Rating:

Teen And Up Audiences

Archive Warning:

No Archive Warnings Apply

Category:

M/M

Fandoms:

Heated Rivalry (TV), Game Changers Series - Rachel Reid

Relationships:

Ilya Rozanov & Original Female Character(s), Shane Hollander/Ilya Rozanov

Characters:

Original Female Character(s), Ilya Rozanov, Shane Hollander, Evan Dykstra

Additional Tags:

POV Outsider, Ilya Rozanov is one of the girls, Drunk Ilya Rozanov, Shane Hollander Takes Care of Ilya Rozanov, Post-Book 6: The Long Game (Game Changers), Married Shane Hollander/Ilya Rozanov, Girls' Night, Drinking, Identity Reveal

Language:

English

Series:

Part 2 of Group Chat Verse

Stats:

Published: 2026-09-28 Words: 4,450 Chapters: 1/1

A Night in Nashville

Summary

Bri is having what might be the worst night of her life.

“I don’t want to be with someone who can’t be bothered to make time for me.”

Those had been the last words Josh—her boyfriend of almost three years had said to her before he’d stormed away, leaving Bri to pick up the pieces of her broken heart.

Of course the universe would choose to send a giant, blond Russian to torment her even further.

---

Spin-off from another work, but can be read as a standalone.

Notes

I truly did not plan to write more in this universe, but this plot bunny grabbed me and then one day and 4k words later I had this.

You do not have to read "BREAKING: NHL PLAYER GROUP CHATS LEAKED" to understand what's going on here, but if you want the context (and Ilya's voice memo) then you should check it out.

Russian translations in the end notes.

Bri is having what might be the worst night of her life.

“I don’t want to be with someone who can’t be bothered to make time for me.”

Those had been the last words Josh—her boyfriend of almost three years had said to her before he’d stormed away, leaving Bri to pick up the pieces of her broken heart.

Everything is suddenly too warm, too loud, and too bright.

She stumbles her way towards a corner, pushes past the line of women waiting for the bathroom, and collapses against the wall—a broken sob clawing its way out of her chest as she sinks to the ground.

How had she been so oblivious?

Yes, their work schedules were not compatible right now, but it was only temporary. Bri was actively looking for a new job and Josh hadn’t seemed unhappy…

But he clearly had been, to abandon her at this stupid Honky Tonk Highway bar with its terrible Big & Rich cover band.

If she hears ‘Save a Horse, Ride a Cowboy’ one more time she’s going to lose it.

A group of people stumble and laugh as they walk by. Bri watches the beer slosh out of the sides of their cups and onto the sticky wood floor where it's trampled underfoot.

A sudden wave of anger sweeps over her, and she presses her palms into her eye sockets.

How dare he accuse her of not wanting to spend time with him?

Tonight she is supposed to be hanging out with her friends—friends she hasn’t seen in ages either—and she’d been willing to commit the cardinal sin of bringing her boyfriend to girls’ night just so he would feel included.

Fuck him. She thinks as angry tears rolled down her cheeks.

“Are you okay?” A deep voice interrupts her misery.

Bri looks up.

There’s a man standing in front of her—tall, with a blond, curly head of hair.

The fitted t-shirt tucked into his jeans and stretched tightly across his chest and shoulders leaves little to the imagination.

Blondie here is quite the specimen, no doubt about it.

But Bri has had more than enough of the male species for one night.

“Are you okay?” He asks again. He has what Bri thinks must be some sort of Eastern European accent.

Fucking hell.

Why God had cursed her with an attraction to men, she’ll never understand.

“Yes, go away.” She says, and that should be the end of it.

But Blondie doesn’t seem to get the hint.

He doesn’t leave, instead he crouches down to Bri’s level. “Do you have any friends here?”

Bri’s heart lodges in her throat at the sudden proximity of this stranger, at the fact that he’s still here and asking questions about whether or not she’s here alone…

“I said go away! I’m not interested in anything you have to offer!” She shouts scrambling to get to her feet. She shoves a hand in her bag, digging around for the keychain-sized bottle of pepper spray she’s positive is in there somewhere.

Blondie stands and takes a step backwards, arms held up in a gesture of surrender. “Oh, no, no, no, no, I am not interested either. Am here with my husband and teammates.” He says quickly, holding up his left hand towards her.

Bri blinks, and it takes her a moment to process what she’s supposed to be looking at.

A wedding ring.

Her brain catches up with what he just said.

His husband.

Huh.

Blondie didn’t really seem like the type, but Bri’s mama had always taught her not to judge.

“Oh.” Is all she manages to say.

“Yes.” Blondie says, having the nerve to look annoyed. “Are you here by yourself?”

“No, I’m here with my friends and my—” Bri cuts herself off as the tears threaten to start up again. “I’m here with my friends.” She amends.

“…Do they know you are sad and alone in a corner?”

Ouch.

“No…” She pulls her phone out of her pocket, only to be reminded of the fact that it is very, very, dead.

Josh was supposed to be the one responsible for ordering them an Uber at the end of the night…

Blondie raises his eyebrows, taking in what a mess she must be.

Way to go Bri, no boyfriend, no phone, no quick way to defend yourself… If this were an episode of CSI, you’d be toast.

Blondie holds out a hand and after a moment of hesitation, Bri takes it.

“Ilya.” He says.

“Bri.”

“Hi Bri.” Ilya smiles. “Let me buy you a drink.”

---

Bri looks over the top of her obscenely large margarita at the stranger sitting across from her.

“Do you want to talk about it?” Ilya asks, taking a sip of his own drink.

“No.”

“Hm.”

She doesn’t want to think about her own life at all right now, actually.

“Where are you from?” She asks instead.

“Ottawa. In Canada.”

Bri blinks, that certainly isn’t what she’d expected to hear. She nearly follows it up with: ‘but where are you from originally?’ before catching herself. It’s probably rude to ask.

“But that is not what you are really thinking about, yes?” Ilya says with a smile, because he’s either psychic or very perceptive—or maybe just has past experience being interrogated by strangers over his accent. “I was born in Moscow and moved to Boston when I was 19.”

Bri probably should have guessed that after the man had ordered straight vodka, taken a sip, wrinkled his nose, and then declared it was not ‘the good stuff.’

“And now, Ottawa?”

“Да.” He confirms with a nod.

“Do you… like it there?” She tries.

“Yes, is very boring, no bars like this.” He says, gesturing to the color changing LEDs and various taxidermied mammals hanging around them.

Bri is quickly losing her way in this conversation.

“So… why?”

“Why what?”

“Why Ottawa?”

“My husband’s family lives there. He was living in Montreal at the time, and Ottawa is closer than Boston.” Ilya says with a shrug. “And wanted the Canadian passport.”

Every answer just produces more questions.

“So, you guys were long distance then? That must have been hard, how did you even meet in the first place?”

“Work.” Ilya says but doesn’t elaborate.

Bri can’t help the bitter jealousy that arises at the thought that Ilya and his husband could apparently manage while a country apart, but she and Josh can’t even make it work from the same apartment.

Fuck!

The apartment.

She takes a gulp of her margarita.

“What’s his name?”

Ilya smiles, and it’s the first true smile Bri thinks he’s given her. “Shane.”

“How long have you been married.”

“Will be two years in July.”

“That’s nice.”

“Hm, yes.” Ilya says and takes a drink. “Why were you crying in a corner, Bri?”

Bri slumps in the booth, wishing the cushions would swallow her whole.

“My boyfriend broke up with me.”

Saying it aloud somehow makes it more real, and she has to take another long sip of her drink to keep her eyes from watering.

“I’m sorry.”

“No, it’s—”

She’d been about to say ‘okay,’ but it really wasn’t okay. It wasn’t okay at all.

Ilya knocks back the last of the vodka. He gestures towards her two-thirds full glass with his now empty one.

“Take that with you. Time to go find your friends.”

---

Bri and Ilya find her three friends on the third floor of the bar.

Amanda and Summer sit on one side of a booth, Kaitlyn on the other, a massive plate of nachos on the table between them.

“Bri!’ Amanda calls when she spots her friend, waving her over.

Bri walks up to the table, Ilya trailing a few steps behind her. At some point between the first and third floor, he’d acquired another glass of vodka.

“Hey.” She says. “Scoot.” Bri slides into the seat next to Kaitlyn, leaving enough room for Ilya to be on the end.

Kaitlyn looks at Bri like she’s grown a second head. “Who’s this? Where’s Josh?”

…And alright. Fair questions, all things considered. Bri knows how this must look.

“Josh broke up with me.” Saying it is a little easier the second time around. She’s grateful she still has half a margarita to hide behind.

Her three friends react simultaneously.

“What!?” Amanda gasps.

“Oh thank god.” Summer says.

Kaitlyn sits in stunned silence.

Summer immediately claps a hand over her mouth following her outburst. “Shit, I’m sorry.”

“No, it’s okay… I’m pretty mad at him and myself right now.” Bri says. “Feel free to tell me how much you hate him.”

“…He did forget your birthday last month.” Amanda says with a wince.

Ilya’s head whips around at that. “What! Bri, you did not tell me this.”

“Bri.” Kaitlyn says slowly, her voice the purposeful kind of calm that warns she’s at risk of losing her shit. “Who. The fuck. Is this man?”

Right.

“Girls, this is Ilya—Ilya, Kaitlyn, Amanda, and Summer.” Bri says, pointing to each of her friends in turn.

“Hi.” Ilya says with a little wave.

“Names. Great.” Kaitlyn says. “Who IS he?”

“A new friend.” Bri says starting to feel defensive. She understood why Kait was being like this. Her protectiveness was one of the many qualities that made Bri love her so much, but right now it was a bit grating.

Kaitlyn leans forward so she can address Ilya directly. “Hi, Ilya. So, my friend has recently been broken up with and then you just happen to come along?”

Ilya looks at Bri and then back at Kaitlyn. “Yes, that is what happened.”

“And you don’t see a problem with that?”

The poor man looks genuinely confused. “No?”

“Kait…” Bri attempts to intervene, but her friend is having none of it.

“You don’t think there’s anything a little bit morally fucked up about taking advantage of a vulnerable person who hasn’t even been out of a relationship for five minutes?” Kaitlyn pushes.

“Ah, no. You misunderstand, I’m married.” Ilya explains.

“Like that’s ever stopped anyone before.”

“Happily married.” Ilya says, an edge to his voice that Bri has not heard before.

“And is your wife happy about you hanging out with four random women?”

“My husband does not mind, because I am not a loser who can’t keep it in his pants.”

Bri has not seen many people able to withstand the full force of Kait’s death glare, but Ilya is doing a pretty good job holding his own.

“Your husband.” Kaitlyn says skeptically.

“Yes.”

“Gay marriage is illegal in Russia.”

Bri frowns. She hadn’t known that, but then again, she’d failed world history in high school.

Is that why Ilya moved in the first place?

“I’m Canadian. And bisexual.” Ilya says.

Bri can’t take it anymore.

“Kait, seriously, he’s harmless.” She says.

“He’s a foot taller than you and built like a brick house!” Kaitlyn fires back.

“You can’t judge people based on appearances!”

 “I vote he stays!” Amanda cuts in.

“Same.” Summer agrees. “There’s no way we’ll be able to get through all these nachos ourselves anyway, he might as well help.”

“Fine.” Kaitlyn concedes begrudgingly, leaning back into her own space.

“Thank you, ladies.” Ilya says, reaching for a cheese-covered chip. “I promise I am very well behaved.”

“Somehow I doubt that…” Kaitlyn mutters.

“Amanda, tell me about how Bri’s boyfriend forgot her birthday.” Ilya prompts.

“He didn’t forget…” Bri says weakly, not really sure why she’d defending her now ex.

“He totally did!” Amanda protests.

“Yeah, sorry, but giving you a restaurant gift card halfway through the day does not scream ‘I remembered your birthday.’” Summer says.

“If he’d planned ahead, he would have made reservations and taken you himself.” Kaitlyn adds.

Damn.

Ilya looks horrified. “Bri, how long were you with this man?”

“…3 years”

“боже мой.” Ilya says and takes a drink.

Bri doesn’t know Russian, but in context, the disappointment comes across crystal clear.

“What was so good about him that you stayed three years? Was he rich? Big dick?” Ilya continues.

Bri chokes on her margarita.

“Ok, that’s enough.” Kaitlyn says while Bri coughs and attempts to recoup some of her dignity.

“I dunno.” Summer shrugs. “I think it’s a valid question.”

What had been good about Josh?

She remembers when they first met at the coffee shop by her old apartment. This outing was going to be her last hurrah before giving up on the dating apps entirely since her luck thus far had been abysmal.

The first thing she’d noticed was his smile.

Josh had been charming, attentive, easy to talk to—miles better than any of the other men that had attempted to win her over since she’d decided to start putting herself out there.

When the date came to a close, making plans for a second one had been a no-brainer.

A year and a half later, and they were moving in together.

It had been comfortable, easy.

Bri can’t pinpoint a single day when everything suddenly changed.

It must have been gradual, so slow she hadn’t even noticed.

Bri realizes she’s crying again when she feels Kaitlyn take her hand.

“Sorry.” Bri chokes out. “I guess I was just thinking that all the good things must have disappeared a long time ago.”

“Do not apologize.” Ilya says. “You will find someone who is good all the time.”

Bri gives him a weak smile as she wipes the tears off of her face.

“How long have you been with your husband?” She asks, thankful for an easy way to deflect the conversation.

“Met in 2008 and there was always… something, but were not always exclusive. Got serious in 2017, married in 2021.”

“Two-thousand-EIGHT!?” Amanda stares at him.

Ilya nods.

“How did you meet?” She asks, now fully invested in this story.

“Work.”

“What do you do?”

“Hockey.”

Summer groans. “Ugh, sports.”

Ilya laughs. “Not fans then?”

“Not really, no.” Kait says, and crunches down on a chip piled high with jalapeños and tomatoes.

“Next time we are here I will get you tickets to the game; you might change your mind.”

“I doubt it, but I also won’t turn down free stuff.”

“That must be fun, working for the team and getting to travel around the country.” Bri says.

“Is now that we work for the same team. We used to work for different ones and sometimes could only see each other a few times a year.”

Bri was a little bit in awe.

How strongly must Ilya and Shane feel about each other to withstand something as difficult as that.

Even at their best, she doesn’t think she and Josh could have done it.

“Was very grateful to have unlimited call and text.” Ilya says before polishing off the last of his vodka.

“Shit.” Bri hears herself say.

“Yes, was shit.” Ilya agrees.

No one says anything for a moment, and Bri can hear the sound of a banjo drift up from the floor below. She watches Ilya as he stares a beat too long at a man sat barside, clad in a Predators jersey.

Amanda is the first to speak.

“I’m going to by honest guys… I’m not really feelin it.”

“I think that’s probably my fault.” Bri admits. Getting broken up with tends to kill the vibe.

“Please.” Kait scoffs. “If anything it’s Josh’s fault—but really I think it’s just this place.”

“These nachos are not very good.” Ilya adds, though he’s still eating them. “I did see karaoke bar down the street.”

And, well, that’s an idea.

Bri can see from the expressions on her friends faces that they think so too.

“Dumb man is no longer in your life, would be a nice way to celebrate, yes?”

Bri smiles. “Definitely.”

She, her friends, and their Russian companion abandon their booth and the remains of the mediocre nachos to make their way downstairs.

Bri holds onto the railing as they descend, the stairs swimming a little now that the tequila begins to hit her.

They have reached the ground floor when she suddenly notices something about her newest friend.

“Are you wearing cowboy boots?” She asks.

“We are in Nashville.” Ilya points out.

“Do you think everyone in Nashville wears cowboy boots?”

He just gestures to room around them, where it’s clear that half the patrons in here are indeed wearing the same kind of heeled, leather footwear.

“That’s because this place is mostly full of tourists.” She says.

“Tourist, that is me.” Ilya declares proudly as he holds open the front door of the bar, allowing the four women to step into the chilly night air along Broadway.

“EVAN, I AM GOING TO THE KARAOKE BAR!” He shouts inside before shutting the door and turning to join the women on the sidewalk.

The karaoke place Ilya had mentioned is only a three minute walk away, but the group keeps a brisk pace, no one dressed appropriately to be in these temperatures for an extended period of time.

Once their IDs have been checked and they’re inside the door, Ilya locates the nearest staff member.

“Hello, can I get a private room for five, please?”

---

This is the most fun Bri has had in ages.

The table in the middle of the room is littered with the debris of their first and second round of drinks.

She and the girls are definitely buzzed, but Ilya is well on his way to wasted. There was the two drinks at the bar, plus the two drinks here, and who knows how many more before they’d met each other—all straight vodka.

Ilya currently has the mic, serenading them with some Russian song he had been delighted to discover the bar actually had in their catalogue.

Bri has the tablet in hand, giving her the power to control the queue of songs or call for more drinks.

They clap when Ilya finishes and passes off his mic to Summer.

She and Amanda move to stand on either side of the screen as the opening notes of ‘Dancing Queen’ begin to play.

Ilya collapses next to Bri on the leather couch a giddy expression on his face.

She is suddenly very glad she didn’t pepper-spray him.

A staff member comes into the room to clear the empty glasses away and Bri hits pause on the song.

“Is there an Ilya Rozanov in here?” The man asks as he begins stacking the finished drinks on a tray.

“Me.” Ilya says, raising his hand like they’re in school.

“A guy named Evan stopped by, asked me to tell you to check your messages.”

“Okay, thank you.” Ilya says in a sing-songy voice as the man leaves the room and Bri restarts the music.

Ilya pulls his phone out for the first time that night, and Bri is not trying to snoop, but at this point she’s both tipsy and beyond curious.

She sees him navigate to a group chat and listens as he leaves an extremely long-winded, mostly accurate, voice message about what he’d been doing over the course of the evening.

He sets his phone to the side and goes to join Amanda and Summer, evidently deciding that ABBA needs a third member.

A minute later, Bri sees the messages come in.

Proud Dad (Captain) to a Few Dumbass Kids

Today 11:34pm

Ilya
[Voice memo: 01:15]

Shane ❤️
Ilya, stay right where you are, I’m coming to get you.

Haasy 👶
Oh, wow.

Bri starts to panic.

People are looking for Ilya, and she practically kidnapped him!

She grabs the still unlocked phone and begins to record a voice note of her own.

“Hi! This is Bri, um sorry for stealing Ilya from you. He’s fine! Just very drunk” She laughs nervously. “We’re in a private room at the karaoke place, second to last door on the right when you walk in.”

Or was it the third door..?

She was having a hard time remembering.

“Bri! Are you talking to my Shane?” Ilya asks, suddenly beside her again.

“…I think so? It’s the group chat you had open.”

“YES! Shane, Shanya, солнышко. Are you listening? This is my new friend Bri.”

Bri laughs in earnest now. “Shane, your husband is so funny! We’ll make sure he doesn’t wander off before you get here.”

She hits send and hands Ilya back his phone.

“Sorry.”

“Is fine, you gave good directions.”

She sure hopes so.

Ilya’s phone buzzes in his lap and he glances down at it. “Shane says: ‘thank you Bri!’”

“Ok girl, you’re joining me for this one.” Kaitlyn says as she walks over and grabs Bri’s hand, pulling her towards the front of the room where the words to ‘Since U Been Gone’ are already on the screen.

Fuck yes.

Bri sings her heart out, the whole room joining in to shout out the chorus.

“Fuck that guy!” Ilya yells when the final notes fade away.

“Fuck that guy!” All the women echo in agreement.

There’s a tentative knock at the door and then someone pushes it open.

A man with dark hair sticks his head in, glancing around until his eyes find Ilya.

“Shane!” Ilya cries the same moment that the man now identified as Shane steps inside.

Ilya is off the couch and in his husband’s embrace before Bri even knows what’s happening.

“Hi baby.” Shane says as he wraps his arms around Ilya.

“You found me.”

“I did.” Shane says as he pulls back slightly. “But now I owe Dykstra $200, so thanks for that, asshole.”

Bri thinks he really doesn’t sound all that mad about it.

Shane seems to realize they have an audience. “Oh, um. Hi.”

“Shane, these are alllll my new friends.” Ilya slurs.

“I hope he wasn’t too much trouble.” Shane says, addressing the rest of the room.

“Oh no, he was great!” Amanda says.

“10 out of 10, would get drunk and sing karaoke with him again.” Summer agrees.

“I’ll admit I was skeptical.” Kaitlyn says. “But he’s not so bad.”

Ilya starts dragging Shane towards the couch and then pulls him down so the pair is sat squished between Kaitlyn and Bri.

Now that Bri has a chance to really see Shane for the first time, she can immediately tell that Ilya won the husband lottery—at least when it comes to looks.

Maybe it was true what people said about all the hot guys being taken or gay.

Or in this case: both.

“Shane, we should sing a song.” Ilya says.

Shane seems like there isn’t anything he’d rather do less. “We need to be at the airport in seven hours.”

“Bah, you are boring. The party has just started Hollander!”

“I have an idea for a party.”

“Tell me.”

“You and I” Shane says, pointing between the two of them. “We go back to our hotel, take a nice warm shower, and then get all comfortable in bed. What do you think about that?”

Ilya appears to be seriously considering this option—as much as any drunk person can seriously consider anything.

“We shower together?”

“You’re ridiculous.” Shane says softly.

“So, no?”

“Yes, if that’s what you want.”

At that, Ilya straightens, slapping his hands down on his thighs. “Well girls, I have new party to go to.” He says as he stands.

Ilya wobbles slightly but Shane is up and at his side in an instant to steady him.

“Is vvvvery exclusive.” Ilya continues. “So I cannot… Шаня, какое это слово?”

“Invite.” Shane says as they drift towards the exit.

“Invite.” Ilya repeats. “Maybe next time.”

Bri just laughs and Kaitlyn says: “That’s okay, you two have fun.”

Shane turns to look at the women. “Seriously, thank you for looking after him.”

“Honestly, I think it was mutual.” Bri says.

Ilya had saved her evening.

She’d still have to go home to an apartment she shared with her ex, still have to figure out how to move forward with her life, but at least for tonight she didn’t have to worry about a thing.

Shane gives her a smile and a nod as he gently pushes his husband towards the door.

They’re almost over the threshold when Ilya stops.

“Wait! Shane, give Bri my number, we have plans to make for the next time we are in Nashville!”

Six Months Later

Private Messages
Today 3:56pm

Ilya
are you amanda kaitlyn and summer free february 27 evening?

Bri
…That’s a long way out, so I’m assuming we could be. Why?

Ilya
[Link: Ticketmaster Transfer – Ottawa Centaurs vs. Nashville Predators]
tickets i promised

Bri
Oh wow! Thank you, Ilya! That will be fun. We should get drinks after. Bring Shane!

Ilya
yes 👍

February 27, 2024

Bri probably should have checked the seat map before her and her friends arrived at the arena.

The seats Ilya had gotten for them were nice, too nice. They are sitting right up against the glass on what will be the visiting team’s half of the rink for most of the game. She hopes that he got these as a perk for working for the organization and didn’t like, pay out of pocket. Bri has no frame of reference for how much front row seats at a professional sporting event normally cost, but she has a feeling it is likely a small fortune.

Ilya had suggested coming a little early so they could see warm-ups, so most of the seats around them are still empty.

“Ok, who remembers what icing is?” Amanda asks as they get settled in. Over the past week she had dedicated herself to learning the rules of hockey so she could ‘enjoy the experience to its fullest potential.’

“Pretty sure it’s what you put on a cake.” Kaitlyn quips.

“Boooo you’re no fun.”

Bri watches the Ottawa players—clad in white jerseys with red and black accents as they take turns launching pucks at an empty net.

Bri is honestly pretty impressed. She hasn’t ever been ice skating before, but she imagines if she tried to stand up on skates she’d immediately end up flat on her ass.

She catches some movement out of the corner of her eye.

Two Centaurs are skating slowly along the glass towards where the four of them sit.

The men stop in front of them and remove their helmets.

“Hello ladies.” Ilya says from the other side of the barrier, Shane smiling next to him. “Hope you enjoy the game, Nashville is not very good team, so Shane and I plan to score many goals.”

After a moment of silence, Bri manages to pick her jaw up off the floor.

“WHAT THE FUCK!?”