Alexis

“Um, and this is….Ilya. Rozanov. You probably know that.”
“Hi,” Ilya said.
“And he’s been…visiting. He’s…we’re, um…”
What were they, exactly? It occurred to Shane that he and Ilya hadn’t even figured out what label they were comfortable with.
“Lovers,” Ilya offered.
Fuck, way to choose the grossest possible word, Ilya.
Well, there was no going back from that word. Shane could only wait for the aftermath.
“But…you hate him,” Mom said.
“No, I…don’t. I mean. Sometimes I do, kinda. But mostly I..love him. Actually.”
“You..what?”
― Rachel Reid, Heated Rivalry

“I give Hunter shit, but what he did was brave. Kissing his boyfriend on TV like that. And the speech at the awards.”
“It was. It really…made me hopeful. That things might be changing.”
Ilya shot the puck back to Shane. “It made me jealous,” he admitted.
Shane laughed. "You wanna kiss me on television?"
"Yes. After I win the Stanley cup."
Shane spread his arms out. "Oh, so in this scenario, you've just defeated me?"
"Yes. Sorry."
“I’m not going to be in the mood to kiss you if I’ve just lost the Stanley Cup, Rozanov.”
“But you would be so proud of me!”
― Rachel Reid, Heated Rivalry

“I have been thinking...” Ilya said. He’d never said any of this out loud before. He maybe hadn’t even formed it altogether in his head before. “I am a free agent, after next season.”
He definitely had Shane’s full attention now. “You’d leave Boston?”
“I have just been thinking. Maybe...a Canadian team.”
“Holy shit, really?”
“Yes.”
“Like where?” Ilya could see the thoughts play out on Shane’s face like a movie: What if we played together in Montreal? No. Montreal couldn’t afford both of us.
“Not Montreal,” Ilya said gently.
“No. I know.”
But good god, now Ilya was imagining that. Playing together, living together, being together.
It was never going to happen.
But it was a nice thought.”
― Rachel Reid, Heated Rivalry

“Ilya was wearing a Boston Bears shirt.
"That's not going to help."
"Oh, do they not know I play for Boston?”
― Rachel Reid, Heated Rivalry