Summary:

Alone in his room, Ilya smiled. Not the public-facing smirk he used as a mask in daily conversation, not the silly slant he offered teammates and staff. No, this was a real, big goofy smile. A smile he’d unconsciously tucked away for months, maybe even years. It almost felt foreign to smile this big. He needed to call Shane. With a sigh, Shane set his book on the nightstand. He couldn’t focus on it at all, so he might at least try to sleep. After checking his phone—no texts from his fiancé—and turning off the light, he laid down to sleep. About five minutes later, his phone rang.