Summary:

Ilya’s heart jumps straight into his throat. For a second, he just stares, watching as Shane reaches past him to press his floor before settling beside him. It’s Anya who breaks the moment. She springs up onto her hind legs, tail wagging furiously, tugging hard at her leash toward him.

“Anya,” Ilya warns, dragging his eyes away, gently pulling her back. “Stop.”

“It’s okay,” Shane laughs softly, already crouching down, his hand reaching out without hesitation. “She’s so cute.”

“Yeah,” Ilya mutters, something sharp and irrational flickering in his chest as he watches Shane give her all his attention. After a week of not seeing him, he selfishly wants it all to himself. “She is a menace though.”

“I believe it,” Shane says with a chuckle, standing again just as the elevator begins to rise.

OR

A chance encounter after his menace of a dog escapes from her crate has Ilya Rozanov desperate to find his cute freckled neighbour in apartment 1410.