Another Monday has started.

Pam lifts up the blue teapot and pours her tea. Chamomile was today's flavor.

She looks up at the tall brunette sitting in front of her. She sighs.

Jim gave her a teapot in Secret Santa two Christmases ago. She began using it soon afterwards. Well, until he transferred. She couldn't look at it anymore without feeling depressed. Now, it sits on top of her fridge at home. With all the surprises still it in.

Pam smiles at the thought of those little presents.

"Haven't seen that in a while."

Pam notices Jim looking at her.

Dwight is picking his teeth again.

Jim turns around to glance at Pam.

His eyebrow rises up at the sight of Pam smiling.

"Haven't seen that in a while."

"Seen what?"

"A genuine smile on your face. What's up, Beesly?"

"I was just thinking of that teapot you gave me and its little gifts."

He couldn't help but to smile, too. He thought out so carefully about what to put in it. The yearbook picture was a must. The hot sauce and the mixed tape, too. He was a bit surprised she remembered the boggle timer or the golf pencil.

Pam sees his smile. He goes to her desk and grabs an M&M. "Man, those were the days."

"Yeah, Jim. They were."

He puts the M&M in his mouth and makes a face. "And I thought these were jellybeans."

Pam laughs but stops when she notices Karen glaring at her from across the room. "I better get back to work."

"Why? I'm better to talk to than our clients." Jim leans down closer. "The boggle timer shows why. Remember Mr. Tucker?

She smirks. "Yes, and you thought I wouldn't remember that one."

"When was that? Two months after you started?"

It was a muggy summer that year. The AC wasn't working that week.

On that Wednesday morning, both Jim and Pam walked in at the same time. Because of the heat, Pam had put her hair in a ponytail. Of course, he couldn't help noticing how different she looked.

Boredom set in really quickly. There was very little business. Tom, an accountant, even started to clean out his desk. He tossed several random things in the nearby trashcan. Including an old boggle timer.

For some reason, Jim rescued it.

He looked at Pam with a smile. "I've got a game."

"I've got a game." Pam couldn't help but giggle at the look Jim had on his face. It was positively child-like.

"Ok, what's the game?"

"We see what can last as long as this timer."

"What? Jim, that sounds silly." The phone rang. She held up a finger. "Dunder-Mifflin, this is Pam."

Jim turns the timer over. "You have to keep talking until the timer is up."

She looked at him curiously and smiled. "Mr. Tucker, you know what? I didn't ask you how your day is going."

Jim beamed while Pam continued chatting with the client for three minutes.

She timed the rest of the conversation perfectly that when she did hang up, it was the same instant the last of the sands dropped.

Jim was impressed and applauded.  "Very nice, Beesly."

"Considering you put me on the spot. Well, guess it's your turn." She pointed at the person coming his way: Dwight.

As soon as the timer was turned, Jim was on.

"Dwight, I just saw ‘The Return of the King' and I was so confused. I hadn't seen the others Would you explain them to me?" Jim's face was enthralled with fake exuberance.

Pam's was sheer delight.

Throughout the rest of the day, Pam and Jim did these little timing gags, trying to top the other's previous one. With all the three minute periods that they did, the day ended up going on quicker, even if they had to watch a little timer.

Although she had just met him two months before, Pam couldn't help but be drawn to him. Why? Many things. However, his sense of humor was the one thing that Pam enjoyed the most.

"Reminiscing?"

She looks into Jim's eyes. "Yeah, pretty much." She sees Karen coming to reception.

"Hey, guys. What's going on?"

Jim shudders at Karen's touch on his shoulder. He notices Pam looking a bit awkward. He looks at Karen. "We're just talking about old times."

"Really? Anything exciting?"

Pam looks up at Karen. "Have you ever seen Jim's high school yearbook?"

"No. Why?"

Pam grins widely. "His picture is hilarious. He was so dorky looking."

Jim laughs. "You were so excited when you saw that in my room."

"Well, you shouldn't have had it lying around like that."

"What? It was on my bookcase! How's that ‘lying around'?"

Karen bit her lower lip. "I need to call back a client."

Karen leaves. Pam looks up at Jim. "Is she okay?"

"Yeah. Just needs to call back a client." He sighs. "By the way, weren't you going to show me your high school picture?"

"I never said that!"

"I'm pretty sure you did."

"When?"

"While looking at my yearbook. You were saying how different people at your school were from the people at my school and that you would bring yours in to show me."

Pam looks sheepishly at her desk. "I did say that, didn't I?"

"Yup."

"Wait. I brought it."

"No, you didn't."

"Yeah. I brought it years ago."

Jim knows that he would have remembered Pam bringing in her high school yearbook. “I don’t think that you did, Beesly.”

“It was for Michael’s family tree project.”

Jim’s face lights up. “Holy crap! I forgot all about that. He made me bring in a baby picture.”

Michael had this great idea of making a family tree using pictures of the Dunder-Mifflin employees. However, he wanted pictures from different stages of life in order to convey a real family tree.

Jim looked at Pam’s high school photo on the cardboard display. “She looks exactly the same.”

“I changed a little.”

Pam saw Jim looking at her picture. "She looks exactly the same."

She didn't think so. "I changed a little."

He looked at her. "Maybe the hair."

"Yeah. When it was that long, it just frizzled so much more than now. I was a nerd in high school. The braces didn't help." She glanced at Jim's picture. "You were an adorable baby."

He chuckled. "Adorable, chubby, and a bit cross-eyed."

"A face that only a mother can love."

For a brief moment, she pictured what their kids would look like. Turning red, she shook the thought out of her head.

Jim raised his eyebrow at the blushing woman next to him, but decided not to ask. Probably not the thought that he was thinking.

"If only we knew each other in high school."

Pam looked at him. "Yeah. We would have been best friends." She smiled. "Who knows, I've might have started dating you and not Roy." She quickly started to giggle.

He could only smile back. He knew that in the span of a year that he had fallen for her. Even though she was taken by someone else.

"Earth to Jim!" Pam snaps her fingers in his face.

Pam snaps Jim out of la-la land. "You should have seen the look on your face."

He smiles slightly. "I bet that was a treat."

Michael comes out of his office with a microwavable meal in his hand. He smiles at the two. "Guess who's having quesadillas?"

Pam smiles. "Just don't overheat them this time." She notices Jim looking goofily at her. "What?"

"The hot sauce packets.

"Oh, geez. At the company picnic?"

"I can't believe you thought they were ketchup."

"It's pretty easy to mix them up. That's what happens when hamburgers and tacos are next to each other."

"That's why we read labels." Jim grins. Pam smacks him playfully on the arm.

Michael planned a company picnic the spring before the documentary crew came. He hadn't planned one since.

Angela decided potluck would be best, but ended up getting mad when she saw the variety of food. Everything was there from Italian to Mexican to American.

Jim noticed Pam sitting by herself and sat next to her. She looked a bit sad and frustrated. "What's the matter?"

"Roy. He backed out of this and is spending the afternoon with his brother." She was fiddling with a sauce packet.

Pam noticed that Jim was really concerned and trying to be a good friend. She smiled while opening the packet and putting it on the hot dog.

Jim took a fork-full of spaghetti. She couldn't help on laughing as he had gotten some sauce on his nose.

"What?"

"Just this." She used a napkin to wipe it off. "Messy eater."

"Thanks, mommy." He mocked her.

"Welcome, James, dear." She patted him on the head.

He glanced at the packets in front of her plate. "Um, Pam?"

She took a bite of her hot dog. Suddenly, her eyes became very wide.

Jim had no clue what to do. Pam had just spit out her food and started fanning her mouth.

"Oh my God! Very, very hot!" She already drank all of her lemonade and started drinking his.

He just sat there in silence, debating what his actions should be. Help her by getting her some milk or burst out laughing at her mistake? He chose the former.

While she was still fanning her mouth, he rushed to get some milk, which Angela brought for some unknown reason.

After Pam was good, it took him only twenty-seven seconds to finally crack up.

The phone rings. Pam glances at it. She smiles at Jim. "Duty awaits."

"Yeah. I better get some work done as well." Jim heads off to his desk.

She sighs and picks up the phone. "Dunder-Mifflin, this is Pam."

"Hi, Pam, it's Jan. Would you kindly put me through to Toby?"

"Sure, Jan. One moment."

"Thanks. Also, please don't mention to Michael that I called."

Pam smiles. "No problem. I'm transferring you to Toby now. Have a great day."

A ding comes from her computer. It's an IM message from Jim: "I have a confession to make about the gift."

Jim sits back down at his desk. It occurs to him that he still has the Christmas card in his bag. The Christmas card he wrote for Pam. The Christmas card he never gave to Pam. He decides that she should have it. He IMs her: "I have a confession to make about the gift."

Her reply: "What?"

He feels Karen looking at him. He is correct. His reply: "I'll tell you later. At the end of the day? ;)"

Her reply: "Ok. I'll try not to go crazy in suspense. :P"

Another IM message pops up. "What's going on?"

He grimaces.

Pam notices Jim typing but she didn't get any messages back to her. She looks over to Karen's desk. A scowl comes across Karen's face. Pam guesses that Jim is IM-ing her instead.

Moments later, an IM comes in from Jim: "I have a lot of sales calls to make, so I won't be able to go and talk to you some more."

Pam wonders if Karen has anything to do with this. Her reply: "I understand."

His reply: "However, at the end of the day, I'll tell you the confession."

She smiles at ‘confession.' Her reply: "You promise, Halpert?"

Jim replies back: "I promise. Just as long as you don't throw pencils at me."

He hears Pam giggle behind him. It takes all the willpower in him to not turn around. Karen is already jealous at the fact that he and Pam were talking for a long time. Frankly, he really didn't care. He has noticed since he got back that he and Pam haven't been hanging out and he really wanted to mend it.

Jim adds more to his IM message: "We should totally go mini-golfing again."

It was Pam's 25th birthday. It landed on a weekday, though.

Roy promised Pam that he was going to take her out on Saturday. She was fine with that arrangement if it wasn't for the fact that on her actual birthday, Roy was at Lonnie's for the NCAA basketball championship.

Jim noticed how upset Pam was and decided to take her on a birthday ‘date.' She didn't know exactly how he convinced Michael to let the two of them have the afternoon off. However, she did spot them shopping together the following weekend at the mall.

What they were going to do was a surprise. It was the best birthday ever.

As soon lunch time started, Jim and Pam left. He took her to her favorite restaurant, Brixx, for lunch. She loved their funnel cake. Afterwards, they took a fifteen minute drive to Lahey Family Fun Park. Jim remembered how she said that she hadn't been there in years. Roy said that it was for kids and families.

When they showed up there, the look on Pam's face made Jim melt. They first started on the bumper boats and then on to the Go-Karts. Although she doesn't believe him, Jim said that he let Pam win because it was her birthday.

Pam's favorite activity at the Fun Park was miniature golf. When she was younger, her dad always took her and her sister mini golfing whenever her mom was away on business. It was one of her favorite childhood memories.

She picked the pink ball while Jim selected the green one. They took turns navigating the 32-hole course. It was a nice warm day and because it was an early Monday afternoon, not many people were playing.

The only thing about Pam and mini golfing was that by the time she got to the middle of the course, her aim died.

Jim had known about Pam's love for mini-golfing by the many pictures of her and her sister at her place. He couldn't help but feel pretty good about himself when Pam gave him that huge hug when she got a hole-in-one at the first hole.

However, he couldn't also help laughing when at Hole 16, her golf ball landed in the course's stream. He only laughed for a second when he saw the look on her face.

But when it occurred again at Holes 20, 24, 25, 28, and 29, he was dying and Pam's face just made it worse.

Pam knew that Jim wasn't really laughing at her. He would never laugh at her. He was just laughing at her golfing skills.

"It's not as easy as it looks."

"Oh, really? I haven't hit the ball into the water yet."

She frowns. "I haven't played in forever."

"Beesly, neither have I. When was the last time you played? I was probably 12."

She looked sheepish. "I was 20."

He chuckled. "Wow. That was only five years ago." He continued egging her on. "That's such a long time ago. Geez, I didn't realize that ‘forever' only meant ‘half a decade'."

Jim saw the smile creeping on Pam's face. He knew that she knew he was only teasing her.  In the span of two years, they bonded enough to know when the other was kidding around. He looked adoringly at her.

"Shut up, Jim!" The scowl on her face was adorable and it just made Jim smile even more.

"You know, Pam, I think they have lessons here. From what I've seen -" A golf pencil whizzed towards him. "Pamela Beesly, you could have speared me with that and then you wouldn't have a friend to keep you sane and entertained!"

"I guess, then, I would have to befriend someone else. Maybe the new customer service representative, Kelly." Pam stuck her tongue out at Jim.

"I'm sure you and Kelly have plenty in common." Jim laughed as he went to hug her. "Happy birthday, Pam."

She cracked a smile and literally jumped on him to give him a bigger hug. "Thank you! This was really the best birthday ever. You're amazing."

She let go of him and just smiled. He smiled back. They stood in silence, staring and smiling at each other.

Pam is jolted back into reality by the phone.

"Dunder-Mifflin, this is Pam." Jim couldn't help on noticing the tone of her voice when she answered the phone. It is almost like she wasn't expecting it to ring.

He IMs her: "You okay there, Beesly?"

A couple of moments later: "Yeah. I was staring at my desk again and the phone startled me." The phone rings again.

His replies: "The job is never done in the life of a receptionist. Talk to you later."

"Jim."

Jim sees Kevin from the corner of his eye. He gets up and walks over. He waves at the three accountants.

"What's up, Kev?"

"One moment." Pam puts the call through to Dwight. She wonders what Kevin needed Jim for. She shrugs her shoulders and continues sorting and stapling.

Minutes later, Jim walks back to his desk with a grin on his face.

Pam isn't paying attention.

"But I would walk 500 miles, and I would walk 500 more..."

Pam looks up.

"Just to be the man who walked 1000 miles..."

Pam giggles at Jim's singing.

"To fall down at your door."

Jim turns around slowly. "Kevin just got tickets to the Police concert."

"Oh. And that has to do with you singing because?"

"Roadtrip to Philly. Simon and Garfunkel. Summer 2004."

"Oh my God!" Pam's exclamation makes everyone look at her. Jim immediately turns around, trying desperately to hide his laughter. Pam waves. "Nothing to see here, people. Carry on."

The IM screen pops up: "You're so embarrassing, Beesly."

The phone rings. A crash is heard behind him. Jim jumps up and goes to reception.

Pam is on the floor and her chair on its side. She is in tears from laughing too hard.

Jim picks up the phone. "Dunder-Mifflin, this is Jim. I have to put you on hold for one moment."

On the floor, Pam has a quick flashback to the 2005 Dundies which makes her laugh even more. Jim comes around the desk and pulls her up.

"Geez. You're not even drunk this time." In a nanosecond, he's laughing as much as she is.

Between laughing fits, Pam tries to explain what happened. "Me." "Chair." She points to her chair. "Phone." She points to the phone. "Trying to reach." She smacks her hand together. "Splat."

At this point, both her and Jim are in tears and can barely breathe. It takes about fifteen minutes for their laughing fit to subside.

Jim is avoiding eye contact with Pam because if he did catch her eye, he would burst into laughter again. Calmly, he reaches over and picks up the phone.

"Hello? Sorry about that we had a bit of an accident. Let me transfer you to Michael right now. Thanks." He punches in Michael's extension. He picks up Pam's chair and places it right side up. After a pause, he walks towards the kitchen.

Pam is standing against the file cabinets until Jim leaves. She quietly sits down at her chair and goes on like nothing out of the ordinary happened.

Pam remembers that road trip pretty well. Pam had won Simon & Garfunkel tickets over the radio. She and Roy were going to go. However, she and Roy got into a huge argument when Roy asked if it would be okay for him to bring Kenny instead. Pam pointed out that she had won the tickets and that meant she was going. Roy left in a huff with the only means of transportation available to her. Frantically, she tried calling numerous people, all of whom turned her down. 

Well, except for Jim.

Pam smiles sadly. If she only knew then...

Jim takes another sip of the grape soda.

"Hey." He looks up at Karen.

"What's up, Filippelli?"

She sits down across from him. "So, you and Pam..."

He tilts his head. "What about me and Pam?"

"You two seems like you're having fun today."

"Yeah. We are. Just like old times..."

"Like when you had a crush on her?"

He looks into her eyes. "Like when we were best friends."

"And you're not best friends now?"

He shakes his head slightly. "Not really. It's like there's an obstacle-"

"Me?"

"No." He looks down. "Actually, it's both Pam and I."

For the two hour drive, Pam had gathered her CD collection. Unfortunately, the CD player in Jim’s car was broken. But the tape deck worked. While Jim was filling up gas along I-81, Pam popped into the convenience store for snacks only to discover a box of tapes being given away. She selected some and headed back to the car.

The game Pam made up was for Jim to guess the song and artist. To her surprise, he was actually good. The only one in the first round that he didn’t get was “Legend of a Cowgirl” by Imani Coppola.

Jim shakes the empty can. He looks up at Karen. “So, it’s just been kind-of weird between Pam and me since I got back. I just wanna get back what we use to have. However, we’ve backtracked too much.”

“You should do something with her this weekend.” She smiles slightly. “Shopping. Bowling. Andy told me once that she liked Frisbee.”

Jim grins. “She hates playing Frisbee. She says it reminds her of dogs and their owners.”

“Well, then…”

“So, you’re okay with Pam and me hanging out this weekend?” He looks at her curiously.

Karen takes a deep breath. “Yes.”

“’Macarena’ by Los Del Rio. Change it quick!” Pam giggled

“’No Rain’ by Blind Melon. I loved that song.” She changed it again.

“’Tubthumping’ by Chumbawamba!” Jim proceeded to head bang. Pam rolled her eyes. “Wow, Jim. I don’t know what to make of this. Either you really love 90’s music or you’re just a dork.” She played another song.

“How about both?” He gave her a lopsided smile. He listened to the new song. “I know this one…”

“Well, what is it?”

“Um… damn.”

“Ooo… Is James Halpert stumped?”

“No. ‘Bittersweet Symphony’ by um… The Verve?”

She sighed. “Yes.”

Jim walks out of the kitchen and into the main office. He goes up to Pam’s desk. She’s staring again. He smiles as he knows where she’s daydreaming to.

The road trip to Philly.

“’Two Princes’ by Spin Doctors.”

“Dear Lord, Jim.”

“Have you ever listened to the lyrics of these songs?”

“No. Not really.”

“Well, that one was about a guy trying to convince a girl to choose him instead of another guy even though he, himself, on paper, is probably not the right guy for her.”

“Wow.” She stared at him with a concealed grin.

“Shut up, Beesly.”

Pam giggled. “Wonderful insight to one-hit wonders of the 90’s by Jim Halpert.” She changed the song. “What’s this one about?”

“First, it’s ‘I’m Gonna Be’ by The Proclaimers. Secondly, it’s about this guy who’s going to be ‘the everything’ for a girl.”

“Have you ever been ‘the everything’ for a girl?”

Jim chuckled awkwardly. “Maybe you, Beesly.”

 Silence filled the car. The song had already ended. Pam stared at the tape cases in her hands.

“How about we play a new game?” Jim broke the silence.

“Sure. What?”

“Have to sing the song in a way the other chooses.”

Jim looked at the clock. “We have about an hour left so.” He smiled. “You can start.”

Pam frowned. “That’s not fair. You came up with it so you have to demonstrate.”

“Okay, fine. Play the next song.”

Pam played the tape. “I know this! ‘Lovefool’ by The Cardigans!”

Jim laughed. “Congratulations! Now, come up with a way for me to sing it.”

She pondered. “Sing in a girly, falsetto voice.”

Jim smiles at himself. “That’s why I did that.”

His voice lulls Pam out of her daydreaming state. “Did what?”

“Oh, nothing. You thinking of Philly?”

“Yeah, I was.”

“The entire week after we got back. Heh… we basically spoke in song lyrics and titles.” Pam smiles. “Drove Dwight crazy.”

“Yeah. He never got it. Did you listen to that mixed tape from the teapot?”

“I had to buy a tape player because I didn’t have one.”

“No boombox?”

She laughs. “Who the hell calls it a ‘boombox ‘ these days, Jim?”

He stares up at the ceiling. “Yeah. No one does.”

“I listened to it, though. That was an awesome weekend.”

“Yes, it was.” He grins widely. “However, wait until this one.”

“What do you mean?”

“You’ll see, Beesly.”

Jim goes back to his chair and starts making some phones. Pam is looking at him, a bit confused. She figures that he could make phone calls and type at the same time.

She messages him:”What are you up to?”

While on hold, Jim notices the pop-up. He smiles.

“I told you. You’ll see.”

“Does this have to do anything with your confession?”

He totally forgot about that. The Christmas card that he spent so much time to write but never gave.

He stared at the practice notebook paper in front of him. He was slightly frustrated. “What to write?”

After a few moments, Pam realizes that he’s too busy to reply back. She wonders what the confession is. She gives a little chuckle. “I think I had enough confessions from Jim to last a lifetime, “she says quietly, aloud.

“What is that suppose to mean?”

Pam looks up at the very interested Kelly Kapoor. “Um… what?”

“You were saying something about confessions and Jim.”

“Oh, it’s nothing.”

Kelly raises her eyebrow. “Really?”

“Yeah. It was part of a game that Jim and I were playing. Kind-of like truth-or-dare but it became more like truth-truth.” Pam hopes Kelly bought it.

Jim took out another notebook paper. He already had several crumpled sheets around him. He talked as he wrote, “Dear Pam, Merry Christmas. They say that--“ He crumpled that one up, too. He muttered, “So lame.”

He stood up from his desk and flipped onto his bed. Staring at the ceiling, he remembered when he was looking up at it when Pam was in his room. He closed his eyes. After a couple of moments, he opened them again. He knew what he was going to write. He hopped out of bed and wiped away all the paper wads.

"So, you got some pretty juicy secrets?" Kelly is practically leaning over the desk. Pam stares at her. Her mind is wandering how to get out of this. She prays that the phone would ring.

"Sorry, no juicy ones. In fact, Jim's a pretty boring person." Pam's desperate. Her hand reaches down for her purse. She grabs her cell phone in it.

"Were any questions about his love life? Those are always juicy!" Kelly's eyes widen.

Luckily for Pam, Dunder-Mifflin's number is on her one-touch speed dial. The phone rings. Pam acts surprise. "Oh, sorry, Kelly, I gotta get that."

Jim re-read at the card. He didn't even bother practicing on a notebook paper. It was perfect.

Kelly's voice behind him makes him wince. He turns slightly in his chair to see Kelly walking away from reception. Pam's face is red.

It's the end of the day when Jim completes his last task for his weekend plans with Pam. Some people are already gone. Karen walks up to him.

She sighs. "Ok. I'm off." She smiles. "You two have a good time this weekend. But call me at some point?"

Jim smiles back. "Will do. Thanks again. We need this."

Pam glances at Karen and Jim. Smiling. And happy. She feels a ping of loneliness.

"Pam?" She looks up at Karen.

"Yes?"

"Just keep him out of trouble, okay?"

"Um, sure." Pam doesn't know what she is talking about. She looks at Jim as Karen walks away. "What was that about?"

He gets up from his chair. "We are going to spend the weekend together, Beesly." Her eyes widen as well as her smile. "Today was great reminiscing and I'm sorry that we haven't hanged out in forever so, this weekend is just you and me. What do you say?"

Jim almost chokes in the Pam's deadly hug. After a moment, she lets go. "Jim, that's amazing. I can't wait!"

"Well, you should see what I have in store."

"Is it a surprise?"

"Sort-of. "

"Are we doing something tonight?"

"Yup. Dinner."

"Where?"

"Guess."

Pam ponders and after a moment, she smiles. "We're going to Brixx, aren't we?"

Jim chuckles. "You're good at this game."

"Are we revisiting everything in the teapot?"

"Not everything. I don't think Simon and Garfunkel are touring right now."

Pam laughs. "Are we going mini-golfing?"

"Have you gotten any better?"

She playfully smacks his arm.

Pam readies her things as Jim does the same. She can't believe that she's spending the whole weekend with him. And Karen's alright with it. Pam frowns a little. "Jim?"

"Hmm?"

"Come Monday, are we going to be quiet around each other again?"

"I hope not. No matter what has happened in our past, we'll always be friends, Pam. I want us to go back to the way things were before I... um, transferred." They both know what he means.

She nods. "I guess we just need a fresh start."

He leads her towards the door.

"Hey, Jim?" Pam stops.

"Yeah?"

"You never told me. What was your confession?"

He pauses. He looks at his bag. "Um, there was something else as part of that Christmas gift."

"Oh, really?" Pam looks curiously on as he digs through his bag. He pulls out an envelope.

He holds it in his hands. "It was supposed to be in the box with the teapot, but I took it out at the last minute." He holds it out. "Here."

She stares at it for a moment before she opens it. Her eyes read his writing. She smiles.

"It's still true, by the way, Beesly."

Who would have thought that a simple green teapot would bring two friends back together? Its stories of a Boggle timer, a golf pencil, a yearbook picture, packets of hot sauce, and a mixed tape are privileges to only two. The following Christmas, Santa was back after a short detour the previous year.

Jim opened the box and saw the ceramic jar; it's labeled "Road Trip Funds." He smiled at the girl curled next to him. "Wow, this isn't a teapot."

Pam giggled. "You don't drink tea, silly. Besides, we use mine."

"True." He opened the lid and looked inside.

P (1)

Another Monday has started.

Pam lifts up the blue teapot and pours her tea. Chamomile was today’s flavor.

She looks up at the tall brunette sitting in front of him. She sighs.

Jim gave her a teapot in Secret Santa two Christmases ago. She began using it soon afterwards. Well, until he transferred. She couldn’t look at it anymore without feeling depressed. Now, it sees on top of her fridge at home. With all the surprises still it in.

Pam smiles at the thought of those little presents.

“Haven’t seen that in a while.”

Pam notices Jim looking at her.

 

J (2)

Dwight is picking his teeth again.

Jim turns around to glance at Pam.

His eyebrow rises up at the sight of Pam smiling.

“Haven’t seen that in a while.”

“Seen what?”

“A genuine smile on your face. What’s up, Beesly?”

“I was just thinking of that teapot you gave me and its little gifts.”

He couldn’t help but to smile, too. He thought out so carefully about what to put in it. The yearbook picture was a must. The hot sauce and the mixed tape, too. He was a bit surprised she remembered the boggle timer or the golf pencil.

 

P (3)

Pam sees his smile. He goes to her desk and grabs an M&M. “Man, those were the days.”

“Yeah, Jim. They were.”

He puts the M&M in his mouth and makes a face. “And I thought these were jellybeans.”

Pam laughs but stops when she notices Karen glaring at her from across the room. “I better get back to work.”

“Why? I’m better to talk to than our clients.” Jim leans down closer. “The boggle timer shows why. Remember Mr. Tucker?

She smirks. “Yes, and you thought I wouldn’t remember that one.”

“When was that? Two months after you started?”

 

J (4)

It was a muggy summer that year. The AC wasn’t working that week.

On the Wednesday morning, both Jim and Pam walked in at the same time. Because of the heat, Pam had put her hair in a ponytail. Of course, he couldn’t help noticing how different she looked.

Boredom set in really quickly. There was very little business. Tom, an accountant, even started to clean out his desk. He tossed several random things in the nearby trashcan. Including an old boggle timer.

For some reason, Jim rescued it.

He looked at Pam with a smile. “I’ve got a game.”

 

P (5)

“I’ve got a game.” Pam couldn’t help but giggle at the look Jim had on his face. It was positively child-like.

“Ok, what’s the game?”

“We see what can last as long as this timer.”

“What? Jim, that sounds silly.” The phone rang. She held up a finger. “Dunder-Mifflin, this is Pam.”

Jim turns the timer over. “You have to keep talking until the timer is up.”

She looked at him curiously and smiled. “Mr. Tucker, you know what? I didn’t ask you how your day is going.”

Jim beamed while Pam continued chatting with the client for three minutes.

 

J (6)

She timed the rest of the conversation perfectly that when she did hang up, it was the same instant the last of the sands dropped.

Jim was impressed and applauded.  “Very nice, Beesly.”

“Considering you put me on the spot. Well, guess it’s your turn.” She pointed at the person coming his way: Dwight.

As soon as the timer was turned, Jim was on.

“Dwight, I just saw ‘The Return of the King’ and I was so confused. I hadn’t seen the others Would you explain them to me?” Jim’s face was enthralled with fake exuberance.

Pam’s was sheer delight.

 

 

P (7)

Throughout the rest of the day, Pam and Jim did these little timing gags, trying to top the other’s previous one. With all the three minute periods that they did, the day ended up going on quicker, even if they had to watch a little timer.

Although she had just met him two months before, Pam couldn’t help but be drawn to him. Why? Many things. However, his sense of humor was the one thing that Pam enjoyed the most.

“Reminiscing?”

She looks into Jim’s eyes. “Yeah, pretty much.” She sees Karen coming to reception.

“Hey, guys. What’s going on?”

 

J (8)

Jim shudders at Karen’s touch on his shoulder. He notices Pam looking a bit awkward. He looks at Karen. “We’re just talking about old times.”

“Really? Anything exciting?”

Pam looks up at Karen. “Have you ever seen Jim’s high school yearbook?”

“No. Why?”

Pam grins widely. “His picture is hilarious. He was so dorky looking.”

Jim laughs. “You were so excited when you saw that in my room.”

“Well, you shouldn’t have had it lying around like that.”

“What? It was on my bookcase! How’s that ‘lying around’?”

Karen bit her lower lip. “I need to call back a client.”

 

P (9)

Karen leaves. Pam looks up at Jim. “Is she okay?”

“Yeah. Just needs to call back a client.” He sighs. “By the way, weren’t you going to show me your high school picture?”

“I never said that!”

“I’m pretty sure you did.”

“When?”

“While looking at my yearbook. You were saying how different people at your school were from the people at my school and that you would bring yours in to show me.”

Pam looks sheepishly at her desk. “I did say that, didn’t I?”

“Yup.”

“Wait. I brought it.”

“No, you didn’t.”

“Yeah. I brought it years ago.”

 

J (10)

Jim knows that he would have remembered Pam bringing in her high school yearbook. “I don’t think that you did, Beesly.”

“It was for Michael’s family tree project.”

Jim’s face lights up. “Holy crap! I forgot all about that. He made me bring in a baby picture.”

Michael had this great idea of making a family tree using pictures of the Dunder-Mifflin employees. However, he wanted pictures from different stages of life in order to convey a real family tree.

Jim looked at Pam’s high school photo on the cardboard display. “She looks exactly the same.”

“I changed a little.”

 

 

P (11)

Pam saw Jim looking at her picture. “She looks exactly the same.”

She didn’t think so. “I changed a little.”

He looked at her. “Maybe the hair.”

“Yeah. When it was that long, it just frizzled so much more than now. I was a nerd in high school. The braces didn’t help.” She glanced at Jim’s picture. “You were an adorable baby.”

He chuckled. “Adorable, chubby, and a bit cross-eyed.”

“A face that only a mother can love.”

For a brief moment, she pictured what their kids would look like. Turning red, she shook the thought out of her head.

 

J (12)

Jim raised his eyebrow at the blushing woman next to him, but decided not to ask. Probably not the thought that he was thinking.

“If only we knew each other in high school.”

Pam looked at him. “Yeah. We would have been best friends.” She smiled. “Who knows, I’ve might have started dating you and not Roy.” She quickly started to giggle.

He could only smile back. He knew that in the span of a year that he had fallen for her. Even though she was taken by someone else.

“Earth to Jim!” Pam snaps her fingers in his face.

 

P (13)

Pam snaps Jim out of la-la land. “You should have seen the look on your face.”

He smiles slightly. “I bet that was a treat.”

Michael comes out of his office with a microwavable meal in his hand. He smiles at the two. “Guess who’s having quesadillas?” 

Pam smiles. “Just don’t overheat them this time.” She notices Jim looking goofily at her. “What?”

“The hot sauce packets.

“Oh, geez. At the company picnic?”

“I can’t believe you thought they were ketchup.”

“It’s pretty easy to mix them up. That’s what happens what hamburgers and tacos are next to each other.”

 

J (14)

“That’s why we read labels.” Jim grins. Pam smacks him playfully on the arm.

Michael planned a company picnic the spring before the documentary crew came. He hadn’t planned one since.

Angela decided potluck would be best, but ended up getting mad when she saw the variety of food. Everything was there from Italian to Mexican to American.

Jim noticed Pam sitting by herself and sat next to her. She looked a bit sad and frustrated. “What’s the matter?”

“Roy. He backed out of this and is spending the afternoon with his brother.” She was fiddling with a sauce packet.

 

P (15)

Pam noticed that Jim was really concerned and trying to be a good friend. She smiled while opening the packet and putting it on the hot dog.

Jim took a fork-full of spaghetti. She couldn’t help on laughing at his had gotten some sauce on his nose.

“What?”

“Just this.” She used a napkin to wipe it off. “Messy eater.”

“Thanks, mommy.” He mocked her.

“Welcome, James, dear.” She patted him on the head.

He glanced at the packets in front of her plate. “Um, Pam?”

She took a bite of her hot dog. Suddenly, her eyes became very wide.

 

J (16)

Jim had no clue what to do. Pam had just spit out her food and started fanning her mouth.

“Oh my God! Very, very hot!” She already drank all of her lemonade and started drinking his.

He just sat there in silence, debating what his actions should be. Help her by getting her some milk or burst out laughing at her mistake? He chose the former.

While she was still fanning her mouth, he rushed to get some milk, which Angela brought for some unknown reason.

After Pam was good, it took him only twenty-seven seconds to finally crack up.

 

P (17)

The phone rings. Pam glances at it. She smiles at Jim. “Duty awaits.”

“Yeah. I better get some work done as well.” Jim heads off to his desk.

She sighs and picks up the phone. “Dunder-Mifflin, this is Pam.”

“Hi, Pam, it’s Jan. Would you kindly put me through to Toby?”

“Sure, Jan. One moment.”

“Thanks. Also, please don’t mention to Michael that I called.”

Pam smiles. “No problem. I’m transferring you to Toby now. Have a great day.”

A ding comes from her computer. It’s an IM message from Jim: “I have a confession to make about the gift.”

 

J (18)

Jim sits back down at his desk. It occurs to him that he still has the Christmas card in his bag. The Christmas card he wrote for Pam. The Christmas card he never gave to Pam. He decides that she should have it. He IMs her: “I have a confession to make about the gift.”

Her reply: “What?”

He feels Karen looking at him. He is correct. His reply: “I’ll tell you later. At the end of the day? ;)”

Her reply: “Ok. I’ll try not to go crazy in suspense. :P”

Another IM message pops up. “What’s going on?”

He grimaces.

 

P (19)

Pam notices Jim typing but she didn’t get any messages back to her. She looks over to Karen’s desk. A scowl comes across Karen’s face. Pam guesses that Jim is IM-ing her instead.

Moments later, an IM comes in from Jim: “I have a lot of sales calls to make, so I won’t be able to go and talk to you some more.”

Pam wonders if Karen has anything to do with this. Her reply: “I understand.”

His reply: “However, at the end of the day, I’ll tell you the confession.”

She smiles at ‘confession.’ Her reply: “You promise, Halpert?”

 

J (20)

Jim replies back: “I promise. Just as long as you don’t throw pencils at me.”

He hears Pam giggle behind him. It takes at the willpower in him to not turn around. Karen is already jealous at the fact that he and Pam were talking for a long time. Frankly, he really didn’t care. He has noticed since he got back that he and Pam haven’t been hanging out and he really wanted to mend it.

Jim adds more to his IM message: “We should totally go mini-golfing again.”

It was Pam’s 25th birthday. It landed on a weekday, though.

 

P (21)

Roy promised Pam that he was going to take her out on Saturday. She was fine with that arrangement if it wasn’t for the fact that on her actual birthday, Roy was at Lonnie’s for the NCAA basketball championship.

Jim noticed how upset Pam was and decided to take her on a birthday ‘date.’ She didn’t know exactly how he convinced Michael to let the two of them have the afternoon off. However, she did spot them shopping together the following weekend at the mall.

What they were going to do was a surprise. It was the best birthday ever.

 

J (22)

As soon lunch time started, Jim and Pam left. He took her to her favorite restaurant, Brixx, for lunch. She loved their funnel cake. Afterwards, they took a fifteen minute drive to Lahey Family Fun Park. Jim remembered how she said that she hadn’t been there in years. Roy said that it was for kids and families.

When they showed up there, the look on Pam’s face made Jim melt. They first started on the bumper boats and then on to the Go-Karts. Although she doesn’t believe him, Jim said that he let Pam win because it was her birthday.

 

P (23)

Pam’s favorite activity at the Fun Park was miniature golf. When she was younger, her dad always took her and her sister mini golfing whenever her mom was away on business. It was one of her favorite childhood memories.

She picked the pink ball while Jim selected the green one. They took turns navigating the 32-hole course. It was a nice warm day and because it was an early Monday afternoon, not many people were playing.

The only thing about Pam and mini golfing was that by the time she got to the middle of the course, her aim died.

 

J (24)

Jim had known about Pam’s love for mini-golfing by the many pictures of her and her sister at her place. He couldn’t help but feel pretty good about himself when Pam gave him that huge hug when she got a hole-in-one at the first hole.

However, he couldn’t also help laughing when at Hole 16, her golf ball landed in the course’s stream. He only laughed for a second when he saw the look on her face.

But when it occurred again at Holes 20, 24, 25, 28, and 29, he was dying and Pam’s face just made it worse.

 

P (25)

Pam knew that Jim wasn’t really laughing at her. He would never laugh at her. He was just laughing at her golfing skills.

“It’s not as easy as it looks.”

“Oh, really? I haven’t hit the ball into the water yet.”

She frowns. “I haven’t played in forever.”

“Beesly, neither have I. When was the last time you played? I was probably 12.”

She looked sheepish. “I was 20.”

He chuckled. “Wow. That was only five years ago.” He continued egging her on. “That’s such a long time ago. Geez, I didn’t realize that ‘forever’ only meant ‘half a decade’.”

 

J (26)

Jim saw the smile creeping on Pam’s face. He knew that she knew he was only teasing her.  In the span of two years, they bonded enough to know when the other was kidding around. He looked adoringly at her.

“Shut up, Jim!” The scowl on her face was adorable and it just made Jim smile even more.

“You know, Pam, I think they have lessons here. From what I’ve seen –“ A golf pencil whizzed towards him. “Pamela Beesly, you could have speared me with that and then you wouldn’t have a friend to keep you sane and entertained!”

 

P (27)

“I guess, then, I would have to befriend someone else. Maybe the new customer service representative, Kelly.” Pam stuck her tongue out at Jim.

“I’m sure you and Kelly have plenty in common.” Jim laughed as he went to hug her. “Happy birthday, Pam.”

She cracked a smile and literally jumped on him to give him a bigger hug. “Thank you! This was really the best birthday ever. You’re amazing.”

She let go of him and just smiled. He smiled back. They stood in silence, staring and smiling at each other.

Pam is jolted back into reality by the phone.

 

J (28)

“Dunder-Mifflin, this is Pam.” Jim couldn’t help on noticing the tone of her voice when she answered the phone. It is almost like she wasn’t expecting it to ring.

He IMs her: “You okay there, Beesly?”

A couple of moments later: “Yeah. I was staring at my desk again and the phone startled me.” The phone rings again.

His replies: “The job is never done in the life of a receptionist. Talk to you later.”

“Jim.”

Jim sees Kevin from the corner of his eye. He gets up and walks over. He waves at the three accountants.

“What’s up, Kev?”

 

P (29)

“One moment.” Pam puts the call through to Dwight. She wonders what Kevin needed Jim for. She shrugs her shoulders and continues sorting and stapling.

Minutes later, Jim walks back to his desk with a grin on his face.

Pam isn’t paying attention.

“But I would walk 500 miles, and I would walk 500 more…”

Pam looks up.

“Just to be the man who walked 1000 miles…”

Pam giggles at Jim’s singing.

“To fall down at your door.”

Jim turns around slowly. “Kevin just got tickets to the Police concert.”

“Oh. And that has to do with you singing because?”

 

J (30)

“Roadtrip to Philly. Simon and Garfunkel. Summer 2004.”

“Oh my God!” Pam’s exclamation makes everyone look at her. Jim immediately turns around, trying desperately to hide his laughter. Pam waves. “Nothing to see here, people. Carry on.”

The IM screen pops up: “You’re so embarrassing, Beesly.”

The phone rings. A crash is heard behind him. Jim jumps up and goes to reception.

Pam is on the floor and her chair on its side. She is in tears from laughing too hard.

Jim picks up the phone. “Dunder-Mifflin, this is Jim. I have to put you on hold for one moment.”

 

P (31)

On the floor, Pam has a quick flashback to the 2005 Dundies which makes her laugh even more. Jim comes around the desk and pulls her up.

“Geez. You’re not even drunk this time.” In a nanosecond, he’s laughing as much as she is.

Between laughing fits, Pam tries to explain what happened. “Me.” “Chair.” She points to her chair. “Phone.” She points to the phone. “Trying to reach.” She smacks her hand together. “Splat.”

At this point, both her and Jim are in tears and can barely breathe. It takes about fifteen minutes for their laughing fit to subside.

 

J (32)

Jim is avoiding eye contact with Pam because if he did catch her eye, he would burst into laughter again. Calmly, he reaches over and picks up the phone.

“Hello? Sorry about that we had a bit of an accident. Let me transfer you to Michael right now. Thanks.” He punches in Michael’s extension. He picks up Pam’s chair and places it right side up. After a pause, he walks towards the kitchen.

Pam is standing against the file cabinets until Jim leaves. She quietly sits down at her chair and goes on like nothing out of the ordinary happened.

 

P (33)

Pam remembers that road trip pretty well. Pam had won Simon & Garfunkel tickets over the radio. She and Roy were going to go. However, she and Roy got into a huge argument when Roy asked if it would be okay for him to bring Kenny instead. Pam pointed out that she had won the tickets and that meant she was going. Roy left in a huff with the only means of transportation available to her. Frantically, she tried calling numerous people, all of whom turned her down. 

Well, except for Jim.

Pam smiles sadly. If she only knew then…

 

J (34)

Jim takes another sip of the grape soda.

“Hey.” He looks up at Karen.

“What’s up, Filippelli?”

She sits down across from him. “So, you and Pam…”

He tilts his head. “What about me and Pam?”

“You two seems like you’re having fun today.”

“Yeah. We are. Just like old times…”

“Like when you had a crush on her?”

He looks into her eyes. “Like when we were best friends.”

“And you’re not best friends now?”

He shakes his head slightly. “Not really. It’s like there’s an obstacle—“

“Me?”

“No.” He looks down. “Actually, it’s both Pam and I.”

 

P (35)

For the two hour drive, Pam had gathered her CD collection. Unfortunately, the CD player in Jim’s car was broken. But the tape deck worked. While Jim was filling up gas along I-81, Pam popped into the convenience store for snacks only to discover a box of tapes being given away. She selected some and headed back to the car.

The game Pam made up was for Jim to guess the song and artist. To her surprise, he was actually good. The only one in the first round that he didn’t get was “Legend of a Cowgirl” by Imani Coppola.

 

J (36)

Jim shakes the empty can. He looks up at Karen. “So, it’s just been kind-of weird between Pam and me since I got back. I just wanna get back what we use to have. However, we’ve backtracked too much.”

“You should do something with her this weekend.” She smiles slightly. “Shopping. Bowling. Andy told me once that she liked Frisbee.”

Jim grins. “She hates playing Frisbee. She says it reminds her of dogs and their owners.”

“Well, then…”

“So, you’re okay with Pam and me hanging out this weekend?” He looks at her curiously.

Karen takes a deep breath. “Yes.”

 

 P (37)

“’Macarena’ by Los Del Rio. Change it quick!” Pam giggled

“’No Rain’ by Blind Melon. I loved that song.” She changed it again.

“’Tubthumping’ by Chumbawamba!” Jim proceeded to head bang. Pam rolled her eyes. “Wow, Jim. I don’t know what to make of this. Either you really love 90’s music or you’re just a dork.” She played another song.

“How about both?” He gave her a lopsided smile. He listened to the new song. “I know this one…”

“Well, what is it?”

“Um… damn.”

“Ooo… Is James Halpert stumped?”

“No. ‘Bittersweet Symphony’ by um… The Verve?”

She sighed. “Yes.”

 

J (38)

Jim walks out of the kitchen and into the main office. He goes up to Pam’s desk. She’s staring again. He smiles as he knows where she’s daydreaming to.

The road trip to Philly.

“’Two Princes’ by Spin Doctors.”

“Dear Lord, Jim.”

“Have you ever listened to the lyrics of these songs?”

“No. Not really.”

“Well, that one was about a guy trying to convince a girl to choose him instead of another guy even though he, himself, on paper, is probably not the right guy for her.”

“Wow.” She stared at him with a concealed grin.

“Shut up, Beesly.”

 

P (39)

Pam giggled. “Wonderful insight to one-hit wonders of the 90’s by Jim Halpert.” She changed the song. “What’s this one about?”

“First, it’s ‘I’m Gonna Be’ by The Proclaimers. Secondly, it’s about this guy who’s going to be ‘the everything’ for a girl.”

“Have you ever been ‘the everything’ for a girl?”

Jim chuckled awkwardly. “Maybe you, Pam.”

 Silence filled the car. The song had already ended. Pam stared at the tape cases in her hands.

“How about we play a new game?” Jim broke the silence.

“Sure. What?”

“Have to sing the song in a way the other chooses.”

 

J (40)

Jim looked at the clock. “We have about an hour left so.” He smiled. “You can start.”

Pam frowned. “That’s not fair. You came up with it so you have to demonstrate.”

“Okay, fine. Play the next song.”

Pam played the tape. “I know this! ‘Lovefool’ by The Cardigans!”

Jim laughed. “Congratulations! Now, come up with a way for me to sing it.”

She pondered. “Sing in a girly, falsetto voice.”

Jim smiles at himself. “That’s why I did that.”

His voice lulls Pam out of her daydreaming state. “Did what?”

“Oh, nothing. You thinking of Philly?”

“Yeah, I was.”

 

P (41)

 

“The entire week after we got back. Heh… we basically spoke in song lyrics and titles.” Pam smiles. “Drove Dwight crazy.”

“Yeah. He never got it. Did you listen to that mixed tape from the teapot?”

“I had to buy a tape player because I didn’t have one.”

“No boombox?”

She laughs. “Who the hell calls it a ‘boombox ‘ these days, Jim?”

He stares up at the ceiling. “Yeah. No one does.”

“I listened to it, though. That was an awesome weekend.”

“Yes, it was.” He grins widely. “However, wait until this one.”

“What do you mean?”

“You’ll see, Beesly.”

 

J (42)

Jim goes back to his chair and starts making some phones. Pam is looking at him, a bit confused. She figures that he could make phone calls and type at the same time.

She messages him:”What are you up to?”

While on hold, Jim notices the pop-up. He smiles.

“I told you. You’ll see.”

“Does this have to do anything with your confession?”

He totally forgot about that. The Christmas card that he spent so much time to write but never gave.

He stared at the practice notebook paper in front of him. He was slightly frustrated. “What to write?”

 

 

P (43)

After a few moments, Pam realizes that he’s too busy to reply back. She wonders what the confession is. She gives a little chuckle. “I think I had enough confessions from Jim to last a lifetime, “she says quietly, aloud.

“What is that suppose to mean?”

Pam looks up at the very interested Kelly Kapoor. “Um… what?”

“You were saying something about confessions and Jim.”

“Oh, it’s nothing.”

Kelly raises her eyebrow. “Really?”

“Yeah. It was part of a game that Jim and I were playing. Kind-of like truth-or-dare but it became more like truth-truth.” Pam hopes Kelly bought it.

 

J (44)

Jim took out another notebook paper. He already had several crumpled sheets around him. He talked as he wrote, “Dear Pam, Merry Christmas. They say that--“ He crumpled that one up, too. He muttered, “So lame.”

He stood up from his desk and flipped onto his bed. Staring at the ceiling, he remembered when he was looking up at it when Pam was in his room. He closed his eyes. After a couple of moments, he opened them again. He knew what he was going to write. He hopped out of bed and wiped away all the paper wads.

 

P (45)

“So, you got some pretty juicy secrets?” Kelly is practically leaning over the desk. Pam stares at her. Her mind is wandering how to get out of this. She prays that the phone would ring.

“Sorry, no juicy ones. In fact, Jim’s a pretty boring person.” Pam’s desperate. Her hand reaches down for her purse. She grabs her cell phone in it.

“Were any questions about his love life? Those are always juicy!” Kelly’s eyes widen.

Luckily for Pam, Dunder-Mifflin’s number is on her one-touch speed dial. The phone rings. Pam acts surprise. “Oh, sorry, Kelly, I gotta get that.”

 

J (46)

Jim re-read at the card. He didn’t even bother practicing on a notebook paper. It was perfect.

Kelly’s voice behind him makes him wince. He turns slightly in his chair to see Kelly walking away from reception. Pam’s face is red.

It’s the end of the day when Jim completes his last task for his weekend plans with Pam. Some people are already gone. Karen walks up to him.

She sighs. “Ok. I’m off.” She smiles. “You two have a good time this weekend. But call me at some point?”

Jim smiles back. “Will do. Thanks again. We need this.”

 

 

P (47)

Pam glances at Karen and Jim. Smiling. And happy. She feels a ping of loneliness.

“Pam?” She looks up at Karen.

“Yes?”

“Just keep him out of trouble, okay?”

“Um, sure.” Pam doesn’t know what she is talking about. She looks at Jim as Karen walks away. “What was that about?”

He gets up from his chair. “We are going to spend the weekend together, Beesly.” Her eyes widen as well as her smile. “Today was great reminiscing and I’m sorry that we haven’t hanged out in forever so, this weekend is just you and me. What do you say?”

 

J (48)

Jim almost chokes in the Pam’s deadly hug. After a moment, she lets go. “Jim, that’s amazing. I can’t wait!”

“Well, you should see what I have in store.”

“Is it a surprise?”

“Sort-of. “

“Are we doing something tonight?”

“Yup. Dinner.”

“Where?”

“Guess.”

Pam ponders and after a moment, she smiles. “We’re going to Brixx, aren’t we?”

Jim chuckles. “You’re good at this game.”

“Are we revisiting everything in the teapot?”

“Not everything. I don’t think Simon and Garfunkel are touring right now.”

Pam laughs. “Are we going mini-golfing?”

“Have you gotten any better?”

She playfully smacks his arm.

 

 

P (49)

Pam readies her things as Jim does the same. She can’t believe that she’s spending the whole weekend with him. And Karen’s alright with it. Pam frowns a little. “Jim?”

“Hmm?”

“Come Monday, are we going to be quiet around each other again?”

“I hope not. No matter what has happened in our past, we’ll always be friends, Pam. I want us to go back to the way things were before I… um, transferred.” They both know what he means.

She nods. “I guess we just need a fresh start.”

He leads her towards the door.

“Hey, Jim?” Pam stops.

 

J (50)

“Yeah?”

“You never told me. What was your confession?”

He pauses. He looks at his bag. “Um, there was something else as part of that Christmas gift.”

“Oh, really?” Pam looks curiously on as he digs through his bag. He pulls out an envelope.

He holds it in his hands. “It was supposed to be in the box with the teapot, but I took it out at the last minute.” He holds it out. “Here.”

She stares at it for a moment before she opens it. Her eyes read his writing. She smiles.

“It’s still true, by the way, Beesly.”

 

Conclusion

Who would have thought that a simple green teapot would bring two friends back together? Its stories of a Boggle timer, a golf pencil, a yearbook picture, packets of hot sauce, and a mixed tape are privileges to only two. The following Christmas, Santa was back after a short detour the previous year.

Jim opened the box and saw the ceramic jar; it’s labeled “Road Trip Funds.” He smiled at the girl curled next to him. “Wow, this isn’t a teapot.”

Pam giggled. “You don’t drink tea, silly. Besides, we use mine.”

“True.” He opened the lid and looked inside.