Here’s Exactly What Happens In The ‘Heated Rivalry’ Sequel, ‘The Long Game’ (In Case You Want Season 2 Show Spoilers)

So, we’ve reached the end of Heated Rivalry season 1. Now what?

According to Variety, while we ARE getting a season 2, it probably won’t drop till 2027, which means fans will have to wait a long time to know what’s in store for our new favorite hockey players—or will we?

As many people know by now, Heated Rivalry is actually one of the books in the Game Changers series by Rachel Reid. In fact, it’s not even the first book of the series—that would be Game Changer, which tells Scott and Kip’s story. If you absolutely love the show, it’s worth reading the books, especially since the characters (especially Ilya) shows up in all five of the books. Which leads us to the question: If the first season of Heated Rivalry is based on the entire book of the same name, what will season two cover?

This one’s an easy question to answer: Season 2 will definitely cover The Long Game, which acts as a sequel to Heated Rivalry and follows Shane and Ilya into the next chapter of their lives—this one, officially together.

But if for some reason you won’t read the books (or if you’re debating whether you should) but you don’t want to wait all the way till 2027 to know what happens, have no fear: Walk with me, and I’ll tell you a bit about what we can expect from Heated Rivalry season 2, according to what happens in the book The Long Game.

Spoilers ahead, obviously.

Shane And Ilya Still Aren’t Out, But They Do Start A Charity—And Hockey Camp—Together

In an attempt to change the narrative around their rivalry (and prove to fans that yes, they can actually get along, they don’t hate one another), Shane and Ilya go through with their mental health charity. At this point, they’ve been together for several years, and while they still can’t be open about their relationship (or their sexualities, for that matter), it becomes a little less weird for the two to be seen interacting with one another. That doesn’t mean, however, that it’s any easier for them to keep pretending that they aren’t in love with one another.

Ilya Moves To Ottawa For Shane—Seemingly At The Cost Of His Own Career

Ilya signs on to play for the hockey team in Ottawa so that he’ll only be living two hours away from Shane, and while he doesn’t necessarily regret the decision, that doesn’t make it an easy change for him. After winning the Cup with Boston and being praised as one of the best players in the league, his new team struggles to perform, and Ilya finds himself feeling down about the trajectory of his career. That being said, he does like his new team more than his previous one—he gets along with the players and the coach much better.

Ilya Struggles With His Mental Health (And Finally Gets Help)

A big theme throughout the book is actually mental health, especially relating to Ilya’s character. Through his point-of-view, we learn just how much he’s struggling with the past, the grief of losing his mother, his hidden relationship with Shane, and feeling ultimately unworthy as a person. He does eventually go to therapy, but it’s not a straightforward thing for him—in a way that is very true to life, it shows that healing is not linear, and that choosing to help yourself sometimes means having to do the hard thing to get there. However, he doesn’t tell Shane about his struggles for most of the book, causing much of their miscommunication to come from their general misunderstanding of what’s happening between them and to each of them.

Shane Deals With Homophobia In The League

By the second book, though Shane isn’t publicly out, it’s an open secret in the league that he’s gay (though no one knows he’s in a relationship). While the teammates he’s close to don’t seem to have an issue with it, that doesn’t mean everyone’s cool with it—especially the commissioner of the league, who tells Shane that while they privately support him, they prefer that he doesn’t change his public image by speaking out about his own sexuality or other LGBTQ issues. This adds extra pressure to Shane and Ilya’s relationship, since it now feels as if it’s becoming a threat to their professional careers.

Ilya Is Almost Involved In A Plane Crash—And It Changes The Trajectory Of Everything

While flying between cities for work, the plane Ilya’s team is on has engine trouble, and for a moment, he’s convinced he’s going to die. He writes a heartfelt message to Shane, who sees it later, after it’s already been confirmed that Ilya is safe; but Shane is so shaken up about it that he can’t help but get emotional. They both have a dark moment where they consider what life would be like without the other (or if they had never met), and Shane immediately drives the two hours to Ilya’s house so that he could be there when he got home. When Ilya gets there, Shane proposes to him, and Ilya accepts. While they decide to hide their relationship for a little longer, they agree to be less strict about it.

Shane And Ilya’s Relationship Accidentally Gets Outed

Shane and Ilya’s relationship comes to light when Shane’s teammate and best friend, Hayden, takes a video that accidentally shows Shane and Ilya kissing in the background. The video goes viral, and it doesn’t take long for the news to become a big headline that looms over the two. Not only do they have to deal with fan reactions, but they’re suddenly under the scrutiny of their own teammates (at least, Shane is) and the commissioner of the league, who threatens them to try to force them to sweep it under the rug. Ultimately, Shane and Ilya refuse to allow their relationship to become a secret again and post openly about being together for the first time.

Shane And Ilya Get Married—Twice

While the book ends around when the two finally get married, it’s actually not their first wedding. No, the first is earlier in the book, when Shane and Ilya agree to babysit Hayden’s children. The kids immediately seem to know that Shane and Ilya are in a relationship, and they ask if they can throw them a wedding; the two agree and become surprised at how emotional it makes them. At their second (public) wedding, Ilya tells Hayden’s kids that the wedding they had put on was Shane and Ilya’s real wedding.

Shane Decides To Move To Ottawa And Play On Ilya’s Team

Throughout the book, Ilya’s team starts finding their groove and begin playing better, though still not as great as Ilya was used to his old team playing. But it’s hinted at that the team will get even better in the future—especially because Shane decides to leave Montreal behind (especially after his teammates’ response to his relationship) and move to Ottawa, so he can officially and openly be with Ilya while playing on the same team officially.