#cale makar fluff

[fallinallincurls]

all’s well that ends well to end up with you

here is my entry for @wyattjohnston’s summer fic exchange 2k23!! this fic is for @ya-pucking-nerd !! i had so much fun writing this and i hope you love it just as much! writing cale has always been a favorite of mine and this one was no exception. and shutout to @tonyspep as always for brainstorming so much of this idea with me!

i ALSO made a playlist for this fic which you can listen to here! 

hope you enjoy!! feedback is always appreciated! xx

word count: 5.3k

~~~~~

Cale’s offseason has hardly started, yet his phone is already lighting up with a call from you to no doubt make summer plans before he heads back to Calgary to enjoy time with his family and to start his summer training. 

It’s not unusual for his best friend to call him and the soft, giddy smile on his lips at just the sight of your name on his phone display is nothing new either, but when the call connects and words are practically spewing from your lips, he knows something must be wrong.

“Woah, woah, woah. Slow down. I can’t understand a word you’re saying.” Cale cuts you off, trying to figure out what’s going on.

“I said,” You emphasize, taking a deep breath to ensure you speak slower this time, “you got invited to Ryan’s wedding right? The one that’s in a few weeks in Montana?”

“Yeah, I did. What about it?”

“Well, uh, I kinda realized that showing up by myself would be lame right? Like this guy used to be insanely in love with me, but now he’s getting married and I’m, well, not even close to being in a relationship let alone a serious one.” 

“There’s nothing wrong with that. You and Ryan are still friends so it won’t be awkward and I’ll be there so you won’t be bored at any point.” Cale replies, still confused as to what you’re getting at.

“We are still friends, but I have to prove that I’m doing just as well as he is, you know? So I have a plan. Well, more of a question before a plan.” You explain, feeling the nerves creep in as the moment about revealing what you’ve been thinking of asking Cale nears with each passing second.

“Okay…” 

“What do you think about going as a fake couple? Like we’re dating but it’s obviously not real? Just to prove to Ryan that I’ve moved on and am doing better! He already knows we’re friends and I don’t think it’d be that hard for us to come up with a story and act all lovey dovey together for a few days.”

Cale is silent on the other line and you have a sick feeling in your stomach that you’ve really messed up. It was a stupid idea anyway. Why would he agree to it? He might be your best friend, but asking him to fake date you? It wasn’t that smart.

“So what’s our story?” Cale asks after a moment, trying to hide the smile growing on his lips that you can’t see anyway.

“Our story?”

“Yeah, if we’re going to make this convincing we have to be on the same page about how we met, the first time we said ‘I love you,’ some funny moments that have happened since we got together. Stuff like that.”

Before you can even begin to think about everything Cale just mentioned, your heart begins racing and a grin is on full display across your face.

“So you’re in?” The question is full of excitement and Cale can’t help but chuckle in response.

“Of course I’m in. I’d do anything for you Y/N. Plus, I think it would be fun to finally get back at Ryan for what he did to you.” Cale replies, trying desperately to ignore the butterflies erupting in his stomach. You squeal on the other end of the line and jump right into ironing out the details so there isn’t anything missed that can foil the plan.

Cale pays attention because he has to, but he knows he’s in trouble. He just agreed to be your fake boyfriend for a whole weekend. Cale’s already hiding how he really feels about you and he has a feeling getting a taste of what he wants so badly will only make him fall even harder.

“Okay,” You say, clicking your seatbelt back into place as the plane begins its descent and turning your gaze to the blue eyed, rosy cheek boy next to you. “Remember our story?” 

Cale playfully rolls his eyes at the question you’ve asked about a hundred times since you both boarded the short flight to Montana. “Yes, I do. We met in one of the business classes we were both taking together at the University of Denver when I was working towards finishing my degree in my free time. You had no idea I played hockey and after I asked for a pen that day in class, we started hanging out together. The rest is history.” He recites the story of how you actually met with a smile. “Our anniversary is April 29th, we’ve already met each other’s families and we couldn’t be any happier together.”

“Good job!”

“Most of our fake relationship is based off of how we really met so it isn’t that hard to remember, Y/N.” Cale teases, earning a small chuckle from you in response.

“I know and that will only make it more convincing, don’t you think? Being best friends and having history together already gives us an advantage. I just hope it works.”

“It will.” Cale murmurs, intertwining his fingers with yours and giving your hand a squeeze. You give him a sweet smile in return, before you begin talking about how excited you are about all the plans that are in place for the moment you land. He has to try and remember none of what happens between the two of you this weekend will be real, but that won’t stop him from taking it all in as if this was his real life even if just for a short amount of time. 

Best friends, nothing more. Best friends, nothing more.

The words repeat in his head when the plane lands, as you both gather your luggage from baggage claim and throughout the entire cab ride to the resort where the wedding is being held. And just when Cale thinks the reminder is concrete and that nothing will sway him, he opens the door to your assigned hotel room and he stops breathing as he freezes in the threshold. 

“Cale? What’s wrong?” You ask from behind him, unable to see around his broad shoulders into the luxurious room. He doesn’t say anything at first, just shuffles through the door and you’re about to tease him until you see the single king size bed in the middle of the room. “Oh.”

“Uh, there’s only one bed.” Cale states the obvious as if both of you aren’t already staring at the bed. “I swear I booked a room with two separate queens, but there must have been a mixup or something. I can check with the front desk to see if we can be moved and if not, I can just sleep on the floor. You can have the bed. That’s fine. It’ll work if-”

“Cale.” You say his name firmly, holding his wrist in an attempt to get him to look at you. He has flipped into rational thinking mode because of the issue at hand, but you know calming him down is the first step in telling him it’s all okay. “You will not be sleeping on the floor. I won’t allow it. That will kill your back and you know it.” “But-” 

“No buts. We’re only here for two nights. Sleeping in the same bed won’t be the end of the world for us. How many times have we fallen asleep on the couch together? Or taken a pregame nap? This is no different. I promise.” Your words are soft and visibly make Cale relax. He knows you’re right, but a large part of him knows he won’t be able to handle being that close to you in such an intimate setting even if it’s under the guise of a fake relationship.

“You’re right.” Cale sighs, calming himself down and realizing the situation isn’t as bad as he thought it is. “We can do this.” 

You offer him a sweet smile before walking further into the room and dropping your suitcase to the ground. “Do you want to explore the town today since we’re here a day early? I looked up the usual touristy things and places to eat just in case.” Cale looks at his watch and shrugs, feeling happiness surge through him at the thought of wandering through a new place with you.

“That sounds perfect. I’ve never been to Montana before so getting to spend a little time in the town would be really nice.” Cale doesn’t mention how spending all that extra time with you is really what he’s looking forward to most. He would go anywhere in the world if it meant being by your side.

“Then what are we waiting for?” You say excitedly, grabbing his hand and pulling him towards the door. And if your heart races a little faster than usual when Cale chuckles and follows behind, no one has to know.

Cale wasn’t kidding when he said he’s never been to Montana before, but he has to admit the little town not far from the resort is the cutest place he’s ever seen. Little storefronts line the streets and both locals and tourists take their time enjoying the cozy town. The scenery is gorgeous too, snow capped mountains extending high into the bright blue sky, but there’s nothing quite like the joy on clear display across your face at every new experience you and Cale do while exploring.

So far, you’ve stopped in various antique shops, a bookstore, two art galleries and took a tour of the local distillery. You haven’t stopped smiling at all and Cale can practically feel his heart swell every time you turn to him with nothing but excitement and adoration. 

You’re walking down the busy street next to Cale, still trying to take in the entire scene when your stomach growls. The lighthearted laugh that you love so much slips past Cale’s lips and you can’t help but smile at the beautiful sound.

“Sorry,” You giggle. “I guess we should find somewhere to go for dinner, huh? I didn’t even realize how late it was.” 

“Want to try that restaurant we passed before that looked good?” Cale suggests and you nod in agreement. As you both turn in the opposite direction to head back to the establishment, Cale takes a subtle leap of faith and intertwines his fingers with yours. He argues it’s just to get used to faking a relationship especially around other people, but when you smile up at him and squeeze his hand in response, he can’t help but think maybe, just maybe, you feel the same way about him. 

That would be crazy though. Cale knows that.

He pushes those thoughts out of his head and focuses on dinner with you. The meal is full of laughter and recounting shared memories which fill both of your hearts to the brim. By the time you’ve both finished eating and had a few glasses of wine, the sun has fully set and the road is calmer than it was earlier. 

When the waiter comes back with the check, you thank him before Cale insists on paying and you don’t object because you know he won’t budge. You try to stifle a yawn as he signs the receipt, but he somehow notices everything so it’s no surprise he asks the obvious question.

“Sleepy?” Cale chuckles, putting all his attention on you again. You feel your cheeks heating under his attentive, but soft gaze.

“A little. It’s been such a good day, just a little long.” You reply with honesty and Cale nods along in agreement.

“Well, we can’t have you falling asleep during the ceremony tomorrow so we should probably head back.” 

“I guess so.” You smile at Cale before following closely behind to exit the restaurant. “Although having you there will already make the whole wedding more bearable. Thank you again for this.”

“It was an easy decision to come along with you. Plus, I can’t wait to see Ryan’s face tomorrow when he sees us together as a couple. Besides getting to spend time with you in this beautiful place, that will make the whole trip worth it.” 

You giggle because the mental image is hilarious. Although the walk back to the resort isn’t long, you lean into Cale, who wraps his arm around you, and take in the serene moment. Any worries or anxieties about spending a whole day tomorrow fake dating your best friend have seemingly disappeared which you couldn’t be more grateful for. You’re determined to just enjoy the day with him and not let your feelings get tangled with whatever may happen to convince everyone at the wedding that you’re actually together.

It can’t be that hard.

But when you return back to the hotel room ready to watch a movie and call it a night, Cale seems nervous and jumpy again. It must still be the one bed situation even though you reassured him earlier that it’s fine.

“Um,” Cale starts, his voice quiet and shy. He meets your gaze for a few seconds before looking away. “Is it okay if I take the bathroom first?” 

“Yeah, of course! Go ahead. I’ll just get changed real quick while you’re in there. My nighttime routine isn’t anything crazy anyway.” You chuckle, hoping to ease some of the obvious tension Cale seems to be experiencing. With a nod and a gentle smile, Cale disappears into the en suite bathroom which leaves you scourging through your suitcase for the pajamas you packed. “Where in the world are they?” You mutter to yourself before finding the set buried all the way at the bottom.

With a silent celebration, you quickly switch out your jeans for the comfy shorts and right as you’re pulling the shirt you’ve been wearing all day off, the bathroom door creaks open. Before he can catch a glimpse of anything, you face away from him and call out, “Cale! Just turn around a minute, please?” 

He does as you ask, he wouldn’t ever overstep like that. But Cale’s breath was already stolen away from those brief, accidental seconds when he got to see the smooth expanse of your back, the gentle curve of your breast and your hair spilling over your shoulders. 

His mind is going a million miles a minute, trying to remind him that that’s his best friend he’s thinking about this way. You’ve always been gorgeous and he’s known that since you met, but something about this moment is striking him in an entirely new way. Maybe it’s the small proximity of the hotel room. Maybe it’s that his feelings for you continue to get stronger and stronger with each passing minute.

Cale has no idea, but he’s in big trouble either way.

“Okay!” Your voice interrupts his thoughts, “I’m all good. You can turn back around.” Cale lets out a sigh when he sees your bright smile and how cozy you look in the matching blue pajama set. “All good?” You double check while trying not to make it obvious that you’re taking in just how adorable Cale looks right now.

“All good. Want me to pick the movie? And do you, uh, prefer a certain side of the bed?” 

“Yes, pick the movie. Whatever you want! And nope, I’m not picky.” With that, you disappear into the bathroom for a few moments as Cale settles in. By the time you reemerge only a few minutes later, you see he picked a movie you’ve both watched a thousand times and claimed the right side of the bed. He looks so soft and cuddly which makes your heart skip a beat just at the sight of him. 

Cale pats your side of the bed and gives you that sweet smile you adore so much. After slipping under the covers and plugging your phone in, he starts the movie. Despite how weird sharing a bed felt hours ago, now there’s nothing but comfort evident in this moment. You don’t know how much of the movie you actually watch before you start drifting off, head resting against Cale’s shoulder. But the last thing you remember before sleep takes over is Cale whispering a quiet “Goodnight, Y/N.” 

The warm sunlight shines through the hotel room curtains, pulling you out of the peaceful dream currently unfolding in your mind. You slowly blink your eyes open and get reacquainted with where you are, in Montana with Cale for the wedding, when you realize that you’re wrapped up in a strong embrace and your head is resting against your best friend’s chest. 

And before you even have time to realize you’re both practically snuggled up together which somehow must’ve happened during the night, you notice Cale’s beautiful blue eyes are focused on you and there’s a lazy, but adorable smiling donning his lips. His hair is messy from sleep and his cheeks are already rosy. He looks like a dream.

A part of you thinks that you could get used to this, but that reality still seems so far away and unlikely to happen. So you might as well enjoy the moment when it’s here. 

You match his grin, lean up a little to get a better view of him and start absentmindedly playing with the loose collar of the old t-shirt he’s wearing. He watches you, waiting with patience for you to say something. 

“You drool in your sleep, Makar.”

“Hm, do I?” Cale laughs softly, rubbing a hand up and down your back while the other brushes some loose hair behind your ear. “Well, I guess I should make it up to you by letting you shower first, huh?”

“That would be the gentlemanly thing to do.” 

“Bathroom’s all yours then. Just let me get in there at some point before we have to leave, please. I can’t show up with my hair looking like this.”

“Your bedhead is so cute though! I don’t think anyone would mind.” You tease him back, the happiest laugh escaping past your lips as you untangle yourself from the blankets to head towards the bathroom. The moment the door closes behind you and the sound of the shower running can be heard, Cale lets out a sigh while scrubbing his hands over his face. 

That felt a little too real for Cale’s liking if he’s going to try and keep all his feelings under the guise of pretending. But he’d be lying if he said he didn’t enjoy the banter and soft moment of waking up next to you. 

As he listens to you sing a Taylor Swift song while getting ready, Cale goes through his usual routine before beginning to get dressed in his favorite suit. He happens to know it’s also your favorite suit of his so maybe, just maybe, he picked it for that reason too. He’s just fixing the navy blue tie you told him to wear so he’d match your dress when you step out of the bathroom and Cale has another moment where it feels like he can’t breathe.

You hadn’t told him anything about the dress minus its color prior to this very moment. The beautiful navy blue fabric hugs your body in all the right places and stops mid calf to showcase the pretty heels you picked to match. Cale also can’t help but notice the slit that shows off your left leg too. The straps are tied in bows at your shoulders and the dress is perfect, yet simple and you look absolutely stunning.

But Cale’s gaze catches on the glittering bracelet on your right arm. The one he gifted you as a graduation gift. The one you’ve told him you only wear for special occasions. It almost shocks Cale to his core that you’re wearing it now, but his heart couldn’t be happier.

“Wow. Y/N, you look gorgeous. So pretty.” Cale manages to get out, eyes still taking the sight of you. The bright smile that takes over your face rivals the sun which makes him practically melt on the spot. Cale knows then, more than ever, that he’s hopelessly in love with you.

“Thank you,” You say, voice shy and gentle. “You look really handsome yourself, Cale.” And he does. He’s wearing your favorite suit of his and looks incredible as always. Your heart swells just looking at him. 

“Thanks,” He replies with a sweet smile before you close the space between the two of you to readjust his tie. That same surging emotion from last night rushes through his veins at the close proximity to you and when you pat his chest, signaling your work is done, he meets your gaze and takes a few seconds to remember every detail of this moment. “All ready to go?” Cale asks simply, trying to make sure he looks unaffected by what just happened.

“Mhm. Remember our story for when people ask because you know they will and we both know each other’s boundaries with PDA, so we’ll stick to what’s appropriate there, yeah?” Your best friend nods in response as he slips his fingers between yours again like it’s something that happens all the time.

“Sounds like a plan. We have to leave now so we aren’t late, sweetheart.” Cale ties the pet name out while guiding you towards the door and as your heart is racing, you can’t stop smiling knowing that today is going to be amazing with this incredible man by your side even if he’s only your fake boyfriend for the day.

And you aren’t wrong. The ceremony goes by without any hiccups. Cale keeps his hand in yours the whole time and presses the softest kisses to the side of your head throughout. You introduced Cale to a bunch of your friends as your boyfriend which only earned you more sweet smiles and gentle touches from the boy at your side. It felt like living in a blissful bubble where nothing could disrupt your fantasy even though you knew deep down this was all still pretend. There was no way Cale had real feelings for you.

The real test though is the reception. You can’t avoid Ryan forever and you have a feeling he’s going to make a point to come over and talk, but more importantly, ask about your date. Before the nerves can take over though, Cale puts all your worries away. As you both stand side by side in front of the seating chart in search of your names, he kisses your cheek and pulls you in closer to his side.

“How are you holding up?” 

“Pretty good. There’s this awesome guy who is making the whole night a lot more fun than I thought it could’ve been.” You giggle, watching Cale’s cheeks brighten with the familiar pink color of blush. 

“Really? Because I can’t get enough of the girl I’m here with either. Her smile is making it hard to breathe. And I’m glad she invited me along.” Cale responds with a smile on his lips and blue eyes full of nothing but adoration. His words pierce your heart in the most unexpected way because you know he means them. None of what he says is pretend to fit the show you’re both putting on. 

But what could that possibly mean?

You don’t get a lot of time to think about it because Cale spots your names together under Table 8 and gives your hand a tiny squeeze before guiding you through the decorated ballroom. You take in all the beautiful sights and settle in next to Cale as you greet the other guests seated at your table. One of your college best friends is in the chair on your right which brings you even more comfort. 

“Y/N!” She exclaims, giving you a hug while sporting a huge grin. “Last time we talked you didn’t mention that the handsome, but adorable professional hockey player who you always claimed to be your best friend is your boyfriend now!” 

“Oh,” You chuckle, glancing at Cale who is in a conversation with one of the guests who are also sitting at your table. “We didn’t want to tell everyone just yet. But yeah, we’re together now and he’s the best.”

“I don’t know why you both waited all that time. It was obvious you two had feelings for each other the first time you met! I remember how you bursted into the campus coffeehouse with the happiest look on your face and I knew you met someone incredible.”

“It wasn’t that obvious to us for a while, I guess. But we’re making up for the lost time now.” You say softly, turning to look back at Cale as a million thoughts run through your head. 

Since you met Cale, you’ve had feelings for him and for years, you never said anything because you couldn’t risk losing the best friendship you’ve ever had. But with your friend’s words echoing in your mind, you realize there is no time to waste. He didn’t even object when you asked him to be your fake boyfriend for the wedding. He has been noticeably more sweet and attentive the whole weekend and you’ve even noticed things he’s said or done that seem to be hinting at the fact he might want to be more than friends with you.

Ohmygod.

You’re in love with Cale and he most likely has feelings for you too. 

Suddenly, nothing else matters except confessing the very thing you’ve tried to hide from him for years, but when you turn to ask Cale for a moment outside, the lights dim and the DJ’s voice booms through the speakers around the room. 

“Everyone, please welcome the bride and groom!” Everyone stands and claps as the newlyweds enter the ballroom hand in hand with beaming smiles on their faces. The first dance song is introduced and even though you watch the couple dance together, you’re more focused on the boy next to you. 

Cale’s arm is wrapped around you as a silent reminder he’s there because he probably thinks seeing your ex-boyfriend dance with his now wife at his wedding isn’t the greatest reminder that you’re single and here with a “fake” date. But you don’t even care about that right now. His touch grounds you and it’s what makes your mind up about telling Cale about how you feel. 

Applause erupts again as the song finishes and almost drowns out the DJ’s next words. “The newlyweds would like to invite all couples to join them on the dance floor for this next dance.”

The familiar beginning notes of Taylor Swift’s “Lover” fill the air which makes you let out a little gasp in surprise. You love this song and Cale knows it. He can’t let this opportunity slip away from him, especially not with the plans he has.

“May I have this dance?” Cale asks softly, sporting an adorable smile while holding his hand out for you. A giggle slips past your lips as you nod and put your hand in his. He leads you out to an open spot on the crowded dance floor before pulling you into him. You wrap your arms around his neck as his hands settle on your hips, eliminating any space between your body and Cale’s. 

For a moment, neither of you say anything. The music plays and you sing along under your breath all while never pulling your eyes away from his. How could he be so oblivious to the fact that he’s in love with you? All this time it could’ve been real, but it took a fake relationship for him to realize he can’t wait any longer to tell you how he feels even if it’s terrifying.

Little do either of you know, the same thought is going through both of your minds at the same exact time.

This is it.

“Y/N,” Cale starts when you say “Cale,” at the same time. He chuckles, trying to hide his nerves, and dips his head down before looking at you again as you both keep dancing. “You go first.”

“Okay,” You whisper, fumbling with Cale’s collar and keeping your gaze locked with his. It feels as if the rest of the ballroom falls away. There aren’t any other dancing couples or bright lights shining down. It’s just you and Cale and your favorite Taylor Swift song playing in the background. “I know this may seem like a surprise and if you don’t feel the same way, that’s okay. This is just something I can’t hide anymore.”

Cale’s breath is knocked out of his lungs at just those few sentences. Is this really happening? Is he about to get his girl after all this time?

“I love you, Cale. I love you with my whole entire heart and I’ve known since the day we met in class, but didn’t want to ruin the best friendship I’ve ever had. I realized though that it’s not your friendship that makes my life infinitely better, it’s you. And I know you came to this wedding as my fake boyfriend because I was nervous about seeing my stupid ex, which was beyond kind of you to do, but I want to leave here with you as my real boyfriend. I want to love you like I’ve dreamed of for years now.”

Time stops. Or at least Cale swears it does. He almost thinks this is all a dream except he knows it isn’t because of the tender look on your face. Nothing but love and admiration is on display across your beautiful features and he knows you’re preparing yourself for a potential reaction which is the farthest thing from the truth. 

“I love you too, Y/N. Always have. Everyone around me has seen how insanely in love I am, but I couldn’t risk losing you either. You’re the most amazing person I know and it would make my heart so happy to be with you. I think we’ve proved this weekend that we can definitely make a real relationship work.” Cale replies honestly, his voice shaky. You laugh softly, your eyes filling up with tears for a moment. 

This is real. He loves you too.

As you’re convincing yourself this is all real life, the bridge of the song begins and a beaming smile blossoms across Cale’s lips. He looks beautiful under the shimmery lights of the dance floor and he’s excluding pure happiness. His cheeks are rosy, blue eyes bright and you’ve never been so in love.

“Can I kiss you now?”

“I thought you’d never ask.” 

Cale leans forward to close the small gap between the two of you with a gentle, but passionate kiss that says everything he’s been holding back for years. You melt into him, letting the overwhelming sensation of love wash over you. And as Cale pulls you impossibly closer to deepen the kiss, your heart feels as if it might explode. 

This is all you’ve wanted for so long.

When you both slowly pull away, leaning your forehead against his, the rest of the crowd dissipates as the fast paced music picks up to get the party started. There’s nothing to do but bask in the moment and commit every detail to memory. Cale hasn’t stopped beaming yet and you don’t think you’ve ever been this happy before.

“I know everyone here already thinks we’re a couple, but just wait until the guys find out. I think they’ve been waiting for this just as long as I have been.” 

“Why doesn’t that surprise me?” You chuckle, cheeks going pink from blush at the thought of Cale’s teammates hearing the news the two of you are now together. Cale is sure that he’s never seen anyone cuter in his whole entire life and now he gets to call you his. 

But right now, he isn’t thinking about talking to Ryan like you’ve been dreading all day or returning home for the rest of the offseason. Cale is just focused on having the best time dancing the night away with the love of his life because he finally has you. And he won’t be letting you go anytime soon.

tagging some friends/mutuals who might be interested!

@tonyspep @starshine-hockey-girl @kailyn-writes @happer08 @rosesvioletshardy @sorryjustafangirl @laurenairay @miracleonice87 @hockeyunits @stroopwaffle8 @musiclove-12 @eightmakar @ilyasorokinn @barzysreputation @breezymichelle99 @comphyjost @comphy-and-cozy @jostystyles @ya-pucking-nerd @fallen-froots @beauvibaby @barzysunflower @boqvistsbabe @wyattjohnston @tpwkstiles @hockeylvr59​ @2manytabsopen​ @lam-ila​ @nateslehky​

#cale makar #cale makar fic #cale makar fics #cale makar imagines #cale makar imagine #summer fic exchange 2k23 #nhl fic #nhl imgaine #cale makar x reader #cale makar fluff #colorado avalanche

[nylwnder]

i love you, grumpy | cale makar

gif by gabelandeskog

a/n: this a special fic for @gravestrain as part of @antoineroussel ’s winter fic exchange 2k23!!! sorry for the delay, apparently life had more planned for me than i would have liked, but better late than never! i must say i’ve never written the grumpy/sunshine trope before nor had i written for cale yet, so this was a really fun challenge for me! i hope you like it, elle!!! enjoy bb, hugs and kisses <333333

warnings: sunshine!cale x grumpy!reader, when the grumpy breaks >>, some swearing, just fluffy

word count: 3.1k

you couldn’t help but gain a great attachment with the small, kind and rosy boy in your kindergarten class. you were very socially anxious, which is valid considering you were being forced to submerge yourself in just the beginning of an insanely toxic social structure. and for what?

he made everything better. he was so sweet with you, it’s safe to say even too sweet. he almost always focused his attention on you, and you never understood why. when you felt like you didn’t belong anywhere, he would quite literally grab your hand and drag you everywhere with him. you always wondered why he wasn’t like all the other stupid boys playing soccer and bothering the other girls. why he always, at any opportunity, chose to spend every minute of his time with you. he invaded your space everyday with his blaring sunshine personality and even if you bothered him whenever you could, you knew you needed him.

so you and cale grew up together, and you two were always learning every possible thing there is to know about each other. that also meant that you two were going everywhere and experiencing everything together. you could list every single shitty thing that's happened to you so far throughout your life, but then you can also list everything cale has done to help you through it. and it goes both ways. cale often shares his gratitude for your ability to take him out of stupid situations, or help avoid them all together. he can be quite naive sometimes, which always makes you feel the need to defend him because you couldn’t possibly see him not have that fluffy ass smile plastered on his face.

he has come to know you aren’t necessarily the most exuberant person, which is also supposedly a reason for your incapability of keeping relationships (per a handful of stupid assholes). but cale, unlike the others, never minded. he always told you how he loves the way he can break you. since he has, making his favourite sight in the whole world: a smile creeping up on the end of your lips — it’s absolutely picture perfect if he miraculously gets a giggle too. if you must say so, nobody has had a higher “breaking y/n count” than cale himself. he just adds it to all of his other impeccable stats.

once cale left for umass, it was embarrassingly obvious how you began spiralling, and it presented you with an epiphany. the main point: you are a complete simp for him and it’s honestly disgusting. you can’t even say the exact day you fell in love with him, because there wasn’t a day that you didn’t. so in conclusion, cale is the only person you need by your side, because you are entirely positive you would go insane if otherwise. even if you sometimes act like that’s not the case.

so you drove to massachusetts one day to go visit him. that night, you two headed to a campus party where cale ended up quaffing far too many drinks. dragging his mumbley ass to his room, he slumped down and laid half on the bed and half on the floor. you gave out a small laugh, not without rolling your eyes, as he was trying his very best to tell you a story he could barely make out.

that was until he started muttering things about you. you stopped fixing his room and sat on the floor beside him. he turned to look at you, his head dangling off the bed now. “i wanna tell you sm’thing” you nodded, “what does your blabbermouth wanna tell me now?”

he giggled, before he spat out everything he wanted to say, all at once. telling you how he can’t get you out of his mind, how he misses someone waiting for him after games and practices, or the way you make fun of him, and your laugh, “oh that fuckin laugh you have it kills me y/n, in the best way.”

“i think the blood is rushing to your head.” you said, almost instinctively and you didn’t know why. your self-sabotage started to seep in, and you hated how you always made yourself feel as if you aren’t worthy for someone like cale to reciprocate your feelings.

but you were so grateful for his slurred confessions, as it eased your worries of looking like a total fool when you end up telling him what you came to say. he stared looking at you, waiting for your reaction. “do you hate me now?” he asked.

“no.”

“i should’ve just shut up. oh fuck no i messed it up, im s’stupid. ugh you’re always so right i'm such a dumbass. fuck-” he began mumbling, as he sat up and rubbed his face.

“cale stop.” you demanded. “you’re not stupid. you’re stupid for thinking you're stupid.”

“thanks” he said, softly. a pinky shade started to itch up on his face.

you turned to him and looked into his glossy eyes as he nipped on his lip. “okay. i miss you. i need you. i need you so much. i always knew that but i tried so hard to act like i don't. but life’s shit with you over here” you said, while you internally cursed yourself for the incoming wave of tears.

“nobody’s ever made me feel the way you make me feel. i’m not this bitchy, grumpy asshole when i’m with you. you don’t piss me off, not like you might think. no, i love you too much to think you're annoying.” you ranted.

you heard cale sniffle, as you looked up at him you saw tears falling down his face far more than yours — predictable. you laughed at him, reached for his hand and pulled him down to sit with you. “i love you, s’much” he said, as he pulled you in for a tight hug. and you loved it, feeling like you could just finally melt into him after discarding the weight off your shoulders.

cale felt the same. he thanked the far too many beers he had to give him that push. it didn’t end up going as he had rehearsed for years, but he didn’t lose you and he was so grateful about that. “it’s been a privilege that you let me accompany you through everything, all these years. i gotta say it’s something so very special to see you, you, oh you, let yourself be, you, with me. the really you.” cale told you, his head buried in your hair. you smiled, he wasn’t really making sense but you understood.

just as much as he’s always understood you.

—

it’s an average frigid and snowy day in colorado, and you find yourself cuddled up on your couch, watching a show on crave. you were wrapped up in the custom made quilt your now boyfriend gave you when you were both in middle school. it might sound corny, but god it was comfortable.

the freshly decorated christmas tree lit up the dim apartment. it was already mid-december when you were semi-forced to set it up, despite the fact cale originally wanted to put it up in november. cale was in the kitchen cooking up dinner for the two of you. you could hear him humming tunes to himself, something he often did which you love cause he always made sure to remind you, you weren’t alone. even if you teased him that you appreciated his absence when he was on road trips, he knows you always missed his stupid humming or his frequent whining, and yeah even his heart warming hugs that he would always refused to end.

he walks over with the bowls of food in hand. organizing the plates on the coffee table in front of the two of you, he can finally accompany you in finishing what you were watching. not forgetting to gently kiss your temple as he sat down beside you. and you may or may not have devoured his “classic home cooked meal, made with love” faster than cale himself, which he immediately laughed about since you had earlier mentioned you weren’t “that, that hungry”.

your pleasantly snug state started to diminish when cale mumbled the plans for tomorrow. “what? absolutely not!” you quickly stated, as cale made his way back to you. his team was hosting their annual family skate, which you often tried to dodge since cale always seemed to somehow embarrass you in front of everyone with your lack of skating abilities. and now, the catch this year? it would be in a huge outdoor rink.

“oh come on, everyone’s gonna go. it’s gonna be adorably decorated and… don’t forget you still need to learn how to actually skate,” cale says, booping your nose. “and, look, we already finished watching everything on our list, so we gotta make a whole new list and we can do that sunday.”

“no. no, look how cold it is outside! and i don’t recall being chilly in the cozy comfort of my own home.”

you fall back when cale tries to reach his hands out to grab yours. “i’ll give you the warmest hoodie i have so you can add it on top of the 50 layers you already habitually put on. i promise, baby ” cale reasons, as you try to fight him off so he couldn’t pull you up. you shoot him a look as he pouts at you, “you love hot chocolate, with whip cream. and i’ll make sure they have marshmallows too, of course.” he continued trying to convince you along with his sweet smile.

rolling your eyes at him. “fine.”

“fine? yes? perfect! oh honey, you’ll have fun, i promise. don’t worry baby.” he says, pulling you into his chest and kissing you everywhere. you scrunched up your face, trying to move the opposite way of his attacking lips. “you let me fall, makar?” you say, sternly pointing him down and giving him a warning look. he throws his arms up, his cheeks beginning to blush naturally, “i won’t, i won’t. never would. you know that.” you scoffed, “you better say that.”

as you made your way to grab some juice, cale sneaked up behind you. “wanna go to costco?” cale suggests enthusiastically, before snuggling his nose into the crook of your neck while wrapping his arms around your waist. you shook your head, “cale, you do know you’re literally the only one that loves going there. not me.”

“lies, you love their selection of snacks and you always eat allllllll the ones i buy. if you didn’t love costco, you wouldn’t eat their — well priced — stuff either.”

“i still prefer sam’s club” you unhesitatingly denote.

cale gasps, dramatically holding his chest as you look up at him. you moved your head down to pour the juice into a cup, and you couldn’t help but break into a tiny smile. he was such a kid.

“y/n, take that back” he whiningly utters. you walked to him, mockingly booping his nose “no”

but you couldn’t hold the smirk back, and cale knew you were just teasing, like always. even if you did hate going to costco, especially because of the impeccably large crowds and the fact that the promoted samples never seem to actually be ready to grab, cale loved it. and you know you always want cale to be happy.

—

the following day, you did not hesitate to grab the hoodie cale mentioned you could use from his closet. as you stand in the mirror, what’s accompanying the sweater and your puffer jacket, is a “heat tech” t-shirt, a thick long sleeve, some long johns below your fleece sweats and your long and fat scarf wrapped around your neck. you also quickly yanked cale’s favourite beanie from his drawer which was a compromise he was willing to make despite having to dig for another hat to wear.

cale couldn’t help but laugh at the sight of you struggling to put your thick boots on with your million layers. “i don't have to put them on, you know.” you taunted him. “no i’m sorry, i’m sorry. let me help you, here” he said, as he got on his knees to loosen the laces on each of the boots.

when he held one out for you, you snickered. “what? what happened?” he asked innocently, looking up at you. “i like it when you’re on your knees. specifically for me.” you say, running your hands through his hair and tugging just a bit. his reaction was predictable, his cheeks immediately turning flush as he cleared his throat and proceeded to tie your laces back together. you often take much enjoyment in getting him all flustered with your suggestive comments. he just looks really cute.

—

once you arrived at the outdoor rink, you found out it actually wasn’t as cold as you made it seem, but you weren’t going to let cale use that against you so you stayed with every layer you had put on. even if a part of you admits that you admire his cheeky smile whenever he knows he’s right.

before heading towards the ice, cale asks you if you want some hot chocolate first, as you noticed many other couples were heading to the little hut. you said you were fine, preferring the idea of smudging whip cream on his face after skating just in case he does end up dropping you.

sitting on the bench, cale helped you put on your skates before his. a few of his teammates were happy to see you. ej had a mischievous grin on his face as he greeted you. “just let me know when you wanna gang up on your boy.” he whispers in your ear, making you smirk and nod. ej was a gem, he always liked how you would affectionately bug cale. and he was always ready to help you.

“you better look like a stanley cup champion out there.” you tell cale as he grabs your hand. he laughed, “oh i will!”

gripping on his forearms, you finally step onto the ice trying to not immediately slip. cale starts skating backwards, as he lightly pulls you in to follow him, in which you do at a seemingly better rate than the first time he took you to a rink. continuing with the movements, and gaining more confidence on the ice, you mimicked some of cale’s skate tricks seeing where it would take you. you simper as you learned how to take a long stride and break on your own with a ‘t-stop’. and then again but with a ‘plow stop’. though, cale catching you before you could fall.

“see, you are having fun.” cale mentions as he smiles, turning to skate beside you again. “yeah yeah. whatever. i mean it’s more fun when you don’t fall.”

doing laps around the rink, you catch ej looking over at the two of you. so you tilt your head, signalling he could start to fool around. but before he could even make his way over to you or cale, your skate gets caught on a dent in the ice making you swing your arms, sending cale falling back.

he fell on his back, his head didn’t touch the ice — but you didn’t know that. “oww” he whines. you turn to him, softly chuckling at the sight of his sprawled out body. but then he closed his eyes, and held his hand to his head, groaning. “oh shit, cale!” you yelp, falling to your knees to look at him. “did you hit your head?? fuck i told you they should give out helmets here.”

“mm god my head is pounding.” he mumbles, trying to get up. “don’t get up, you could have a concussion. you should know that.” you tell him. he groans once again so you start to internally panic. you just pushed, and potentially injured, your boyfriend who has to go back and play in a couple of days. “shit. cale don’t die. fuck don’t die you have a game in four days and i can’t have your coach hating me for this.”

nate comes around, “hey cale, you okay?” he asks. cale doesn’t move, nor says a thing. you shake his arm, and nothing. “cale!!” you call out. he’s limp.

“oh god i killed him, nate. fuck i’m screwed. no cale wake up. please wake up. come on you rosy cheeked sunshine boy. fucking get uuuuup.” you whine at him, shaking his entire body as much as you can.

“BOO” cale yells, jolting up and grabbing you. you let out a tiny shriek, scrunching your shoulders and closing your eyes. he was in a fit of giggles. “CALE DOUGLAS MAKAR NEVER FUCKING DO THAT.” you cry out.

“i got youuuu” he mocks. you smack his shoulder, not as gently. he smiles, “it’s cute that you thought i died.”

“that’s not funny. i thought you smacked your head.”

“it’s kinda funny.”

“no it’s not.”

pulling him up, everyone else laughed at you two. ej truly surprised cale turned the tables on you. nate patted cale’s back before you started heading over to go get hot chocolate.

“two please.” cale orders before shaking off the snow on his pants. the lady hands you both your cups and you head over to the bench. “so you didn’t hit your head?” you asked cale quietly, looking at him with soft eyes. he smiled, “no, and you didn’t see so i took advantage.” you sneer at him.

as cale blew his hot chocolate, you scooped a bit of the whip cream and hid your hand. “hey, it’s pretty h-” cale began saying before you took a small sip and acted like you burned your tongue. you whimpered in pain, shutting your mouth. “hot it’s pretty hot. are you okay?” he asks, wrapping his arm around you to pull you closer.

that’s when you lifted your hand and smeared the whip cream all over his face, cale gasped. “y/n!!” he exclaimed, wiping off what fell on his eyes. you started laughing at him.

“how dare you. i didn’t even let you fall”

“it’s funny.”

he laughed, despite the way he was still cleaning his face. “it is funny.”

“glad you think so.”

he grabs your cup and moves it behind him with his own, “that’s enough for you.” you still had a smile on your face. he moves his finger and dabs a bit of whip cream from his face onto yours. so you grab his blushy cheeks and pull him in for a kiss. his lips were warm and soft and you couldn’t help but feel all lovesick inside. “i love you” you murmured. “i love you more, grumpy”

[ join my taglist if you enjoyed reading! : click here <3 ]

#the winter fic exchange 2k23 #cale makar #cale makar fic #cale makar imagine #cale makar fluff #cale makar x reader #colorado avalanche #colorado avalanche fic #colorado avalanche imagine #nhl fic #nhl fanfiction #nhl imagine #nhl fluff #nhl x reader #nhl writing #hockey fic #hockey fanfiction #hockey imagine #hockey x reader

[eightmakar]

PLEASE SEND ME CALE REQUESFS THIS HAS ME MESSED UP

#Cale makar #Cale Makar smut #cale makar blurb #all hail cale #Cale makar fluff #colorado avalanche smut #Colorado Avalanche

[hockeyshmockey]

Cale Makar- Meant to Be

You weren’t sure what it was, but something had told you you needed to be in Tampa for that Sunday game. You, Taylor and their parents had all been in Denver for Game 5, where no one said it but many thought the cup was going to come home. With the unfortunate loss and the series continuing, you had unfortunately encountered a project at work that would keep you in Denver and wouldn’t allow you to join the team and the Makar’s in Tampa. 

As Cale left Saturday morning, and you started working, the feeling didn’t go away. Something in your gut was telling you to get to Tampa. So, with the blessing of your boss, you worked overnight in the office, hopping on a flight that landed an hour before the puck dropped in Tampa. You barely had time to pull your jean jacket out of your tote bag as the anthem started, and the game began. 

You sat with Cale’s brother and parents through a tough first period, an electric second and a nail biting third. You were sure Taylor’s hand would be sore from how tightly you squeezed it at some points, but as the game clock wound down, you watched as your boyfriend and his teammates became Stanley Cup Champions. 

The four of you had no shame, not bothering to hide the tears on your faces as you jumped up and down, screaming and hugging as the boys piled on the ice. “He did it,” you cried out, his mom pulling you into a hug with a laugh. As people began to file out, the four of you made your way to the lower bowl to watch the trophy come out. 

When Cale was awarded the Con Smythe, you held a hand over your mouth to cover your sobs. You ended up with his Dad’s arm around his shoulder, you crying like a baby as he skated over to accept the trophy. When Lord Stanley himself came out, the four of you all were crying. And as Cale took his lap, his face split in half with a smile, you were sure you were radiating the pouting crying emoji. 

The four of you took countless photos of the boys and their celebrations before you were finally allowed on the ice. “C’mon hun,” Gary tried to usher you in front of him with Laura, but you shook your head. 

“You guys see him first,” you smiled wetly. “Taylor will make sure I don’t wipe out.” The older man smiled back softly with a nod before turning around to offer Laura his arm. 

“He’s going to cry when he sees you,” Taylor predicted with a proud smile as you two linked arms and walked across the ice to where Cale was already hugging his mom.

“I haven’t stopped sobbing yet so we’re even,” your eyes welled again when you saw Cale and his dad slapping backs. “You go on Tay, I’m behind you.”

Taylor squeezed your shoulder before approaching his dad and brother. As he got closer, Cale pulled back with red cheeks, and turned to pull his younger brother in a tight embrace. You slowly walked up, hands clasped over your chest as you beamed. The brothers pulled a part a bit, Taylor tapping Cale’s face. 

“Got one more for you,” Taylor smiled at his brother before pulling back so the blonde could see you. 

“Congrats bubs,” you laughed throw your tears, taking a step forward before the boy skated into your body quickly, lifting you off your feet. 

“You’re here?” he whispered into your hair as he put you back down, arms around your waist like vices. 

“I’m here baby, I’m so proud,” you sniffed, rubbing your hands up and down his back. “This is where you were meant to be.”

#cale makar #coloradoavalanche #Colorado Avalanche #cale makar imagine #cale makar fluff #hockey #hockey imagine #nhl #nhl imagine

[withwritersblock]

~Masterlist~

Requests are open :) ~But I hold the right to delete any request I do not feel comfortable writing Last Edited: 4/27/24

Fluff- ❤︎ Angst-★ Dad Fic- ✿ Spicy (implied smut only)-✖︎

Cale Makar

Say Isn't it Strange pt. 1 ❤︎ pt. 2 ★ Lover ❤︎ Dog Days are Over ❤︎ just like heaven ❤︎

Nathan Mackinnon

The Fall of Home ❤︎✖︎ I'm Gonna Be (500 Miles) ❤︎ Colorado (For the First Time)★ ❤︎

Cole Caufield

5 foot 9 ❤︎ When He Sees Me ❤︎ Shadow in the Sun ★✖︎ Break up in the End ★ Half as Good as You ★ Until I Come Home ❤︎✖︎

Kirby Dach

Small Talk ❤︎ ✖︎ Your Needs, My Needs ★ Love You Goodbye ★✖︎ Say Love ❤︎

Alex Newhook

To Love Someone ❤︎ Heaven ❤︎ Hey ★✖︎

Luke Hughes

Champagne Supernova ★ I Miss You ★✖︎ More Hearts Than Mine - a series It Wasn't Easy to be Happy for You ★ I Was in Love ★✖︎ Too Sweet ❤︎✖︎ Caffeine ❤︎ Lover Boy - a series Everywhere, Everything ★ End of Beginning ❤︎★

Nico Hischier

Isn't She Lovely ❤︎✿ because i liked a boy★

Jack Hughes

Espresso ✖︎❤︎

#nhl imagines #cale makar #nhl #cale makar imagines #cale makar x reader #colorado avalanche #colorado avalanche imagines #nhl fic #nhl x reader #cole caufield imagines #cole caufield fluff #cole caufield x reader #cole caufield imagine #cole caufield #montreal canadiens #montreal canadiens imagines #hockey x reader #hockey imagines #hockey #kirby dach x reader #kirby dach imagines #kirby dach #juraj slafkovsky #Nathan mackinnon #alex newhook #alex newhook imagines #masterlist #fanfic #luke hughes x reader #Luke Hughes

[ahonice]

Until Now

Until Now

Cale Makar x Reader x Tyson Jost

Warnings: drinking, toxic relationships, some sexual scenes but no actual smut (ok maybe a little smut, depends on what you define it as).

WC: 11k (got a little carried away sorry babes)

*Some things might not actually match up to the real life timeline and something just straight up never happened, this is a work of fiction.*

*March 15th 2022*

“I don’t understand why you’re getting so upset.”

That phrase only made you more upset. Tyson had just found out he was being traded a couple hours before and he immediately began packing his things, and yours.

“Tyson I cannot just pick up my life and move across the country. My friends are here, my family is here, I have a job that I love here, I am not leaving.” 

“If any of the other guys were traded their partners wouldn’t have to think twice about going with them. Why do you have to be so difficult? Quit your job, I can provide for the two of us, and we can come back to visit during the holidays. All I want is my girlfriend and for us to be there for each other.”

“No, what you want is a trophy wife and I will not be that. This is over Tyson, thanks for the headstart on packing my shit. I’ll be back in the morning to get all my stuff.”

***

You had plenty of options of where to stay overnight, plenty of them having no ties with Tyson or any of the Avalanche players for that matter, but you still found yourself at Cale’s front door. After knocking and getting no answer you began heading towards the stairwell but the sound of a door opening stopped you.

“Y/n? What are you doing here? It's late, come in.” 

“He is getting traded.”

“I know, it’s so unfortunate, I’m gonna miss him.”

Cale didn’t just assume you were leaving your life in Colorado behind, you appreciated that.

“We broke up. He wanted me to just drop everything and follow him like I’m some sad little puppy who can’t function without its owner.” 

“Oh. Well, do you need somewhere to stay tonight?”

Yes. “No. Just wanted a friend to talk to, I don’t really know what I’m supposed to do now.”

And that is what Cale was that night, a friend for you to talk to, as well as a friend who did not let you leave once the both of you realized it was almost 3am and gave you his guest bed to sleep on.

 ***

You had called out of work on your way to Cale’s last night knowing you wouldn’t be able to bring yourself to teach rambunctious high school students about whichever history course of yours they were enrolled into. 

Walking out of the guest room you were met with an empty apartment, which was to be expected as the Avalanche had a practice scheduled at this time. I cleaned up any mess I made in the guest bedroom and tidied up around the living room, texting Cale a thank you for everything before slipping out of his apartment and heading over to yours.

***

“Where did you go last night? None of your friends could tell me where you were, I was worried sick.”

The first words to come out of Tyson’s mouth upset you more than they probably should’ve.

“I’m not yours to worry about anymore Tyson.”

You walked towards the bedroom without another word, more rage blinded you as you saw all of your things Tyson had previously packed now out of their boxes and put back where they used to belong. 

Before you were able to yell out towards your ex you felt a presence at the door.

“I’m not breaking the lease, this is where you live too. I’m not just gonna leave you with nowhere to stay, I’m not that cruel.” 

“I can’t afford this place by myself, you know that.”

It was true, while you loved your job, you were still a public school teacher in a very underfunded school district. Tyson always offered to just cover all of the rent, but ended up settling for a 70/30 split rent, you insisted on helping out even if it was the smallest amount of money. 

“I know, I paid for the next three months in advance. If you plan on moving out please just wait three months, I know you don’t like money wasted.”

“Tyson, you didn’t have to do that.”

“I know.” He trailed off realizing the time. “I should go, I have a flight to catch.”

You nodded, sniffling. You don’t know when you teared up, but they were now clouding your vision. 

“Baby, please don’t cry. I know we aren’t together anymore, but I don’t want to lose contact with you. Please reach out to me, I know I will reach out to you.”

“What about Cleo?” 

Cleo, the cat you two had together, had never been Tyson’s biggest fan. You liked to blame it on her not liking men, but Tyson always fired back with a “She loves Cale.” That was true, she loved Cale, probably more than she loved you.

“She can stay here with you, she would probably run away if I took her.”

You laughed at his statement.

“She would miss Cale too much anyways. “ You joked. “Thank you.”

“Of course, you know she loves you more than me.”

“No Tys, thank you for everything. These past three years have been amazing, I love you.”

“I love you too Y/n.” His phone ringing interrupted him. “I really need to go, my uber is here. Don’t be a stranger Y/n, I expect to be hearing from you.”

***

*April 11th 2022*

Tyson definitely reached out more than you did, but he still got the occasional message from you with an update on Cleo or something that happened to you during work that day. He did get a picture of you in the jersey he sent just days after he moved out, the green material and the number 10 feeling foreign on you, having never worn anything with “JOST” on it that wasn’t navy or maroon. 

Almost a month later you sat in your apartment watching the Wild game, wearing Tyson’s jersey cuddled up with Cleo, who you had somehow gotten to wear the Wild bandana Tyson sent a few days ago, sending him a selfie of the two of you with a text message right after saying, “Rooting from you, Cleo isn’t suffering in that bandana for you to lose the game!” 

A knock on your door interrupted the trance you had been in while watching the game, your first plan to ignore whoever was at your door was abandoned as the person continued knocking, now almost banging on the door.

You cautiously opened the door, immediately fearing who or what could be behind that door.

“Hey.”

It was Cale.

“Hey Cale, what’s up.”

“I haven’t seen you in a while, just wanted to check in. You’ve been ignoring my messages and calls, I know because you’ve been ignoring everyone else.”

He has a right to sound as upset as he is. Cale, as well as all the rest of the Avalanche roster and their partners, have been given the cold shoulder ever since Tyson moved, but after almost two weeks of radio silence they had all seemed to give up, all but Cale.

“Look Cale I’m really sorry but I just couldn’t bring myself to be around his friends. Everything reminds me of him.”

“Is that why you’re wearing his jersey right now? To help get him off your mind?”

“Cale–”

The Canadian wouldn’t let you finish what you were gonna say.

“I’m taking you out to eat, I know you’re hungry. Go change.”

Cale always knew how to read you because you were starving. He made his way inside, shutting the door behind him and immediately making his way towards Cleo who was still laying on the couch. He pet her, quickly pulling off the Wild bandana she wore and making a mental note to buy her an Avalanche one.

“I can tell she has missed you. If you were anyone else she would be in my bedroom hiding.” You spoke, walking out of the bathroom is an old hoodie rather than Tyson’s jersey you were wearing just moments prior.

“I missed her too, did Tyson not want her?”

“No, he knows she doesn’t like him, she doesn’t like any men.” You spoke with a chuckle.

“She likes me.”

“That’s because you’re special Cale.”

He blushed as the two of you walked out, not even realizing you forgot your phone on the coffee table in the living room. A text from Tyson lighting up your phone reading, “I miss my girls, when I’m in Denver next can we meet for dinner?”

***

“There is no way that actually happened.” Cale laughed, nearly choking on his coffee. 

He had taken you to Waffle House as that was the only open that sounded somewhat appetizing, you had arrived nearly two hours before, the two of you getting lost in the conversation talking about anything and everything, which was now leading to the senior prank that was pulled last year.

“I swear, they took the tires off of the principal's car and placed them in the trophy display case.” 

“That is so funny, did they get in trouble?”

“Oh yea, they were suspended and weren’t allowed to walk at graduation, but I think it was worth it. It was hilarious.”

Soon the laughter faded out into a comfortable silence.

“We should probably head back, it’s almost 9pm. I’ve got work in the morning.” You said, even though you never wanted this night to end. 

***

Cale walked you up to your front door, claiming he wanted to see Cleo one more time.

“You know you can come see her whenever you want to? I’ll unmute your contact info, I was wrong to try and ignore you.”

“You had your reasons, but yes please do that. I’ve missed you.”

“I’ve missed you too.” You trailed off not knowing what to do, the tension in the air feeling all but friendly. Luckily the sound of your phone ringing cut through it, you quickly shuffled to where you had left your phone hours before. The screen lighting up with the name “Tyson 🤍” you never brought yourself to change his contact name. 

“It’s Tyson, tonight has been very fun. We should do it again soon, just message me whenever you're free.” Cale nodded, a quiet “Goodbye.” leaving his lips as he walked out the door.

You answered the phone, letting out a breath you didn’t even know you were holding in.

“Hey Tyson.”

“Where were you?” 

“Tys–”

“No! You haven’t answered me in hours, i know you couldn’t have been sleeping because you keep your ringer one so where were you? Are you okay?”

His last question did not match his angry tone at all.

“I was out with a friend and I left my phone in the apartment. Tyson you have no right to yell at me like that.”

“Y/n I was worried, am I not allowed to be worried about my girlfriend?”

“Ex-girlfriend. Tyson, if I have to remind you that we are broken up one more time I don’t think I can play along with this whole “friends” act. I am not yours to worry about anymore.”

“Fine.”

“Tyson please stop messaging me, it is for the best. We both need to move on, our relationship is over and there is nothing we can do to fix it. Agreeing to stay friends was a big mistake.”

“There is something that we can do to fix our relationship, you can come move out here with me. I still love you Y/n and I know you still love me. Leave your job, I found a private school twenty minutes away from the arena that needs teachers.”

“Would you just stop it Tyson! We are over. I'm not leaving my life in Denver, I am done having this conversation with you. Goodbye Tyson, please stop contacting me.”

“Wait no Y/n please–”

You hung up before Tyson could finish his sentence.

***

 The next day Tyson would not stop calling you, during the school day you had to turn your phone completely off because “do not disturb” wasn’t even helping. By the time you arrived back at your apartment you’d had enough.

“Enough Tyson! I told you to leave me alone I’m blocking you–”

“Woah put the claws away, it’s just me.”

Cale.

“Oh I’m sorry Cale, I thought Tyson was calling me again.”

“Is he bothering you? Because I can talk to him for you.”

“No Cale it’s nothing you want to get involved in I promise.”

“Do you wanna meet for a late dinner after my game is over?”

“Yea I’d love to, good luck tonight by the way.”

You could hear his smile over the phone as he suggested you wear one of his jerseys tonight.

“--and put Cleo in that new Avalanche bandana I sent you.”

“Will do Cale, but I should probably go. I’ll see you later.”

“Goodbye Y/n,”

***

The knock on your door pulled you out of your trance, quickly lowering the volume on your speaker as you walked towards the door to answer it.

“Hey Cale, you can come in, just give me a second to change and grab my shoes.” 

“Ok, take your time.” His breathing stopped as he saw you turn around, his name and number branded on your back. He quickly walked towards the couch to take a seat, noting what songs were playing over your speakers so he could play it in the car.

“What artist is this?” He asks as you walk out of your bedroom, still in his jersey, but in jeans instead of the sleep shorts you were wearing when you answered the door.

“Harry Styles, he is one of my favorite singers ever.”

“Oh yea the one from that band, you went to see him in concert last year?”

You found it sweet that he remembered. Tyson had joined you at the concert but couldn’t even bother to learn the name of the artist, who you so lovingly adore. 

“Yea I did, it was one of the best concerts I’ve ever been to. I’ve been listening to him since he was in One Direction and I just love his music so much. I’ve begun collecting his merch, and I think I’m gonna start collecting his records. I don’t even have a record player though.” You looked up trying to catch your breath, “Sorry I didn’t mean to ramble, I don’t mean to annoy you.” You spoke looking down again, a blush forming on your cheeks.

Cale gently grabbed your chin, making me look up at him, “You don’t need to be sorry, I don’t think you realize how adorable it is when you’re talking about something you love.” 

“Be careful, if someone else heard you say that they might think you’re flirting with me.” You chuckled out.

“Well they would be correct.” Cale paused for a moment “We should go, I don’t know how busy Waffle House is going to be right now.” He finished while walking out your door leaving you standing in your living room too stunned to move.

“Did he actually just say that?”

“Yes I did, can we go now? I’m hungry.”

***

“Is everything ok? You’ve been silent all night.” Cale said. It was true, but he had just dropped a bomb on you.

“Did you mean what you said? That you were flirting with me? Do you actually not find it annoying when I talk? Because if you’re just here to pity me because of Tyson then just leave.” You blurted out, immediately embarrassed by your short rant.

“No Y/n, not at all. Nothing you could do would ever annoy me. Did Tyson ever make you feel that way? Because I will beat him up.”

“Cale, please, stop. Let's just forget about it, I don’t like talking about it.” 

“Ok, but please eat your food before I do. Somehow I’m still very hungry.

***

“Cale, we should probably head back, it’s almost 1am.”

“Oh my goodness I didn’t even realize how late it was getting, I just lose track of time when I’m with you.” Cale spoke while standing up and gathering his things, “-And I don’t mean that in a bad way, I really enjoy spending time with you.” 

“Thank you Cale, I appreciate you.” You said while following his actions. “I don’t think you realize how good it feels to hear those words, especially when the person saying them is being genuine.”

***

Cale knew there was something off about your relationship with Tyson, even before he had moved to Minnesota. The way you responded to compliments and criticisms spoke enough on how poorly Tyson had treated you, he wanted to make that right. He wanted you to accept compliments without arguing, and he wanted you to know that no criticism that was thrown your way would change the way he felt about you. Cale wanted you, he always had ever since the night he met you almost three years ago, the same night you met Tyson.

*May 9th 2019*

The Avalanche decided to celebrate their season coming to an end at a club in downtown Denver. That club just so happened to be where you were working as a bartender, the job you had while in college. 

“We better be making good tips tonight, these guys make like one million dollars a year.”

“Don’t be a bitch and that won’t be an issue.” You spoke laughing at your friend, Callie’s, reaction.

“Put your tits away Y/n.” She fires back while walking away to her side of the bar. You laugh while you finish preparing your side of the bar.

Soon enough it was time for the team to come up to the private floor, you had no idea how they would act. Would they be respectful? Would they be creepy? Either way you need to get those tips, college is expensive. 

“Y/n if you pull your tits out anymore i think you would flash them.” Callie said, fake judging you.

“I need money, and your ass is out Callie.”

“I also need money.” The two of you laughed but were quickly silenced by the sound of footsteps outside the door.

Your coworker led them inside and they all took seats, some at booths and some at the bar. You immediately began taking orders and working on drinks, trying to get everything done as quickly as possible as to have a little down time before the next rush of orders came through. After about 15 minutes the bar had died down and you were able to start talking, more gossiping than anything, with Callie. 

“That blonde with the red cheeks has not stopped staring at you, like not once has he even blinked.” Callie told you, not bothering to be quiet because no one was around, or so you had thought.

“I have also not taken my eyes off of you since I got here.” 

You and Callie quickly turned around to see a boy with curly brown hair.

“I���m Tyson by the way and you are?” Tyson gestured over towards you, making sure you knew who he was talking about. 

“I’m Y/n.” 

“And I’m Callie, not that either of you are acknowledging my existence right now.”

You giggled and apologized about your friend before falling into conversation with Tyson.

“So you aren’t old enough to drink, but you are old enough to be a bartender? How does that make sense.” 

“You have to be 18 to serve alcohol, 21 to drink alcohol. It’s just how this country works, you’re gonna have to get used to it Canada.”  

“I don’t mean to interrupt, well yeah I actually do, but Y/n you have a job to do that isn’t flirting with Tyson here.” Callie chimed in, causing a blush to rise to your cheeks.

“I am sorry but she is right, I have to get back to work. It was very nice meeting you though.” Tyson gave you a smile before you turned to take orders and make drinks for his teammates.

As you were making a drink someone sat down in the stool in front of you, the blonde Callie pointed out earlier who “hadn’t taken his eyes off you”. 

“Hey can I get you anything?” You asked, setting the whiskey sour down for the man who had ordered it.

“Do you have apple juice?” The blonde asked.

“I believe we do, would you like that with vodka? Or what do you want?” You asked back, a little confused because that wasn’t a question you were asked before.

“No, can I have just apple juice? I’m not old enough to drink and water is boring.” He said avoiding eye contact with you.

“Of course, just give me a second to find it.” You responded while looking around the bar for the bottle of apple juice. Handing the cup to him after you finished pouring it, he began asking about you and why you’re working as a bartender.

“Well I’m actually a student at The University of Denver and I work here for money to pay off my loan debt.” You told him. “I am a few days away from finishing my second year of school, so don’t worry about ordering apple juice, I would also have to order that if I were on the other side of this bar. I’m only 19.” 

“You aren’t allowed to drink alcohol, but you can make and serve alcoholic drinks? How does that make sense?” He asked you, almost baffled at the news you just told him.

“It confused me too Cale–” Another voice cut in, Tyson took the seat next to the boy who you have now been able to place a name on, Cale. “-Hello Y/n, it is nice to see you again. I was worried my teammates would steal you away from me for the rest of the night.” 

“Well they couldn’t even if they tried cause you would just interrupt them anyways.” You chirped at him, making it obvious that he just walked in on a conversation that you were really enjoying. 

“Alright well I was just gonna order another drink, and also was hoping to talk to you some more. Would it be ok if I joined in on you and Cale’s conversation Y/n?” He asked in a tone, knowing what your answer would be. 

“What would you like to drink Tyson?”

***

“Come on boys, they're closing.” A blonde man came up to grab both Cale and Tyson’s shoulders. They quickly nodded their heads towards the guy grinning at you with some of his teeth missing. Cale opened his mouth to say something, but Tyson had beat him to it.

“Can I get your number Y/n? I wanna take you out sometime.” A blush rose to your cheeks, you weren’t blind he was attractive and you would actually be stupid if you didn’t give it to him. So that’s what you did, not noticing the defeated look on Cale’s face. Tyson beat him by asking you out, but that didn’t mean he couldn’t be your friend.

*May 2nd, 2022*

The first round of playoffs began tonight and you could tell Cale was nervous, but so were you. Not only for your friend, who so deserved to win the cup, but also at the fact that this was the first Avalanche game you would be attending since you and Tyson broke up as well as the first time you would even be speaking and seeing the other players and partners.

“Why don’t you wear my jersey tonight? I know you aren’t wearing your jacket so you’ll need something to wear.” Cale suggested, walking into your apartment already knowing you were struggling to pick out an outfit without even walking into your room. What he didn’t know was that you had your headphones on so you didn’t hear him come in or speak to you, Cale also didn’t know that you were only dressed in your underwear while rummaging through your closet. His eyes nearly bulged out of his head as a crimson color crept up to his cheeks, sure he has seen you in a swimsuit before, but this was just different. He quickly turned around and tried to make his way out of your room unnoticed, tried to. He ran into your bedside table while walking out, causing your lamp to tumble over, and making you jump in reaction. Quickly whipping your head around and saw a very red Cale looking at the blue lace that covered your intimates, rubbing his neck in shame.

“Oh Cale, I’m sorry I didn’t hear you come in.” 

He was surprised at your tone, why weren’t you the littlest shocked at him seeing you basically naked, did you want him to see you like that? Were you into him like he was into you? He cut his own thoughts off.

“I’m so sorry, um I’ll just be in the living room waiting.” He spoke before basically running out of your room. You found it adorable how flustered he got, it was just some skin you didn’t really see the big deal.

You quickly got dressed in one of Cale’s jerseys and some black leather pants. Putting on some accessories and your signature perfume before walking into the living room and bending over to put on your booties, catching Cale staring at you once again. 

You would be lying if you said you weren’t attracted to Cale, you always had been ever since the night you had met him. But nothing could ever happen, you were with Tyson, well you used to be. Cale was there for you whenever you needed it, he was everything you wanted in a partner. He was everything Tyson was and more. Maybe you did begin flirting with Cale a bit more noticeably a few weeks after the break up, but could anyone blame you it's Cale fucking Makar. 

“Ready to go?” you asked, turning to face him. He nodded in response quickly getting up, you could finally get a good look at his game day suit and god did he look good. Hiding the crush you had on him was getting harder and harder every moment. 

***

“Y/n! Ugh I have missed you so much!” Mel was quick to greet you once you stepped into the friends and family box. You had no idea how everyone would react to you attending an Avalanche game not as Tyson’s girlfriend, but as Cale’s friend. 

“Hey Mel, sorry I haven’t been in contact–” The captain's wife was quick to shut down your apologies.

“Don’t. I know it couldn’t have been easy to constantly surround yourself with things that remind you of him. I was a little surprised when Cale told us that you guys had been spending all your time together.” 

“Yea he has been a great support system for me, it feels nice to be friends with him again.”

It was known that after your relationship with Tyson had become something more serious, moving in together and getting a cat, that you and Cale had drifted apart from one another. He was your closest friend, you would’ve even considered him your best friend, but Tyson wasn’t a fan of the two of you. He claimed that he didn’t trust Cale because he had ulterior motives and didn’t just want to be your friend. 

“You’re not dating? Oh I’m sorry Gabe mentioned that you and Cale had been going on dates, I just assumed.” Your eyes widened at not only the assumption, but also at the bedazzled jean jacket with Cale’s name and number on it that was brought for you. You just shook your head at Mel’s apologies and took the jacket from her. “Maybe I’ll wear it to the next playoff game.” You told her with a fake smile on your face. Had you and Cale actually been going on dates without even realizing it? Did Cale think you were going on dates and you were the one in the dark about it?

***

You continued to attend all of the playoff games that took place in Denver and by the end of the first round it felt like you had never lost contact with everyone. They were kind enough to never mention Tyson in front of you, knowing it was still a hot topic and you appreciated that a lot more than they could ever know. You had to have Mel and Sydney stop you from texting Tyson, apologizing for the loss but also congratulating him on finishing the season with the Wild.

 With Cale being so busy you haven't been able to hang out with each other, but you’re still texting and calling whenever the both of you are available. Tonight was the first game of the second round and you were trying to figure out what to wear and that damn jean jacket was just staring at you from its spot in your closet.

 “It wouldn’t be horrible to wear it, I mean just because I’m wearing it doesn’t mean we’re together I’m just wearing a jacket, just like how I wear his jersey.” You spoke to yourself, an internal battle happening in your mind as you finally slipped the denim over your shoulders. 

“Do you still have my jean jacket?” A voice that was all too familiar to you spoke from the entryway of your room. Tyson. “You know you should probably stop keeping the front door unlocked, who knows what kind of weirdo could just walk in.”

You slowly turned around, tears welling in your eyes as you looked at the man who you had loved so much. His hair was grown out and he wasn’t clean shaven anymore, he looked different. 

“Tyson, what- um how- what are you doing here?” On any other occasion you would’ve been embarrassed by stumbling over your words but you were too shocked to care, the tears that had been settling in your eyes finally began falling as neither of you spoke, both keeping your eyes on each other scared that if you looked away that they would no longer be there.

His presence shouldn’t bother you this much, you shouldn’t allow him to bother you this much. 

“My season is over, I wanted to come down to support the team. They’re still my friends even if we aren’t on the same roster anymore.” He answered while walking towards you, him just being centimeters away from you by the end of his statement. 

“No, what are you doing here Tyson? Why are you in my apartment?” You ask softly, trying to hide yourself from him. You didn’t want Tyson to see you in such a vulnerable state. 

Tyson reaches up to gently grab your face, his thumbs wiping your tears away as he leans into your lips. As much as you wanted to fight him, and to not let him kiss you, you couldn’t stop yourself from falling into the kiss and wrapping my hands around him, managing to bring him closer to you. The kiss quickly deepens as you walk back towards your bed.

“I’ve missed you.” Tyson spoke in between kisses. His hands began roaming your body, but stopping as he touched the jewels that spelt out “MAKAR” on your back.

“I need you to take his name off of your back.” Tyson said, the jealousy was apparent in his voice.

Tyson knew that Cale always had a thing for you, he was horrible at hiding it. Tyson was never the biggest fan of you being friends with Cale, he didn’t trust the younger Canadian knowing that Cale had been in love with you since you met the both of them that night in May, Tyson had been too.

“Tyson, we need to stop this.” you said, pulling away from him. His lips chasing yours before letting out a sigh.

“Why? I am off of work all summer and so are you? Please can we just be together again? Be us again? I miss you so fucking much and I don’t know if I can keep doing this without you by my side. It was horrible after we broke up, I cannot function without you. Please Y/n, at least just consider going on a date with me? I’m in Denver for the next month and a half, I’m staying at a hotel.” Tyson rambled as you considered his words, you were doing horrible as well nothing Cale or any of your other friends could do or say was able to fully close up the hole in your heart that Tyson left you with.

“You can stay here, there is a guest room. No need for you to pay for a hotel room.” You whispered, shocking yourself with the offer. Him staying with you for almost two months would probably be one of the worst mistakes in your life, but you didn’t want him staying in a hotel, you knew how much he hated them.

“Y/n thank you, I hate-” Tyson started. “Staying in hotels. I know.” You finished.

“Can we skip the game please, go get some dinner and talk about everything. I think that is what we need, to just go over everything that happened and how we are feeling.” Tyson suggested to you, a little nervous that you would say no. 

Your heart spoke before your brain could, “Yea I think that would be what’s best for us moving forward.”

***

You quickly changed into a dress and some heels, Tyson changing into a dress shirt and slacks. He had made reservations for the two of you at your favorite Italian place before he had even got to your apartment because he knew you would say yes, you hated him for knowing you so well. You walked out after putting your favorite earrings on, the ones you haven’t worn since the last date you had gone on with Tyson.

“You’re wearing my earrings.” Tyson muttered so quietly you almost didn’t hear it. 

“They’re beautiful Tyson, of course I’m going to wear them. You also put a lot of thought into the gift, they mean a lot to me.” You were fully aware that Cale had gone out and bought your anniversary gift for Tyson because he had no idea what to get you, and Cale had seen you eyeing that pair of earrings every time you went window shopping with him, he even saw the tabs open on your computer once, one of them being the link to the online shop that sold those earrings. They were all you could’ve ever wanted as a gift, and Tyson didn’t even know that. 

“We should get going before we miss our reservations” He said standing up, ending the slight stare down the two of you were having, you wanted him to admit he didn’t get you those earrings but he never would. That was the biggest issue, your relationship was built on lies.

***

“Please be my girlfriend again” 

Tyson didn’t even wait for the hostess who showed you to your table to leave before speaking.

“Tyson–”

“Y/n I have been so miserable since you left me, I’m not eating, I’m not sleeping, my game has been complete shit. Without you I am nothing, I need you back. I fucked up, I know that, but please if you just give me a second chance I will be the loving boyfriend that you deserve. Please Y/n.” He pleaded, tears building up in his eyes. 

“Tyson, can we please just treat this like a normal date and discuss our future in private.” He nodded as you both quickly shoved your heads into the menu, even though you both knew what you would be getting already.

***

Dinner was filled with the two of you catching up, you telling him about the things you have been up to since he moved and him telling you about Minnesota and the team.

“Did you stay close with any of the players or their partners?” Tyson asked after your stories had stopped being shared. 

“No, the only one I talked to and saw on a regular basis was Cale. I kind of shut everyone out except for him after we broke up, but I’ve started to go to games again. Which reminds me I need to inform them that I’m alive and just missing the game tonight.” You said while pulling your phone out to see a few texts already.

From: Mel🏒❤️

Hey! Just wondering if you were dead or not lol.

From: Mel🏒❤️

I’m gonna assume you’re not coming tonight, hope everything is ok. Text me when you can.

From: Mel🏒❤️

Text Cale too. He is worried.

From: Makar🥰

Hey Y/n after the game tonight could you go down to the tunnels with Mel and Syd? I want to talk to you.

From: Makar🥰

Mel just told me you aren’t up in the box with them, are you gonna be late to the game?

From: Makar🥰

Is everything alright Y/n? It isn’t like you to ignore messages.

From: Makar🥰

Text me whenever you see this so I know you’re ok, I’m going out onto the ice now, I hope you’re watching from wherever you are.

You quickly typed a response to Mel’s texts.

To: Mel🏒❤️

Hey I’m alive. Tyson is in town, came by my apartment and now we’re at dinner discussing everything. Tell the girls I’m sorry I couldn’t make it and if Cale asks anything do not mention Tyson please, just tell him I’m sick and that I just needed rest.

From: Mel🏒❤️

Oh shit.

You chuckled lightly at the text before going into your conversation with Cale.

To: Makar🥰

I am so sorry Cale but I woke up super sick this morning and needed some rest, sorry I didn’t text earlier I’ve been sleeping all day. Good job on the game today! Cleo and I were rooting for you the whole time!❤️❤️

You sent the text congratulating him on the game even though it was only the 1st period, he probably wasn’t going to see it until after the game had ended.

“Everything ok?” Your head shot up, having forgotten about the real reason why you were not in attendance at the game the voice of your ex startled you.

“Yea I just had to text Mel quickly, what were we talking about?” You asked, placing your phone in your purse.

“How you just began attending Avalanche games recently.” He answered.

“Oh yea, I felt a bit awkward going after we broke up but Cale convinced me to go for the playoff games. The girls have been super nice about everything. I was scared they would hate me for having cut off our communication with them, but they said they understood why I did it.” You explained while playing with your food, a habit you displayed when you were nervous.

“So how is Cale?” Tyson's question shouldn’t have shocked you as much as it did.

“Oh um he is great. He has had an amazing season, hasn’t he been texting you bragging about everything he has accomplished?”  You didn’t know if you should tell Tyson about how close the two of you had become in the two months he has been gone, afraid of his reaction. 

“Well he has blocked my number and all of my socials so the only updates I get on him are through the boys, but they usually just talk about the two of you when I ask about him. They say that the two of you have been going on dates and spend every night together, and that he asked for a playoff jacket to be made for you with his name and number on it. Is there something you’re not telling me Y/n?” 

With Tyson there is no trust, he gets extremely jealous and once he has the thought of you being with someone else he fixates on it and sees the guy as a threat. You would say his only threat is Cale. 

“Tyson, nothing is going on with me and Cale. We’re just friends, if you can’t trust me then why should I bother attempting to rekindle our relationship if you can’t trust me and my best friend.” You spoke, frustration clear in your tone. You could tell that you were making those around you uncomfortable so you proposed that the two of you pay the check and continue your conversation in a more private place, or just somewhere that wasn’t filled with happy couples.

***

“Are you sure nothing happened between you and Cale while I was gone.” Tyson asked for what felt like the 100th time, but it was probably just the third or fourth.

“Yes Tyson, for the last time nothing happened between us and nothing is happening between us right now. But if anything did happen you aren’t allowed to be upset, we are broken up. I can do and see whoever I want and so can you.” You basically yelled at the boy who sat on your couch.

“I don’t want to be with just anyone, I want to be with you Y/n. Am I not making that clear enough because I think I’ve said that plenty of times tonight.” Tyson yelled back. 

“Let's just calm down, I’m gonna go change, you can turn on the tv. Play the game or something.” You told him before turning to walk towards your bedroom. 

Once you’ve entered the room to search for a shirt to wear over your spandex, you saw one of Tyson’s Wild shirts sitting on top of your bed. One of your favorite habits of his, he always left a shirt out for you to change into after a night out. Contemplating whether or not you should put it on or just find another shirt to wear, you decide to just put on Tyson’s shirt thinking you’ve hurt his feelings enough for one night. 

Quickly putting some fuzzy socks on you walk out to the living room, freezing at the sight.

“I think she missed me.” Tyson was cuddled up with Cleo, she was wearing a jersey that had his number on it but the name said “DADDY” you were amazed at how he was able to get it on her as well as wondering where the hell he found a jersey that fits a cat.

“Please tell me you didn’t order a custom jersey for our cat.” You said trying to hide your laughter.

“I did, but don’t worry it's a jersey meant for a baby. I’m not that crazy to order a jersey made for a cat.” He responded, as Cleo went to lay on his chest.

“I wouldn’t put it past you.” He gave you a fake glare before laughing and patting the spot next to him. “I can tell she misses you, I would find her cuddled up in your old dresser sometimes with some of the clothes you left here.” He smiled at that and situated himself and Cleo so that you could sit next to them. 

“The avalanche game ended, they won, now it’s just playing the highlights.” He whispered to you, your bodies so close that a volume louder would cause a headache. You nodded and focused on the tv, well tried to focus. You and Tyson had broken up 2 months ago, which meant it had been 2 months since you had sex, and god were you frustrated. Sure you had a vibrator, but nothing was gonna beat actual sex, especially sex with Tyson. Thinking about it made it worse, so you shifted on the couch uncomfortably, crossing your legs to try and relieve some of the tension in your body, before looking at the TV, which was showing a compilation of Cale’s three goals, he got a fucking hat trick and you weren’t there to see it. You quickly picked up your phone to send a text to him.

To: Makar🥰

Congratulations on your hat trick tonight!! I cannot believe I missed it, I am so sorry. I’ll be there for your next one though 😁❤️

“What does he want?” Tyson asked, annoyed while looking at the contact in your phone.

“I’m just congratulating him on his hat trick tonight, and apologizing for not being able to attend the game.” You answered with a sigh, leaning over the couch and setting your phone down on the table in front of you. Which gave Tyson a very nice view of your ass. Was it a horrible idea to sleep with your ex while he is trying to win you back, or just in general? Absolutely, but you don't care, you just need to have a release. You stayed bent over, deciding to text Mel just to try and get Tyson a little riled up. 

To: Mel🏒❤️

Girl I know this is a bad idea but I think I’m gonna sleep with Tyson😭 

To: Mel🏒❤️

I haven’t had an orgasm in two months, seriously if he doesn’t fuck me I don’t know what I’m gonna do. Wish me luck!! 

From: Mel🏒❤️

Get that dick babe!! 

From: Mel🏒❤️

But seriously the second he leaves Denver I’m setting you up with someone. This has to be a one time thing, you’re better off without him.

You smiled at the messages before turning your phone on do not disturb and setting it down, missing a message from Cale.

From: Makar🥰

Hey Y/n, I’m coming over to your place. Hope it’s ok because I’m almost there.

From: Makar🥰

I’m bringing soup and tea, I assume you’re asleep so I’ll just let myself  in.

Unaware that Cale was on his way you sat back down on the couch leaning your body onto Tyson’s. You hoped he would’ve picked up on your signals, but he just wrapped his arm around you and did nothing else.

“Tyson how many more signals  am I gonna have to give you until you fuck me.” You whispered in his ear, and that was it. 

His mouth instantly found yours, your tongues fighting for dominance as he grabs your hips to straddle his own. 

Soon the clothes were coming off, Tyson was in just his boxers as you were only in Tyson’s Wild shirt. The marks being left on your neck made the shape of a T, one of Tyson’s favorite things to do during sex, it claimed you as his. He began lifting your shirt up, not all the way, but just enough to be able to latch his mouth onto your nipple. So caught up in the moment, your moans and his grunts caused by your bare core grinding against his clothed one, you didn’t hear your front door unlock and the sound of footsteps entering your apartment. You did however hear the sound of soup hitting the floor, you felt it too. You yelped, catching Tyson’s attention whose first instinct was to protect you. He quickly pushed you onto the couch and moved up to cover you, he still didn’t know who had entered your apartment. 

“What the fuck are you doing here.” Cale yelled towards your ex, your eyes widened as you tried to find your shorts, or anything to cover your exposed bottom half.

“I could ask you the same thing Makar.” Tyson asks, getting angrier by the moment. Cale having a key to your apartment, bringing you things thinking you were sick, and being protective over you did not sit well in Tyson’s stomach. You had spent the whole night trying to convince Tyson that nothing was going on between you and Cale and now all that work was out the window. 

“I knew it, I fucking knew there was something going on between you two. Y/n tried to tell me that nothing was happening but I’ve always known you loved her, you never got over her even after you lost her to me.” Tyson spoke venomously.

“Fuck you Tyson, and you Y/n–” Cale pointed at you. “I’m really disappointed in you. After all this time trying to get over him you just fell back into his trap. Was this your plan all along? To string me along and get my hopes up and then break my heart, because if so you accomplished it. Whore.” That's when Tyson swung and tears welled in your eyes. Cale regained his balance as a face of guilt washed over him, but he left before you could say anything to him or he could say anything to you. 

You quickly got up finding your spandex and put them on before running out the front door to chase after Cale. 

“Where are you going? Are you seriously chasing after him? He just called you a whore.” Tyson yelled as you made your way to the hallway.

“He’s my best friend.” you whispered back towards him, not even thinking he had heard it, but Tyson nodded at you as a way to tell you to go after him.

***

Luckily Cale lived in the same building as you so all you had to do was go up the stairwell to get his floor, but he had some leg and speed advantage on you, as well as a head start because you couldn’t get your damn shorts on, so Cale’s door was shut. 

“Cale open the door.” You said while knocking, more like pounding, on the door. “-Please.” You were met with silence as you continued to beg to be let in. Eventually your legs got tired and you began sliding your back down the door, the tears you had been holding back finally slipping free as you lost control of your breathing. 

“Cale, please.” Your voice was barely there, he wouldn’t be able to hear you unless he was at the other side of the door. “I’m so sorry.” Even if Cale was on the other side of the door your weeps were enough to make the words coming out of your mouth sound like a foreign language.

You continued to cry until you heard the door to the stairwell open.

“Come on Y/n, we have to go. You need to go to bed.” Tyson tried to coax you into coming back to your apartment but you weren’t having it.

“NO TYSON-” you shouted. “-I fucked up ok. I need to make it right, he is my best friend and I cannot leave or go to sleep until I have talked to him.” Your words grew quieter as a new wave of tears washed over you. 

“Baby…” he trailed off before walking over to you, “Let's go Y/n. He doesn’t wanna talk to you right now, you can try again tomorrow. Just give him some space. Come on love, I’ve got you.” Tyson picked you up bridal style, too tired to care you wrapped your arms around his neck and snuggled into his chest, almost immediately falling asleep. Neither you or Tyson heard Cale’s door open or the faint “Y/n.” that left his lips.

***

“Wait so Cale walked in on you and Tyson doing it and called you a whore? What a fucking dick, why does he think he has the right to just enter your apartment and get upset at what he sees.” Mel exclaimed.

You had asked her to meet you for coffee so you could debrief what had happened the night before.

“Mel, I don’t think you’re focusing on the thing I want you to.” you sighed “he told me that I strung him along and broke his heart, do you think he likes me?” 

“Sweetie, is the sky blue? Cale has liked you ever since the night he met you, that same night you met Tyson.” Mel said, laughing shortly after because of your reaction.

“I need to go, I need to talk to him.” You said rushing out the door.

“Good luck Y/n!” You sent a smile before sprinting to your apartment.

***

Luckily the coffee shop was less than a mile away from your complex so you got there quite quickly. Not wanting to deal with the shitty elevator you took the stairs, quickly regretting that decision by the time you got to the third floor, but nonetheless you still made it to his door in one piece, you just couldn’t breath. You quickly recollected yourself before knocking on Cale’s door. 

“Cale, please open up, I need to talk to you.” You said hoping he could hear the desperation in your voice. He did.

His front door opened and you were met with the sight of your best friend who looked just as horrible as you did, possibly even worse. His eyes were red, his nose crusted, and his face puffy and glistening from tears. You would have laughed if the circumstances were different, but right now his appearance crushed you. You had a staring contest, neither of you moving or speaking, your breathing was even rigged. You broke the silence, “Can I come in?” he nodded in response, fully opening his door for you to walk in.

“Look Cale, I am sorry. I shouldn’t have slept with him, well we actually didn’t have sex last night we were just- nevermind, but still that doesn’t give you the right to call me a whore. That hurt Cale.” You said trying your hardest to get the tears out of your eyes.

“I know I’m sorry, that was way out of line, but you have to look at it through my eyes” Cale paused trying to figure out his next words carefully. “-Y/n, I’m in love with you. I have been for awhile, and seeing you with Tyson was horrible, but seeing you broken because of him was even worse. I really thought you were making progress, you were hanging out with the guys and their partners more, you seemed like you were finally you again and to see you just throw all of that out the window because Tyson showed up on your doorstep unannounced hurts the most. What were you thinking Y/n?”

 “I wasn’t. Ok Cale, I wasn’t thinking. Tyson is back and he really wants to get back together with me and have me move out to Minnesota with him. He really wants me to be his again.”

“Do you want to be his again? Do you want to be anyone’s? Why can’t you just be your own person and not settle, not be ok with being claimed as an object by a guy who doesn’t even realize how good he has it with you? If you do move out there, what about your life in Denver? What about your friendships? What about your job? What about us? What about our relationship?”

“Cale you’ll always be my best friend, I’ll always lo–”

“NO DON’T SAY THAT! I don’t wanna be your best friend, I wanna be your boyfriend, your lover, the guy who is there for you no matter what, the guy who loves you no matter what. I want to be the one who lets you see how wonderful you are, to help you gain back that self confidence you lost to Tyson, I want you to see how much you deserve and I wanna give you that and more Y/n. I wanna marry you, I wanna give you your dream wedding, I know you’ve been planning it since you were young. I want to start a family with you, one boy and a girl. We'll name them those names you’ve had picked out since childhood, Dylan and Jane. I know you want Dylan to be older but you would be happy with twins as well. Y/n I want to give you the life you’ve always wanted, the one that you deserve, Y/n I–” 

Cale was cut off by your lips, you had never even thought of spending the rest of your life with Cale, until now, sure you had thought he was cute and over the past couple of months you had gotten much closer with him, but you never had considered that he could be the one for you, until now.

The kiss was desperate on both sides. Cale had wanted to kiss you since the moment he saw you, he wanted to know what you tasted like, if you chewed mint or fruity gum, it was fruity, he wanted to know how you felt wrapped in his arms, he loved it. Pulling away he chased your lips before sighing to himself and letting his head fall onto your shoulder. You welcomed his embrace by wrapping your arms around his torso, staying like that for a while before he felt wetness on his hair and heard your sniffling.

“Hey, hey are you ok? What’s wrong?” Cale asked gently, grabbing your jaw to make you look at him.

“It’s just, ugh it’s stupid-”

“If it is making you cry it isn’t stupid.” Cale told you affirmatively before motioning you to continue.

“Those things you said to me about my future, well our future, were you just saying that or did you mean it?” You whispered, ducking your head to try and hide from him, hoping that wasn’t all just for show.

“Every word of it.” 

You lifted your head to see Cale smiling softly at you, a blush spread across his cheeks. 

“Was it too much? I didn’t mean to overbear you or anything, you just needed to know how I feel.”

“It was a lot, I’m gonna be honest–” you both let out a chuckle, “but it was amazing. That was the sweetest thing anyone has ever said to me, ever.” The blush on both of your cheeks were deepening as you began leaning in, letting your lips mold together once again.

***

It was a few hours later that Cale had to leave to go to the rink, time in between you first showing up and him having to leave was spent kissing, talking, baking cookies, and some more kissing. 

“Will you be there tonight?” Cale asked while double checking he had everything in his bag.

“I don’t know, probably not. I’m telling Tyson that we’re officially over and that I’m not moving with him tonight and I already know that conversation isn’t going to go well.” You answered truthfully, not wanting him to get his hopes up too much.

“Ok.” Cale nodded, picking his bag up and heading out the door.

“I’m sorry. Good luck Makar, score a goal for me tonight.” He smiled as he walked out the door. You stayed on his couch a little while longer before heading out the door and walking up to your apartment. 

***

“Tyson?” You shouted as you walked into your front door, “Are you in here?” You were met with silence, so you walked up to the guest room where he was staying and knocked on the door.

“Tyson?” You asked again, this time in a softer voice. You heard the sound of sniffling coming from the room and decided to enter.

“Tyson are you ok? What is wrong?” You asked, finding him curled up into a ball on the bed, tissues surrounding him.

“I’m getting traded. Again.” He weakly stated. 

“Oh Tys…” You didn’t know what to say, what to do. He had just joined the Wild and they’re already having him pack his bags. “-where are they sending you now?” 

“I have no idea, no one has picked me up yet. Why do they want me gone? I just started with them, am I that horrible at hockey?” 

“No Tyson, don’t say that about yourself. This is what happens in sports, players get traded. You can’t let it affect your game, and your life as well, that’s what happened when you went to Minnesota.” You worried he would take your bluntness the wrong way.

“I know that, it just still hurts.” You hummed at his response, not knowing what else to say. 

“Have you spoken to Cale yet? Or is he still ignoring you?” You instantly froze, how were you supposed to tell him that not only were you not moving back with Tyson, thus telling him you will not be getting back together with him, but also tell him that not only had you made up with Cale, you also made out with Cale.

“Yea, I actually just got back from his apartment. This is probably not the best timing but–”

“You’re not getting back together with me?”

“Tyson. I love you, I always will, but our relationship is not healthy. I need to put myself first, and I get how that might be selfish but I cannot put myself in a relationship that has made me feel unworthy of so much. I’m so sorry.” Now it was your turn to tear up.

“Y/n, I understand. I never thought you would actually come back to me. I’m sorry too, that our relationship made you feel like that, that I made you feel like that.”

“You’re taking this surprisingly well.”

“You belong with Cale, I hope you know that. Obviously I wish that we could be together, but if it's not me it should be Cale. Last night I saw how much it affected you, him being upset with you, and seeing you sitting out there for so long made me realize that not once in our relationship did you fight that hard to make things right with me, I didn’t either. It hurts, but I understand that he means more to you than me, but I love you so much that I wanna see you happy, even if it’s not with me.``

You smiled at him, sitting up and wiping the last of your tears away.

“-but if things don’t end up going well with Cale I’ll always be here.” Tyson added in a jokingly flirting tone causing you to laugh. 

You got up and instantly started getting ready, you were going to the game tonight and you were gonna wear your Makar jacket. 

***

“Oh Y/n you made it!” Mel said enthusiastically when you entered the friends and family box. “How did it go this morning?” She added needing to know all the details.

“Really well…” You trailed off trying to quiet your voice down so those around don’t hear all of your business. “-we actually kissed, like a lot.” 

“YOU GUYS KISSED?” Mel yelled, the opposite of the reaction you were hoping for.

“Shhh Mel come on dude.” You said moving your hands around trying to get her to understand how badly she needed to shut up. “Anyways, we kissed, and he confessed to me and told me all these sweet things like really sweet things that made me cry.” You told her, smiling at the memory of it.

“What kind of sweet things?” Mel asked, wiggling her eyebrows.

“Nothing like that you perv, but maybe I’ll tell you in the future.” You smiled towards your friend before you began paying attention to the game in front of you.

***

The Avalanche ended up winning their game in a shutout, 7-0 and letting them advance into the finals of the Stanley Cup, Cale also got a hat trick tonight. You followed Mel and the other family members towards the dressing rooms to meet up with the players.

You stood there leaned against the wall, nervously playing with your necklace. Gabe had exited the locker room a few minutes earlier and quickly took the attention of Mel, leaving you to your own devices while you wait for Cale, he still didn’t know you were here so you didn’t know how long it would take for him to exit the locker room. 

From: Makar🥰

Hey! Game is over and I just finished up, about to head back to my place. I hope your conversation with Tyson went ok, and I hope I can see you again tonight. Maybe you can go up to my apartment and I’ll meet you there? I’ll pick up some food.

To: Makar🥰

Look up dummy.

Confused, Cale looked up from his phone and met your eyes. His face instantly turned into a smile before he quickly walked over to you and dropped his bags.

“Hey you-” but Cale didn’t let you finish your thought, he grabbed your face and brought his lips down to yours, ignoring the hollering and whistling from the players around him. It wasn’t until Gabe shouted out a “Get a room you two!” Did you guys part from each other.

“You made it. Did you see my goals.” He whispered, a blush coating his cheeks.

“I did, all three of them. Congrats honey.” You whispered back.

“Ugh you’re gonna drive me crazy with that name.” He groaned, his head leaning back.

“Well I don’t have to call you it then, I can just continue to call you Cale.” You teased.

“No no no, please continue to call me that. You’ll get a nickname of your own soon, I just have to find the perfect one. Babe? No, that doesn’t sound natural. Love?”

“Oh I like that one.” You giggled a blush reaching your face.

“Alright love, let's go, I am starving.” Cale said, picking his bags back up off the ground.

“You’re not even gonna acknowledge me wearing your playoff jacket? I’m offended Makar.” You quipped, purposefully walking in front of him so he could see his name and number branded on your back. 

“Oh shit.” He said lowly, obviously flustered at the sight. “You look amazing, like really amazing. My last name looks pretty good on you, wanna take it forever?” He winked as you turned round to face him.

“One thing at a time Makar we aren’t even dating yet.” You said while walking up to his car.

“Well then will you be my girlfriend Y/n?” 

“Of course.”

“Great, now will you marry me?”

“Shut up and drive before I walk home.”

*A/N y’all this is the longest thing i’ve ever written lmao. i hope y’all enjoyed it, i kinda just write things and hope they make sense because planning and proofreading a story is for suckers. but if anything doesn’t actually line up to what happened in real life then oh well it’s a work of fiction. HOPE Y’ALL HAVE A GREAT DAY*

#ahonice #cale makar #tyson jost #nhl imagine #cale makar imagine #tyson jost imagine #colorado avalanche #ahonice writes #fluff #angst

[skjeinon]

sweet-fluffy aftercare time with Cale Makar/Nathan MacKinnon? I feel like it’d be adorable and the best feeling to be wrapped around their arms 🥺

you guys suck at specifying if you mean together or separate so i’m giving you together cause i like it more 😁

18+ (not smut but sexual themes ig and no proofread)

blissed out, cale pulls his boxers on and looks down at you, your hair wild and eyes doughy. “you okay baby?” he spoke softly as he slowly laid back down with you, wrapping his arms around you. you nod, pushing your face into his chest while nathan came back into the room, a warm washcloth in his hand. “spread your legs, honey.” nate’s voice wasnt stern but he definitely spoke with purpose. you let out a soft groan. giving in so that he could clean you up. having both of them inside of you tended to leave a mess but you hated cleaning up when you were so tired. when nate finished, he leaned over, gently kissing your thigh. “good girl… all done.” he walked away, putting the washcloth away. cale gently rubbed his palm over your back, holding you close while your arms clung to him.

nathan came back with a pair of clean panties for you. “y/n.. do you at least want to put some panties on?” he didn’t wanna annoy you, knowing you were tired but he also knew you’d complain if you woke up with none on. reluctantly. you pulled away and let him put them on, complaining as he did so. “yeah i know you hate me.” nate said as he got closer to you. “mhh i don’t hate you.. i just don’t like you right now, just come to bed” you mumbled while he got closer to your face, kissing you quickly.

he got back out of the bed, letting you cuddle back up to cale. now you had your hand in his hair, gently pulling at it and feeling it. the blonde strands were soft and nice to feel. nathan finally settled in, getting into bed behind you. the bed dipped a little due to his size and it always made you giggle. nathan got up behind you, wrapping his arms around your waist, cale having them around your back, sandwiching you between them two. his nose pressed to your nose. the two of them sighed, satisfied with how they had you. “i love you..” they both mumbled, almost at the same time. “i love you both too” you smiled against cales chest.

#cale makar #cale makar imagine #nathan mackinnon imagine #nathan mackinnon #colorado avalanche imagine #colorado avalanche #nhl fluff #nhl fic #18+ #skjeinon answers

[pucked-bunnie]

ABOUT: This is a fan-fiction blog centered around hockey players and the nhl, please not that not all requests will be completed and may be deleted if not within my comfort zone.

BLOG UNDER CONSTRUCTION; SOME LINKS MAY NOT WORK/ARE NOT POSTED YET

⎜ inbox status : closed temporarily⎜

⎜ fic requests : closed temporarily⎜

⎜chat & questions : open ⎜

⎜masterlist: n/a ⎜

⎜prompt list ⎜

⎜masterlist ⎜

⎜who i write for ⎜

nico hischier

timo meier

dawson mercer

alexander holtz

john marino

luke hughes

jack hughes

quinn huges

mat barzal

elias pettersson

trent frederic

jeremy swayman

auston matthews

joseph woll

william nylander

cole caufield

jamie drysdale

matthew knies

seth jarvis

cale makar

⎜genres i write ⎜

horror

thriller

angst

romance

alternate universes (e.g. soulmate au, college au etc.) 

fluff

summer lovin' - l.hughes (requested)

synopsis: a summer down at the lake house always had a way of changing peoples relationships.

oh captain, my captain - n.hischier

synopsis: as the new team nurse of the new jersey devils you knew that staying at arms length with the players was for the best, but injuries can bring out your deepest emotions.

my all star - e.pettersson

synopsis: you’ve been dating for a while now and after receiving an invite to go to the all star weekend with Elias you realise your relationship is about to change.

puppy love - t.frederic (requested)

synopsis: you met him once by accident, you don't know what to do when you start your new job with a little bit of puppy love

shameless flirt - a.matthews

synopsis: working as a team trainer came with many ups and downs, when you pull one of toronto's super stars the downs seem to outweigh the ups - but auston is always willing to bring you back up.

#nhl x reader #nhl imagine #jack hughes #quinn hughes #trent frederic #luke hughes #nhl fic #nhl hockey #nhl #nico hischier #jamie drysdale #jeremy swayman #mat barzal #elias pettersson #cole caufield #joseph woll #william nylander #auston matthews #dawson mercer #timo meier #john marino #alexander holtz #matthew knies

[laurenairay]

you can’t blame a girl for trying - C. Makar

Summary: The night Luna met Cale, she thought her world was going to get turned upside down…so why are all of their dates such disasters? Also known as, the Cale Makar dating fail fic. 4 times a date with Cale failed, and 1 time a date went well.

Word Count: 9.8k words.

Warnings: some bad language, awkward situations, one bloody injury, anxiety, 4+1, fluff

A/N: this has been a work of love over the past few months, a WIP I kept going back and forth from, and I just want to say thanks to @wyattjohnston​ for all of the support and encouragement!

Title credit; Lasso by The Band Perry

also tagging @hockeylvr59​ @fallinallincurls​ @starshine-hockey-girl​

*

Friday night

When I first laid eyes on you, Well, the night just felt so odd, You looked at me and the stars lined up, So I thought I'd heard from God, And I gave him my best shot.

Friday nights were made for dancing, drinking, and letting go of the stresses of the week. At least, that’s what Luna believed. Going out with friends to blow off some steam felt so cathartic, and this evening was no different. She’d come out to one of her favourite bars in Downtown Denver with some friends from work, and she’d danced, sang, and gossiped her heart out, a few shots of vodka easing the way into the weekend. This was her comfort zone for sure, and she knew her confidence turned heads just as much as the loud conversation with her friends did.

A few cute guys had come over to their table, clearly intent on talking to a couple of her friends – which Luna was absolutely cheerleading because get it girls – and she took the time to escape to the bar herself, ready for another drink. It was only when the bartender had taken her order that she noticed a guy staring at her from down the bar. Huh. He was cute, that much was clear even if he wasn’t Hollywood Handsome, and the way his shoulders filled out his shirt definitely caught her eye. Well it couldn’t hurt to hold a conversation of her own while her friends were busy, no? Luna flipped her long dark hair over her shoulder, tilting her head invitingly, and the guy’s eyes widened slightly before he slowly made his away over. She couldn’t remember the last time a guy looked so nervous to talk to her, especially a guy this cute, and it only enthralled her more. When he finally reached her side, she forced down the butterflies stirring in her stomach at just how much bigger he was than her. Wow.

“Hi,” she murmured, looking up at him through her lashes.

“Hi…do you come here often?”

Oh wow.

Luna couldn’t stop her inelegant snort at his cheesy words, grinning slightly at the mortified blush that crept over the guy’s face. “How often has that line worked for you?”

“I’ve literally never used that line before in my life, I am so sorry,” he groaned.

Simply by the horrified look on his face and the stiff way he held himself, it let her know that he was telling her the entire truth. Poor lamb. Somehow it was endearing though.

“I’m Luna,” she mused, holding out her hand.

He quickly took it, shaking her hand gently, yet she could still sense the strength of his grip. Definitely something she appreciated in a man.

“I’m Cale,” he replied, more relieved than anything else, “Do you mind if we forget the last 30 seconds?”

“Oh I’m remembering this for years – you’re not getting out of that embarrassing line that easily,” she smirked.

The guy…Cale…groaned but seemed to laugh at himself anyway, shrugging his agreement. “That’s fair.”

Luna just smiled to herself, taking him in. She tried waving off Cale’s offer to buy her drink as the bartender finally appeared back in front of her, smiling her thanks as Cale just added it to his tab – who was this guy? – taking a sip of her vodka soda while her eyes not-so-subtly ran over the man next to her. Just as cute as she’d thought when she first spotted his eyes on hers, shoulders somehow even broader in the best way, and his blue eyes were both pretty and earnest. Not to mention tousled light brown hair that she just wanted to run her fingers through, and a perma-blush dusting across his cheeks? He’d definitely caught her attention looking this good, even if his clear awkwardness being in this environment caught her attention even more.

What was this guy’s deal?

“You really don’t come here often, do you?”

“I can’t say a bar of this…intensity is my usual forte, no. I’m just here with friends,” he admitted.

Honesty. She could appreciate that. And he was cute…

“So what would be your forte?” she asked smoothly, tilting her head ever-so-slightly again.

He immediately picked up on her change in tone, her lean towards flirting, and it was almost as if his whole demeanour changed; his shoulders broadened as he relaxed against the bar top, his nervousness eased out, and he smiled softly. She liked it.

“Somewhere a lot quieter. Can’t exactly talk to someone properly when I can’t hear them, hm? Can’t appreciate them like they deserve here,” he shrugged, although his eyes locked with hers, intense and intent.

Oh damn. How direct. How perfect.

“Somewhere quieter to appreciate someone? Like what?” she asked, smile curling at her lips, playing along with his flirting.

“A private intimate dinner. Maybe a little light music, just to set the mood. Candlelight, flowers, excellent wine,” he said with an effortless smile.

Oh he had game, finally.

“That sounds much more appealing than this place. I can see why it’s more your forte,” she said as neutrally as she could.

Nice and neutral, just to see what he would do next. Just to see if he would take the bait.

“Maybe I should take you some time then. Take the opportunity to get to know you properly,” he suggested, eyebrow raising in suggestion.

Oh wow. Hook, line, and sinker – she was intrigued.

“I could be up for that,” Luna replied simply, smiling innocently back, giving none of her racing thoughts away.

“Sounds like a date,” he grinned.

*

Thursday night

“So you’re really going out on a date with awkward bar guy?”

Luna glanced away from where she was putting on mascara in the mirror, frowning at her flatmate Elena standing in the doorway.

“Cale?” she asked, raising an eyebrow.

“Weird name,” Elena snorted.

“Rude,” Luna shot back.

Elena just stuck her tongue out in retaliation, making Luna laugh. It wasn’t that Elena was acting strange or jealous – she was protective. The two girls had lived together since college, meeting freshman year and moving in with a group of friends in sophomore year. While everyone else had moved away or moved back home, they were the only two to stay in Denver and they knew each other well enough to not want to separate as well.

She and Elena were two peas in a pod, both outgoing and still loving the nightlife that their chosen city gave them, but still with that comforting balance of girls’ nights in; both sharing so much in common that Luna truly considered Elena to be her best friend. And to be honest, Luna couldn’t fault her friend for being overprotective; it wasn’t like her dating history was all that great, and it could never hurt to have a friend looking out for her. Especially when it came to meeting up with strangers.

“Look, he’s really cute and we’re meeting in a public place,” Luna pointed out, “And he was really dorky with his flirting. Even when he got a little smoother, that blush told me everything I need to know about how little he actually flirts around.”

Elena tilted her head in acknowledgement. “Not a fuckboy?” she asked.

“Not that I can tell. I’m pretty good at spotting a red flag like that,” Luna mused.

“And you normally run headfirst towards those red flags,” Elena teased.

Well that was unfairly true.

“Maybe meeting Cale is the break I’ve been looking for,” Luna said, shrugging.

“For your sake, Lu, I hope so,” Elena laughed.

In the week that had passed since she’d met Cale in the bar, having exchange numbers after talking over a couple of drinks, they’d texted here and there; mostly to confirm what day and time to meet for the dinner he’d romanticised about, but also tentatively getting to know each other. Luna hadn’t been lying when she said that she hadn’t spotted any signs of him being a fuckboy. He seemed sweet, and genuine, and even a little shy, which surprised her considering how attractive he was. Then again, it wasn’t like her to judge a book by its cover, so she was trying to keep an open mind about how such a hot broad-shouldered guy could be so modest.

To be honest, she was looking forward to finding out more in person this Thursday night.

Soon enough, she was happy enough with her appearance, smoothing her floaty silk dress over her curves – apparently their restaurant tonight had a dress code – and by the time she’d slipped into a cute pair of heels, her uber was outside.

“Have fun!” Elena grinned from where she was sat on their sofa, “Don’t forget – no glove, no love.”

“Oh my god, not on the first date,” Luna groaned, feeling her cheeks heat up at the ridiculous advice.

Elena just shrieked with laughter as Luna shut the door behind her, leaving her cheeks still burning as she headed towards the waiting uber. The drive to the restaurant was short, not giving her any time to get too nervous, even though she’d taken even precaution by not giving Cale her address and so on, and when the uber pulled to a stop, she smiled to herself as she noticed Cale already standing in the street.

But when she got out of the car, shutting the door behind her, she noticed that Cale looked frazzled, eyes a little wild, sending a pang of worry through her body. What the hell?

“Uh, hi?” she said, more than a little awkward as she waved hello.

“Hi!” he blurted out, although he didn’t look any less stressed.

“Is everything okay?” she frowned.

“The restaurant we were meant to go to, the one I’d made a booking with for tonight, is closed,” he huffed, running a hand through his hair.

“What?”

How had he been able to make a booking, if the place was closed?

Cale pointed just to the left of where they were standing, and it was only then that she noticed a couple of even-more-frazzled people standing out the front of a darkened restaurant, in the typical white shirts and black trousers of waiters, talking to people apologetically.

“What happened?” she frowned.

“A pipe burst,” he explained, making her groan in understanding, “It flooded the main dining area but also shorted out their booking system.”

“So they couldn’t contact anybody who had reservations for tonight,” she guessed.

“Exactly!” Cale nodded, before sighing, “I just wanted tonight to be perfect, to wine and dine you just as I said, and even that can’t go right.”

The poor guy looked miserable, genuinely upset as well as flustered at the thought of not taking her out on the date he’d promised her, and it made her heart ache a little. When was the last time she’d met such a sincere person?

“Hey, this isn’t your fault. And it’s definitely not their fault, so there’s nothing to blame here other than some shitty pipes?” Luna mused.

Cale huffed out a laugh, nodding his acknowledgement, making Luna smile as he smiled slightly too.

“Sorry for not texting you in time – I only got here a few minutes before you did, and I spent that time talking to the restaurant staff as they apologised,” he winced.

“No harm, no foul,” she laughed, shrugging, “Not all plans go smoothly.”

“Still…we can reschedule? I’ll find another restaurant for another time?” Cale offered.

“We can’t still go out tonight?” Luna asked, confused.

Unless he was trying to think of an excuse not to see her…

“I mean, I don’t think anywhere I wanted to take you will seat us tonight without a reservation,” he explained.

Oh.

Oh.

He really wanted to wine and dine her, didn’t he? Pull out all the stops, everything fancy?

“You know, I don’t need anything high-end to be on a date with you,” she pointed out, “I’d be happy somewhere really low-key.”

“Really? Even though we’re dressed up fancy?” Cale frowned.

Luna looked down at her silk dress and his nicely tailored charcoal grey suit, before shrugging. “So we may be the nicest dressed people in the next place, that doesn’t matter.”

Cale laughed softly, shaking his head fondly. “You might be the most chilled-out person I’ve ever met.”

“And you are adorably flustered over a restaurant reservation,” she teased, earning a fierce blush, “Come on, relax a little. It’ll be fun.”

“I promise I’ll make it up to you,” he insisted.

What a sweetheart. Still incredibly flustered, but sweet.

“Alright, it’s a deal,” she mused, earning a smile, “And I know just the place. Let me just text my flatmate about the change in plans.”

“Ah yeah, of course. Safety first!” he nodded seriously.

Could this guy be any more perfect? Really?

~

To: Elena

The restaurant has a burst pipe.

[image]

I’m going to take him to Tom’s diner down on Colfax.

~

To: Luna

Oh man, that sucks for the restaurant. But thanks for keeping me in the loop.

Hah oh wow, I bet he’ll love that place in his fancy suit.

~

To: Elena

How did you guess he was wearing a fancy suit?

~

To: Luna

I just got those vibes.

Fancy restaurant equals fancy suit.

But seriously, have fun!

And have a chocolate milkshake for me.

~

Luna smiled and tucked her phone back into her handbag, earning a smile from Cale.

“Is your flatmate okay with us changing location?” he asked.

His eyes were earnest, letting her know he wasn’t teasing in the slightest, allowing her to relax slightly. “Yeah, she’s glad I let her know. And she’ll be even happier that you understand that it’s important,” Luna nodded.

Cale just smiled a little wider, looking pleased with himself, making her laugh at his reaction.

“Ready to change things up?”

“I trust you. Can’t be worse than my attempt to take us out to dinner,” he winced.

“Alright, I’ll keep it a surprise then,” she grinned, “It’s not like you could’ve predicted a burst pipe.”

Cale just laughed, shrugging in an easy going way, Luna just smiling as she pulled her phone back out to pull up an uber request. Soon enough the two of them were on their way, and Cale’s eyes went wide when they eventually pulled to a stop.

“Oh man, you weren’t kidding about changing things up,” he said, smiling.

The smile let her know that he wasn’t put off by her casual choice, and she just waved goodbye to the uber driver as she stepped up next to him.

“I figured that a fancy place was off the cards tonight, so why not go for something comfy and casual,” she shrugged, “The food here is great and so are the vibes.”

“Can’t go wrong with that,” Cale grinned, opening the door to the diner for her.

Sure, they might’ve been the only people in the place in a fancy silk dress and effortlessly tailored suit, but that just made it more fun. Luna knew she looked good and she felt good in her dress, so what was wrong with that? It didn’t hurt that Cale looked amazing in his suit too, all the lines accentuating his incredible physique. And maybe tonight hadn’t gone as well as planned so far – but that wasn’t anything a chocolate milkshake couldn’t solve.

“So what’s good here?” Cale asked.

If he was put off by how sticky the table and menus are, he wasn’t showing it.

“Okay, get ready for the burger that will change your life.” Luna said, smiling.

*

Friday morning

To: Luna

Hey, are you free on Sunday?

~

To: Cale

For you Cale, absolutely.

What did you have in mind?

~

To: Luna

I thought it might be nice to visit Denver Botanic Gardens?

It’s meant to be really pretty there.

And I thought it might be good to try something different than dinner.

~

To: Cale

Dinner last week was great, even if not how you planned.

But a walk around the Gardens sounds good to me!

~

Sunday morning

Luna checked out her outfit one last time in the mirror before leaving to catch her bus to meet Cale. She’d decided on wearing a pretty blue sundress, dotted with tiny pale pink flowers – it had a mid-depth v-neck and cinched at her waist, more than enough to let her feel as feminine as she liked without feeling over the top. It wasn’t anything fancy, not like her silk dress from their first date last week, but it was still more than nice enough to show Cale that she’d made an effort.

Her dark brown hair was perfectly straightened, make-up simple but pretty, and her shoes were comfortable to walk around in – she was ready.

Elena wasn’t home right now to tease her or boost her confidence, either of which she could’ve used to distract her from the butterflies she felt in her stomach. All Luna could hope was that this would go smoother than their first date. All of their conversations over text had been so easy since the night of the restaurant fail three days ago, so she desperately wanted that to continue throughout their date today.

Different setting, different time of day, different vibe.

Positive thinking, right?

Thankfully her bus ride was fairly quiet, leaving her as relaxed as she possibly could be as she walked up to the entrance of the botanical gardens. Cale was waiting for her off to the side, and the wide smile he sent her when he spotted her walking towards him sent those butterflies going crazy again. Wow. He looked so good in his white polo shirt and jeans. How was it possible for anyone to make a polo-shirt look that good? His broad shoulders and defined chest filled it out so well, and it took all of her effort not to get caught staring at him.

“Hey, you look beautiful,” he said sweetly.

She laughed softly even as she felt her cheeks heat up with a blush. “Flattery will get you everywhere.”

Cale just grinned. “Good to know. Shall we?”

Luna tucked her hand into the crook of his elbow as he offered it to her, trying to tamper down the giddy feeling rising in her chest. What a gentleman.

The next few hours were spent arm in arm, walking and talking, everything going to smoothly that it felt like she was floating through a dream. The botanic gardens were incredible, she had to give him extra points there for how pretty everything was, and she loved that she was experiencing it all with him. Strolling around the Monet Pond with Cale by her side? Win. Hushed conversation through the Shofu-en Japanese garden? Win. Everything from the orangery to the iris garden to the oak grove, they wandered through and around it all for hours and hours, just talking and laughing, enjoying each other’s company on this beautiful day.

The whole vibe was so incredibly different to their first date, completely different atmosphere, and she loved that she got to see this side of him too. His easy laugh, warm smile, and attentive listening was winning her over quicker than she ever thought possible, if she was being honest with herself, and she couldn’t remember the last time she’d felt this at ease with a guy this quickly. It was everything she’d been wanting for so long, and she almost felt like pinching herself to see if it was all real.

But all good things had to come to an end.

One moment sunlight was streaming down warming their skin, and the next dark cloud cover had rolled out over the blue sky, a gusting wind picking up. Before Luna could even voice her wonder to Cale, a deluge began, rain hammering down in a way that momentarily stunned them both, before they quickly ducked under a tree as refuge.

“What the hell,” Luna gasped, clutching her handbag to her chest, trying not to think about how her dress was sticking to her skin.

Cale still looked stunned, eyes wide as he watched the pouring rain in front of them, before he seemed to shake himself out of his stupor. “Let’s make a run for the gift shop?” he said, pointing to a building in the distance.

“Good idea!”

Luna found herself smiling as Cale took her hand, the two of them wasting no time in breaking into a light jog through the lilac garden, unable to talk as they went because of how heavily the rain was battering down. By the time they eventually reached the visitor center, far from the only people sheltering inside, Luna was completely drenched from head to toe, her dress soaked through and her hair a sopping mess.

Of all the things – a freak heavy rain shower. What were the chances?

Cale guided the two of them to the far side of the gift shop, an illusion of privacy, before stopping to stand in front of her.

“Are you okay?” Cale asked, pushing his dripping hair off his forehead.

She tried to ignore how disappointed she felt when he let her hand go.

“Oh, yeah, I’m fine! Not what I expected to happen today, but fine,” she laughed, “Are you okay?”

“Other than another date going awry, sure,” he said, frowning slightly.

“Two dates in a row where original plans have gone wrong,” Luna mused.

“This has never happened to me before. I swear!” Cale groaned.

“Cale, relax – it’s not like you could control any of it? You literally couldn’t predict that pipe bursting in the restaurant, and you certainly can’t control the weather,” she teased.

“I know, I know,” he laughed, making her smile in return, “I just want something to run smoothly for once, to make a good impression with you, you know?”

Well that was sweet.

“You’ve already made a good impression, I promise. Dressing up all fancy to eat in a diner was a memorable first date,” Luna insisted, laughing softly, “And what we had of this second date was good too…up until we got soaked.”

He winced, nodding his head in acknowledgement. “Shall we do a rain check then? No pun intended.”

As much as she would’ve liked to have continued on with the date, like they had the first time that their original date plan had failed, this time she was soaked to the bone and so unbelievably uncomfortable. And she dreaded to think what her mascara looked like.

“Definitely reschedule. Maybe an indoor one next time just in case?” she mused.

“Yeah that sounds like a good idea,” he said, laughing again, although his cheeks flooded with a fierce blush, “Can I at least give you a ride home so you’re not sitting on the bus soaking wet?”

Oh what a sweetheart.

And absolutely what she needed.

“That would be great,” she nodded.

Elena was going to get a real laugh out of this date, that was for sure.

*

Thursday night

“I can’t say I was expecting you to suggest this for our third date.”

Cale just laughed, nodding his acknowledgement as she waved goodbye to her uber driver, moving to stand by his side.

“I know, it’s not my usual. But I heard good things about this place anyway? One of my neighbours goes out in this area a fair bit and this is one of the bars she always talks about in the elevator,” Cale explained.

He hadn’t waited to ask her out after their failed-date in the rainy botanic gardens – the moment that he pulled up outside her apartment building, he’d asked her to go out with him again, somewhere ‘indoors’ this time as she’d teased. After tentatively suggesting Thursday night then and there, Luna leaving him with a kiss on the cheek, he’d texted her the next morning with a plan, leaving the two of them to resume their easy conversation just like before.

As their date drew nearer that Thursday night, Luna had kept things casual with her outfit again, at Cale’s suggestion, wearing a pretty white blouse over her favourite black jeans, pairing it with a pair of pretty silver hoops, black leather jacket and her comfy black ankle boots. Simple but again it left her feeling confident, which shone through to add that little extra edge. While she had gotten herself ready for the evening, she’d drank a glass of wine with Elena, her flatmate sitting on the end of Luna’s bed to tease and support her, a much-needed girl’s time while she dressed and put on her make-up, so by the time her uber pulled up outside the bar that Cale had suggested, her butterflies were in full effect.

Despite the fact that their two dates so far had each failed to a certain degree, she was still excited to spend the time with him, desperately hoping that for this date things would just run smoothly. She deserved that much, right?

“Hey Cale!” she said with a big smile, as she walked up to where he was waiting for her.

“Hey Luna,” he replied sweetly.

As she leant up to kiss his cheek in greeting, just as she had on Sunday afternoon when he drove her home in the rain, his cheeks flushed a vivid red, only making her smile even wider. If that reaction was anything to go by, he was just as excited to see her as she was to see him, which could only be a good thing.

“It’s good to see you again. I haven’t been here before, but I know there’s definitely indoor seating,” he mused, a playful nod to their interrupted outing four days ago.

“So you haven’t been here yourself?” she teased.

Cale blushed slightly again but shook his head, making her laugh. She already knew he wasn’t a bar person – he’d admitted as much the first time they met. So why now?

“Why a bar tonight then?” she asked curiously, eyeing the expanse of outdoor bench seating and music drifting out from inside the building.

“It’s a pretty casual place, rather than the intensity of the bar we first met in?”

Well that answers that question.

“…and I know you feel comfortable in these situations so I thought I’d push the boat out since my last two attempts didn’t work out well?” he offered.

“That’s really sweet, Cale,” she said, smiling softly, “But I don’t want to be comfortable at your expense. If it gets too much at any point, let me know? I’d hate for you to feel completely out of sorts.”

“Deal,” he nodded, smiling in relief as the two of them finally made their way towards the entrance, “We can do easy low-key drinks, right?”

“Definitely,” Luna replied, laughing.

Cale just smiled a little wider, holding open the door of the bar for her. Immediately she was hit with the familiar scents and sounds and vibe of a well-loved local bar, and she quickly relaxed. He was right – this was definitely her preferred social scene, and the fact that he was willing to be here with her, trying out the bar that was new to both of them? That made her heart beat just that little bit further, she could admit that.

Somehow they managed to snag a table in the corner, leaving her with a view of the entire room and Cale with his back to everyone, both of them comfortable with the situation. It was far from the fanciest place – definitely far from the bar that they’d met in those couple of weeks ago – but it was busy and comforting and had a great vibe. Luna was honestly excited to see how this evening went, eager to see him in this kind of setting, and she loved that he was trying to do something she felt comfortable with. Hopefully it wouldn’t come at the cost of his own comfort, but time would only tell.

“What can I get you to drink?” he asked, resting his forearms on their small table.

Luna happily asked for a glass of wine, figuring it was probably safer to stick with what she’d already started drinking at home, and soon enough he returned from the bar. They eased into conversation as easily as they always did, talking about their week so far, stress from their workplaces, ridiculous stories about Elena and Luna’s work colleagues as well as Cale’s own colleagues. Speaking of colleagues…Cale also finally told her about his job. About the fact that he was a hockey player in the NHL. It blew her mind a little that he had even looked her way that first night in the bar, that he was still interested in little old her, but she could tell that as much as he was trying to downplay his career to her, he was so incredibly proud of everything he’d achieved. Which, yeah, maybe she should’ve recognised him or at least his name from the Cup Championship last year – but to be honest, she was a football fan (go Broncos!) and had never seen a hockey game in her life. For some reason, that admission eased out a line of tension in his shoulders that she hadn’t realised was there, easing her guilt a little for not knowing who he was. If Cale – Cale Makar – wanted to keep his career low-key with her for the moment, then she was absolutely happy to let him do that. It just showed her yet again how much of a genuinely low-maintenance chilled-out guy he was, and it only made her like him more.

One drink turned into two, Luna buying the second round seeing as he bought the first. As she sat back down at their table, she launched into the details of the trip she was planning in the summer to go back home to see her family, Cale admitting he would be doing the same for the first time in a while. Easy, breezy, fun conversation as always. People ebbed and flowed from the bar, filling up the room beside them, but it felt like they were in their own bubble, nothing mattering outside their little table. How did things feel so easy with him, after only a matter of weeks? It felt crazy, if she was being honest with herself, but she sure as hell wasn’t going to complain.

Halfway through the third round of drinks though – he bought this round, taking things in turn again – someone cleared their throat into a microphone, snapping Luna’s attention across the room. What the hell?

“Testing, testing, one, two, three.”

Oh no.

Everything had been going so well…

“Alright, welcome back to Thursday nights at Tavern on 26th! Who’s ready for karaoke?”

Karaoke.

Fuck.

Luna quickly looked over at Cale, who had gone white as a sheet and looked horrified.

“You didn’t know?” she asked, grimacing.

“Not a clue. I’ve never been here before!” he groaned, “And my neighbour has never said anything about karaoke!”

Luna couldn’t help but laugh, a little resigned already. “Well it is our luck, I suppose.”

“Maybe it won’t be so bad?” Cale offered.

“Up first, Miranda with Total Eclipse of the Heart!”

Maybe not.

As the wailing voice started out across the room, a pained look flashed across Cale’s face, making Luna laugh again. “Shall we get out of here?”

“Yeah, I think that’s a good idea,” Cale said, sighing softly, “Sorry.”

“Hey.”

Luna rested her hand lightly on his forearm, smiling softly as he looked down at her.

“Not your fault. You didn’t know,” she shrugged.

“I should’ve looked it up? Checked out the bar’s event page?”

“Who does that for a low-key bar, eh?” she mused. “Why don’t we just go for a walk?”

“So much for third time lucky,” he said dryly, grimacing as the chorus started.

Damn, this ‘Miranda’ was clearly heartbroken and at least one bottle of wine down. At least.

“Date’s not over yet,” she said simply, “Just because we don’t want to stay in this bar, doesn’t mean we can’t keep talking on a walk, right?”

“You are too forgiving,” he said, huffing out a laugh.

“There’s nothing to forgive,” she replied. “Now let’s get out of here before the key change.”

“Oh fuck yes,” he laughed.

He held a hand out to help her up from their table, Luna gladly taking it, smiling to herself as Cale didn’t let go. As he threaded their fingers together, she felt an unfamiliar blush settling dusting across her cheeks, Cale smiling down at her. “Ready?”

“Ready.”

Another date plan fail.

Hopefully the walk would salvage what was left of it, the alcohol in her system making her not want to leave him just yet. But as he said, it was third time unlucky – was that a sign? What was the universe trying to tell her, in making the plans for their third date come to an abrupt fail? As much as his smile gave her butterflies, could she really ignore all of these signs?

For this evening, she absolutely could, she knew that much. Holding his hand while they walked out of the bar felt too good not to.

*

Friday morning

To: Luna

Hey, I’m sorry about last night.

Again.

Can I make it up to you?

~

To: Cale

No apologies! The bar was fun…before the terrible karaoke.

But I’d love to see you again?

~

To: Luna

Fourth time lucky, right?

How do you feel about going on a picnic on Sunday?

~

To: Cale

I can’t remember the last time I went on a picnic.

I’d love to.

~

To: Luna

Okay great!

Leave everything to me.

I’ll pick you up at midday?

~

To: Cale

Okay sure, sounds like a plan!

~

Sunday midday

For once, Luna was driving her old car to their date today – she rarely drove, usually preferring public transport, mainly due to the lack of decent public car parking available in downtown where she spent a lot of her time, but Cale had already promised her that the park he’d chosen had plenty of parking spaces, leaving her able to sing along to the radio as she drove, calming her nerves a bit.

Sure, she’d decided to wear a pretty green dress, floaty and low-cut but still cute, curling her hair to give herself that extra boost of confidence. Sure, Elena had let her borrow her comfy white sneakers, keeping the outfit casual. And sure, she’d even had the chance to facetime with Cale yesterday before his game in Minnesota, knowing they wouldn’t get a chance to speak before their date today. But it was Elena’s hesitant words that had left the usual butterflies feeling a little frantic.

A picnic in a park? The two of you are chancing the outdoors again with your luck?

Because Elena wasn’t wrong. Three dates they’d been on now, and not a single one had gone by without a fail. The pipe burst in the restaurant. The unexpected rainstorm in the botanic gardens. The sudden karaoke in the bar. She could only wonder what today would bring, even as much as Elena tried to hype her up with positive attitude.

As she pulled into the parking lot, spotting Cale easily with his cheery smile and wave, she tried to let all of the worries go. Cale wanted to be here on this date with her. He wanted to be with her, which should be enough in itself, right? Fourth time lucky, that’s what he joked. She could only hope he was right.

“Hey, glad you made it okay,” Cale said, smiling as she locked the car behind her.

“Old Betsy may be getting on in life but she still gets me around,” Luna laughed, shrugging.

“You named your car Old Betsy?” he teased.

Luna fought back the blush on her cheeks. “What, you haven’t named your car?”

“I can’t say that I have…”

From there, their conversation started up as naturally as always, Luna smiling as they walked through the park, glad that there wasn’t too much of a crowd yet, letting him lead her to a shaded area under a tree. Perfect.

“I packed a few things for us – I hope they’re all okay?”

As Cale spread out the blanket he’d had tucked under his arm, Luna opened up the picnic basket he’d been holding, eyes wide as she took in all the tubs inside.

Mini vegetable tarts. Chicken salad. Sliced strawberries and kiwis. Double chocolate brownies. Freshly squeezed orange juice from a deli. If she was being honest, Luna was a little blown away at the thought he’d put into this picnic basket, and she knew by the little smile on Cale’s face that he was pleased with himself – as he should be.

“This looks amazing, Cale. Wow,” she murmured, still a little stunned.

“I hope it tastes as good as it looks,” he mused.

Luna just laughed, shaking her head. If nothing else, the effort would win out over anything else – no-one had ever tried so hard to make sure she was happy. She sat down with her legs crossed, facing him as he pulled out the various tubs as well as cutlery, leaving the napkins in the basket for now, smiling at how happy he looked. He really was so cute, wasn’t he?

“Dig in, please!”

Well he didn’t have to tell her twice.

Between bites of food, talking about their last few days apart including the game that Cale scored the winning goal on, as well as people watching and cooing over cute dogs, the next couple of hours passed easily. Luna found herself basking in Cale’s happy smile, sweet and shy all at once, all of her earlier worries melting away. Here was an amazing guy, who’d planned an amazing date, and everything was perfect. The whole date was perfect, from the location to the relaxed atmosphere, and she couldn’t help the wide smile on her face. Finally. Finally.

Eventually, after they’d faux-battled with their forks for the last strawberry, Cale packed all of the tubs away in the basket, letting them both stretch out their legs across the blanket.

“I can’t believe how full I am,” Luna groaned.

“Me too,” Cale laughed, resting a hand on his stomach, “I may have overdone it with that last brownie.”

“So worth it though,” she grinned.

Cale just grinned back, nodding his agreement. A man who appreciated food – she could definitely appreciate that.

Luna tilted her head back for a brief moment, closing her eyes as she let the sun wash over her and sink into her skin, before she opened her eyes again. Out of the corner of her eye, a large black object flew across her vision, and just as she turned her head to see what it was, she saw it collide with Cale’s face with a crunch.

And then blood started pouring down his face.

Oh god, a drone. A drone had hit him smack in the face, and the crunch wasn’t just the plastic either. Fuck.

“Fuck,” Cale groaned, clutching at his face with wide eyes as he unknowingly echoed her thoughts.

What the hell?!

Without hesitating, Luna pulled out the bundle of napkins from the picnic basket, quickly passing them to him, and he wasted no time in pressing them to his nose with a wince. Oh shit. Oh shit, he was really injured, what the hell was this? Of all the things to happen, even with their track record, this was terrible. Fuck, poor Cale.

“Oh man I am so sorry, a dog ran into me and I lost control…”

The apologetic voice trailed off, just as the two of them looked up.

“Oh god no, I broke Cale Makar,” the man gasped.

Shit. A fan. Now she could see why Cale wanted to keep his career so low-key with her – attention like this really wasn’t what he enjoyed, not in this kind of setting. She could only hope this wouldn’t get plastered all over the internet; they’d spoken before on how much social media could drag people down, and that was the last thing she wanted for him, especially because they were on a date. But what could she do?

Cale winced, shaking his head. “Really, it’s fine. Doesn’t feel broken.”

Luna raised an eyebrow, not believing him in the slightest, but stayed quiet for Cale’s sake. If he wanted to make a fan feel better then that was his choice – and fair enough, the guy looked distraught – but that didn’t mean she wasn’t going to make sure he had it looked at properly.

“Let’s get you cleaned up, yeah?” she said lightly, smiling as genuinely as she could.

“Good idea,” Cale nodded, voice muffled through the tissues.

The guy apologised profusely again as they stood up, Cale just waving him off as Luna picked up the basket and blanket, and they started to walk back through the park towards the parking lot. She could see people stopping and staring at them, not just because of the blood staining his white t-shirt, each time Cale’s shoulders stiffening a little more, him looking more and more uncomfortable as they made their escape. Finally, when their path was a little clearer, almost at the exit, she took the chance to glance up at him, feeling a pang of sympathy at how miserable he looked as he held the bloody tissues to his nose.

“Hospital then?”

“No, definitely not,” he groaned, shaking his head, only making her frown.

Why was he being difficult?

“Cale, you really should have that looked at,” she said hesitantly.

“Oh, no, shit, yeah I will, you’re right about that. I just think maybe it might be better to go to the medical staff at the arena? I know there’s some of them working today, and it’ll avoid any fans taking photos.”

That made much more sense.

“Fair enough,” she mused, trying not to grimace at the fact he had to take publicity into account. “I’ll drive us, yeah? I guess you can send someone to pick up your car later?”

Cale just nodded, wincing again, making Luna grimace in sympathy. Thankfully she hadn’t parked too far away from where they’d walked in, and in no time at all, she was buckling her seatbelt, waiting for Cale to do the same before she started the engine of her old car.

“Do you want to call and give a heads up that you’re coming in? So that we’re not held up at the gate?” she suggested, pulling up directions on her own phone.

“Another good idea. You have a lot of those,” Cale nodded, “Shame that I don’t.”

What?

She frowned to herself before his words clicked in her head. Another date gone wrong.

“A picnic was a great idea, okay? Getting hit in the face by a drone wasn’t part of your plan at all and, again, nothing you could’ve predicted,” Luna said firmly.

The last thing she wanted was for him to blame himself. Again.

“I have the worst luck,” he laughed dryly.

Well, yes, it really did seem that way. But she wasn’t going to say that out loud.

“All the food was really nice?” she offered.

Cale laughed for real this time, sliding his phone back into his pocket now that his messages were sent. “Can’t go wrong with strawberries and kiwis together.”

“Right? Perfectly sweet,” she nodded.

“I might have to see if I can recreate those vegetable tarts myself too,” he added.

The hopeful look on his face, that she could see out of the corner of her eye, made her smile, relaxing into her seat as she navigated the street in front of her. This positive attitude was much more like it – and he wasn’t wrong about those tarts either.

“They were so good! You’ll have to let me know if you can find a matching recipe,” she grinned.

She quickly glanced at Cale, finding him grinning back at her, through the blood and tissues still covering his face. At least he didn’t look as miserable as he had done in the park – that was at least a silver lining on the epic fail this date turned into.

Fuck, what was their luck, seriously?

As she dropped him off at the arena gates, several members of training staff waiting their anxiously for him, it was all she could do to squeeze his hand goodbye as he promised to call her, a heavy ominous weight sitting in her stomach. Why did things always have to go so wrong around him?

*

Friday night

“Hey, how do I look?” Luna asked Elena, leaning in her doorway, “Is this date-night-at-home suitable?”

She was wearing a light-knit dress, long-sleeved with the skirt reaching just below her knee, clinging to her curves in the most comfortable flattering way possible. The soft grey material felt right for a meal indoors, her dark brown hair falling in gentle waves in a way that added to the whole vibe, and she could only hope Cale liked it too. She knew she looked good…but was it the right choice?

“Well, you look as hot as always…but really? You’re going on a fifth attempt at a date with Fail Makar?”

Fail Makar. Ouch.

Technically not wrong, but ouch.

This Friday was not Luna’s usual Friday night. Instead of her typical night out at a bar with friends, she was trying something new. Both her and Cale were – rather than going out, Cale was making them a home-cooked meal. After insisting that the trainers had cleared him from serious injury, going as far to promise that he was still okay to play in the two games over the days that followed, he’d asked her out on another date.

Luna had been hesitant, naturally. Not because she didn’t like him, not because she wasn’t attracted to him – both of those he pulled out of her in spades – but because of everything that had happened over their past four dates. She was only mildly superstitious in general, but even she couldn’t deny that there was some serious bad luck surrounding them so far. How bad was she going to let it get before it was irreparable?

But when he had suggested a date night in, him cooking for them, she hadn’t been able to say no. She was so desperate to make this work with him, the sweetest most genuine guy she’d ever met, that she knew she’d have to give him another chance to have a date run smoothly. That didn’t mean it was fun to hear from her friend.

“Don’t be mean,” she frowned.

“Don’t ignore the cosmos and karma and all that jazz,” Elena shot back, raising her eyebrows.

Luna sighed, but nodded. It wasn’t as if she’d been ignoring the signs herself.

“I’m giving it one more chance, or I really will have to accept that this is fate telling me that things with Cale really aren’t meant to be,” she admitted.

Elena’s expression shifted from judgemental to sympathetic. “Hey, I know you like this guy, okay? I just don’t want you to get hurt.”

“I know. And I appreciate that. I just really want this to work out,” Luna sighed.

Cale had kept texting her while the team trainer took a look at his nose – it wasn’t broken, thankfully, but he did have a nasty bruise, which she’d been stupid enough to look through the speculation on the internet before Elena took her phone away to stop her looking at social media. She couldn’t help the guilt she felt for the extra attention on him, attention she knew he hated, even though she knew that she wasn’t directly responsible for the vivid bruising on his face. That didn’t mean it was easy to read all the stupid rumours sprouting out about what could’ve caused it, seeing as there was no evidence of him being hit in a game or practice.

But there wasn’t anything she could do about. All she could hope was that this attempt to get a date to go smoothly for once wouldn’t be their last one – she just didn’t know how much more she could take.

“Well if a stripped-back, low-key, homecooked meal doesn’t work then I don’t know what will,” Elena mused, “If you need an escape at any time, you just text or call me, okay?”

“I will,” she nodded, smiling. That was the friend she knew and loved. “But I have a good feeling about this date.”

“I can only hope you’re right, for your sake.”

Again, Luna had decided to drive for this date, mainly at Elena’s insistence to give herself an out if she needed it, but she only hoped that she didn’t need it. Maybe she’d make sure to only have one glass of wine, just in case.

By the time she’d arrived at the address Cale had given her, parking in the private apartment parking lot, she’d relaxed enough to feel a lot more positive about the evening ahead of her. Cale was a great guy. They would have a good night, she was sure of it. Why should she let the past four fails dictate how this night was going to go as well? As she walked up to his apartment, Cale having buzzed her in like he’d been waiting at the door, she steeled her nerves and untensed her shoulders. He was letting her see a side of him that no-one ever did outside of his team – and maybe not even all of them. Welcoming her into his home? That was special, and she was determined to embrace it.

“Hey,” she said, smiling as he opened the door.

“Hey!” he said happily, stepping aside to let her inside, “You look incredible.”

Flattery, as always. She couldn’t deny that she welcomed it though.

“Thanks! And thanks for inviting me over,” she said simply.

He shut the door behind her, helping her slip off her light jacket, and hung it up on the hooks next to their heads. It was a relief to see that the bruising on his face had almost completely faded, just as he said it had – even though he’d insisted it wasn’t as bad as it had first looked, seeing it for herself fizzled away the last of that guilt.

“It’s really good to see you. Thank you for giving me another chance,” Cale said softly, “I know things haven’t exactly gone how I’d hoped so far.”

“I can’t say that I’ve ever had so much bad luck either,” she mused.

She winced as Cale winced himself, biting her bottom lip lightly.

“I really don’t want to mess things up tonight,” he murmured.

Her heart panged a little at the nerves in his voice, hating that she was glad he felt as nervous as he did. It was a good sign that he cared so much, right?

“We can only see how the evening goes, right?” she said simply, smiling as reassuringly as she could, “I’m happy I’m here with you, if that counts for anything.”

As Cale smiled, she noticed how relieved he looked, making her smile in turn. “It definitely counts for a lot. Um, dinner is all ready, it’s just warming in the oven. And I’ve set up our date just through here.”

Cale guided her out of her entry hallway into the open-plan living room, dining room, kitchen, a gentle hand on her back, pausing in the doorway. Oh wow. As she took in the room with lips parted in surprise, her mind drifted back to the words he’d said to her the very first night they’d met.

~

“Somewhere quieter to appreciate someone? Like what?” she asked, smile curling at her lips, playing along with his flirting.

“A private intimate dinner. Maybe a little light music, just to set the mood. Candlelight, flowers, excellent wine.”

~

It was all here – candles lit around the room, beautiful yellow roses in a vase on the counter, soft music playing from the kitchen that drifted into the dining area. A private intimate dinner – complete with excellent wine, in the glasses he now held in his hands. She hadn’t even realised he’d left her side, too caught up with her memories.

“My god, Cale,” she murmured, “this is amazing.”

“Yeah?” he said shyly.

“Yeah, it is. Exactly how you described your forte location, when we first met,” she said, still in awe as he handed her a glass.

He huffed out a laugh, rubbing the back of his neck with his free hand. “I didn’t think you’d remember that.”

“Of course I do. It was one of the things that intrigued me most,” she admitted, making his blush softly, “And then I got to know you even more.”

Cale’s blush deepened but so did his smile.

“I hope I can keep getting to know you, Luna. I know our dates have failed pretty spectacularly so far, but I really like you. I’ve never met anyone as amazing as you before,” he said softly.

Her lips parted at his earnest words, Cale’s eyes watching her intensely, and it was all she could do to take a quick sip of wine. Damn, it really was excellent. He really liked her? Like, really really? Wow. Even after everything, he was happy to be so open with his thoughts and feelings?

“I really like you too. And I really want this to work,” she said seriously, “I just…hope tonight doesn’t have the same bad luck.”

“Me too. The flowers are for you, by the way, to take home with you. And I cooked one of my staple recipes which hasn’t gone wrong so far, and the candles haven’t burned down the apartment while I was getting ready, so it feels pretty good so far?” he said sheepishly.

She couldn’t help but laugh at his expression, forcing down her doubts, letting his increasingly-familiar comforting presence soothe her. So far so good, right? He had pulled out all the stops, recreated their attempted first date in a safe-space setting, and she could definitely appreciate that. The fact that he was letting her see this side of him too, this vulnerable intimate portion of his life? She’d be a fool not to embrace it.

“Shall we?” she said, tilting her head towards the kitchen.

“Absolutely,” Cale nodded.

While Cale pulled out the covered dishes from the oven and plated them all up, Luna sipped at her wine, watching him intently. He seemed so in his element, relaxed in a way she’d never seen him before, and she had to admit that she liked seeing him like this. Maybe this was what they’d been missing, that comforting edge. She could only hope.

“Okay, ready.”

Cale’s cheerful declaration broke her out of her gaze, and she immediately smiled at him.

“It smells amazing, Cale,” she said happily, letting him lead her into the dining area as he carried both plates while she held their drinks.

“Can’t go wrong with coq au vin!” he said simply, although his cheeks were dusted with a pleased blush, “And I made garlic mashed potatoes as well as roasted green beans to go with it.”

Wow.

Just wow.

“Incredible,” she murmured.

Cale just laughed softly, shaking his head as he sat down at the table.

“I like cooking, you know? It’s something that so different to everything else I do, gets me out of my head when I’m stressed with hockey,” he explained.

“I can definitely understand that. How long have you been cooking like this? Because this, and I can tell you this now with sincerity, isn’t just amateur,” Luna mused.

That blush of his really was something. But as he started talking about when he started cooking, mostly with his mom and family, their usual easy conversation started to flow, allowing Luna to sink into the relaxed atmosphere. She shared some of her own family cooking stories with him when he asked, the two of them continuing to talk as they ate, laughing and smiling the whole time, and to be honest Luna couldn’t remember the last time she’d had a date like this. With anyone. It was everything she’d dreamed of, everything she’d ever wanted from the food to the conversation to the vibe in general, and the more that she was consumed by it all, she forgot all about her worries that had built up over the past week.

How could she have doubts about him, when he made her feel so at ease?

After they’d finished eating, Luna helping Cale load the dishes into the dishwasher for later, they moved to the sofa with a glass of sparkling water each, Cale insisting on not drinking now that she’d stopped too. Honestly it felt like a dream. Where had this guy been all her life?

She lost track of time while they continued to talk and laugh on the sofa, the music still playing softly in the background like a damn movie, and before she knew it, the evening was drawing close to midnight, and she needed to get going before she gave into temptation and stayed overnight. That was far too soon for their tentative relationship, she knew that much.

“Did we just have a date that went smoothly?” Cale mused, as he helped her back into her jacket.

Luna laughed but nodded her head. “I think we did.”

Her grin matched his, and she didn’t care if she looked silly because she was just so damn happy. Finally, fucking finally, their date hadn’t failed. The universe had finally worked in her favour, giving her a perfect date with a perfect guy, and she knew that despite everything, the wait had been worth it.

“Call me when you get home? Just so I know you’re safe?” he asked softly.

Those wide earnest eyes were going to be her ruin, she could tell. Fuck it. Here goes nothing.

“Only if you kiss me goodnight before I leave,” Luna said hopefully, far braver than she felt.

Cale’s lips parted in surprise, only briefly, before that familiar sweet smile spread across his face with a blush to match. He didn’t reply to her, just stepping forward to lean down towards her, one hand rising to cup her face just as his lips touched hers. Luna couldn’t stop the soft sound that escaped her mouth at the gentle touch, hands clutching at his shirt as they kissed slowly, sweetly, sending tingles down her spine. Wow. So incredibly worth the wait. After what felt like hours but could only have been minutes, Cale slowed the kiss down to a few last gentle pecks, lifting his head away from her with a stunned smile.

“Best date ever,” he said happily.

She couldn’t agree more.

#my writing #cale makar fic #dating fails #cale makar imagine #cale makar fanfic #cale makar x oc #hockey fic #hockey imagine #hockey fanfic #nhl fic #nhl imagine #nhl fanfic

[midnightsnyx]

hi!! could i request “how about something warm? it will help you sleep” and “shush and go back to bed” from the fluff prompt list for a blurb with cale makar?? thank you!!

hi friend!! ty for the request & I hope you like it :) requests are open. also, for the peeps who've sent in requests, I'm working on them <3 I don't write in any particular order just because some ideas i can write as soon as i see it but others take a little longer for me to get on paper!!

You love your job but one of the downsides of working with kids is the seasonal flu that you always manage to catch. Without fail, you always end up sick with whatever bug that is going around and this time, it’s a head cold.

You know that you should probably get up and eat something but you’re so cold due to the fever that all you want to do is stay in the burrito of blankets you’ve managed to roll yourself into. Cale is due home soon and you had planned on preparing dinner but that plan flew out the window when you struck a fever and despite your best efforts, you fell asleep and didn't wake until you felt a cool cloth being placed on your forehead. 

It’s Cale of course, kneeling down beside the couch you’re curled up on with a concerned expression on his face. 

“You should’ve told me how sick you were,” he says quietly, pressing the back of his palms to your cheeks. 

“Was gonna make dinner,” you mumble feverishly and he shakes his head fondly. 

“I’ll make dinner. How about something warm? It will help you sleep.” 

All you can manage is a nod, whining and reaching out for him when he stands up. His hands catch yours and he presses a gentle kiss to your palms before tucking the blankets securely around you. 

“Hush and go back to bed,” he whispers. “I’ll wake you when the soup is done.”

You fall back asleep with a smile on your face and when he wakes you an hour later, the two of you curl up on the couch, eating soup and watching your favorite movie. 

(later, when you’re both in bed, you mumble a tired thanks and just catch his reply before you fall asleep. 

“Always.”)

#hockey imagines #allies writing #nhl fanfiction #hockey fanfiction #nhl imagines #allie answers #hockey imagine #cale makar imagine #cale makar x reader #cale makar blurb

[buttercupjosh]

Unexpected Love (the 4 times Cale surprised you + the 1 time you surprise him)

(Gif credit by @9116)

word count: 3,240

warnings: none

Genres: Strangers to lovers, fluff, self insert

A/N: I decided to step a bit out of my comfort zone a lot for this story. I participated in @antoineroussel’s Winter Fic Exchange and this is my story for @wildrangers, written with the extremely talented Cale Makar. I hope that you like it. I’m sorry in advance that it kinda speed runs a bit but I just wanted to try something different. I also decided to challenge myself by writing some dialogue for the first time in years so please bear with me if the conversations aren’t that great. Title doesn’t come from a specific song/place. There’s a reference to Glittery by Kacey Musgraves feat. Troye Sivan buried in the story. As always, I’m open to any and all feedback, comments or questions; just put them in my inbox or dm me. Thank you so much in advance for reading, I appreciate it😌

Recommended/optional listening: Glittery by Kacey Musgraves feat. Troye Sivan

“What if I told you none of it was accidental? And the first night that you saw me, nothing was gonna stop me. I laid the groundwork, and then, just like clockwork, the dominoes cascaded in a line. What if I told you I'm a mastermind? And now you're mine, it was all by dеsign.” -Mastermind by Taylor Swift

Although it was snowing outside, you were melting down inside of your apartment. You lost your wallet and the last place you were before coming home was the Target parking lot. You called the store to see if someone had turned it in and were getting ready to go back to the store to check when your doorbell rang. A tall blonde boy wearing a black puffer and a maroon Colorado Avalanche hoodie stood in your doorway, holding your wallet. He introduced himself to you as Cale and you thanked him for bringing it back to you. Before Cale left, you asked him why he brought your wallet to your apartment instead of mailing it back to you or returning it to the store. He explained that your apartment was on the way to his so he stopped by to give it to you. You were taken aback by Cale’s kind gesture. He had no idea who you were and yet he drove out of his way to bring back your wallet, with everything in it. You offered Cale gas money (which he refused) and pleaded with him to let you repay him somehow for what he did.

“Well, you can pay me back by going with me to watch the Nutcracker. I really want to go check it out but none of my teammates want to go with me”, Cale responded.

“Actually, that’s something that I’ve been wanting to do as well and I would love to go with you. Are you free next Saturday?”, you asked.

“I have a game next Saturday but maybe we can go next Sunday’s 6 pm showing?", Cale replied.

“That works for me.”

“I’ll pick you up.”

“I would hope so since you already know where I live.”

Cale chuckled at your words and you exchanged numbers before he left. It really wasn’t an issue for Cale to bring you back your wallet. Sure, like you had mentioned, it would have been easier to return it to the store or mail it back to you (which is what he would have done if you weren’t home). Cale was glad that you were there and that you agreed to go with him to see the Nutcracker. It was something that he had really wanted to check out for a while but the guys on the team weren’t into it and Cale didn’t want to be set up again by the WAGs; he had even considered going to watch it alone. Thankfully, he met someone new and Cale was looking forward to seeing you again.

————————————————————

Just as you had agreed to, Cale picked you up right on time for your outing together. You and Cale didn’t really know each other well enough to call it a date but by the end of the evening, you both knew it was one. Before going to the venue, you both agreed to go to dinner first. Over the meal, you both learned about each other and shared stories about your lives. You thought it was fascinating to hear about life in Canada, a place you’ve never been to, from someone who was born and raised there. Cale felt the same way about you, hearing you talk about your life and your career as a social worker. He admired that you enjoyed helping others. You and Cale also shared a mutual experience of attending college and you both shared stories from that chapter in your lives. Cale even felt comfortable talking to you about some of the things he studied in his psychology courses since you studied social work.

After dinner, you and Cale headed over to the Denver Center for Performing Arts. The Nutcracker was amazing and spectacular; it exceeded both of your expectations. The center was close to the public ice rink, so after the event ended, Cale noticed that your eyes lit up when you saw everyone skating. He asked you if you wanted to go ice skating. You hesitated to go because you don’t know how to ice skate and you can barely even roller skate. You did not want to embarrass yourself skating in front of someone who won the Stanley Cup. Despite these feelings, Cale offered to teach you how to skate if you wanted to try. It was not everyday that a professional hockey player offered to teach someone how to ice skate so you agreed to it. You paid for the skate rental since Cale paid for the tickets to the Nutcracker and you split the bill for dinner. Cale was nice enough to tie your skates for you. You were so nervous to step out of the ice but a newly familiar voice reassured you.

“Just hold onto me, I got you. If you fall, I’m right here to pick you up. I promise you that you’ll be okay. If you don’t like it at any point, we could leave.”

You took Cale’s words to heart and following his instructions, you reached out to him and shakily touched the ice. Cale turned around to face you and he gently guided you through the basics of skating. It took some time for you to get it right and there were plenty of moments when you had trouble maintaining your balance but you were relieved that Cale was so patient with you. As time passed, you started to become more comfortable on ice skates and eventually let go of him, but remained close by in case anything happened. However, Cale didn’t want you to let him go because he liked being physically close to you. At one point, you felt confident enough in your skating ability that you challenged Cale to a race around the rink. You decided that the winner would choose the next outing you did together and the loser would pay for the hot chocolate when you were done skating.

You were a bit bold in what the winner won, even though you weren’t fully sure if Cale had wanted to hang out with you again. You both agreed to the conditions and you were relieved that Cale didn’t offer a different option for the winner. You and Cale began to race from one end of the rink to another. Due to the fact that this ice rink has tons of skaters and wasn’t as well maintained like the one at Ball Arena, Cale accidentally fell on the ice. With your assistance, Cale got back up. You both agreed to leave and went to a cafe nearby for some hot chocolate.

“Are you sure you’re a Stanley Cup champion if you fell down like that?”, you joked. Again, you made Cale laugh. He liked that about you, how witty and funny you were.

Despite him falling, you technically won the race and decided that your next outing with Cale would be going to look at the Christmas lights at the Denver Botanical Gardens that upcoming Friday evening. The outing at the Botanical Gardens was beautiful and you and Cale took plenty of photos to keep as memories. Cale really enjoyed spending time with you, even if you didn’t get to see each other as often, due to his busy schedule. Even though he was primarily occupied with hockey, Cale still kept in contact with you more frequently, getting to learn more about his newfound friend.

Christmas was fast approaching but you were unable to see each other before the holiday. You and Cale had made plans to see each other once he got back from Calgary over the short holiday break. You weren’t sure what to get him since Cale never really mentioned anything that he had needed or wanted and you had only known each other for a short time so you settled on giving him a Christmas card with a Starbucks gift card inside. However, close to Christmas, you got a gift in the mail from Cale.

Hope I got the right color. Happy Holidays, y/n

-Cale

You were shocked when you opened the package. Cale had somehow found the rare In The Weeds vinyl variant of Folklore by Taylor Swift. You had mentioned to Cale once that you were looking for a Folklore vinyl to complete your record collection but you didn’t think he would go as far as getting it for you. You were so thankful for Cale; you hadn’t known each other long but you knew that you really had a good guy on your hands.

————————————————————

You met up with Cale for lunch after he returned to Denver from Calgary so that you could give him his Christmas card. Although you felt inferior by giving him something so simple, Cale was very appreciative for the gift because it was thoughtful and came from you. As the time inched closer towards the new year, Cale invited you to the Avs’ New Years Eve game and party; you thought it was nice for him to include you in a team event. You were just Cale’s friend so you didn’t feel comfortable sitting with the WAGs at the game. You brought along one of your friends, who would spend the rest of the holiday with her boyfriend, to keep you company. You had watched hockey casually before but this was your first time attending an actual game. You had a good time; they didn’t win but it was okay.

After the game ended, Cale and the rest of the team migrated towards the New Year’s party at JT and Sydney’s place. Due to the fact that it was a holiday and he knew that he could work it off later, Cale decided to drink a little bit to ring in the New Year. By the time the clock started to wind down in the final minutes, he was already giggly and tipsy.

“Hey, y/n, I’ve never had a New Year’s kiss before. Would you like to be mine?”, Cale asked you.

You weren’t sure if he was asking you to kiss him because he was under the influence or if he was showing his true feelings. You had gone out together more than once but neither of you expressed those hangouts to be dates (even though they lowkey were). You and Cale considered each other friends but you did have a little crush on him. You didn’t want to hurt Cale’s feelings either (even if he wasn’t sober) so you agreed to kiss him. You chanted the countdown with everyone. When everyone yelled “Happy New Year”, Cale leaned in to kiss you on your cheek. Yep, even though he wasn’t fully sober, he was still being respectful. You laughed after he pulled away. Cale enjoyed the sound of hearing you laugh. You had wanted to kiss him back on his cheek but you decided against it. You weren’t sure how Cale truly felt about you sober and you didn’t want to muddy the waters of what you had by doing such a thing.

The following morning, you got a phone call from a certain rosy cheeked cutie, asking you to be his romantic partner. That one phone call changed everything for the better between you and Cale. You were so relieved to hear that he liked you back and his drunk actions did convert to sober thoughts.

————————————————————

Spending time with Cale felt like the world had stopped, time didn’t seem to pass and that time together turned from months to years. Your relationship felt like something out of a love song. Of course, there were expected highs and lows, losses and gains, disagreements and mutual understandings, tears shed and kisses shared all in between. Cale was right there by your side through it all. Things just fell into place for you both and it was almost like you were meant to be together, like it was part of some plan schemed by a mastermind. You didn’t have any evidence but it was like Cale had designed different ways for you to keep falling for him and you would continue to fall deeper and deeper into him and his love.

After being together for some time, you and Cale had decided to make the huge step of purchasing a house. You had found the perfect new build in Cherry Creek and were excited to spend your future together in this home. One weekday evening after Thanksgiving, you and Cale decorated the Christmas tree. You were both busy with work so you couldn’t push it off until the weekend. It was nice to have this time together, even if it wasn’t much. You had shared with Cale a fun family tradition; as you hung up an ornament on the tree, you had to say one thing that you loved about the other person. You knew deep down that Cale loved you but it was nice to hear him say the things that he loved about you; his presence in your life lit you up inside like a glittery Christmas tree. It meant a lot to Cale to hear from you specifically the things that you loved about him; he loved the way you decorated his heart with your kindness, selflessness and compassion. As you continued to hang up ornaments and string garland around the tree, you had quietly started to wonder about when Cale would propose. You had been together for over a year and you were already in the process of getting a home together. To you, Cale was the man of your dreams and he was worth the wait. To Cale, you were the one he wanted to marry and he was so grateful to have you as part of his life. He was glad that you had adjusted well to his lifestyle as a hockey player and being thrust into the spotlight by being romantically involved with him. Cale knew that the love you had shared together could not be replicated with anyone else. You both had this strange, unexplainable effect on each other.

Realistically, you had thought Cale would probably propose to you on Christmas when both of your families were in town. There was no guarantee that you would close on the new house and be moved in by then so Christmas was going to be hosted at the apartment. Cale knew when it was the right time to propose and it wasn’t when you had expected.

Right before Christmas, Cale had gotten a call from the real estate agent for you to meet at your new home to officially close on the property. You both had gotten dressed in your nicest sweaters since there would be a photographer there to take photos of the realtor’s clients with their new homes and you drove together to the location of your new address. You had arrived and noticed that the realtor wasn’t around with the keys to the house. However, the photographer was there. Cale got a text from the realtor who said that he was running late. The photographer suggested you take photos while you waited. You and Cale had professional photos done together before so it didn’t hurt to add more to your collection. During the impromptu photoshoot, Cale got down on one knee, holding your dream ring in a box.

“Y/n, from the moment I met you, I knew you were someone special. I couldn’t have planned the way that we met but after I left your apartment that day, something in my heart spoke to me and I started making plans to pursue you and your heart. I’m so glad that those plans worked out. You are such a light in my life, I love that you’re so kind and you’re one of the most hard-working people I’ve ever met, you’re so beautiful, inside and out. You are my best friend and the love of my life. I love you so much. Now that I have you in my life, it’s hard for me to imagine it without you. There’s no one else in this world that I would want to wake up next to, fall asleep with and spend the rest of my life with. Y/n, will you marry me?”, Cale asked. Your suspicions about him were right after all. Overwhelmed with joy and with tears in your eyes, you accepted Cale’s proposal and were met with one of your favorite gifts: a kiss from your lover.

Unknown to you, Cale already had a copy of the key to your new house. As soon as you opened the door, you were greeted with cheers and hugs from both of your friends and family. Some of the guys from the team and their partners were there as well to celebrate this special moment for you and Cale. You also saw that there was food and some decorations for your engagement party. The realtor was also there inside, with the paperwork so that you could legally sign off as a homeowner. Putting pen to paper, it was officially done. You couldn’t quite believe it; you had started the day off as Cale’s romantic partner and you ended it by becoming new homeowners and Cale’s fiance.

————————————————————

It was Cale’s first birthday as your husband. He came in late last night after an East Coast road trip and slept in late since the Avs had a few days off in between games. Cale looked so peaceful, deep into sleeping and snuggled up with your dog, Benny. You quietly slipped out of bed and went into the kitchen. You tried your best to not disturb your sleeping husband while you made pancakes for him. You knew that Cale always had some sort of surprise for you because he enjoyed seeing the joy that creeped across your face when he surprised you and this time, it was your turn to surprise him.

Cale knew that you weren’t an early bird at all and without an alarm, you could sleep through anything (including the apocalypse); you also tended to sleep in on most weekend off days. He was genuinely surprised to see you up before him. Cale was even more surprised to see that you decorated your shared home with balloons, streamers and a Happy Birthday banner for him. Sure, he had been surprised on his birthday before but it meant even more to him that you did this for him. You sacrificed your sleep to cook for him and to put things up instead of offering to go out to eat or hiring someone else to do everything. He didn’t care if you had got him a super expensive, special birthday gift or had even more surprises up your sleeve. Cale had all that he wanted for his birthday, right here, just feet away, dancing in the kitchen.

The one thing that wasn’t planned at all for Cale’s birthday was the snowfall. According to the weather forecast, there was a 40% chance of snow for October 30th and it was only in the upper elevations near the mountains. That 40% chance of snow turned 100% overnight and now all of Denver was blanketed in white. The unexpected snow on the ground meant that winter came a bit sooner than expected; it also meant that the days were going to get grayer and colder. Although the snow was here to stay, all it took for Cale was one look at you, his heart would get warm and it would all melt away.

#cale makar #colorado avalanche #cale makar x reader #cale makar imagine #cale makar fic #the winter fic exchange 2k23 #my writing #hockey writing #hockey fic #hockey imagine #please read my story

[fallinallincurls]

comforting soft sad caler?? I’m not saying I want to see him cry but he seems like a guy who might let a few tears slip when he finally feels settled in your arms

cale's kept his emotions in since the game ended. everyone saw the devastated look on his face in the locker room, but he didn't let anyone see how upset he was. he goes through the motions of changing out of his gear, showering, putting his game day suit back on and saying bye to the guys. by time he gets to his car, he can feel the sadness taking over. he keeps his mind on one thing and one thing only, you.

the moment the door of the apartment opens, you're on your feet rushing to the front door. your heart shatters at how sad your boyfriend looks and you don't say anything, not a word. that won't help. you just walk up to him and hold him tightly in a warm hug. cale reciprocates the embrace, resting his head atop yours and that's when you hear the sniffles.

"cale, baby." you whisper, pulling back slightly to see the tears falling from his eyes. "please don't cry."

cale just shakes his head in response, pulling you in again. you hold him and let him get all the emotions out. if that's what he needs, you'll be there to do it.

#asks #ask bre #cale makar #cale makar blurb #cale makar fluff #cale makar x reader #concepts #send in some concepts! #lovely anon

[nateslehky]

can you break bread with me?

nathan mackinnon // cale makar

4.3k, getting together, flirting (badly), fluff and humor

Hey, Cale. this is your Instacart shopper, Nate I have a question

read on ao3

#hockey rpf #hrpf #my fics #men's hockey rpf #here's the stupid fic i've been talking about lMFAO #enjoy <3 #reblogs appreciated as always <3

[eightmakar]

Hii!! I would like to request "I'll be damned if I don't make you smile at least once today" from fluffy prompts, with Cale if it's okay.. Thank you!

this is such a cale move

stanley cup blurb weekend!

It was hot. Far too hot.

The dry Denver air didn’t help the heat at all, didn’t help the sweltering sunlight that poured into your apartment. Especially since your air conditioner had died the day before. You wanted nothing more than a cool blast of air on your nearly-overheating body.

Your text complaining to your boyfriend had barely been delivered when your phone rang, the cute goofy faced photo of Cale illuminating your screen.

“Hey,” you answered.

“Hey,” he replied. “Come over, please? My AC is fine and I know you were having a bad week anyway.”

“I don’t know, I’m pretty fuckin’ grumpy right now,” you mumbled.

“I don’t mind. Please come cool off, at least for a little bit.”

You thought for a moment. Seeing Cale would make you feel better, and you both knew it.

“Okay,” you gave in, “I’ll be there in ten.”

A quick car ride later, you knocked on Cale’s door, having forgotten your key. He swung the door open, his face crinkled with a huge smile. You walked through the door, kicked off your shoes, and realized Cale was holding something out to you.

“Is that what I think it is?” you asked.

“Yep,” Cale said proudly, handing you a pint of your favorite Ben & Jerry’s ice cream. “I keep a pint or two in my freezer for emergencies, and I’ll be damned if I don’t make you smile at least once today.”

“You keep this for me?” A smile threatened to overtake your face as you thought more and more about Cale keeping your favorite ice cream just in case.

“Yeah,” Cale replied. His rosy cheeks deepened.

“Fuck,” you cursed as you couldn’t help but smile. “How are you even real?”

Cale grinned back at you. “Well, when a mommy and daddy really love each other…”

You laughed and shoved him teasingly, then took over his sectional and settled in to cool off and laugh with the love of your life.

#Cale makar blurb #caleblurb #cale makar #scfblurbsbybex #avs #Cale makar fluff

[harlowhockeystick]

"You make me a better person." With Mr.Norris, Cale Makar, please!!! Thx💕

j's celly

warnings: slight angst (yk it's my love language), early relationship anxiety stuff, but it's all fluff in the end

"i have a question."

looking up at you from across the couch, a stress ball in his hands that he was toying with on and off throughout the movie. it was a lame movie, nothing too special about it, but it had been on your list of recommendations that you had yet to check off.

"uh oh, should i be concerned?" you chuckled at his comment while reaching for the remote to pause the movie. shaking your head you sit up straight to face him better. "no, not at all."

"i was wondering, had been for a while, why you've been so quiet lately? i know you've got a lot going on, with hockey and stuff, but i just feel like you've been pretty distant. you know you can tell me anything," cale took a deep sigh and turned his body on the love seat cushion next to you to face you. "if i'm wrong you can call me out on it."

"no, no you're not wrong. to be completely honest? you terrify me but in the best way possible." a light laugh followed his comment. cale stared down at his hands and the stress ball he was squeezing the life out of, tossing the ball back and forth between hands. "i mean, every day i just think you're way too good to be true, y/n."

his words have your heart skipping beats, you feel your cheeks begin to become quite hot. you start to chew on the inside of your cheek to stop your lips from curving into a smile. "you make me a better person, and hey- listen, i know it's only been what? a few months? but damn if you're not all that i think about."

cale's hand reaches for yours. he brings it up to his lips, kissing the top of your hand while lacing his fingers with yours. cale leans his head on the back cushion of the couch, his light blue eyes gazing into yours.

a chuckle escapes your lips while you place your hand on his jawline, your thumb caressing his soft skin along with a bit of stubble. he laughs through his nose, "sorry to get all cheesy on you."

you shake your head and lean forward to press a kiss against his forehead, "not at all, i like it when you get cheesy."

"but i'm serious, about you. about us." you stare into his yes for a moment, taking a deep breath before pressing your lips against his. you stayed there for a second or two before pulling away.

"i am too."

#j's holiday celly #j's writing #cale makar #cale makar imagine #cale makar x reader #nhl imagine #nhl blurb #hockey imagine #hockey blurb

[withwritersblock]

Lover

~Lover by Taylor Swift but the Niall Horan cover~

Author's Note: Cale fluff ! Summary: Cale's plans to propose Word Count: 2,108 Cale Makar x fm!reader

“What about this one?” Gabe pointed towards a large diamond that was oval. Cale scrunched his features together as he shook his head. He leaned his arm on the glass as he leaned forward. “What about that one?” Gabe pointed towards the one directly beside it. Cale let out a huff of air.

“You’re not helping,” he muttered as his gaze moved away from the glass box towards Gabe.

“We’ve been here for an hour, just decide,” Gabe groaned as he smacked his hand against Cale’s back. Cale clenched his jaw as he looked down towards the case again. His eyes scan each individual ring, overanalyzing each small detail.

“You’re supposed to help me figure out which one she’ll like,” Cale groaned as he lifted his gaze towards the poor old lady who’s been trying to help them find the perfect ring. “She doesn’t like-” he paused, seeking out the right word, “flashy,” he muttered. She nodded, walking away from them.

“Well, you should’ve brought my wife,” Gabe muttered as he ran his fingers across his chin. “She knows these things,”

“Your wife can’t keep a secret,” Cale countered as he shot Gabe a glare. “Plus, you’ve done this before, I don’t know what I’m doing,” he gestured towards him. Gabe smiled as the old lady came back with a new collection of rings for him to look at. 

Cale groaned as there were at least forty more rings in front of him. They were less dramatic and more Y/N style. He continued analyzing each of them, trying to picture her reaction as he opened the box. “I went through her jewelry box and found something that was similar but more expensive,” Gabe said with a shrug. 

“She doesn’t wear rings, I have nothing to compare it to,” Cale argued. 

His eyes stopped as he saw a ring with a small diamond in the center and even smaller diamonds fading out beside it. It was elegant and not flashy. The center diamond wasn’t too much bigger than the ones on the side. It was silver, all over. Something he did know about her was that she hated gold. 

“This one,” Cale mumbled as he pointed towards it in the case. Gabe scrunched his features together. “Yeah, this one,” he nodded again as the old lady opened the case to hand him the ring to get a closer look.

Gabe looked towards the ring, nodding his head. Pulling his lips together while he slapped his hand against Cale’s back. 

Cale examined it, picturing it on her finger for the rest of their lives together. “It’s perfect,” he said, handing it towards the old lady.

“Do you want to hear the price?” she asked, giving him a concerned look, Cale shook his head before turning his gaze towards Gabe. To anyone that didn’t pay attention to the NHL the pair looked like two average guys. Especially the hoodie covering Cale’s frame, and his messy hair. He didn’t look anything like a millionaire.

“Confident man,” Gabe muttered while nodding his head. Cale rolled his eyes, his cheeks flushing bright red as he fought off the smile on his lips. “Now, how do you plan on doing it?” 

Cale’s eyes widened, “I didn’t think that far ahead,” he took a deep breath, “I don’t know, maybe just surprise her in the living room with it,” 

“You can’t do that, come on,” Gabe crossed his arms over his chest, “It’s gotta be more special than that,”

“She doesn’t like flashy or over the top,”

“Special doesn’t mean flashy or over the top,” Gabe said with a sigh, “Kid, you’ve got a lot to learn,”

~one week later~

He laid on his hotel bed with a handful of his teammates scattered throughout his room. Killing time before they had to start getting ready for the game. He tossed a lacrosse ball into the air continuously as he half-listened to whatever Bo was saying. 

Ever since he bought the extremely expensive ring, the idea of how he was going to propose continued to circle his mind. The idea that it had to be special kept him up at night. Special was hard to decipher. A super intimate candle lit dinner in his apartment would be special but he knows she would love to have family and friends around. But too many people could overwhelm her or make her suspicious.

A few months back, they talked about marriage and where in the timeline of their life would getting engaged be perfect. She said she was ready whenever he was. He asked her so he wouldn’t be one of the horror stories where the girl says no. He couldn’t survive the embarrassment if she said no.

“Caler, wake up man,” Bo shouted towards him. Cale began tossing the ball in his other hand as he hummed as reply. Nate smirked as he took a sip of his water.

“He’s struggling on how to propose to Y/N,” Nate let out, Cale catches the ball from the air as he glares towards Nate. Only Nate and Gabe knew on the team. 

“Dude! That’s awesome!” Bo shouted.

“Since when?” Mikko let out.

“Hell yeah,” Devon expressed, he furrowed his eyebrows while tilting his head to the side, “What’d you mean you don’t know how you're going to do it?” 

Cale shrugged his shoulders as he tilted his head back against the headboard.

“Do you have a ring?” Bo asked.

“Oh he has a ring. Nine thousand dollars worth of a ring,” Gabe let out as he walked out of the bathroom towards the small group. Cale nodded his head as he held a tight lip smile. 

“Holy shit, dude,” Bo mumbled, “Wait, is that normal? Like is Kailey going to expect me to spend-”

“No, it’s not normal. The lady looked at Cale like he was crazy when he picked it out,” Gabe interrupted.

Cale nodded as he ran his hand over his chin nervously. “She was more shocked to see the card I handed her was a debit card,” Cale let out as his cheeks pinked up. The group chuckles as he fiddles with the lacrosse ball in his hand. “It’s gotta be special but not over the top but not boring. I don’t want her to hate it,” he explained.

“Landy’s throwing a get-to-together at his house once we get back from this roady, do it there,” Bo offered. Gabe’s eyes lit up while nodding.

“That’s a lot of people, I think she’d hate all that attention,” he muttered as he shook his head. 

“I think you’d hate all the attention,” Mikko offered. Cale rolled his eyes. He was right. He would hate having everyone’s eyes on him as he made a speech about his love towards her. It wouldn’t feel genuine. 

“You have to wait for her nails to be done, she’d be pissed at you if you porposed to her and she didn’t like her nails,” Devon pointed out, “My wife made us redo our engagement pictures because I didn’t wait until she had “pretty” nails,” he said while holding air quotes around pretty.

The boys chuckle as Cale nods as he mentally notes to make sure her nails are up to her standards. “I mean she gets them done all the time, it should be okay, whenever right?” Cale asked, his heart rate picking up. Devon and Gabe chuckle.

~four days later~

He laid on the bed staring towards the suitcase that he hadn't unpacked. The ring box laid at the bottom of it waiting for the right moment to be pulled out. She walked into the bedroom, her hair loosely tied up away from her face, a small smile on her lips.

“I’m so glad you’re home,” she muttered as she climbed on the bed. He opened his arms, allowing her to lay on his chest. He rested his hand on her lower back as he slowly ran his hand along her back. 

“Me too,” he mumbled as he pressed his lips against the side of her head. 

Her eyebrows furrowed as she stared towards the suitcase, “You haven’t unpacked yet? Your suits are probably super wrinkly,” she let out as she pouted her lips.

“I’ll get to it later,” he mumbed, tightening his grip along her waist.

“Cale, honey, it’s been sitting like that all day,” she said as she lifted her head from his chest. She looked down and met his blue eyes. His gaze shifted towards the suitcase back to her eyes. She leaned down and delicately pressed her lips against his for a brief second. She tapped her hand against his chest, “Come on, I’ll help you unpack,”

“No,” he let out, widening his eyes. She squinted her eyes as she pulled her head back. “I’ll get it done later,” he muttered. She opened her mouth to object, “I promise,” he raised his eyebrows as he pursed his lips forward.

He lifted his hand up and pulled her head towards him and kissed her. Trying to distract her from the suitcase and the ring sitting inside of it. 

~Three Days Later~

It was a gorgeous night, it was clear skies as they walked hand in hand together down the street. The street lights held string Christmas lights. It was still Novemeber but it was nice to see the white lights blinking in a nice cadence. 

Cale was wearing his long grey coat that hid the ring box in his pocket, his hand gripping it so tightly. Many of their dates throughout their relationship have been to the same restaurant as well as the same walk down the scenic street. 

“You’re quiet,” she mumbled as she wrapped her arm around his, inching closer to him. The wind is slowly picking up.

“Just thinking,” he mumbled while shrugging his shoulders.

She hummed as she bumped into him, “Yeah? About what?” she dragged out her words. He took a deep breath and stopped walking. She furrowed her eyebrows as she slowly faced him. 

“I love you,” he mumbled, his heart beating hard against his chest. She smiled widely as she met his eyes.

“I love you too,” she whispered back. She leaned towards him and planted a soft kiss on his lips. Once she pulled away she tried tugging him to continue their walk, but he remained planted in the spot. “Lover, whatcha waiting for?” she asked teasingly. He smirked as his cheeks pinked up. 

There were thousands of words in his mind the entire night. Filled with every amazing feeling he had towards Y/N. He had rehearsed so many words that resembled exactly how much he loved her and how in love he was with her.

But in this moment, staring into her eyes, all he could think about was the four words. The four biggest words in his speech. If he could get those words out, that’s all that would matter.

Letting go of her hand, he nervously pulls the ring box from his pocket as he kneeled down on one knee. “Cale,” she let out barely above a whisper.

“Will you marry me?” he asked, his voice shaking. She stared towards him as her lips began to quiver. She smiled widely. 

“Is this real?” she asked as she felt her eyes fill with tears. 

He smiled widely and nodded his head, “Will you marry me?” he asked again. All she could muster up was a dramatic nod. He stood up and quickly engulfed her in a huge hug, careful to not drop the ring box in his hand. “I had a speech, but I forgot it,” he mumbled against her hair. 

He lifted her up from the ground and spun her, she ran her fingers through his hair as they continued holding onto each other. “You just proposed,” she let out while shaking her head. She pulled away from him, her hands still resting on his neck as she looked into his eyes. She leaned towards him and kissed him as the sound of cheers erupted around them. 

Her eyes widened as she pulled away, at first her eyes landed on her best friend walking towards her. Her eyes shifted back to Cale and she saw the box in his hand. His eyes widened before he opened it once more to show her the ring. “I didn’t know your ring size, I hope it fits,” he mumbled. Her mouth fell open as she was admiring it.

“Cale, this-this is perfect,” she muttered as she met his gaze once more before she leaned towards him and kissed him again. “God, I love you,” she muttered against his lips.

#nhl #nhl imagines #cale makar #cale makar imagines #cale makar x reader #colorado avalanche #colorado avalanche imagines #nhl fic #nhl x reader #nathan mackinnon #nathan mackinnon imagines #nathan mackinnon x reader #mikko rantanen #mikko rantanen x reader #mikko rantanen imagines