against Denmark, everyone talking amongst themselves or slowly starting to get ready.

Carter sat in his stall, his knees drumming up and down well his phone was held firmly in his hands. He was awaiting the text from Malayna telling him she was here with his coffee. Before coming into the dressing room, Carter made sure he told the security guard Malayna would be coming through. He really didn't want there to be any complications.

"Hey Hart, you okay? You look tired," Colton Point observed, yelling at a zoned out Carter from the stall beside him.

The goalie shook his head, snapping out of his thoughts. "Wh- oh yeah. I mean no, I- uh I'm just waiting for a friend to bring me a coffee."

Colton nodded, his eyebrows then furrowing together. "But, theres coffee here, and I though y-"

"Oh look!" Carter interrupted, jumping up at the sound of his phone. "She's here!" He sprinted out of the room before anyone could question him any further. The truth is, there was coffee there, free coffee, however Carter couldn't turn down the opportunity to see Malayna again.

The goaltender walked out into the hall just in time to spot Malayna's beautiful blonde hair tucked into a red Canada toque, her red pullover hoodie under her black vest. This brought a smile to Carter's face as he started off in her direction, Malayna's face brightening as she spotted him.

Carter picked up his pace and jogged down to the end of the hall where Malayna was walking towards him. Not wanting to be around everyone, Carter brushed past the blonde, gesturing for her to follow him down a secluded part off a connecting hallway.

Malayna couldn't help but giggle as she followed slowly behind the boy, carefeul not to spill the coffee in her hands.

The two made it down a separate hallway, and stood right outside the door to the storage room where players could sharpen skates and grab extra equipment. Carter thought it was the best place for privacy considering everywhere else was filled with people preparing for the game. Which was also what Carter should've been doing.

Malayna had her back up against the wall, with a huge grin on her face as she handed Carter the coffee she had picked up from Tim Hortons. He smiled down at the cup as he held it in his hands. "Oh, Tim Hortons, how Canadian of you."

Malayna chuckled, "well I am Canadian."

Carter laughed, taking a slight step forward, the three feet gap between them becoming two. "Thank you, Malayna. I appreciate it."

"No problem," she replied softly, her voice soothing. "If you win today, I think that makes this apart of your pregame ritual," she said shyly, though Carter knew that was her attempt at flirting.

"Thats right. If it ain't broke, don't fix it."

Malayna diverted her gaze to somewhere down the hall, biting her lip slightly. After a moment of silence, she looked back to Carter, searching his chocolate brown eyes for any indication of how he felt. What she couldn't see from gazing at him, was how happy he was. Carter would give anything to hug her, to kiss her, to share his warmth. He barely knew this girl but he already liked her so much.

"You look tired," Malayna stated, voicing her observations. He was. After Carter made it back to his room, he was at peace, but his run and talk with Malayna had woken him up. He was too alert to sleep.

Not wanting to admit it, Carter brought the hot coffee to his lips and took a long sip. "And that's why I have coffee," he forced a smile, trying to hide his grimace at the bitter taste.

Malayna giggled, letting her head fall back against the wall gently. "Well, I should let you get back, you have a game to win."

Carter nodded, shifting his gaze to the ground hoping she wouldn't see the sadness in his eyes. They've only had two conversations that were cut short due to hockey. He wanted to spend time with Malayna were there was no time frame, where he didn't need to worry about anything else. "Will you go out to dinner with me tonight?" He blurted, his cheeks instantly reddened due to his outburst.

Malayna seemed shocked at the question, but she quickly recovered. "Of course," she smiled.

"Great!" Carter beamed, "now I probably should go, but I'll text you after the game and we can plan out the rest of our... date." He said reluctantly, not knowing how Malayna would take the label.

Instead of what Carter expected, Malayna's smile brightened. "Perfect. It's a date," she confirmed.

"Great," he breathed feeling triumph.

"Now, go kick some ass. I know you'll do great!" Malayna paused, her eyes darting around as she instantly became nervous. She bit her lip as she took a small step forward, closing the little distance between each other.

Malayna leaned up reluctantly, as if she was unsure of what to do. Carter couldn't process what was going on, so he simply stood frozen, his left arm hanging by his side well the other held the coffee.

Malayna pressed her lips to Carter's cheek, warmth spreading throughout the goaltender. Just as her lips grazed his cheek, the door to the equipment room swung open and out walked Dillon Dube.

Dillon immediately froze when he saw the two, as did Carter and Malayna. Carter stood absolutely still, his eyes widening slightly. Malayna's eyes widened, though her lips stayed glued to Carter's cheek, acting as if she didn't move, Dillon wouldn't notice her.

Malayna had closed her eyes, embarrassed as her lips remained on Carter's cheek. Obviously, Carter didn't mind as he loved the feeling off her soft lips on his skin.

Dillon, who hadn't moved an inch, met Carter's eye, and then slowly backed up, heading back into the storage room. As soon as the door closed, Malayna jerked back, her cheeks redder than ever, her eyes on the ground. "Uh, goodluck Carter."

Carter grinned at the embarrassed girl, finding it insanely cute. "Thank you," he mumbled, leaning forward with confidence and placing a quick kiss on her cheek.

The two said goodbye, and Carter walked back to the dressing room, taking his time. He had a goofy smile on his face as he plopped back in his stall, Dillon walking in moments later, immediately interrogating the smiley boy. However, Carter ignored the questions. Instead, he turned to Colton Point, the backup goaltender who was already dressed, and grinned.

Suddenly, Carter wasn't tired. He was fully awake and aware, his body reenergized from the small intimate moment Malayna and him had shared. "Here," he said to Colton, extending his arm out. "Have a coffee, you look tired."

ahhh my babies won and i couldn't be happier!!!!🇨🇦🇨🇦 carter played so good as did the whole team, it makes me so happy seeing them all so happy oh my💘💘❣️