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Rose is honestly surprised it takes as long as it does for someone to ask her about Shane. She’s thrust into a whirlwind of promo for a mediocre thriller that she’d filmed before X-Squad, and it’s not until the fourth or fifth interview that someone decides they simply must know about her love life.
It’s always irritated her—not so much the invasion of privacy, even, because they’d been out in public and she’d known what to expect, but the fact that she has all these cool career accomplishments and certain people will still always be more interested in talking about her personal life. She gets it, she’s nosy too, but still, it stings a bit when the first question she’s asked after sitting down is, “So, Rose, you’ve been spotted with hockey player Shane Hollander, what do you have to say about the rumours that there’s a romance between you two?” Especially when her co-star had been asked a first question about his experiences filming the movie.
She’s glad she’s at least talked with Shane a bit about what they’re telling people, though, and she supposes at some point she was going to have to address it, if for no other reason so that people will stop asking Shane about her.
She gives her best friendly, media-polished smile, and says, “Shane and I did briefly see each other while I was filming in Montreal, yes. He’s a lovely guy, and whoever he does end up with will be very lucky to have him, but it just didn’t make sense between us with our careers and schedules. He’s still a very dear friend, though, and we talk all the time.”
“Is there any chance you’re still carrying a torch for him?” the interviewer asks, and it takes every ounce of Rose’s self control to hold back an eye roll. What an unprofessional question to ask.
“No, I’m not.” She has to laugh a little at the absurdity of it all. “What happened between us was very brief, and the decision to end things was mutual. I’m just thrilled that we were able to find such a good friendship. Not to brag or anything, but finding a guy who wants to date me isn’t terribly difficult.” The interviewer laughs and Rose feels a little more in control. “Finding really great friends is harder, I think. I wouldn’t trade my friendship with Shane for anything.”
———
Shane: Oh my god, he saw your interview about me and he’s being insufferable.
Shane: He just texted me “tell rose landry that she clearly did not get full shane hollander experience or else she would definitely still be pining over you. or at least over your dick”. Among other various horrible texts.
Shane: Free me.
Rose: oh my god
Rose: please leave me out of your sexting
Shane: I’m TRYING.
Shane: I think he was jealous when he saw us together.
Rose: I mean yeah, duh, who wouldn’t be
Rose: of either of us tbh
Shane: Wow, vain much?
Shane: But probably. He likes women too, and you’re objectively hot.
Rose: you know you love it <3
Rose: I’m just kidding though
Rose: if he likes you, he probably doesn’t give a shit about me except that I’m no longer dating you
She hopes that sentiment is true. Well, she’s sure it is about her—even if the guy is a total player, she sure hopes he’s not into her specifically—but she hopes that he really does like Shane enough to have been jealous seeing him with her. Blowing up Shane’s phone about her interview is probably compelling evidence that he does care, she thinks.
Also, the text from him Shane had sent had been funny. She wants to like this guy. And she wants Shane to feel supported, because he doesn’t have anyone else he can talk about the guy to.
Shane: I hope so.
Shane: I really miss him.
Shane: I haven’t seen him since he got back from seeing his family, but we’ve been texting a lot. More than normal.
Shane: I feel like texting him so much should make me miss him less, but it just makes me miss him more.
Shane: Like he’s so annoying, Rose, he’s texting me all sorts of bullshit, and it’s just making me want to suck his dick???
Shane: God everything about him is a bad idea but I just keep counting down the days until I see him again, I need him so bad.
Rose: oh babe
Rose: when do you see him next?
Shane: Four days.
Rose: damn you really do know that off the top of your head, you’re down badddd dude
Shane: He’s coming over after my game.
Shane: Wait actually, can I ask your opinion on something?
Rose: ask away, babe
Shane: We have some time off at the same time this summer. I always spend summers in my cottage, and he always goes home to his family when he’s not working, but I was thinking, I don’t think he has as much reason to go there after last time, and I don’t think he really likes going home, and I was thinking I should invite him to spend a few weeks with me instead?
Shane: He’s never been willing to even consider not going home before, but I think he might this year, maybe. But I’m still not sure if he’d be up for spending that time with me. It would be risky. No one would be around at the cottage, but someone could spot me picking him up at the airport or something.
Rose: oh, Shane, I think that’s a great idea
Shane: Really?
Rose: even if he says no, it can’t hurt to ask
Shane: I could scare him off again.
Rose: maybe, but dude, it’s been seven years and you guys keep finding your way back to each other. I don’t think he’d stay away forever, even if you did scare him off
Rose: and maybe this would be your chance to become something more serious than what you have been
Rose: spend some actual time together, not just hook-ups
Rose: it could be really nice
Shane: That does sound really nice.
Shane: You’re right, I think I’ll ask.
Rose: I hope he says yes!
Shane: I hope so too.
———
The Montreal vs. Boston game comes on after the last game Rose had on in the background as she runs lines for an audition tape she has to film. The TV is muted and she’s not really paying attention, just glancing up occasionally. She loves watching Shane play, and normally she would have turned the TV up when he came on, but she keeps stumbling over these lines for some reason, and her agent wants the tape ready by tomorrow afternoon at the latest, so she keeps the TV on mute.
She sees Shane win the face-off against Rozanov—she would never tell Shane this, considering their rivalry, but she loves to watch Rozanov play too—and then forces herself to take another crack at the monologue she’s working on. She finally manages to get the parts she’s been struggling with down correctly, but stumbles over the last line instead. Cursing, she sets her papers down and decides to watch a few minutes of the game, at least, to clear her head.
But when she looks back at the TV, she’s not met with gameplay. Instead, she sees Shane being carted off the ice by medics. Her stomach drops. She scrambles for the remote and turns the TV up.
It’s unclear if he’s responsive or not, she hears. Fuck.
She lets the TV play a little longer, but it quickly becomes clear that they don’t have any more information. Play resumes, and she can’t bear to watch the Metros play without Shane, so she turns it off.
Instead, she pulls out her phone and goes to Shane’s contact. She’s sure he doesn’t have his phone on him, so she doesn’t try calling. She stares blankly at his contact for a minute. Their last conversation had been so mundane—just her complaining about having to do press and him saying he’s nervous to see his guy tonight and ask him about the cottage.
A sudden, horrifying thought comes to her that if anyone were to have access to his phone, if he’s unconscious, they wouldn’t know to contact the guy to let him know if Shane is okay. In fact, someone might try to contact Rose instead, and if they do, they would see her texts about him meeting up with a guy.
For lack of any better idea, she panics, finds a photo of a dog in her camera roll, and sends it to him. Hopefully no one would scroll up past it. Then, she texts what she actually wants to.
Rose: oh my god Shane
Rose: are you okay??
Rose: they’re saying Marlow hit you??
Rose: I wasn’t watching, I just looked up at the TV and saw you get carted away on a backboard
Rose: I know you probably don’t have your phone right now, but call me when you get these? I really hope you’re okay
———
When her phone finally rings, hours later—close to midnight in LA, so it must be after 2am in Montreal—it isn’t Shane’s number, but Rose picks up anyways. It’s probably stupid—she gets a lot of calls from reporters and other people who shouldn’t have her number but somehow do anyways—but she doesn’t really know who else would be calling her so late, so she hopes it’s news enough to pick up.
“Hello?”
“Hello, is this Rose? This is Shane’s mother, Yuna.”
“Yes, this is Rose. Is Shane uh—is he okay?” She’s almost scared to ask, but she has to know.
“He’s going to be okay. He’s pretty badly concussed and he broke his collarbone, but he’ll heal.”
“Oh thank god.” Rose feels like all the air has rushed out of her, and she sags against the kitchen counter. “I was so worried when I saw what happened.”
“Me too,” Yuna says. “David and I drove straight to Montreal as soon as we saw. I thought—well, it doesn’t matter what I thought, he’s okay. We’re with him now, he’s sleeping, and I’m just—well, I thought you should know he’s okay.”
Before Rose can respond, she hears a sleepy, “Mom?” on the other end of the line. There’s a shuffle, and Yuna responds. “Shane, honey, hey. How are you feeling?”
Yuna must be right next to Shane, because Rose can distantly hear Shane respond,“M’okay. Who are you talking to?”
“I called Rose. I thought you’d want her to know you’re okay. I got her number off of your phone.”
“Oh, that’s good. She must have been worried. Wait. You were in my phone?” Even as out of it as he must be, Rose can hear even through the phone how worried he sounds at the thought of his mother snooping on his phone. Her heart aches for him, and she’s glad she’d covered up any revealing messages she’d sent.
“Just to get Rose’s number, honey. I didn’t look at your messages.”
“Oh. Good.” A pause. “Can I talk to Rose?”
“Of course, honey. Rose, honey, Shane wants to talk to you, I’m putting you on speaker.”
“Thank you, Mrs. Hollander,” Rose says, feeling somewhat awkward with this dynamic. Does Yuna still think her and Shane are together? She hadn’t indicated so, but she hadn’t indicated otherwise either, and Rose seems to have been the only person she thought to call.
“Oh, just call me Yuna, sweetheart. Shane, I’m going to go find a bottle of water, I’ll leave you two alone for a few minutes. Don’t look at the screen, though, okay honey?”
“Yes, Mom.” Shane sounds incredibly done. Then, softer, “Hey Rose.”
“Hey Shane, babe. Your mom says you’re okay?”
“Out for the season,” he grumbles. “But I’ll be able to play again in the fall.”
“Dude, I so do not care about hockey right now.”
“I always care about hockey.” Shane sounds more than a little loopy. “The only things that matter are hockey and I—him. You know who. If I can’t play hockey for a bit, he’d better give me lots and lots of attention to make up for it.”
“Shane, babe, how badly concussed are you?”
“Drugs,” he supplies helpfully. “Lots of drugs.”
“Ah.”
“But, Rose, he doesn’t know I’m okay. Can you tell him I’m okay.”
“Shane, I don’t know who he is.”
“I know that, I know, and you can’t ask him, okay, promise me you won’t ask him who he is, but he’ll want to know.” Then he rattles off a phone number. She scrambles to write it down. She’s impressed that Shane knows it by heart, even concussed and on what seems like a heavy dose of painkillers. “Text him, please. Tell him—tell him you’re looking for Lily, and that I’m okay.”
“I’ll text him as soon as I hang up, and I won’t ask him anything, I promise.” She lets him take that in for a second, then asks, “So. Lily?”
Shane practically giggles. “Inside joke. I’m Jane. If anyone sees, I am texting Lily and no one questions it. Ha! Lily and Rose. I have a type.”
Rose snorts. “Dude, they must have you on the good shit. You are so high right now.”
“Shut up, no I’m not.”
“Uh-huh, sure, Shane. You should get some sleep, okay babe? Or do you want me to wait until your mom is back?”
“No, no, you go. Text—Lily.”
“Okay, I’ll text him. Now go to sleep.”
She hangs up, and quickly types out a thank you text to Yuna for letting her know Shane is alright. Then, she punches the number Shane gave her into her phone, praying it’s right.
Rose: hey, is this “Lily”?
The reply back is almost instantaneous.
Lily: who the fuck is this
Lily: who the fuck is lily
Lily: how do you know that name?
Yeah, she possibly should have approached this with more tact. She’s gotten used to texting with Shane about this guy fairly casually, but from everything Shane has told her, he is obviously very deeply closeted.
Rose: this is Rose Landry
Rose: I got your number from Shane
Lily: oh fuck
Lily: he is okay?
Lily: no one can tell me anything
Lily: I have been up for hours worrying. almost called hospital but Shane would not like that
Any worry that this ‘Lily’ might just be using Shane for sex is completely gone reading those texts. The love for Shane is practically oozing through her phone. She still needs him to be open with Shane about his feelings before she can be totally on board with trusting him to treat her best friend right, but it’s a solid start to at least know he cares.
Rose: he’s okay!
Rose: he has a concussion and a fractured collarbone, and he seems bummed about being out for the season, but he’ll heal up okay
Lily: oh thank god
Lily: I was so worried about him
Lily: they had to carry him off the ice and no one could tell me anything
Lily: thank you
Lily: I would kiss you on the mouth but might make Shane jealous
Rose laughs out loud at that. Damn, she really does sort of like this guy from what little she’s seen of him.
Rose: besides, I think Shane’s already done that
Lily: rude!
Lily: reminding me of Shane kissing pretty movie star while he is in hospital >:(
She’s pretty sure Lily kisses many other people than Shane, from what she’s heard, so she’s not super sure he has any right to be jealous, but he’s clearly had a rough night, so she’s not going to kick him when he’s down.
Rose: I think there was a compliment in there somewhere, so thank you <3
Lily: I do not like you kissing Shane but I do have eyes and you are pretty unfortunately :/
Lily: please keep me updated if you can
Lily: I will try and see him tomorrow
Lily: thank you again for telling me he is okay