Archive of Our Own

After hiding from his teammates and talking to Rose Landry in the back corner of a swanky Montreal restaurant for almost an hour, Shane was ready to call it a night. He hadn’t wanted to even go out in the first place, but J.J. begged him, and he was still feeling sorry for himself after the whole Rozanov fiasco the previous week, so against his better judgement, he agreed.

But now, he has done his time, and he was ready to go home. He made an appearance, fulfilled his obligation. It was way past his bedtime.

“Come on, man! Don’t go now. We’re just getting started. Everyone is heading back to my place to play cards.” J.J. insists. “Bring your new friend with you.” Shane doesn’t miss the wink as he says it.

J.J. knew exactly who Rose Laundry was. Everyone in the restaurant that night was famous. Half the room filled with Montreal Metros players, the other half made up of A-list movie stars in town filming a new movie which was guaranteed to be a blockbuster.

Shane frowns as he looks over at Rose, who was now standing at his side. “One game?” She shrugs.

“Ugh, fine.” He grumbles. Her laugh at least assures him that she wasn’t mad about it.

Shane held everyone to it though. One hand of poker, and that was it. He reminds the guys again as they deal the cards.

“Don’t mind Hollander.” Comeau tells Rose. “He’s like an old man. Likes to be in bed by 10 every night. We’re keeping him out way past his bedtime.”

Shane just shakes his head and turns his attention to his cards.

When the game is over, he quickly stands up. “That’s it for me.” He can see J.J. rolling his eyes, but he didn’t really care.

“I’ll walk you out.” Rose offers with a soft smile.

As they reach the door, Shane puts on his coat and shoes, then stands awkwardly for a moment, not quite sure what to say. Thankfully, Rose takes care of that for him.

“Would you want to get dinner tomorrow night? Just the two of us.” She suggests.

“Oh.” Shane freezes. He is so bad at this. Why is he so bad at this? “Yeah, sure, that sounds great.”

They exchange numbers and say their goodbyes, Rose gives him a kiss on the cheek and a quick hug before he disappears into the night.

Shane doesn’t think much of it. She seems really nice and he enjoys talking to her. Dinner might be fun.

Rose texts the next morning, asking for a few restaurant suggestions, and happily selects one from Shane’s list. He is grateful for her request to provide options, as he was able to stack the deck with places he would feel comfortable eating and knows the menu has items that work with his diet.

Dinner is nice, the food is great, and he suspects Rose may have name dropped with the reservation, because they are seated in a very private booth in the corner, away from other customers.

Just like the night before, the conversation flows easily, moving from one topic to another. Rose always seems to find things to talk about and questions to ask Shane. She doesn’t pry, but there is an ease about her that just makes Shane comfortable with her. It’s an unusual feeling for him.

“Walk me back to my hotel?” She asks as they step out of the restaurant. Shane, always the gentlemen, is happy to oblige.

When they get to the hotel, she invites him to her room. “Can I get you a drink?” She asks as she opens the mini bar and pulls out a bottle of wine. It doesn’t bother him when she giggles at his request for a ginger ale, he’s used to it. 

They sit together on the couch and continue talking. She’s so easy to talk to, they seem to had so much in common, both growing up around hockey. Rose just understands all of it, the competition, the dedication, the obsession.

But more importantly, she understands the travel and commitments and the pressure of being famous. Trying to keep yourself out of the headlines, having everything you say and do constantly watched and discussed and critiqued.

But eventually, the tone of the conversation seems to change. “You can kiss me, if you want.” she offers.

Shane hesitates. He fucking hesitates when a beautiful and perfect woman asks him to kiss her. What the fuck is wrong with him?

“Oh” he murmurs. “Yeah, ok.” He tries quickly to correct himself, moving closer to her on the couch. But it just doesn’t feel right, and he doesn’t quite understand why. 

It should be perfect. She is perfect. He tries. He leans in to kiss her, pressing their lips together. He knows what he is doing, he has a lot of experience with this.

He tries to get into it, ties to like it, tries to enjoy it. But he just… doesn’t. He is almost relieved when she finally pulls away.

They are both quiet for a moment, Shane taking the time to try to collect his thoughts and reel in the panic that is racing through his body.

“I get the impression that maybe I’m not… doing it for you?” She tries to smile as she says it. But Shane feels awful.

“Yes, of course you are.” Shane isn’t sure if he’s trying to convince himsel tries to convince her, but deep down, he knows his words were a lie.

She is beautiful and funny and everything any man could want. Any man would kill to be in his shoes right now. Why isn’t he enjoying this? 

“Shane, when I asked you to dinner, I meant it as a date. You know that, right?”

“Oh shit.” Shane mumbles under his breath. “I’m so sorry…”

Rose laughs. “You are so cute.” But all Shane feels is sadness. 

“God, I’m so stupid. I’m just so bad at this.” He murmurs. 

“I don’t think you are.” She corrects him. “You aren’t bad at this, or at anything.” He cocks his head to the side, confused by her statement. “I just have a feeling that… maybe I’m not your type.”

He wants to fight her on it, he really does. On paper, she is. It should all be perfect.

“Or maybe… women may not be your type.” She adds softly.

Oh. He does’t know what to say.

“Can I ask, have you ever been with a man?” Shane hesitates at the question. He does not want to answer. He does not want to admit it.

“Nothing you tell me leaves this room. I promise.” She reaches out her hand to touch his arm.

Shane nods slightly.

“I imagine that would not really be accepted in the hockey world?” He just shakes his head in response.

“I’m sorry.” He can hear the sadness in her voice. “I can’t even imagine how you handle that.”

He doesn’t have the heart to tell her the details. That it is bad enough being half-Asian, and the discrimination he faces from that. There is no way he could ever share this part of himself with the world. He would probably be fired immediately and blacklisted from the league.

“I really like you.” She smiles, but he just grumbles and shakes his head. “No, seriously. You are like the coolest person I’ve met in a long time. Can we just be friends?”

He really does like her too. She is probably the coolest person he has ever met. He loves talking to her, he loves how she makes him feel so relaxed, how easy she is to talk to, how she just seems to understand without him having to explain it. Somehow, even though they had only known each other for a day, it feels like she can see into his soul.

“Yeah, I’d like that.”

With the awkward moments behind them and a budding friendship on the horizon, they say goodnight and promise to talk the next day.

————

Shane wakes up the next morning to a barrage of texts, mostly from his teammates.

Montreal Hockey Rules

Boiziau: Get it, player

Pike: Hey man, good on you.

Comeau: The King

Drapeau: Legend

Miitka: Mad respect

Pike: Jackie wants to know when we can double date. She may be a little bit of a fan

Comeau: Master, will you teach us your secrets?

Drapeau: Seriously! I did not know you had it in you man. That is quite a pull

“What the fuck?” Shane mumbles to himself. What are they going on about?

The next text he reads, from his mother, quickly answers the question. It’s a link to a TMZ story.

Hockey Star Shane Hollander spotted spending a romantic evening with X-Squad Actress Rose Landry

Shane was just about to get out of bed when he looked at his phone. He needed to get up, have some breakfast, hit the gym. But instead, he just falls backward onto the bed, dropping his phone next to him, and covering his face with his hands. “Fuck” he mumbles.

This is not good. Not good at all.

He takes a few minutes to pull himself back together, eventually finding the energy to get out of bed and get his day started.

As he is making breakfast, he reads through the rest of the text messages waiting for him.

Rose: Shane, oh god, I’m so sorry. Please call me

Rose: Let me know how I can help

Rose: My team can make a statement 

“Are you ok?” Rose gasps as the call connects.

“Yeah” Shane sighs. He probably isn’t, but he isn’t going to admit that to her. “It’s ok. It’s not your fault.” At least that part of it is true.

“I didn’t know anyone was watching us or taking pictures.” She groans. “I hate this sometimes. People can be so awful.”

Shane doesn’t really know what to say. He sees this happen all the time to his teammates and other guys in the league. For some reason, the press loves to print salacious headlines that often had no truth behind them. But this was the first time it had happened to him though.

“If you want me to make a statement, I will. Tell people that we are just friends.” Rose suggests. 

Part of Shane doesn’t really care though. Even if they were together, he hasn’t done anything wrong. There shouldn’t be anything controversial about the two of them going out on a date. Even if he will never admit to anyone that he was too oblivious to realize until afterward that it was supposed to be a date.

He knew his agent would probably be calling soon to discuss the matter, but realistically, he expects her to recommend they just ignore it, not even bothering to acknowledge the story. And for Rose’s camp to do the same.

“No, it’s ok. Just ignore it.” Rose easily agrees before changing the subject. 

“Maybe we shouldn’t come to the game tomorrow then? J.J. gave us all tickets and Hollander jerseys to wear.” She giggles.

“Oh jeez, he did not!” Shane grumbles. Shane knows J.J. totally would do that just to embarrass Shane.

“Oh, he totally did!”

“It’s fine, really. I’d love to have you all there.” He admits. “Don’t worry about it.”

He knew she was really into hockey, and she had admitted to him the first night they met that she had been dying to attend a game since they got to town, but hadn’t had a chance yet.

The Metros were playing LA, and the team knew it would be an easy win that night. But having the cast of the X-Squad cheering them on wasn’t bad either way.

Shane knew there would be pictures all over social media. The Jumbotron was showing them cheering every few minutes, the four actors all wearing Hollander jerseys.

After the game, one of Rose’s co-stars invited the team out to a late dinner. They had rented out a local restaurant to give everyone some privacy. 

But after the initial polite greetings with most of the group, Shane finds himself hiding in the back of the place, once again, chatting with Rose.

“I could introduce you to some really nice guys, if you are interested.” She offers.

“What do you mean?” He isn’t quite sure what she is implying or where this conversations is going.

“A lot of actors are gay. They just aren’t all out. But if you are looking, I could introduce you.” There is just something about Rose that puts Shane at ease. She is sincere and caring and it just feels like she is looking out for him.

It was just that he isn’t quite interested in that. “Oh. Um, thank you, but I don’t think so.” 

“Are you sure?” She asks. “Shane, you are such a good guy, you deserve someone nice to spend time with. Someone who might understand your situation and your need for secrecy.” 

Ok, she does have a point, he can’t argue with that. It was just that he was still reeling from what had happened with Rozanov, and was not exactly in a place to even think about it.

But maybe the expression on his face gives him away, because her demeanor completely changes almost instantly.

“Is there someone?” He can hear the surprise in her voice as she asks.

“No” he immediately snaps, apparently too quickly for it to sound believable.

“Oh! There is! Oh my god, how did I miss this?” She teases.

“No. It’s not like that.”

“Then what is it like?” She asks curiously.

“We weren’t together. It was just…” but he didn’t know how to explain it. Causal didn’t seem right. And he is too much of a gentlemen to tell her they were just fucking.

“Sex?” She suggests.

“Yeah” he quietly admits. “But it’s over now.”

He’s looking away from her, around the restaurant, trying to focus his eyes on anything else, but he can feel her watching him. “You liked him.” It isn’t a question.

He doesn’t respond.

“Do you want to tell me about it?” She asks, but Shane just shakes his head. He doesn’t even know what he would say.

“I could be your beard” Rose jokes as on their daily FaceTime a few days later. Pictures from the game are all over social media, and even Rose can tell it’s starting to get to Shane.

“No, it’s ok.” He isn’t upset with her, it’s not her fault. But everyone else seems way too interested in trying to force a false narrative between the two of them.

Even though all four actors who attended the game, two of whom were men, were wearing the same Hollander jersey, the only pictures that seemed to be online were of Rose, continuing to fuel speculation that the two of them were together. There were also pictures of the group walking into the restaurant, and even though they were just walking next to each other, not touching or holding hands, it was still being spun as some steamy romance.

It was all just a lot for him to try to take in.

“Well, if you ever change your mind…”

He laughs at her teasing. “I’ll let you know.”

“So what are you up to tonight? Enjoying your relaxing night in?”

“I was watching the Boston game earlier, but turned it off.” It was true, he had turned it off in the second period, which was incredibly unusual him. Shane would never turn off a hockey game halfway though, unless it was really awful.

“I saw the highlights!” Rose exclaims. “Rozanov got thrown out for fighting with the ref. I couldn’t believe it.”

Shane had a lot of thoughts on the topic, but none that he felt comfortable sharing with her. Or with anyone, for that matter.

“I know he has a reputation and likes to pick fights, but I’ve never seen him thrown out of a game.” She continues.

“Me either.” Shane has never seen it, because it has never happened. Yes, Rozanov liked to fight, but he has never taken it that far before. But Shane was not going to tell her that.

“Something definitely wasn’t right with him. He was playing like shit up until then. Hadn’t scored one goal, and they were playing Buffalo. They are one of the worst teams in the league.”

Shane didn’t want to talk to anyone about Rozanov. He couldn’t. He didn’t know what to say. He was afraid that any mention would give him away. Especially with someone like Rose, who even though they had not known each other very long, seemed to be able to read him way too well.

He had replayed that day over in his head dozens in the past few weeks. Spending the afternoon at Rozanov’s house, him asking Shane to stay, the two of them actually talking. It was different, and in the moment, Shane didn’t quite know what to make of it.

Shane didn’t know how to just be normal with him, to talk and interact and spend time together without sex. It was not something they had ever done before. Yes, after sex, sometimes they would talk, but not like that day. Not in broad daylight, in Rozanov’s living room, having a meal together. 

Shane thought he was doing ok, holding it together, not panicking. Not completely at least.

But then things got heated again, and that’s when it all went off the rails. Shane never thought hearing someone say his name would throw him into a tizzy, but this was Ilya Rozanov.

And suddenly, it all felt like it was too much, too real. The walls started closing in around Shane, and he panicked. He did the only thing he could think of - he ran.

He felt completely shitty about it afterward. He debated whether he should apologize and try to talk to him. But it all felt stupid. They weren’t anything, it was just a hookup. It wasn’t Rozanov’s fault that Shane caught feelings and read things the wrong way.

So instead, he tried to forget. Tried to move forward. But it didn’t work.

Now, he had watched Rozanov play probably the worst hockey game of his life. What should have been an easy win was a complete disaster. Rose was right, he played like shit, couldn’t get it together, was missing easy passes. Then there was the fight.

Something was wrong.

Shane would tell himself later it was a moment of weakness, but he felt like he should reach out. Check on him. Make sure he was ok. 

Jane: Saw the game. You ok?

Lily: Fine

Shane contemplated responding, poking at him again, trying to get him to talk. But then he put himself in Rozanov’s shoes. If it had been him, he wouldn’t really by up for talking either. So Shane decided to leave it alone.

“So what’s your type?” Rose teases as she takes a sip of her wine.

Any night that she isn’t working lately, they get together. Tonight, she shows up at his apartment with sushi and a bottle of wine, and a horrible disguise. But it seems to work, as she swears she didn’t see any paparazzi taking pictures of her when she arrived.

She was working on her third glass by the time this question came up.

“I don’t know.” Shane shrugs.

“Oh, come on. Are you into bears or twinks?” She wiggles her eyebrow as she says it. ‘No, twunks!”

“Bears? Twinks? What the heck are you talking about?”

“Oh my god, you are such a bad gay!” Shane smiles and rolls his eyes at the gentle insult.

“Sorry” he grumbles, “I don’t really have a gay Yoda to teach me such things!”

“Ugh, ok. Fine! Blonds, brunettes, redheads? Oohhh, guys with top knots?”

“What the heck is a top knot?” Rose cackles at the question.

“Who do you think is hot? Like name a famous person, an actor? What about any of your teammates?” She clearly is not going to let this go. 

“Oh god no, what the fuck? My teammates!? Eeewww. It’s bad enough I have to see them in the locker room. Definitely not!” Shane laughs.

“Then name someone. Come on, maybe someone I know that I could introduce you to.” 

“Rose, no. No hook ups, please.” He sighs. “I just… I can’t.”

“Fine.” She groans. “No hookups. But come on, give me something! I need to envision this. Tall, short, thin, jacked. Personality?” 

“Fine” Shane imitates her. “Tall, at least my height, and definitely jacked”. Rose giggles as he says it. “Someone who can throw me around.” He says it to get a rise out of her, which it does, but deep down, he knows it’s also true.

“And… what else?” She grins.

“I don’t know.” But the truth is, he does know. This is not hypothetical. He knows exactly what he wants, who he wants. He’s been driving himself crazy for weeks, or really for years. There is only one person he has ever really wanted like that, one person who can keep up with him, who was really his equal. “Someone who can keep up with me, who understands my life.”

“Yeah, I’m definitely out then!” Rose laughs as she takes another sip of her wine.

“You mean the whole gay thing didn’t knock you out before?” Shane throws back. Sometimes he wishes that he is interested in women. Being with Rose would be so easy, they are really good together, they get along well, she makes him laugh.

“I’m serious though, if you ever need it, I can be your beard.” She says it so sincerely. She would protect him at all costs. He appreciates it more than she knew.

But she just isn’t who he wants, and they both know it.

Rose and Shane are more careful after the initial media circus, and mostly stayed out of the spotlight over the next few weeks They still spent time together in public a few times, but it was always with in group. But pictures still seemed to end up online, continuing to push a false narrative of them being the perfect Hollywood couple, even though not one picture ever showed anything more than the two of them talking or standing near each other.

The Metros were scheduled to play the Raiders the following day, and Shane was getting a little nervous about the game. He and Rozanov hadn’t seen or talked to each other since that day in Boston that Shane had run. Shane sent the one text checking in after watching a particularly bad game of Rozanov’s, but chose not to push after getting only a one word reply.

But now it felt like he needed to clear the air before they played again. He knew that he wouldn’t be his best on the ice if they didn’t, and based on the way that Rozanov had been playing the last few weeks, he wouldn’t be playing well either. So Shane tried to extend an olive branch.

Jane: Can we talk?

Lily: No

Rose and her friends were at the game, in their usual box seats wearing the same Hollander jerseys and cheering them on. Shane tried to stay focused and tried to ignore the voices in his head, no matter how loud they were.

But as soon as he got to the face off, seeing Rozanov two feet away from him, it all fell apart.

“You will put on a good show for your girlfriend?” Rozanov snipes. His tone is viscous, not the usual cheerful chirping Shane is used to.

“What?” It took Shane a minute to figure out what he is talking about. “She’s not my girlfriend.”

The puck drops and Shane wins the face off.

When Rozanov smashes Shane into the boards a few minutes later, he can hear an evil laugh. “She does not look impressed.”

“Stop it!” Shane snaps as he tries to push him back. But Rozanov just skates away, unfazed. 

When Rozanov scores a goal minutes later, he skates past Shane. “Am I making you look bad?”

Shane tries to ignore it, but Rozanov won’t let up. He chirps again about Rose at their next face off. 

“She’s just a friend” Shane hisses through clenched teeth.

“Does she know that?” Rozanov snaps back, distracting Shane just enough to steal the puck.

“Fuck” Shane groans under his breath as he chases after him.

Rose and some of her X-Squad co-stars were watching the game from one of the luxury boxes, faithfully wearing their Hollander jerseys and cheering on the Metros.

But something about the game just felt off, right from the first drop of the puck. She could see Rozanov saying something to Shane, and Shane’s whole posture change in response. 

Only a few minutes later, Rozanov shoved Shane into the wall, even though neither of them had the puck.

She knew he had a reputation, she’d seen him play many times before, but… something wasn’t right.

“What’s up with Rozanov tonight? He’s out of control.” Blake asks her during the second period.

“I don’t know.” She shrugs. “I’ve never seen him like this.”

“He’s like a jilted lover or something.” Blake jokes. Rose laughs along with him for a second, but suddenly catches herself.

She knew there was someone. He admitted that, but wouldn’t say anything else. She thought back to what he did say - he wanted someone who understood his life and could keep up with him. Tall, jacked, could throw him around. 

“Fuck” she mumbles under her breath. It made complete sense. He was the only person on this earth who could keep up with Shane, who could understand his life.

But he was an asshole. Definitely as hot as Shane, and Shane was by far a 10, but he was arrogant and obnoxious and so intense. Almost as intense as Shane.

Wow.

Ok, so this is a lot to process. Shane liked him, she could see it on his face when they talked. And by the looks of it, the feeling was clearly mutual. 

So what the hell went wrong?

After the game, Rose and her friends meet Shane outside of the locker room. “Miles got us all on the VIP list of this new club downtown. Come with us!”

Shane frowns. “Thank you, but no. I think I should just go home.”

“No you shouldn’t! You should come out and celebrate your win.” Trisha chimes in.

“It wasn’t much of a win, that game was a disaster.” Shane grumbles.

“And that’s exactly why you should come out. Blow off some steam, forget about the disaster.” Rose smiles as she tugs on the lapels of Shane’s jacket.

“Ok, fine.” He sighs. “One hour.”

“Two hours” Rose teases.

“90 minutes” he throws back.

“Deal!” 

The club was packed by the time they arrived, music blasting and strobe lights flashing. But they were in the VIP section, which allowed a little more space and privacy, and for that, Shane was thankful.

Shane finds the quietest spot on the place and leans against the wall, taking a sip of his beer as he surveys the place. A few of his teammates are already here, some others he knew were on their way. 

“Hey!” Rose jumps in front of him, startling him.

“How can I help you?” But instead of responding, she grabs his arm and drags him to one of the booths in the corner, sliding into the seat across from him.

“So what happened between you two?”

“What?” Shane gasps.

“I know who it is. The person you were with.” Shane’s eyes go wide as she says it.

“How?” He can barely get the word out.

“The game. How he was acting. Blake made a funny comment and it just suddenly clicked.”

Shane can feel his face turning red. There was bile collecting in the back of his throat, and he suddenly feels like he is going to puke. This can’t be happening. His chest is starting to hurt. He can’t breathe.

“Hey, it’s ok. I’m not going to tell anyone. I swear.” She reaches out her hand to squeeze his.  “For what it’s worth, I think the feelings are mutual.”

Shane shakes his head. “I don’t-”

But she cuts him off before he can finish. “Oh stop that, you are so full of shit!” He can’t understand how she is still smiling about all of this.

“You are allowed to be happy. You get that, right?”

“Not like this. Not with…them.” He is careful with his words, unsure of who else may be listening.

“What happened?” She finally asks.

Shane closes his eyes and puts his head down. “It doesn’t matter.” He says sadly.

But before Rose can say anything more, Trisha and Miles crash into their table. “We are out at this amazing club, the liquor is flowing, the music is blasting. Why do we all look so sad?” Miles singsongs.

“We were just taking a break” Rose tries to explain as she jumps to her feet, quickly pulling herself back together and plastering a smile on her face. “Come on Shane, dance with me!”

She extends her hand to grab his, pulling him to his feet. “I don’t dance” he tries to explain, but she refuses to acknowledge it, dragging him to the middle of the dance floor.

“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to upset you.” 

“It’s ok.” He isn’t upset with her, it’s not her fault. All of this is his fuckup. He knows she is just trying to help, trying to be a good friend.

It doesn’t take long for the rest of his teammates to join them, dancing and yelling and celebrating their win. But a few minutes later, the tone in the room suddenly changes.

“Oh no, we got company.” J.J. huffs, nodding in the direction of the bar.

Shane follows his gaze, noticing Cliff Marlow and a few of the other Raiders players. “Fuck” he mumbles under his breath. If Cliff is here, then it’s almost guaranteed that a certain Raiders captain would also be.

He looks around the club once more. It doesn’t take long for Shane to spot him, standing at a table with a group of women, doing a shot.

Just as Rozanov slams his empty glass down on the table, he turns around and spots Shane. Their eyes lock, and for a split second, they both just stare.

But then Miles and Rose each grab one of Shane’s arms and pul him back into the group. It doesn’t take long for Rose to notice him also, then to turn her focus to Shane, a sympathetic expression on her face.

“You ok?” She mouths, and he just nods.

He can do this. It’s fine. He is with his teammates, he is with Rose. He doesn’t care about Rozanov.

“I’m going to get some water” he tells her, stepping away from the group and heading toward the bar. He hopes a few minutes away will let him shake all of this off.

But when he returns, he makes the mistake of looking in Rozanov’s direction again, only to see him with his hands all over some woman, and his tongue down her throat.

Yeah, he can’t do this. He needs to get out of here, before he throws up or has another panic attack.

He turns around too quickly, accidentally crashing into Rose. She must see the panic on his face. “What’s wrong?” But before he can answer, she notices it over his shoulder.

“I’m gonna go.” He can barely get the words out as he starts moving quickly toward the exit, Rose following closely.

“I can go with you.” She offers as they reach the door. “I don’t want you to be alone.”

He feels a little better once he gets out of the club and gets some fresh air into his lungs. But he still needs to leave, to get as far away from this place as possible.

“Go have fun with your friends. I will be fine.” He hopes he sounds convincing.

“Are you sure?”

“Yeah. I just need some quiet.” He is grateful when she finally agrees, and they say their goodnights and she heads back into the club and he turns toward the parking lot.

He just wants this entire day to be over.

By the time Rose gets back inside, she’s on a warpath. “I need your help” she whispers to Miles as she finds him on the dance floor. 

“Oh honey, anything for you” he teases as she pulls him away.

Rose usually did not like to use her fame to get special treatment, but tonight, she has no qualms asking for a favor or two.

Within a few minutes, everything is set up. Rose is waiting in a private room in the back of the club, and Miles is on his way to retrieve a certain hockey player.

Rose was waiting patiently when Miles returned, pulling the one and only Ilya Rozanov behind him. As they stand in the doorway, Miles pushes him into the room then takes a step back. 

He carefully inspects the room before turning his attention to Rose. 

“You will murder me?” He asks curiously.

“Maybe!  Get in here.” Rose hisses at him. Once he finally steps completely into the room, Miles closes the door behind him to give them some privacy.

She spends a minute just taking him in. He really is gorgeous. She can’t not fault Shane for his impeccable taste. But she needs to focus, he is being an asshole to her friend and she is going to do something about it.

“What the hell do you think you’re doing?” She finally yells.

“What you mean?”

“Why are you out there, all over all these women, right in front of him. Are you just trying to rub it in his face?”

“I do not know what you are talking about.” Damn, the arrogance of this man is infuriating.

“Oh come on!” She snaps. “Don’t play stupid. I know it was you he was with.”

“Why do you care? You have him now.” God, she just wants to punch that smug face of his

“We are just friends, you dumbass. He’s gay!” She yells.

“Yeah, not to gay to-” What the hell is he even talking about?

“He wants you!”

“Then why did he run away?” What does he mean, run away? What the hell happened between them? Shane was so tight lipped about it. 

“What do you mean?” Rose knew from the moment she came up with this brilliant idea to confront him that she was sticking her nose where it didn’t belong. But she cares about Shane, and wants him to be happy.

In the moment, she also realizes that she may be in a little over her head. She does not know the whole story. Shane kept everything so close to the chest. God, she wished he would just have told her the truth.

This was such a bad idea. Dammit. 

“He does not want me.” He is so confident when he says it. So sure of himself, so sure of how Shane feels about him.

“Yeah, that’s why he ran out of here when he saw you kissing someone else.” In for an inch, in for a mile. There’s no getting out of this now.

“What?” That got his attention. The shocked look on his face makes her a little too happy.

“He left. Because of you!”

“Is not true.”

“Fine, don’t believe me. I don’t care what happens to you.” She growls. “You deserve to be miserable and alone.”

He stares at her in shock for a moment, but she could suddenly see the sadness in his eyes that had previously been hiding behind the tough exterior. 

“Come on! The biggest player in the league hasn’t been spotted with a woman in months. Then the last few weeks, you’ve been playing like crap, getting thrown out of games. You and I both know the reason.”

“Are you stalking me?”

“Let’s call it important research.” She smiles.

What do you want?” Ilya asks, his voice softer now.

“I should be asking you that question.” Maybe she missed her calling in life and should have been a therapist.

Ilya shakes his head sadly. “I tried. He ran away.”

“Then maybe you should try again.” Rose suggests. “Go after him this time?”

Shane was curled up on his couch, trying to read a book and feeling sorry for himself. He knows he should probably go to sleep, but he’s still angry after everything tonight and he needs some time to calm down. 

He grumbles to himself when he hears a knock at the door. “I’m fine Rose, you don’t need to check on me.” He yells, hoping she will just take the hint and leave. But a minute later, there is another knock.

Ugh, fine. Shane puts his book down and makes his way to the door. “I told you I was fine.” He says as he opens the door, but the person standing on the other side is definitely not who he is expecting

“Not Rose.” Ilya says.

“What are you doing here?” Shane huffs.

“We need to talk.” 

“Your mouth looked pretty busy earlier when you had your tongue down that girl’s throat.” Ok, Shane knows it’s mean, but he can’t help himself.

“You are mad?” Ilya asks calmly.

Shane isn’t mad, he’s furious. Yes, he knows he ran away the last time they saw each other, but he tried to talk to him. Tried to apologize. Ilya blew him off. 

But he also realizes that Ilya is not his. He has no claim on him. Ilya has every right to hook up with people. Shane just wishes he didn’t have to see it.

Ilya takes advantage of Shane being distracted in his thoughts and lets himself into the house, closing the door behind him.

“I am sorry.” Ilya whispers.

“For what?” Shane finally snaps back. “For ignoring me? For being an ass tonight? For blowing me off when I tried to see if you were ok? For shoving it in my face that you can have anyone you want?”

“The only one I have ever wanted is you.” Ilya admits, shutting Shane up. “Since the first day we met.”

Shane’s eyes go wide at the admission, and he looks like he may have stopped breathing. But Ilya needs to keep talking or he will lose his nerve. “I did not think I could have you. But I tried still. I pushed too hard and you ran. I thought I had lost you.” He sighs. “But you can not lose something that was never yours to begin with.”

Shane takes a deep breath and closes his eyes. “I have always been yours. Since the beginning.” He pauses. “I am sorry for leaving. I panicked. I tried to apologize-”

But Ilya cuts him off mid-sentence, pushing him against the door and kissing him.

Ilya knows there is still a lot to unpack between them, but at least one thing is certain. Shane is definitely not interested in Rose.