Warning: Major spoilers ahead

For most of the season, Scott Hunter – captain of the New York Admirals – has been quietly in the background of Shane’s life, even joining him for lunch at the Sochi Olympics.

Flashing back to their meeting in Sochi, the conversation about gay figure skater Joe and his bravery at being out in Russia, is now seen from Scott’s perspective, and it’s clear he’s quietly thinking something over.

In New York four months earlier, Scott goes for a run, where he listens to commentators talk about his game so far this season – which has been far from his best. Even so, he is announced as the captain of Team USA at the upcoming Olympics. With the world on his shoulders, he stops at smoothie bar Straw+Berry for a drink, where the barista is asleep behind the counter.

Waking him up, the barista – named Kip – apologises, and the pair share a joke before he places his order. The pair flirt, with Scott praising the drink, before going on his way, leaving a big tip. A fan of Scott’s comes in after him, and Kip finally realises who he is.

That night, Kip and his friends head to a bar, where they watch Scott’s hockey game and gossip about the flirty encounter. Kip dismisses it, believing he’s not gay, but is clearly into him, later reading up on Scott winning the game at work the next day.

To his surprise, Scott returns to the store, saying that after his win, he’s a little superstitious and wants to keep things the same to keep his streak up. He buys the same smoothie, and pays the same tip, which delights Kip and his co-worker, Elena, who is watching it all with joy. Later that night, the pair grab a bite to eat, and she changes the channel on the bar’s TV so they can watch the game together. Elena notes he’s next playing a home game on Saturday, and Kip switches up his shifts to make sure he’s there to see him.

When Scott comes in as planned, Kip gives him his smoothie on the house, saying his manager had become aware he was now a regular. Scott thanks him, and asks to sit in the café, with the pair later discussing true crime, athletic habits, and engaging in some more flirting. Scott offers him tickets to the game that night, and Kip happily accepts.

Kip brings Elena to the game and gets flustered when Scott waves at him from the ice. Elena declares it a “first date” for them both but Kip ignores her.

Two days later, Scott loses against Ilya while playing in Boston, and Ilya can’t resist taking a jab at him. The next day, the New York Admirals lose again, this time against Shane’s team in Montreal. Shane jokes that “he hopes Scott shows up to play next time” and Scott mutters under his breath that he’s beginning to sound like Ilya.

The comment strikes a nerve with Shane, who asks what he meant by it, and they end up brawling on the ice, causing a scene that’s captured by cameras. Kip sees it all while watching the game with his dad, who comments on how proud he is of his son going for an art scholarship.

The next day, Kip is running late for work as a server at a fancy gala, and immediately runs into – literally – Scott, spilling food all over him. Scott tells him it’s OK, but Kip is shaken, needing a moment in the back with fellow server Shawn to calms down before heading back out.

As the night progresses, Scott approaches Kip again, and the pair exchange flirty and awkward banter back and forth before Scott invites him to dinner at a Mexican restaurant nearby. Shocked, Kip agrees.

Scott waits for Kip around the back of the building as he finishes his shift, and together they head to the restaurant, but they change their mind when they see there’s a line outside. While Kip tells him it’s OK to leave it, Scott invites him over to his swanky apartment to order in instead. Once they’re there, they give in to their feelings and have sex.

Scott admits he can’t stop thinking about Kip, and Kip shares his shock that he’s into him.

After they have sex, Kip tries to quietly leave, thinking he would want to be alone and get a good night’s rest ahead of his game, but Scott encourages him to stay for the night.

The next morning, Kip wakes up early and makes him a smoothie. Touched by the gesture, Scott picks him up and takes him back to bed.

As the pair spend the morning together, Kip suggests again that he leaves, but Scott asks if he can be “intense” for a minute with him.

Speaking openly about his hopes for a relationship, Scott reveals he’s never had somebody back at his home, and that he can’t come out as gay now because he worries it could ruin his reputation and his career.

However, after meeting Kip, he feels something he’s never had before, and while he knows it’s intense as they barely know each other, he wants to make it work, and for him to be at his house. He knows it’s a lot to ask, and would understand if it’s too much for Kip, but requests he stay at his house.

To his surprise, Kip agrees, and the pair set up a domestic life together, with Kip lying to his friends about having a boyfriend and telling his father he’s staying with Elena. Scott still comes into the store to order his smoothies, but Elena knows something is going on between them, telling Kip he’s a bad liar.

Scott is keen to try and do more things with Kip and agrees to go to an art exhibition with him but covers himself up with shades and a baseball cap, jumpy at the possibility that he might be seen. When they’re approached by an art broker, Scott panics and promptly leaves, later apologising to Kip when they get home because he wasn’t ready.

Trying to perk Scott up before heading away for a trip, Kip buys him a pair of socks as a lucky charm while he’s on the road. They work - Scott wears them and wins the game.

Back in New York, Elena and Kip watch the game from the bar, but Elena switches off the television and demands to know the truth. While Kip tries to hide it, Elena says she knows he’s in love with Scott and asks if he’s told his dad.

Kip gives up and admits the truth, saying he’s never been happier, even though Scott can’t come out. Elena is worried about him, telling him it isn’t fair to be treated like a dirty little secret. Despite her reservations, she agrees to play nice during their shift as servers at the gala the next day.

On his way home from work, Kip gets a message from Scott saying that he has left a present for him in their closet and tells him that he wore the socks to his winning game.

At the apartment, Kip catches up with his dad, who hasn’t seen him for a while. His dad tells him that he loves him and hopes to see him soon. It’s clear that Kip is beginning to feel guilty about lying to his father. Inside the closet is a brand new suit for Kip to wear, with a note dedicated “to his man”.

At the gala that evening, Scott and Kip avoid each other as best they can, having small conversations when possible. Elena then leads Scott to the dance floor for a moment alone to talk to him and shares her concern for her friend.

As Scott listens to what she has to say, Elena shares that while Kip is obviously in love, he’s also miserable because no one wants to be kept a secret. While he’s a great guy who obviously is smitten with him, she tells him that they both “deserve sunshine”, which weighs on him heavily as he heads home that evening.

When Kip reveals his birthday is coming up, Scott shares he’s already planned a caterer to make it special. Kip shares that his friends are planning a party for him at The Kingfisher – the gay bar that he watches his games at. Kip asks Scott to come to the party as his friend, and “just a guy that buys smoothies from him” but Scott tells him that, as much as he wants to, he can’t.

Scott tells Kip that he loves him and asks him to hold out a few more years. Once his career is over and he’s able to live more openly, they can be together without the outside pressure from the team he considers family. Kip tells him that he can’t keep lying to his loved ones for that long, and more importantly, doesn’t want to. He misses being open with his dad, and with his friends.

That night, Kip decides to go home to his dad, leaving Scott alone.

Flashing back to the speech Scott gave at the gala that night, it’s revealed that Scott’s parents both died in a car accident when he was still a child.

He was saved by the St Thomas scholarship, who gave him a new home and helped him build his career in hockey. As a result, he considers his teammates his family, and his obligations to the foundation mean everything to him.

When Kip gets back to his dad’s house, he’s immediately comforted by his father as he breaks down in tears, heartbroken.

That weekend, he heads to The Kingfisher to celebrate his birthday with his friends, and Scott – still too ashamed to go in – watches the party through the window briefly before walking on.

Shortly afterwards, Scott heads to the Sochi Olympics, where his head is still with Kip as he prepares for a game.

To keep him close, he still wears the lucky socks Kip bought him underneath his kit.