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Hayden was visiting his cousin in Ottawa one weekend when he saw her - Mrs. Yuna Hollander. His cousin was at work, so Hayden went to the store to grab a few things as a thanks to his cousin for letting him crash for a bit. The house was too lonely with Jackie and the kids gone to visit her family over summer break - a vacation she told him he was not welcome to join. So instead he went to visit his own family.
Hayden had thought about reaching out to Yuna Hollander during the last season to ask her to talk sense into Shane. Obviously Yuna must have been just as concerned about her son as he was about his friend. But then his injury and Shane’s announcement that he was signing with Ottawa had happened, and Hayden had never followed through. Plus, he couldn’t figure out a way to approach her.
Seeing her now while they were both out running errands, he decided it must be fate.
“Mrs. Hollander, hello. It’s good to see you,” he called out, walking down the aisle.
He wasn’t sure what to make of her expression when she turned around. Yes, she’s terrifying. But he had always gotten along well with her in the past. They both loved Shane and wanted what’s best for him. ‘She’s probably just stressed about something,’ he thought to himself.
“Hayden Pike,” she said and her tone is more clipped than he remembered. “I’m surprised to see you in Ottawa.”
He smiled, “I’m visiting my cousin. Just running some errands while he’s at work.”
Yuna nodded at that and asked, “How are Jackie and the children?”
Hayden tried to keep his expression even, “They’re great. Enjoying time with family this summer,” he said vaguely, trying not to let on about the separate vacations.
“Wonderful. Please tell them hello for me,” she said and started to turn away. Hayden knew he needed to act quickly.
“How’s Shane?” he asked.
Yuna stared at him for a moment before saying, “He’s great. Getting some well deserved rest this off season.”
“That’s great,” Hayden started, searching for an entry since Yuna wasn’t making this easy. “I’ve been worried about him.”
Yuna blinked. “Worried, why? It wasn’t a great end of the season, no, but he wasn’t injured. You two usually talk all the time, haven’t you kept up with him?”
Hayden paused. Suddenly he wasn’t sure about just what Yuna did or didn’t know. JJ had implied Yuna knew and was fine with Rozanov, though Hayden hadn’t believed him. That’s why he had thought of reaching out to her. But now, he had no idea how to broach the topic and gauge just what she did know. He wanted to help Shane though, so he decided to just go for it.
“Well, no actually. We haven’t talked much since my injury. We had a slight disagreement just before that, about who he was spending time with.” Hayden watched Yuna closely but her expression didn’t change.
“I’m not sure what you mean by that Hayden.” Her gaze was level and Hayden was trying hard not to flinch.
Finally, he figured he just had to say it, “You do know about his boyfriend, right? I’m sure you’re as concerned as I am about him.”
At that moment, someone else wheeled a cart by them and Yuna moved closer grabbing his arm. “Hayden Pike, I know my son values his privacy so this is not the time or place for this conversation. Also, I trust my son.”
“Mrs. Hollander, maybe Shane hasn’t told you everything. I know he asked me not to share, but I’m worried so I’m sure he would understand,” Hayden continued undeterred.
“Enough.” Yuna said forcefully. “If you are insistent on having this conversation, it at least needs to happen somewhere more private. Why don’t you follow me to my house, it’s just around the corner.”
Hayden nodded, smiling. Finally, he was getting somewhere. Yuna was probably right, this wasn’t the best place for a conversation like this, but he couldn’t let go of the opportunity running into her had provided him. As he followed Yuna to her house, he thought about how to best approach this, since he wasn’t sure how much Yuna actually knew. She had shut down quickly once he mentioned a boyfriend, but surely Shane was out to his parents, right?
Only a couple minutes later, Hayden pulled into the driveway after Yuna. He got out to help her carry her groceries in, but she already had the bag over her shoulder and was walking to the front door when he caught up with her. So he followed her inside, leaving his shoes just inside the door.
“David, we have a guest,” Yuna called out and David Hollander appeared around the corner. He looked between Hayden & Yuna questioningly. Yuna continued, “We ran into each other at the grocery store and it seems Hayden has some concerns about Shane. He was rather insistent, so I asked to move the conversation to a more private space. Can you put the groceries away while I show him into the living room?”
“Of course,” David answered, taking the bag from Yuna and turning towards the kitchen. Hayden followed Yuna into the living room and when she motioned, took a seat on the sofa while she sat in an arm chair.
“Hayden, I don’t know what you know or think you know. But what exactly are your concerns about my son?” Hayden startled, not expecting Yuna to come right to the point like that.
“Well, it’s just…” Hayden said slowly, starting to get uncomfortable under her intense gaze. “Mrs. Hollander, you do know Shane is gay, right?”
He wasn’t aware it was possible for Yuna’s gaze to turn more menacing, but it did. After a moment she said, “Yes, I am. But I was not aware he had told his teammates.”
“He didn’t. Only JJ and I know.” Yuna continued to stare at him, so Hayden explained, “I’m not sure if he meant to tell us or not, but he seemed so unhappy after he and Rose Landry broke up that we were trying to set him up with someone. And he just told us.” He paused before quickly adding, “And we’re absolutely ok with it. Him being gay that is. He’s still my friend. I even talked to Jackie and JJ about finding a gay man to match him up with instead.”
“And he asked you to do that?” Yuna questioned.
Hayden tried not to squirm, “Well, no. He said he wanted to focus on hockey. But he seemed so unhappy and we were trying to help.”
Yuna continued to stare, “Help? By ignoring your friend’s wishes?”
Hayden paused, “Ok, I admit. Not my best moment. But I really did have his best interest in mind. I wanted to see my friend happy.” He started to smile, but Yuna’s expression didn’t soften, and he felt his smile droop. Hayden tried to get the conversation back on track, “But anyway, it turns out he found a boyfriend on his own. I was happy until I found out who it was.” Hayden searched Yuna’s face for recognition but Yuna’s expression still had not changed. He took a breath, “Mrs. Hollander, Shane seems to think he’s dating Ilya Rozanov. I don’t even know how it happened. But I’m very worried about him. Rozanov is an asshole. A fact he’s proven in every interaction I’ve had with him before I knew and since. You must know his reputation. I don’t know what he has on Shane or how he manipulated his way into Shane’s life, but I’m worried that Shane is going to wind up hurt. Especially since Shane seems convinced that he’s in love. And now Shane’s throwing away his career with the Metros for him, and…”
Yuna held up her hand, “Enough Hayden Pike.”
Hayden stopped.
Yuna continued, “Why are you telling me this Hayden?”
Hayden frowned, “Because I'm worried about Shane. And he won't listen to me, Rozanov has him brainwashed or something. When I saw you, I figured you could help me fix this and protect Shane.”
For a moment, neither said anything. Hayden was confused. Yuna Hollander loved her son and he knew just how protective she was of Shane. But she just stared at him.
Finally Yuna said, “So let me see if I understand. My son told you he didn't want to be set up on a date and you ignored him because you knew better. My son trusted you with information about himself he was not ready to share with the world, and you shared that information without his permission. My son invited you to meet the love of his life and you told him he was delusional and that he should break up with him. Then, when Shane told you to leave it alone, you once again thought you knew better and decided to continue to insert yourself into his life to prove that you know what's best for Shane more than he does? And when he wouldn't listen to you, how many people did you out him to? How many times did you decide your opinion was more important than his trust? Did you even think about what this was doing to him, watching someone he thought was his best friend systematically try to destroy his life?”
Hayden knew his mouth was open, but he couldn't seem to close it. Yuna was clearly waiting for a response, but he didn't understand. “I am just trying to look out for Shane and protect him from getting hurt by Rozanov. He's my friend,” Hayden said quietly, wavering under Yuna's clear displeasure.
And then Yuna laughed. Actually laughed and Hayden was even more confused.
“Hayden Pike, my son neither needs nor wants your protection. He and Ilya are perfect for one another and very much in love. Whatever you think you know is clearly wrong.”
“But Rozanov's an asshole. How are you just ok with this?” Hayden practically yelled.
Yuna stood up, “Rozanov may be an asshole but Ilya is a sweetheart. My boys have both fought hard to get to where they are and they deserve our support and love. How dare you, who couldn't even make it through one dinner with Ilya, sit in my living room and tell me anything about him or my son.” Hayden started to interrupt, but Yuna waved him off and continued, “Yes, I know about the dinner with you and Jackie. And about you ambushing Ilya after a game demanding he break up with his boyfriend. If anyone needs to stay away from Shane, it is clearly you.”
Hayden was frozen. He wanted to say something. Needed to. But he couldn't move. Yuna Hollander was defending Rozanov all while accusing Hayden of being a bad friend. He didn't know what was happening.
And because the universe clearly hated Hayden, at that moment he heard the front door open and a voice called out, “Hey Mom. Hey Dad. Why is Hayden's car in your driveway?” And then Shane walked into the room followed by who else, but Rozanov himself.
Hayden stood up, but before he could say anything, Yuna spoke instead. “Hayden and I ran into each other in the grocery store. He had some things he wanted to say that I didn't want overheard, so I invited him back here.” She glanced at Hayden before continuing, “He seems to think that if I really love you Shane, I should convince you that you can do better than Ilya.”
“What the fuck, Hayd!” Shane yelled, but Yuna put her hand up and stepped between them.
“Let me be clear Hayden Pike, there is no one better for my son than Ilya. And no one better for Ilya than Shane. They love each other. And even if that weren't true, the fact that they chose each other would be enough.”
“Hayden it concerns me that you seem to have so much trouble understanding the concepts of consent and privacy. So let me be very clear - you will leave Shane and Ilya alone. You will not contact them unless they reach out first. You will not talk about them or share their story. Who they tell and when they tell them is for them to decide not only because it's their story but also to keep them both safe. Your words and actions have already caused enough harm, so you need to stop before you cause even more. You're a parent Hayden, is there anything you wouldn't do to protect your children from harm? No? Right now, you are the one harming my children.”
Yuna continued to stare Hayden down until a voice spoke from the doorway.
“It's time for you to go Hayden,” David Hollander said.
Hayden looked around the room and realized he had no support. Yuna looked furious, David looked disapproving like only a father could, Shane looked pained, and Rozanov … Hayden didn't know what to make of his expression. If they had been on the ice, Hayden guessed he would have already dropped his gloves and taken a swing. But oddly, there also looked to be tears in his eyes.
“Just go Hayden.” Shane said. And with that, David walked over to take hold of Hayden's elbow and walked him forcibly to the door. Hayden paused a second to look back over his shoulder and opened his mouth to say something, though he didn't know what.
Yuna didn't give him the chance, “You have a lovely wife and very sweet children Hayden. For their sake, I hope you keep your mouth shut. But if you are asking me to choose between Shane & Ilya or you, I will chose them every time. Destroying your career wouldn't be that hard when you know who I know.”
Hayden felt his legs start to buckle, but David held his elbow firmly and ushered him out the front door, before he closed it behind him. Hayden heard the dead bolt turn into place.
Hayden didn't remember the drive back to his cousin's house. After he parked in the driveway, he sat in the car for a long time wondering what had just happened and how it had all gone so wrong.