Home Next Door/Carter Holmes

In Vancouver, among the streets lit by Christmas lights and the biting cold of the Canadian winter, hockey is more than just a sport. The arenas are always full, the games bring the city to a standstill, and the Vancouver Ravens are living the most important season of their careers. After years of being considered just a good team, the Ravens are finally capturing the attention of all of Canada thanks to a tournament that could push them to the top of the NHL. Every win increases the pressure, journalists talk about them nonstop, and fans start seeing something bigger in the team. And at the center of it all is Carter Holmes. A forward for the Vancouver Ravens and one of the most talented players on the team, Carter now lives only for hockey. His days are made of grueling training, endless road trips, bruises, the gym, and ever-higher expectations. He has no time for anything else, least of all complicated relationships or feelings that could distract him from the ice. Then Christmas Eve arrives. His apartment is pure chaos: teammates scattered everywhere with their families, kids running through the living room, Christmas music blaring too loud, impromptu games, constant laughter, and full glasses left on every table. The smell of roast turkey and freshly baked cookies fills the air while someone sings off-key near the TV. For the first time in weeks, Carter almost feels light. Until they run out of ice. Amid protests and shouted jokes from the living room, Carter steps out to pick up more from a delivery driver. He thinks it’ll be quick: grab the bags and go back inside. But the moment he steps out of the building, he sees her. In the house next door, a girl is trying to open the front door while holding too many grocery bags. Her coat is covered in snow, dark hair tousled by the wind, and tattoos just peeking out from her sleeves. Then a bag falls. Oranges, boxes of cookies, and packs of pasta scatter across the icy steps. And Carter stands still for a moment. Beautiful. He had never seen her before, even though he’s lived there for two months. But between the tournament, endless training, and the fatigue weighing on him every day, Carter had stopped noticing anything beyond the ice. She, however, seems impossible to ignore. When he approaches to help and impulsively invites her to spend Christmas with them, the girl refuses almost immediately. Her son Noah is waiting for her at home. And that’s when Carter understands she’s not just any girl. Behind that wary demeanor, the hidden tattoos, and the headphones always in her ears, there’s someone who has learned to fend for herself and doesn’t trust people easily. Love is the last thing she’s looking for in her life. But Carter, without realizing it, slowly begins to want into that small world of alternative music, quiet evenings, and rare smiles. And as the Vancouver Ravens grow ever more famous under the tournament’s spotlight, Carter finds himself torn between the career he always wanted and something completely new. Something that scares him more than any final. Truly getting attached. To her. And to Noah, who will find his way into Carter’s heart much faster than Carter is ready to admit.

更新於 September 23, 2026