Summary:

Maybe it was the alcohol. Maybe it was the month of silence, of sleepless nights and unsaid words piling up inside him. Maybe it was the simple, terrifying certainty that if Shane walked away again, it could be for good. That if he didn’t say something now, he never would. Resolve settled heavy in Ilya’s chest. “Shane Hollander,” he breathed unsteadily. “Running away from me again. Starting to hurt my feelings.” or, things go a little bit differently, starting at the club. ilya has spent his whole life afraid, and he's tired of it. or, this is not a love story, but a story about love. featuring crossword puzzles, phone calls, anger, joy, grief, hospitals, first dates, burning houses, ill-timed reveals, sunsets, christmas, birthdays, and excessive use of the word 'boring'. not specifically in that order.