A Journey from Lust to Love

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At what point does sexual tension transform into a genuine connection ? When does lust become love ? We must all be secretly wondering this, especially living in this suffocating age of hook up culture where everyone is use to jumping straight into sex before exchanging middle names, so we must all be asking ourselves where is the exact point a casual booty call goes into love territory ?

today we’re going to be taking a look at the most intense and romantic adaptation of the year, Heated ‘BLOODY’ Rivalry !

Confession time. I have done nothing but obsess over this damn show, ever since it dropped these characters have consumed my whole fricking algorithm, it has haunted my nights, and now I have been forced to doom scroll through piles of garbage looking for a show that can even remotely satisfy me the same way, it has quite literally become the bane of my existence…swiftly moving on.

On today’s episode we’ll be tracking the evolution of Ilya and Shane’s romance, taking a look at all the pivotal moments in the show that slowly shift their relationship gradually from Lust to Love.

Step 1: Sexual Tension and Physical Chemistry

This steaming romance starts with Ilya ‘fricking’ Rozanov and Shane ‘cute ass’ Hollander and their undeniable attraction to each other. Talk about sexual tension.

There is a lot of debate about who really made the first move that sets these two on their heated journey, I mean Rozanov is definitely the daredevil out of the two of them, he finds every moment to push Shane’s boundaries and he’s often the one making all the bold first moves. Plus the way Ilya uses his eyes is bewitching , every stare is suggestive, every wink, every crooked smile is used to transmit a high powered sex frequency that has Shane on his knees desperately by the middle of the first episode. Damn, our poor Shane didn’t stand a chance.

But ! Big Butt ! Although Shane can’t be named the aggressor in this situation, he is definitely the one that made the first step into Ilya’s world, offering him all the unmissable and hilariously obvious signals that he is VERY interested in Ilya. And once it becomes clear that door is open, Ilya wastes no time diving right in. Literally

They both set each other on fire in ways no one else seem to have done before, the forbidden part of their relationship definitely seems to play a big part in the excitement of the whole affair, but the fact that they both keep going to great lengths to continuously meet up despite the danger of their situation, tells you a lot about the secret feelings that they both use the sex to hide. Ilya’s personal issues cause him to display some very inconsistent behaviour, but its’ obvious their chemistry is too insanely good for both of them to leave each other alone.

Step 2: Jealousy is just fuel for love

Shane and Ilya continue having hot sex and pretending like everything is casual between them, haven’t we all been there? Telling ourselves that a obvious shifting situationship is just mindless fun and nothing but some harmless butt bumping with no strings attached, but when good ol big ass aunty Jealous gets involved, it becomes loud and clear that romantic feelings have been brought into the casual arrangement.

Shane is the first to start showing signs that feelings are starting to develop, I mean Ilya only briefly mentions another girl he’s involved with and Shane starts quickly spiralling, showing signs that he has the pestering urge to rip out the throats of any human being whose mentioned in association to Ilya. After Shane’s true feelings start to freak him out and he starts dating Rose publicly, we see Ilya’s quick shift from cool nonchalant sex king, to moody Russian down bad for boring freckle face Canadian boy.

Can we talk about the Club scene, DO WE DARE TALK ABOUT THE CLUB SCENE !

This guy was hella weird.

But there’s a reason why everyone is going crazy over this fricking amazing, powerful scene. The perfect song choice, matched with the intense pulsating shots of jealousy and lust between both Ilya and Shane, marks the second shift in their relationship; it’s the beginning of Ilya finally confronting the fact that he doesn’t want anyone touching Shane but him, and Shane discovering he doesn’t want anyone else touching him but Ilya, which brings us on to Number 3.

The hidden power of the Personal Detail.

There are multiple moments where Shane attempts to make deeper conversation with Ilya, he’s tried and often failed to get any major personal information from him, I mean the aloof Russian is certainly a closed book when he wants to be, especially when he’s trying his best not to get attached to the best sex of his life. But Ilya is actually profoundly perceptive when it comes to Shane, he remembers everything about him, even minor facts Shane mentioned years ago. Shane’s Dads love for the New Yorker, Shane’s love for Ginger Ale, his real estate fetish.

Ilya’s eyes are always on Shane, he’s often using mockery or jokes to hide his blatant obsession with him, but behind the scenes he’s watching his interviews, documentaries about his home life and even studying him enough to notice face expressions and slight differences in appearance.

The next big steps occurs when Ilya finally starts revealing himself to Shane, telling him about the reality of his family life, giving him a peak behind the veil of his fears surrounding Russia, and later on opening up to him about his mother’s suicide. This is the exact moment that marks their inevitable transition from lust into love. Because Ilya and Shane gain no sexual gratification from these vulnerable moments, once they start sharing personal thoughts and feelings it all becomes a purely emotional transaction, causing those high walls to break down and making it inevitable for them to fall deeper into each other. Any chance of them just having a strictly physical relationship has gone out the window. Look they’re literally stroking each other like cats. (hehe get it).

Number 4: Uncontrollable Concern

When Ilya’s father dies Shane doesn’t hesitate to call and text to make sure he’s okay, Ilya’s pain, his thoughts and feelings are now a priority for Shane and this marks their gentle cross over into love territory. Ilya’s monologue is beautiful and gut wrenching, and we can’t forget the intimate moment when Shane gets injured during the Hockey Game and Ilya comes to the hospital to check on him, gently rubbing his freckles and comforting him the best he can, we can see the fear of losing the other has taken over them both, and their own silent realization that this is no longer a feeling they can ignore anymore. These are the essential markers that sets them on a journey of no return, now what’s left is for them to hurry up and admit their damn feelings to each other.

The last and final step is : Declaring Feelings and Confessions

When great sex, meets jealousy, vulnerability, interest, tenderness and care, all of these precious moments equates to one single truth. you are both now connecting on a intimate level, that goes far deeper than sex and into an arena where love can truly blossom.

There’s something beautiful about Ilya being the one who was the most reluctant to falling and then him being the first to confess his feelings to Shane, in fact he technically confesses twice and both times are just as beautiful as the other. Shane’s declaration of love screamed loudly when he stayed up all night coming up with a plan for a future with Ilya, someone that takes the time to sit down and plan a tomorrow with someone is aiming for a lasting love with them, and this is the moment that truly touches Ilya and gives him the push he needed to be loud about how he feels about Shane.

They get their final test when they’re caught by Shane’s Dad and have to stand in front of his parents and tell them about their complicated relationship. Confessing your feelings is one thing, but standing in front of others and confessing your love for someone is a whole lot harder and these men do this in the most brave and sweet way.

Lust can burn out very quickly, sure chemistry and good sex is important, but finding someone that’s irresistible to you and someone who can’t help but care when you get hurt, is striking real Gold. Ilya and Shane’s bodies seem to call out for each other but it’s clear their hearts were also doing the same.

Shane and Ilya teach us that a relationship built on sex has massive potential to blossom into something permanent if you’re both open to learning more about each other, being brave enough to share your fears and feelings, and being confident enough to admit that you don’t want anybody else.

It’s clear that the journey from lust to love can be intense and messy but also extremely worth it, a heated love that rivals with no other…you see what I did there.

Thank you for Reading Movie Misfits, Stay weird, keep lusting and loving.