Summary:

“What are these?” Yuna hears Ilya ask. He’s standing with his back to her in front of the armoire next to the couch, looking up at the shelves. She’d been on her way back into the living room with after-dinner coffee when she’d paused at the threshold. Shane steps toward the armoire, coming up behind Ilya and curling both arms around his waist. “Um, trophies from when I was a kid. Like, minor hockey leagues and tournaments and stuff.” Ilya moves his head from left to right slowly, scanning the array of trophies and medals on the shelf. “Is big business? Making meaningless awards for tiny hockey players?” “They aren’t meaningless,” Shane protests, but he sounds a little sheepish. “Yes, I’m sure the…” Ilya leans in close to read the plaque on one trophy, “‘Sportsmanship Award’ for the U7 Snowflake Classic was very prestigious.” Shane rolls his eyes, but he’s laughing. “They don’t have awards like this in Russia?” Or: Yuna bonds with Ilya, one plastic trophy at a time.