The Long Game Quotes

“Do you think we looked like that to them?” “What, sexy? I probably did.” “No, like...in love?” Ilya seemed to consider the question before answering. “We are very good at pretending to not be in love. Maybe we are bad at showing it when we are allowed.”
― Rachel Reid, The Long Game

“Kiss me, Ilya wanted to say. Kiss me and hold me in front of all these people. Pull me onstage and do it. I don’t care anymore. Please. I’m dying. “Nothing,” Ilya said, and stepped away. “Nothing.”
― Rachel Reid, The Long Game

“Ilya opened Instagram and started typing a new private message to ShaneHollanderHockeyPlayer.

Shane
You are the best thing in my life.
I love you. Always. Maybe from the first time I saw you.
I am thinking only about you right now. A million memories. Thank you for those.
Whatever happens, I am with you. Safe in your heart. I believe it.

He did. Ilya only had vague ideas of the afterlife and any gods who may be waiting there, but he believed his soul would stay with Shane, however it could. He believed the people you loved stayed with you until it was your time to go. He often felt his mother with him, and he knew he’d do the same for Shane.”
― Rachel Reid, The Long Game

“Ilya hadn’t realized how much fun it would be to confuse Hayden with compliments. He would have to do it more often.”
― Rachel Reid, The Long Game

“You should quit hockey," Ilya murmured. "Send them a text. Say you quit. Stay here with me."
"I'm not ending my career via text."
"Email, then.”
― Rachel Reid, The Long Game

“They had lots of reasons to keep their relationship a secret, but those reasons seemed extremely unimportant now. What if Ilya had died? What if he had fucking died?
Shane would have died too. Alone, and secretly, and for the rest of his life.”
― Rachel Reid, The Long Game

“Ilya nodded to the ring.
"Yes," Ilya said again. "I am saying yes, Hollander."
"Oh." Then Shane’s lips spread into a wide grin. "Yeah?" He scrambled to his feet and into Ilya’s arms.
They kissed, and Ilya said, "Yes." They kissed again, and Ilya said, "Of course."
They kissed some more, and Shane said, "I love you."
By the time they finished kissing they both had tears streaming down their cheeks. "Is this because I almost died?" Ilya teased.
"No. It’s because I almost died."
Ilya brushed the tears on Shane’s face with his thumb. What could he even say to that?”
― Rachel Reid, The Long Game

“I could not say any of the things I wanted to say. I said you were a great hockey player. A nice guy. Very competitive. All of the shit that any of your teammates could have said.” Ilya sighed loudly, then continued in a quieter tone.
“When you watch it, this is what you will see. Me saying nothing. I wanted to say you were fucking everything to me. Everything, okay?”
― Rachel Reid, The Long Game

“I love hockey, and I deserve to have the career I want for as long as I want it. I’ve earned that. But if I had to choose...I’d choose him.”
― Rachel Reid, The Long Game

“He enjoyed a brief fantasy as he sat on the bench of pressing Shane against the glass after scoring a goal and kissing him breathless. That would shut this fucking crowd up.
“Man,” Bood said as they skated to the bench, “this town hates you.”
“Nah. They wish I played for them.”
Bood laughed. “Hollander would hate that.”
“My good friend Shane Hollander, you mean?”
“There’s no way he likes you that much.”
“He loves me,” Ilya said plainly. Honestly.
Bood, of course, thought he was kidding. “Now you’re really dreaming.”
Ilya chomped on his mouthguard to avoid smiling.”
― Rachel Reid, The Long Game

“Maybe therapy, like so many things worth doing, hurts when you first start.”
― Rachel Reid, The Long Game

“Oh,” Ilya said softly. “Sweetheart. I am so sorry.”
― Rachel Reid, The Long Game

“Or maybe you watch a YouTube video of your best goals while I blow you?”
― Rachel Reid, The Long Game

“High interval training?” Ilya asked dryly. “Shut up. I’m trying to be sexy.” “Oh. Okay. I was not sure.”
― Rachel Reid, The Long Game

“You want me to go to a party with your teammates? Why?” So they can fucking meet my boyfriend”
― Rachel Reid, The Long Game

“Heart eyes. Hayden said I look at you with heart eyes.” Shane squirmed against his bedsheets. “When did he say that?” “At camp. I was staring at you and he said—” “Oh god.” Shane palmed his face. “He did not say that.” “Yes. Was probably true. I look at you and I am just...” Ilya opened and closed his fist several times in front of his chest. “My heart goes crazy”
― Rachel Reid, The Long Game

“You were smoking,” he complained sleepily. “No.” “I can smell it.” Ilya kissed his shoulder. “Maybe your house is on fire.”
― Rachel Reid, The Long Game

“We are together at your cottage. You are gay. I am hot.”
― Rachel Reid, The Long Game

“The most recent post was from yesterday —Christmas— and it was of the foosball table Shane had given him. No caption. He scrolled and found a photo of the exercise ball Shane had been balancing on in Ilya's gym. One of the latest puzzle Ilya had completed with Shane's dad. One of Ilya's loon tattoo.
One of the two plastic heart rings, together on Shane's dresser.
Shane realized that most or Ilya's posts were, in weird cryptic ways, about Shane. His entire account was like a secret diary of their relationship, full of inside jokes and little references that only Shane would understand.
And Shane hadn't even bothered to look at it before. Not really.
He looked now. He scrolled until his eyes were so blurry that he had to give up and sob into his hands instead. How could Shane have doubted for a second how fiercely Ilya loved him?”
― Rachel Reid, The Long Game

“She grinned wickedly at him. “Did you fuck every woman in Canada and had to move on to men?”
Ilya rolled his eyes. “That’s not how it works.”
― Rachel Reid, The Long Game

“He'd always imagined that the hockey world's reaction if he and Ilya were ever found out would be the biggest nightmare to deal with, but maybe the bigger challenge was hiding. Maybe keeping how he felt about Ilya a secret was more draining than facing the backlash.”
― Rachel Reid, The Long Game

“Why do you have sexy mood lighting in your gym?” “You have it in yours.” “Yeah. For yoga and meditation. Two things you don’t do.” “But you do them. So I have lights that dim. For you.” Shane’s heart wobbled. “Oh.”
― Rachel Reid, The Long Game

“Ilya shook his head. “What is the point of life if you are not eating chicken parmesan and ice cream?”
― Rachel Reid, The Long Game

“You should sign with Ottawa. Your contract is probably cheap, yes?” Hayden shook his head. “You’re a hard guy to like, Rozanov.”
― Rachel Reid, The Long Game

“David smiled up at him. “I know.” He finished the first cuff”
― Rachel Reid, The Long Game

“I’m Adam Strange,” Wyatt said excitedly. “He was an archaeologist who got teleported by a Zeta-Beam to the planet Rann and then—”
― Rachel Reid, The Long Game

“It is. We are engaged.” Ilya was still getting used to saying those words aloud. To believing them. “Then Shane Hollander is a lucky man.” Ilya was in danger of crying”
― Rachel Reid, The Long Game

“We’re not naming our kid Roger”
― Rachel Reid, The Long Game

“And god”
― Rachel Reid, The Long Game

“Shane grinned up at him”
― Rachel Reid, The Long Game