#24

rozanov gazes down at the phone in hand longer than intended, longer than remotely necessary, thumb hovering across the keyboard, as if the pressure of shane's words could be felt profoundly through the glass screen. we didn’t even kiss. the phrase coils around his ribs tenaciously, twisting piercing weeds taut and tender inside of him. he can still feel the ghost of shane’s body beneath his own, the way heat clung to him like an undeclared secret, how shane's gaze had flickered — briefly, in a fuck induced haze — toward the grizzly bear stretching up ilya's chest. a small, almost imperceptible trigger that punched his pulse into a threatening cadence.

and yet… the urge to remain distant remains, to let shane stew in the echoes of their sex. desire, yes, raw and precise, but tempered by a detachment that is as much armor as it is appetite. he recalls the way shane had tensed in his clumsy departure, the faint flush of confusion in russet eyes, the way the silence between them had spoken louder than words ever could. he lets the heat of memory simmer silently, he let's it fucking hurt because surely he deserves it, it's sharp as steel in his marrow, and finally he types a single message :

shane stared dumbfounded at the phone for a full minute, almost like he was waiting for a 'just kidding!' follow up text that never came. then he typed out three words : fuck you rozanov. he almost sent that text immediately, but something stopped him. finger hovered over send before he deleted the text, dropped the phone on the bed and brought both arms up to cover his eyes, barely resisting the urge to scream and wake everyone on his floor. there were three little typing dots, and then there was nothing.

HUDSON WILLIAMS starring as SHANE HOLLANDER in HEATED RIVALRY (2025 - )

just a boy and his stolen emotional support jacket

bonus:

add “+ REVERSE” to reverse the roles

are you two... together?

i should probably ask if you're single first.

who was that you were talking to?

did you two have a nice chat?

are we really doing this now?

what was that all about?

i don't like it when they touch you.

they need to learn to keep their hands off you.

are you trying to make me jealous?

you just gave me the impression we were exclusive.

who was that, anyway?

was that someone you know?

it's completely innocent.

were you flirting with them?

that was a little bit excessive.

they were flirting with you.

i'm not jealous.

i'm upset with you.

they didn't mean anything by that.

i just thought we had something going on.

they know i have feelings for you.

i hate it when you get jealous.

i'm two seconds away from throwing a punch.

they did that on purpose.

wait a minute... are you jealous?

you have no reason to worry.

i'm not interested in them, i promise.

they do get a little touchy-feely, i'll admit.

they don't mean anything by it.

did they just try to kiss you?

we're just really good friends!

you know i only have eyes for you.

please ignore them, okay?

it's not like i'm in love with you or anything.

they're just trying to upset you.

i just don't like it when someone else flirts with you.

i don't blame them, of course, but you're mine.

next time someone tries to hit on you, call me over.

i'll give them a piece of my mind.

they know you're taken, right?

i didn't want to get in your way.

clearly your mind is elsewhere.

if you'd rather be with them, then just tell me.

i need to know where we stand.

can we be more exclusive?

i just don't like it when they talk to you like that.

you have absolutely nothing to worry about.

if they make you happy... i can't stop it.

maybe i have a crush on you. so what?

there was a better way to go about this, you know.

you could have been a little bit nicer.

did you have to be so nasty about it?

i'm going to scream.

i don't want anything coming in between us.

you trust me, don't you?

if you trust me, you have nothing to worry about.

this jealousy of yours is getting a little bit out of control.

i love only you.

why do they have to hold your hand like that?

they couldn't keep their hands off you.

i hate watching you deal with that.

i should give them a piece of my mind.

what? me? jealous? never.

i think i'm allowed a little jealousy every now and then.

you're mine, and i want everyone to know that.

did you just... get jealous over me?