Summary:

“I saw you with Rozanov earlier,” he mentions, trying to sound casual. “I was surprised he wasn’t immediately telling you how weak your backhand is.”

Shane grins a little. “Oh, do you also think my backhand is weak, Hayden?”

Well, it’s not the best part of Shane’s hockey skillset, but Hayden assumes that Shane knows this too. “I don’t think there’s anything about the way you play hockey that anyone should consider weak,” he says.

“Thanks, Hayden,” Shane replies genuinely, like he isn’t the best player in the NHL. “Rozanov was fine. We were just catching up.”

Does anyone just catch up with Ilya Rozanov? Is that possible without him chirping you? Hayden has never experienced this.

Hayden is invited to his first All-Stars game in 2017 and he is very excited to go. As he gets to know the All-Stars from the other teams, makes fast friends with Carter Vaughn and even admits that Boston is kind of good, he also accidentally discovers that Shane is in a relationship. With Ilya Rozanov.

In chapter 2, Ilya deals with the consequences of Hayden finding out as he slowly befriends Hayden, though he will of course deny this.