Alone in his hotel room, Ilya waits tensely after Shane asks to meet, unsure whether Shane wants sex, distance, or something more. Shane arrives from the beach looking rattled and admits the last time they were together felt different, pushing Ilya to stop pretending it is “simple.”

Shane blurts that he thinks he is gay—completely—and says the real complication is that it is Ilya, his rival, and that Shane cannot keep acting like he does not like him. When Shane asks whether Ilya would want “more” if it were possible, Ilya reacts with anger and insists it does not matter because it cannot happen.

Pressed, Ilya reveals why: he cannot be publicly gay and still safely go home to Russia. He explains his family situation—his father and brother are police, his mother is dead, and his father now has Alzheimer’s—and admits his father never wanted him to leave Russia. The confession sobers Shane, who is horrified by what could happen to Ilya.

The tension breaks into intimacy. They kiss with a new closeness and later lie in bed cuddled together, with Ilya stroking Shane’s hair. Shane notices Ilya’s crucifix, and Ilya says he still believes in God and that the cross belonged to his mother; he declines to talk more about his family that night but thanks Shane for offering.

Shane tries to leave for his own room, but Ilya pulls him back and asks him to stay, arguing the weekend chaos would hide it. They talk wistfully about wanting time together and fantasize about traveling somewhere anonymous after Ilya wins the Stanley Cup, but both recognize the limits. Shane finally leaves anyway; in the doorway, they exchange first names, and Shane walks out smiling when the hallway is empty.