Miracle On Ice One Shots

Neighbors (Jim Craig- #30)

Angie sighed as she shook off her coat from the rain.

It was raining cats and dogs, and all Angie wanted after a long day was a nice hot meal and to curl up in her armchair with her favorite book.

It was now May in Boston, and Angie was an accounting student at Boston University. Classes had just gotten out for the year, but she had a full time internship with a firm downtown that required long days. She loved it though- she loved numbers. And she was good with numbers. She often found herself wishing that people were like numbers. Then they would be easy to understand.

She sighed as she walked over to check her mail. She was surprised to see a tall attractive man standing by the mailboxes in the lobby. She had never seen him before- but then again, a lot of people lived in this building, so that wasn't extremely uncommon.

She walked up to her mailbox and opened it, pulling out the contents. She risked a glance at the stranger to see a pair of bright blue eyes already looking at her. Angie looked up at him, smiling shyly.

"Hi. I'm Angie." She stuck her hand out to the man. He smiled. "I'm Jim." She smiled. "It's nice to meet you, Jim." He gestured towards the stairs. "You heading up?" She nodded. "Mind if I walk with you?" Jim asked. Angie nodded and they started the trek up the stairs.

"I've never seen you around before." Angie said on the stairs. Jim shrugged. "Yeah, I guess that would make sense. I just moved in about a month ago."

Oh yes, that would make a ton of sense. "How long have you lived here?" He asked her in an effort to keep the conversation going. She smiled again. "About a year or so. I go to Boston University- I'm an accounting student."

"I also go to the U! I'm on the hockey team- and I'm a business major." She turned to him, an eyebrow quirked. "That's pretty cool! I've been to a few of the games- you guys are pretty good." He laughed. "Yeah, I guess we are. But I just love to play the game. It was a good bonding point for my mom and I." She smiled. "My mom was the one to drive me to practice every day." His tone had shifted. She glanced at him to see that his face had fallen.

He glanced at her once before continuing. "She uh- just recently passed. Cancer." He said quietly. Angie felt a stab of familiarity and pity. She stopped and placed a hand on Jim's shoulder. "I'm so sorry, Jim. I know what that's like- and it's not easy." She replied just as softly. He looked up at her. Her words could only have one meaning- that she's also lost someone like he had.

He smiled at her- a small one, but a smile none the less. They started walking again, only this time in silence. Although, it wasn't uncomfortable by any means.

When they reached the 5th floor, Angie stopped on the landing. "Well, this is me." She smiled. "Well, it was great to meet you, Angie." Jim said, looking down at her.

"It was great to meet you too, Jim. I'll see you around?" He smiled at her. "Of course, Angie. Have a great night."

"You too." She then turned and walked to her door. As she opened up her apartment, she couldn't stop thinking about the man that was left on the stairs, staring at the spot where she had disappeared.

****

A few days later, Angie was cooking dinner when she heard a knock on the door. Confused, she turned off the stove, and, grabbing a towel, walked over to the door to see who it was.

She opened the door to see a familiar form on the other side. She was shocked, but not unpleasantly so. When her eyes met his, his lips turned up into a smile.

"Angie, hey." She grinned. "Hey, Jim how's it going?" He shrugged. "Not too bad. You?"

"Yeah, about the same! Just finishing up some dinner." His eyes widened. "Oh I didn't mean to interrupt." She laughed. "Don't be silly! I eat dinner by myself most nights so you're not interrupting anything. I'm sure I have enough if you wanted to stay?" She said before she could think. Her eyes widened. She couldn't believe she said that.