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So first off, Pam working at Chili's (and still needing to be warned about overserving) is inspired, and you did efficiently establishing that Jim's experience at Dunder Mifflin is completely soul-crushing without her. They're still each other's escape from the drudgery of work, but in a domestic way, it's an interesting twist on canon.

You've got a solid handle on who these characters are, and you've given them and their relationships some good establishing moments - the double "oh joys," Jim knowing about Pam's family situation and her being able to tell from a glance how miserable his morning had been, Karen having taken a slightly higher job hours away and Jim just blatantly lying about it.

(You also did a good job with the misdirect on who the girlfriend actually was - felt pretty natural where it could have easily felt forced.)

I love all the different elements of both these stories you're bringing in with Karen - she's the Roy who is delaying necessary steps to move their relationship forward, she's herself as a bit of a fancy-pants who doesn't think a night on the couch could possibly be fun., but also Kate Hudson. The idea that sort of glamor is intimidating to Pam is a solid choice to replace the idea of that the two of them have a longstanding relationship of their own, and I like the way you've preserved Pam as fundamentally self-defeating and encouraging Jim to lean into that relationship.

Their domestic routine is just... adorable. Wake up before this becomes an epic tale of missed connections and love deferred, ya dummies.

This is a really good start! I'm looking forward to seeing how this all plays out.

P.S. Here is a true fact - I spent literally years thinking there was a deleted scene from Boys & Girls in which Jim says to Pam "maybe I'm an asshole, but I'm the only asshole here who gives a shit about you," and then rewatched Something Borrowed on HBO the other day and finally realized he was actually saying it to Ginnifer Goodwin. All of which is a long way to saying - the parallels of these two stories about pining best friends are not lost on me, and I'm looking forward to seeing you explore them.

Author's Response:

Thank you so much! I'm really glad you think the Pam working at Chilli's/Jim and Pam living together is working so far. I do think that as much as Pam was in slight denial about Roy, Jim might be equally bad if he was in a dysfunctional relationship, although potentially for different reasons. 

And yes - I think Karen may end up being slightly OOC as a result (I do actually like her character, but for the sake of the story...sorry Karen).

Haha that's amazing - that line is actually one of my favourites from the movie. I watched Something Borrowed before I ever saw The Office, and John Krasinski in that movie was basically the reason I wanted to watch The Office. I am considering whether I can weave some kind of aggressive badminton game into this fic, but might be a stretch too far...