Contains spoilers for this episode and earlier episodes.
Shane and Ilya continue meeting privately while their hockey careers advance. Montreal wins consecutive championships, and their messages remain hidden behind the aliases they use for each other. Summers separate them: Shane works and trains, while Ilya returns to Russia, where his father's declining health adds to his family worries. Both deny that their secret contact means anything serious, though Ilya becomes less interested in the parties and casual encounters around him.
At Ilya's Boston home, Shane prepares to leave after sex, but Ilya asks him to stay. They sleep beside each other, then share food and conversation. Ilya makes a tuna melt and talks about Svetlana, explaining that he is attracted to women as well as Shane. Their afternoon becomes more affectionate than their usual brief meetings. During another intimate moment, they use each other's first names. Shane panics at that closeness, apologises and abruptly leaves, hurting Ilya.
Shane then meets actress Rose Landry and begins dating her publicly. News of the relationship upsets Ilya, and their next game passes without the usual arrangements to meet afterward. Instead, both end up at the same nightclub. Shane dances with Rose while Ilya kisses another woman, each watching the other across the room. They leave separately: Shane takes Rose home, while Ilya returns alone. The night ends with Shane sleeping with Rose and Ilya by himself, their attention still caught on each other.