In Boston the night before a game, Shane tells his roommate Hayden that he is meeting a “friend,” then takes a cab to Ilya Rozanov’s penthouse, promising himself he will finally talk and end their secret arrangement. The moment Ilya opens the door, Shane’s resolve collapses and they head straight to sex, with Shane frustrated by Ilya’s wordless expectation that Shane will simply follow.

During sex, Ilya asks for a change—wanting Shane on top and to look at Shane—making Shane uneasy because their usual routine keeps things less personal. The encounter turns intense and intimate, and Ilya unexpectedly calls Shane “sweetheart,” then kisses Shane afterward instead of immediately sending Shane away. When Ilya softly touches Shane’s hair and freckles and asks Shane to stay the night, Shane initially refuses but then agrees, unnerved by how tender and couple-like it feels.

Still in unfamiliar territory, Ilya makes them food, offers Shane ginger ale he somehow knows Shane likes, and they sit clothed on the couch watching hockey while talking about other players and road cities. The conversation shifts to women and “reliable” hookups, and Ilya bluntly says he likes girls but also likes Shane, forcing Shane to confront how little fulfillment he has had with women and how strongly Ilya affects him. A phone call from Ilya’s father interrupts, and Ilya dismisses it quickly while Shane’s thoughts spiral.

After the game, Ilya pulls Shane into his arms on the couch, cuddling him and kissing his hair, then escalates to touching Shane through his jeans. Shane, needy and overwhelmed, turns the moment into another sexual encounter, and in the aftermath Ilya breathes Shane’s first name. The intimacy shocks both of them; Shane says “Ilya” in return, and they share a frantic kiss that feels like an apology for what the name revealed.

Panicked by how close it suddenly feels, Shane scrambles to leave despite Ilya’s attempt to minimize it as “nothing.” At the door, Ilya fixes Shane’s shirt, watching him go, then masks his reaction with practiced indifference. Shane flees down the stairs, fights the urge to run back, and returns to the hotel, where Hayden wakes and jokes about Shane being in love; Shane denies it and retreats to the shower to privately unravel.