ᥫ᭡

They say it constantly—first thing in the morning, eyes barely open, again over coffee, hands wrapped around warm mugs, a dozen more times throughout the day. And every time it feels like the first time, like the world stutters to a stop, like something goes off in his chest that he can’t quite contain.

Shane is the same, Ilya can tell from the way his voice goes a little too steady when he says it, the way he looks down because he can’t quite hold eye contact through it.

It goes on like that for a long time, long enough that Ilya starts to think maybe it will always feel like this, so huge and impossible.

Until one morning he’s heading out, pauses by the couch to press a kiss to the top of Shane’s head and says, “Going for a run.” And Shane, who’s been buried in some boring hockey book all morning, just goes, “K, have fun. Love you,” easy and so casual.

Ilya stops for a second, hand on the doorknob, as something warm settles in his chest.

Shane Hollander thought he was in charge… he was wrong 😂

What Ilya says: Hollander.

Yes, we just sit here and look at it.