Chapter Thirteen

After practice, J.J. tries to coax Shane Hollander out to a cocktail bar and reveals he wants to set Shane up with a handsome trainer. Shane declines, uneasy about attention to his love life. Hayden returns, teases Shane about his pretend wedding with Ilya, then sincerely promises he'd be there if they ever married for real. Their joking turns to playful banter as Hayden heads off to record paid fan videos.

In Ottawa, Ilya Rozanov hosts a raucous Halloween party at his house. Surrounded by teammates and their partners, he drinks and gets high but feels isolated, noticing couples everywhere. On the patio with Wyatt Hayes, Zane Boodram, and Tanner Dillon, the talk drifts to relationships, highlighting Ilya as the one not settling down. Overwhelmed, he retreats upstairs, sees Shane’s earlier flirty text about the costume, and broods before forcing himself back to the party.

Near 12:30 a.m., Shane unexpectedly arrives at Ilya’s door, unable to resist after seeing Ilya’s gladiator photo. They kiss urgently, joke about the weed smell, and confess they missed each other. Shane reveals he wore a plug for the drive, and they have intense, enthusiastic sex, shifting positions so they can see each other, both voicing love and need. The encounter leaves Ilya unexpectedly emotional.

Afterward, they clean up plans with a quick shower and a few hours of sleep before Shane must return to Montreal for morning practice. They share tender affection, joke about Gladiator, and try to savor the brief time.

At dawn, Ilya watches Shane drive away, then breaks down alone inside his front door. Exhausted and shaken by his loneliness and emotions, he finally admits to himself that he needs professional help and decides to seek therapy.