‘Heated Rivalry’: What Is the Halloween Scene? Shane & Ilya’s Steamy Moment, Explained

[Warning: The below contains spoilers for The Long Game by Rachel Reid.]

If you thought Heated Rivalry Season 1 brought the heat, just you wait until Season 2. Rachel Reid’s sequel about Shane (Hudson Williams) and Ilya (Connor Storrie) picks up with the couple finally together. Though they aren’t out, Shane and Ilya have settled into their relationship in The Long Game, with Ilya living and playing hockey in Ottawa while Shane does the same in Montreal. Now that they aren’t just meeting up a couple of times a year, Shane and Ilya know each other better than ever — in every way.

We’re sure you already have an idea of where we’re going with this. Despite only living a couple of hours away, Shane and Ilya feel the strain of being apart more acutely, knowing how good things are when they’re together. It makes for more emotional turmoil, of course, but it also means that they really make the most of the time they do have together. Shane and Ilya waste no time getting down to business when they reunite, which is absolutely the case in the fan-favorite Halloween scene.

While the trophy room scene takes the cake as Shane and Ilya’s hottest moment, Halloween is a close second — but it also has a sprinkle of devastation thrown into it. Need to know more? We’re breaking down The Long Game‘s Halloween chapter from start to finish (literally, in Hollanov’s case) ahead of Season 2.

What is the Halloween scene in Heated Rivalry?

Heated Rivalry Season 1 barely deviates from Reid’s first book, so we’re assuming (and hoping) that The Long Game‘s Chapter 13 will make it into Season 2. A little over a quarter into the book, Ilya hosts a Halloween party at his house, rocking a gladiator costume. Surrounded by his teammates and their partners, Ilya can’t ignore how sad and alone he feels. He gets a text from Shane telling him not to take the costume off, but he doesn’t put two and two together until Shane shows up at his doorstep. After the party guests have left, obviously.

Shane has yet another surprise up his sleeve — well, it’s not up his sleeve. Shane put a plug in before he embarked on the two-hour drive from Montreal to Ottawa, so that he and Ilya wouldn’t have to waste any time. Naturally, that gets a major reaction out of his boyfriend, who decides to take Shane apart right there in his living room.

First, Shane beats Ilya to the punch by going down on him. The sight makes Ilya emotional, much to his surprise. He tries to hide the fact that he’s tearing up by taking control back, bending Shane over the couch and plowing into him. (We’d be remiss not to mention that the couch moves a few inches across the floor.) After they finish, Ilya feels his eyes burning with tears again.

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‘Heated Rivalry': A Full Breakdown of the Steamy Trophy Room Scene

Remember what we said about that sprinkle of devastation? The chapter’s ending offers an anvil of it. Shane spends the night, but he has to leave at the crack of dawn for practice. Watching him drive away, Ilya bursts into tears, determining that he needs a professional to help him with his feelings. Start preparing yourself now for all of that Hollanov angst.

Heated Rivalry, Season 2, TBA, Crave & HBO Max