“Okay,” Ilya said, exhaling a long stream of smoke between his lips. There was an uncomfortable silence, and then Hollander made another attempt at conversation. “I wanted to meet you,” he said, extending his hand. “Shane Hollander.” Ilya stared at him, and then felt his lips twitch a bit. “Yes,” he said. He pinched the cigarette between his lips and shook Hollander’s hand. “You’re an awesome player to watch,” Hollander said. “I know.” If Hollander was expecting Ilya to return the compliment, he was going to be waiting a long damn time.
