
Shane thought for a second.
"Yes."
She stood up immediately and went to her bag. Yuna took out her wallet and stared at the two of them.
"The usual?" Shane nodded. "Roza... Ilya, will you have chicken burgers with us?"
Ilya stared blankly at the Hollanders. This couldn't be happening.
"Yes, he will." Shane said on his behalf. Yuna nodded and got up heading to the door. "Coke for him! "
"Got it! " She said before the door closed.
Silence. Ilya was stunned. It was late, he should have left the hospital by now. He imagined his presence could become a burden to Shane at this point, but he just proved that wrong by including him in his family dinner.
"You like chicken burguers, right?" Shane asked.
"Ahn..Yes. Super special chicken burgers…?"
"Oh, yeah. There's this place I go since I was a kid; Best burgers in the world. I was so young when we first went there, I couldn't read the menu, so I called the combo I liked "special burger" and my mother knew exactly what to order. I woke up thinking about it, and now that I'm out of the play-offs I can eat something like that, don't you think? She'll bring you the same combo, so... hamburger, fries and coke.”
Another avalanche of words. Ilya was still trying to comprehend the full hamburger story when Shane gave a little smile. He still seemed a bit groggy, and the sunglasses made him look even more funny.
"Why do you look scared?"
"Why do you look so happy?" Ilya replied.
For some reason that made Shane laugh.
"I have no idea, probably the medication. Sorry I slept through the game. Did my mother ask too many questions...? "
"No, she was nice." Then Ilya made a light grimace. " Your mother thinks Scott Hunter will win the cup."
It was time for Shane to grimace behind the sunglasses.
"Well... She's usually right when it comes to cups."
"They lost." Ilya announced and Shane looked at the tv. The Admirals had just lost by 3x2.
"What about Boston?" Shane asked.
"The game is in one hour."
"I can't believe you skipped your comeback game..."
"There are more important things than games, Shane."
Shane smiled wide, he looked like the joker right now.
"You don't expect to say this and not kiss me after..."
"Shane."
"Ilya... "
"Not here."
"C’mon..."
"Another time"
"When? My collarbone is broken, do you know what this means? No playoffs! No meetings! I'll stay with my parents until my full recovery and this will take ages. I was thinking about inviting you to come to my cottage this summer, until then I’ll be better and..."
“We can’t do that.” Ilya determined immediately.
“It’s private, no one will know if…”
“You know we can’t do that.”
Shane rolled his eyes and gave a sigh. Although he was certain about inviting Ilya to the cottage, he hadn't rehearsed how to make that; technically, they would meet in two weeks, which would give Shane enough time to sound convincing by then. But it was all over now. No playoffs, no game day meetups, and now… no cottage. Not having an established date of their next meeting was uncomfortable, not to say suffocating.
At least they were together now, and that soon gave Shane another reckless idea.
“Just one kiss?” Ilya looked at him as if he were totally against it. “What? We're alone now.”
“You’re not sounding like yourself, Shane.”
Shane swung his arm with the access in response, he would blame the medication until the end. Still, Ilya didn't seem convinced.
“We’re in a hospital, and I shouldn’t be here…”
“But you are. So please can I get one last kiss for… I don’t know how many months yet?”
Ilya's serious face slowly softened. Shane imagined that he was doing the math and realizing that it would be a long time before they see each other again after today. Shane took off his glasses and looked at the ceiling while waiting for his decision.
Tick. Tock. Tick. Tock.
After three minutes and twenty six seconds (Shane counted) Ilya’s voice popped up.
"Just kiss."
"It's not like I can do much more than that."
Ilya's face did not hide how much he hated the pun. Still, he got up from his chair and sat on the edge of the bed. Ilya gently held Shane's face with one hand and rested the other on the mattress so he could lean over him.
Shane broke the distance between them as soon as Ilya was close enough. His good hand grabbed him by the neck, and when Ilya's shirt brushed against his fingers outside the sling, Shane hooked them desperately as if he could hold him even closer with that.
At first Ilya didn't seem as engaged as Shane. He seemed hesitant, perhaps still cautious given Shane’s condition, but soon he gave in to his own hunger.
They kissed for a while until Ilya moved his kisses down Shane's jawline. The trail of kisses moved from the tip of his chin to near his ear, and Shane caressed the back of Ilya's neck in approval. He never imagined he would be with Ilya so soon. Shane was on cloud nine right now.
The sound of the click on the door made Ilya jump out of the bed.
Yuna was back holding four paper bags. At her side was David Hollander with two double takeout cup holders, and their faces made it obvious they saw what Ilya and Shane were doing a few seconds ago.
Ilya felt like an idiot; he shouldn't have given in to Shane's pleading, even though he was dying to kiss him. He had abandoned his team and gone to Canada to visit him in hospital, which was already extremely risky. Everything would have been fine if he hadn't had the urge to cross the line. Ilya didn’t know what to do. He began to shift his gaze between Shane and the floor, unable to face his parents at the door, but also concerned about how Shane would react.
Chicken burgers were the last thing Shane wanted to see now. He felt like he was going to puking anytime soon, he was devastated. Both his parents had caught them. Him and Ilya. Together. Kissing. Shane felt like a terrible son, probably because now he really was one.
"I think we should..." Yuna mumbled to David while turning back to leave the room.
"Wait, mom, wait..."
"It's fine, we'll just leave you two..."
"No, no, no, just wait a minute!" Shane leaned forward too fast and couldn't hold the embarrassing squeal coming out of his mouth when he felt a terrible sting in his shoulder.
The pain was so bad his vision went blurry, but Shane was still able to see Yuna materializing on his bedside in a second. Ilya was there too and helped his mom gently pull him back to lean on the pillows.
David called a nurse. She checked on Shane's shoulder, but there was nothing wrong. He was advised not to make any sudden movements and she left.
After this everyone started to act mechanically. Ilya sat on his chair again and stayed there still like a statue. Yuna and David focused on separating their burgers. Shane took the opportunity of his parents having their backs turned at them and looked at Ilya with a desperate expression.
"It's ok, breathe... " Ilya mouthed to him.
Shane intensely shook his head to him in despair; Despite his words of comfort, Ilya didn’t look less nervous either.
"This is yours, Ilya." Yuna said, passing one paper bag and one cup to him over Shane.
"Thank you."
She began setting the table for Shane.
"Mom…we're going to pretend nothing happened?"
Yuna sighed.
"What do you want us to do?"
She didn't seem angry or disappointed. Was that good or bad? Shane took a few seconds to respond.
"I don't know. What do you want me to do?"
"I don't know. What do you want to do, Shane?"
"Probably go back in time so your guys don't find out that way."
"Find out what exactly...?"
"I'm gay." Shane dropped at once. After the longest two seconds of his life he continued. "I was going to tell you soon, I'm sorry I didn't tell you sooner. I know there is a lot to catch up on because I hung out with Rose, and she is great, but we're friends, just friends. I was trying to figure it out everything first before talking with you because Ilya and I are... We are...
Everything came out of Shane's mouth easily except that. What are they? He didn't know yet. He was a mess, they were a mess.
"... Lovers...?" Ilya tried to complete it.
"No, no Ilya, that's gross."
Rozanov got his two hands up in a surrender pose, he wouldn't try to help again.
"You don't need to justify yourself, Shane." Yuna said, gently running her hand through Shane's hair.. "Let's just eat before the burgers run cold, okay?"
“Okay.”
She chuckled at his agreement and gave him a quick kiss on the head before sitting down next to David. Shane stared at his father for a second, and he just gave him a reassuring nod. Was everything alright? Would it be that easy?
Yuna and David seemed so calm, even Ilya was acting completely peaceful, enjoying his chicken burger like their biggest secret hadn't been discovered minutes ago. So why couldn't Shane just relax? He felt more and more overwhelmed. Shane shoved fries into his mouth trying to distract himself from the tension; It didn't work, he was freaking out.
"Mom, can you say something? Anything?" he pleaded to his mother.
Yuna exchanged glances with her husband for a second, and David gave her a small, encouraging nod.
"Well... We thought maybe you were gay..."
"You did?"
"I think we thought it was certainly possible.” David finally spoke. “We both know you pretty well, Shane. What we did not suspect was that you were so friendly with Rozanov..."
Ilya, who was in the middle of drinking his coke, raised his finger to get their attention before speaking:
"Ilya."
"Ilya, sorry."
They exchanged polite smiles before Ilya focused on his food again.
"It's a long story, dad." Shane said.
"When did this happen?"
"All-Star game." Yuna said instantly. "He was telling me while Shane was asleep."
Shane turned toward Ilya.
"You what?"
Ilya looked at Yuna with an apologetic expression.
"About that...it wasn't all true...sorry... "
"Oh, I see... So when?"
"Since our... rookie season..." Shane replied.
"Since your rookie season?" For the first time Yuna seemed in shock.
"No, it's not true. Since before that." Ilya added.
Her stunned expression deepened.
"Not helpful." Shane hissed at Ilya.
"Before?"
"The summer before." Ilya said almost proudly and Shane shook his face in disbelief.
"So you've been in love since…?"
"No! No, no." Shane and Ilya exclaimed together.
"It was just..." Then Ilya went silent.
"Just what?" Yuna asked.
"Just..."
"Ilya." Shane advertised.
"Oh..." Yuna's expression suddenly changed from confusion to clarity. David stared at her a little confused so she said: "Lovers."
"Please let's not use that word ever again." Shane demanded.
"Deal." Yuna took a bite of her hamburger. "I think I need something stronger than Ginger Ale."
"I'll find something." David got up. Before leaving the room he gave Shane a gentle touch in the shoulder.
Shane simply finished his fries, feeling a bit relieved but still disappointed with himself. His parents shouldn't find out this way; he had imagined coming out so many times in a much better way than this. Despite the shock and discovering countless things Shane had been hiding from them, they were so understanding and supportive…
Before he could spiral into self-repression, his mother spoke up.
"What about the game?"
"Admirals lost." Ilya replied, conceited.
Yuna smiled at Ilya.
"I'll keep my bet anyways."
Did Shane really see what he just saw? There was a certain sodality between Ilya and his mom, what was going on? What he missed while he was asleep?
A ringtone began to echo in the room. Ilya took his phone out of his pocket, and when he saw who was calling, he said something in Russian that Shane suspected was a curse word.
"Sorry," Ilya said in English, getting up. " I have to..." He just pointed at the door before leaving the room.
Ilya silently endured the ten uninterrupted minutes his coach spent scolding him. If he could go back in time, he would still abandon everything at the last minute and fly to Canada. And knowing this, he fully accepted the harsh words directed at him; He was a shitty captain to his team this time.
Sometimes he said something like “sorry” or “yes, I know” or “It won’t happen again” to sign he was truly sorry, because he definitely was. But when Ilya refused to give details about what “personal matter” had brought him to Canada, the coach had another outburst on the phone.
“I know I fucked up, I know! It was an emergency…Yes, in Canada…No, it had to be me…I had to!
He sighed, leaning against the wall next to Shane's bedroom door. He was put on hold while the coach discussed with a third person who was apparently arranging a ticket back to Boston as soon as possible. It was a strange feeling having the coach so mad at him; Ilya couldn't remember anything like that ever happening in all his years playing hockey.
He teased most people out of fun, but never really pushed anyone to the edge, especially the coach, after all, he needed to set an example as captain. Maybe he could apologise better when he arrived in Boston, after reaffirming his commitment to the team by scoring a few goals in the next games.
Ilya was assigned to a flight in a few hours. He declined the offer of a car to take him to the airport. The connection between him and Shane would be obvious if they knew he was at that specific hospital in Montreal. He did not want to risk anyone else finding out; Shane's parents catching them together had already been enough.
But of course, this refusal meant that they would have to trust Ilya to catch the flight on his own, and trust was precisely what the coach did not have to offer to him at the moment.
“Yes, I'll be there…. Don’t worry…I know, I already said I understand! No, I'm not going to say anything now, it's my business…”
Maybe he sounded too insolent because the coach said something about prioritizing hockey (again).
“There are things more important than hockey.” Saying that to an already furious coach was not a good idea; When another scolding began, he hurried to hang up. “Just send me the ticket, I'll catch the plane on time.”
He sighed loudly after clicking on the red phone icon.
"Something wrong?"
Ilya jumped out and turned to face David Hollander.
"No, it was just my coach."
“Is he angry because you won't be at the game today?
Oh, that's right, Shane's family was crazy about hockey; they knew about every game possible, including the game in Boston that Ilya should be at right now.
“Something like that. He booked a flight back for me in a couple of hours.”
“I'll take you to the airport.”
“It’s not necessary…”
“It’s the safest option; you wouldn’t be seen by strangers.”
“You don’t need to…”
“You crossed the border for my son, so I’ll take you to the airport.”
David patted Ilya gently on the shoulder and entered Shane's room. That was a decision, not an offer. Shane's father would be taking Ilya to the airport soon. He chose not to think about it and just accept it. In the end, David was right. Going with him ensured that Ilya would not have to expose himself so much.
The door was left open for him, so Ilya got in. He saw Yuna sitting on one side of Shane's bed and they were holding hands; Ilya could not see her face, as she had her back to him, but Shane was clearly tearful.
“Everything okay?” David asked, putting his arm around Yuna's shoulders. She nodded . “I got your drink but I bought some snacks for the medical team too. Can you help me hand them out? Ilya needs to say goodbye to Shane.”
“Sure, sure…” She got up quickly, wiping her tears from her face. Before heading for the door, Yuna leaned over and kissed Shane on the head.
“I’ll be at the entrance.” David said to Ilya before closing the door and he nodded.
It was Ilya's turn to sit on the edge of Shane's bed. A few tears were still falling from his eyes.
“Are you okay?”
“Yes, absolutely. Many things to feel, but none of them are bad, I guess...We had a conversation, it was a little weird like… emotional… but it was good. Does that make sense?”
“Yes, I also had a weird conversation with your dad. He's going to take me to the airport. ”
Shane made a surprised expression.
“Wow…when do you have to go?”
“In a few minutes.”
“It's okay. I'll be fine. In a few days I'll get my phone back… Who called you?”
“Coach. He wasted a lot of time saying I'm irresponsible and negligent, but he won't leave me on the bench. He can’t, they need me on the ice.”
The Boston Raiders were playing at that moment, and not having their captain back as expected was a considerable loss. Shane could only hope that Ilya wouldn't be punished too much. Flying to Montreal was a big deal, which led them to an even bigger deal. Now their parents knew about them, and after all the mess, Shane was sure they were the best parents in the world. He still couldn't help shedding a few tears; his face must have been ridiculously red. Despite this, Ilya said nothing, he just stood there.
They still had a lot to resolve, and starting now would just be a waste of time. Soon Ilya would be in Boston and would have to focus on the playoffs; Shane would have to focus on his recovery. They had to deal with one thing at a time, still, Shane hated not having a scheduled date to see him again.
But Ilya would be in town in two weeks, and if his parents got along well with him, maybe Shane could...
“Ilya, is it too much to ask you to visit me at my parents' house? I mean, in two weeks, when you come to play against Montreal?”
“Are you inviting me to your parents' house?”
“Yes…?”
Ilya looked up at Shane's IV bag.
“What kind of drugs are they giving you?”
Ilya was out of reach of his hand, so Shane kicked him lightly.
“You’re an asshole.”
“No, Hollander. I'm like your boyfriend now.”
Shane stiffened; He was clearly joking but he said...
“Boyfriend?”
Ilya, who had seemed so joyful, suddenly shrugged his shoulders a little sheepishly.
“I mean…yes…maybe…?” Ilya’s expectant eyes met Shane’s, so he nodded in confirmation. Ilya was his boyfriend. He liked the sound of that. It was great.
“Will my boyfriend come to my cottage this summer?”
"Maybe." Ilya faked the indifference in his tone.
They both smiled at each other knowing that was definitely a yes.