Summary:

He knew it stung Ilya, people not understanding. It stung him too. Because to Shane, loving Ilya was like breathing and also like standing on solid ground after years of drifting. It flooded him and steadied him at the same time. It hurt, knowing the world reduced them to a rivalry, a strange story, a piece of scandalous gossip when what they had was so much more. He wanted to be by Ilya’s side for everything, the mundane, the bright and the hard. And maybe not everyone who was in love felt like this, so overwhelmed and so steadied all at once. But Shane did. And if love was a contest, well… he is the winner. Best couple. Number one. Most epic love story ever. Or 4 times Shane told people him and Ilya were practically soulmates and the 1 time the universe told him.