If the dull roar in his ears was any indication, Jim was pretty sure he was going to pass out. There was a ring box weighing down his coat pocket, and he swore it was about to burn a hole through the material.

He’d had the ring for a week, but he had been plotting his moves for two months. He was truly grateful for the pay raise his promotion had given him (even if it meant that Dunder Mifflin was his career now), his modest way of life, and a huge sale at Christie’s in the mall. Thanks to all of that he had in his possession a three-quarter carat solitaire in a white gold setting that he was sure Pam would love, and he hadn’t had to mortgage his soul to get it. Not that he wouldn’t have for her, but he wanted to be practical and not start what would hopefully be their new life together in debt.

That was step one.

Step two had been to get out of Scranton.

When he had asked her earlier in the week where she would like to go for the weekend, it had been more than shocking when she said Connecticut.

He hadn’t been there since Stamford, and he wasn’t so sure it was a good idea to go back now. But she insisted that none of that mattered anymore, and she had never been there and wanted to go. He agreed because she wanted it, and he knew he couldn’t pin one horrible period of his life on an entire state.

Pam had found a bed and breakfast, that she assured him was adorable, in a quaint little town not far from Hartford.

Now he was pacing a very nice, comfortable room, waiting for her to get out of the shower. They had been horseback riding, a service the inn offered, earlier in the afternoon, and she was convinced she had to get clean afterward.

He had been so sure, until this very moment, that it was the right time to propose to her. They had been together for six months, and he had known he wanted to marry her for so much longer than that. He knew she wanted to marry him, because they had talked about it a few times, so he didn’t know why every doubt possible was creeping up on him now. He told himself it was only natural to be nervous about asking someone to spend the rest of their life with you.

Maybe that was so, but deep down he knew it was mainly because someone had asked her before. It wasn’t that he didn’t have faith things would work out this time. It was just that he had never proposed before, and she had already been engaged and he was worried that it might affect her answer. Even though he realized that was ridiculous, he still worried.

The door to the bathroom opened and he stopped pacing. She had taken her hair down, and her curls fell over her shoulders just the way he loved. All of his anxiety disappeared as she looked at him curiously.

“Are you all right?” she asked. He looked almost as if she had startled him.

He smiled. “I’m fine. I was just waiting for you to get ready.”

“I’m sorry. I didn’t want to go to dinner smelling like a horse.” She hadn’t been horseback riding since she was a girl, and she had forgotten exactly what it was like to get that close to an animal. At least, one that didn’t live in the house or backyard.

He laughed. “It’s fine. I just changed clothes. Do I smell like a horse?”

She walked closer and sniffed him, barely able to keep a straight face. “No, actually.”

“You sound disappointed.”

“Hardly. Aftershave is much better than beast of burden.”

“Good to know.”

She smirked up at him, the deep green of her sweater making her eyes the color of moss. He leaned down and quickly kissed her.

“Are you ready to go?” he asked. The weight in his coat pocket seemed lighter, and he just hoped he could get through the evening without making an idiot of himself. He had one stop to make before they left, but she didn’t need to know what the delay was about.

“Sure,” she said, tugging at his hand. “Where have you decided to take me?”

*

Pam was happily devouring her chicken parmesan, but she was worried that Jim was only picking at his roast beef.

“Are you sure you’re all right, Jim?” she asked, taking a sip of her wine. “Because I know after the day we’ve had you’ve got to be hungrier than that.”

“I’m fine, really,” he said and he took a big bite hoping to prove it.

“Okay,” she said, but she wasn’t totally convinced. His normally laidback demeanor had been replaced by a tightly wound Jim in the last few days, and she was starting to think something was wrong.

She didn’t think he had any more stress at work than usual, at least not any that she had seen or he had told her about. Not much had changed around the office, so she couldn’t figure out why he seemed so distracted.

“So, do you want to walk around downtown when we’re finished here?” he asked. He hadn’t figured out where he was going to do it yet, but he wanted to propose to her tonight so they would have at least one more day together - and engaged - before they had to head back to reality.

“Sure, that would be fun,” she said, and she thought she saw him relax a little. They had driven out to Hartford to have dinner, and she had looked into the town a bit online from Jim’s laptop at the inn. They had some galleries she was interested in, and several coffee shops to pick from for coffee and dessert later.

When they were done with dinner, they held hands as they explored downtown. Pam oohed and aahed over the artwork in the galleries, and Jim enjoyed watching her in her element. She had been learning a lot in her art classes, and he was proud of her even if she wasn’t yet able to be a full time artist. He was hoping one day he could change that.

When she was with Roy, Pam never got to do things like leisurely browse art galleries, and she always worried she was boring Jim out of his mind. But he always encouraged her to take her time, and if he was ever bored he didn’t show it. He held her hand and smiled as she talked about the artist or studied the different techniques, and he waited patiently when she would pull her small notebook out of her purse and jot down names and other details she wanted to remember later.

“Still not bored?” she said looking over at him.

He looked down at her smiling face and shook his head. “I keep telling you that I’m never bored when I’m with you. Do I need to write it in blood or something?” he teased.

“Ew,” she said, wrinkling her nose. “I believe you. I was just wondering, because there’s a coffee shop down the street that looks worth checking out, and I think cheesecake is calling my name.”

“Really? Verbal cheesecake. This I have to see,” he said and she playfully swatted his arm. “Lead the way, Dessert Whisperer.”

“You’re such a dork,” she said with great affection. But he was her dork, and that was all that mattered. She was just grateful to have someone that understood her own dorkiness instead of looking at her like she was insane every time she tried to be funny.

“Takes one to know one,” he shot back, and she jokingly pulled him from the gallery and down the sidewalk.

“I can hear it more clearly now,” she said, looking over her shoulder with a smirk.

“What? The cheesecake? Come on, Pam. What if they don’t even have cheesecake?”

“They do. I checked the menu online.”

“You’re so thorough. Did they specify it cries out the name ’Pam’ through the streets?”

“Yes.” She giggled.

“Does it also say ’eat me’?”

“Jim!”

“Hey, you started it.”

“And it looks like you just finished it. I think that old lady we were walking by still has her jaw on the ground.”

“Maybe we should turn around and help her pick it up.”

“Don’t you dare, Jim.” She was trying not to laugh despite her firm tone. “What has gotten into you today?”

“I have no idea,” he said, but he knew he must still be nervous for the hits to come that fast and furious. He wasn’t slow on a bad day, but geez, he had to tone it down.

Once they reached their destination (The Gingerbread House, which was decorated appropriately), he was mostly silent as he watched her talk about the galleries and how cute the place was, and she generously fed him a couple of bites of her caramel cheesecake because he had said he was too full to order anything but coffee for himself.

He was worried that his proposal would be too dorky, even for them, and that he was going to mess everything up for them. He wasn’t so sure how perfect tonight was going to be after all.

Pam sighed as she took the last bite of her dessert and looked at her boyfriend curiously. He had gone from a smartass remark machine to a zombie in less than five minutes, and she wasn’t sure what to do with him anymore. It wasn’t like him to be unreadable, but whatever was on his mind, he wasn’t telling and she couldn’t guess. It was really starting to bother her.

She took his hand which was laying on the table and looked him straight in the eye. “Jim, seriously, are you all right? Because I’m starting to wonder if I wandered into The Invasion of the Body Snatchers or something. You don’t seem yourself.”

He smiled at her concern and wished he could tell her what was wrong so she could see it wasn’t that wrong. That’s when he realized he could probably ask her right here in this sickeningly adorable Hansel and Gretel bait, and she would probably say yes. That’s when he relaxed.

“I’m fine. I think Connecticut is still weirding me out,” he said with a laugh.

She shook her head. “Well, get over it.” She stood up and pulled on his hand. “Come on, let’s get out of here. I’ve had enough exploring for one day. At least of towns,” she said, waggling her eyebrows suggestively.

He shook his head, a look of mock disappointment on his face. “Your mind is always in the gutter,” he said with a sigh.

When she looked anything but apologetic, he paid the bill and led her out of the shop back onto the sidewalk. He drew her to him and kissed her breathless, and his confidence skyrocketed.

“What was that for?” she asked, looking up at him with wide eyes.

“Oh, wow, Pam, does there have to be a reason already? Are we already at the stage where there must be reasons to kiss you?” he teased. “Fine. You’re amazing, for one. Uh, beautiful, that goes without saying though I kind of like saying it anyway. You’re funny, smart, talented…”

She drew his head down for another kiss, glad that she seemingly had the correct Jim again. When she stepped back, she laughed. “That was for no reason, though I liked all of yours.” She grinned.

“What? I’m not amazing or beautiful?” he said as he took her hand and started down the sidewalk again.

“I never said that.”

“I know, you never tell me I’m beautiful.”

She was laughing so hard she almost tripped.

“And now we know that’s a hilarious thought…” he said good-naturedly.

“Shuddup,” she said happily.

The drive back to the inn was considerably less terrifying, even though he knew what he was about to do was for real. But he felt good about his chances, and her hand in his as she sang along to the radio helped him keep it together. They were solid, this was the right move. He wanted to be with her forever, and the sooner forever started, the better.

When they got back to the inn, Jim parked and went around to open the door for Pam. She took his hand, and they walked up the stairs into the lobby.

He turned to her in the sitting room next to the dining room. “Can you wait right here?” he asked.

“Uh… sure.” She had no idea what was going on, but she was definitely going to get to the bottom of it.

Jim made his way to the kitchen, which wasn’t standard for every guest, but he had special permission. The chef had been excited to help him with his proposal, and she was waiting for him when he came through the swinging door.

“It’s ready,” she said cheerfully, handing him the box.

He opened it and grinned widely. “This is perfect,” he said.

The short, plump redhead clapped her hands. “I’m so glad. Good luck!” she said.

“Thanks. And thanks for helping me out with this,” he said.

“You’re welcome. You better go get her.”

“Will do,” he said. He closed the box and carefully placed it in his pocket. When he got back to the den, Pam was perched on the edge of an armchair. She looked up at him curiously.

“Sudden need for a snack?” she asked.

“Not exactly,” he said. “You want to take a walk around the square? It’s still early.

“Okay, sounds good,” she said. She knew he was up to something, and playing along was the only way he was ever going to tell her.

They made their way down the short trail that led from the inn to the small town square. Not much was left open, even though it was only nine.

“It’s so nice here,” Pam sighed.

Jim squeezed her hand. “I’d have to agree. What do ya say? You want to move here? I bet a place like this is just full of houses with terraces.”

She laughed. That was just one of many secrets she had told him, but she was sure he remembered them all. “Sure,” she said. “But how will we finance this terraced house? There seem to be limited employment opportunities here, picturesque though it may be.”

“Ah, well, I could sling hash at the diner, I’m sure,” he said, gesturing to the only building with its interior lights still on.

“That would totally buy a house,” she said, barely keeping a straight face. “And what would I do?”

“You’d teach the joy of art to all the rugrats I saw running around here earlier today.”

“Eh, me and kids? I don’t know…”

“You’d be great,” he assured her. “You can be whatever you want to be, Pam Beesly.”

“Such confidence,” she said with a smile.
“Oh, let me give you some,” he said, stopping and pulling her into his arms. He kissed her and let her go, taking her hand again.

“I hope you don’t just go around giving everyone confidence,” she teased.

He just laughed and shook his head.

The truth was, being with him had done a lot for her self-esteem. He had only built upon what she had established for herself in the months before they had gotten together. He believed in her like no one outside of her own family ever had, and she had only blossomed further.

The road wasn’t always smooth, despite their obvious compatibility, but they were working on their flaws together. She was honest, and he didn’t run away anymore. It was a process, but they were both determined to make it work. Everything in both of their lives hinged on getting it right this time.

They came to a stop in front of a lovely, white gazebo, which was something of the centerpiece of the square. Jim cocked his head and he handed her up the first step.

This seemed like a good place to ask a big question. His heart thudded in his chest, and he hoped she couldn’t hear it about to beat its way out, or see how nervous he suddenly was.

The world was quiet, the streets were empty, and the stars were especially bright this far from the city. She sat on the bench along the back of the gazebo and she looked up at him as he remained standing.

She patted the seat next to her. “Aren’t you going to sit beside me?” She frowned.

He turned to face her, his hands in his pockets. He took in a deep breath, his face contemplative. “Actually… no.”

Pam looked puzzled. She was really at a loss now.

Jim removed his hands from his pants pockets and took another deep breath. He gave her an amused look and knelt down on one knee before her.

Realization swept over her and she swallowed hard, breathless and waiting.

He grabbed the ring box from his coat pocket and held it, but he didn’t open it. He took her hand in his free one.

“I know you must be wondering what’s in this box, but I have a few things to say first.”

She nodded, her eyes shining.

“Pam, I love you. I mean, I know you have some idea, but on the whole, I’m not sure you can fathom how much I love you.”

She smiled and the tears fell. She brushed them away with the back of her free hand, and gestured for him to go on. She sincerely hoped she wasn’t supposed to speak, because she didn’t think she would be able to find the words if she was.

“You are the girl of my dreams, my partner in crime, and I can’t imagine my life without you. I’ve gotten close, and we don’t want to go there.” He pressed his lips together and shook his head. He was afraid he was going to start crying if he wasn’t careful.

“You are the most amazing, beautiful, funny, talented, loving woman I have ever known, and you have had my heart for almost as long as I can remember.” He paused. “So I have a question for you.”

Pam raised an eyebrow inquisitively and said nothing. She already knew the question and the answer in her heart.

He let go of her hand and held up the box. “Pam, will you marry me?” He opened it.

She burst out laughing.

He waited, hoping that was a positive reaction.

Her giggles were irrepressible as she leaned closer to get a better look into the box. “Yes!” she said, and she couldn’t tell how many of her tears were from his proposal or her laughter.

Her ring was encased in Jello.

“Oh my God, Jim.” She was still laughing.

“As you well know, I usually only prank people who annoy me, so I would like to assure you that is not the case here. I just figured you’re the only girl in the world who would appreciate a good Jello mold.”

“You would be right,” she said, still trying to settle down.

“The ring’s in plastic,” he said, lifting a short edge up and pulling it through the gelatin. He unwrapped it and set the box next to her. “I didn’t want it to be all sticky and completely ruin the moment,” he said.

“You haven’t ruined anything,” she said. “You had the chef do this?” she asked, incredulous. It amazed her just how much he could still surprise her.

He was just relieved she had said yes after that stunt. “She was quite happy to help, actually,” he said. He took her left hand and slipped the ring on her ring finger.

“It fits perfectly,” she said. “How did you manage that?”

“Good guess.”

“Or you measured my finger in my sleep.”

“Or that,” he said with a laugh.

She looked at the ring, sparkling in the street lights. “It’s beautiful.” She took his face in her hands. “I love you, Jim.”

“I love you,” he said, kissing her deeply.

“I can’t believe you went to all this trouble,” she said as he got to his feet and took a seat beside her.

“Yes, you can,” he teased.

“Don’t get cocky on me. You’re doing so well,” she said, grinning at him. She wrapped her arms through his and laid her head on his shoulder. “I’ve been waiting forever for this,” she said.

He chuckled. “I bet not as long as I have,” he said. There was no malice, just gentle teasing and they had hashed it out so many months ago that there were rarely any hurt feelings anymore.

“I know,” she sighed, raising her head to look up at him. “Sometimes I wonder…”

He shook his head and shrugged. “What good does that do, Pam? We did have those years, just in a different way. Everything’s right now, that’s what counts.”

“I know. I just… I love you so much, and I just don’t know how I got this lucky. I guess sometimes it still doesn’t feel completely real.”

“I get that. But it is. And now we need to pick a date.”

Her eyes lit up. “Really?”

“No crazy, long engagements. I asked you to marry me because I want to marry you. I want you to have time to plan whatever you want, but it should be a reasonable amount of time.”

“Not three years,” she murmured.

The corner of his mouth lifted in a wry half-grin. “Not even close. If you try to pull that, you’re in trouble.”

“I wouldn’t dream of it.” She smiled.

“So, what do you think?”

She chewed her lip, thinking. “Well, it’s November now… How about April? It should be warmer, but not too warm, and maybe it won’t snow on our wedding day.”

He thought for a second. “Okay, that’s… five months.” His eyes narrowed. “You think we can plan a whole wedding that fast?”

She frowned, looking down at her hands resting around his forearm. “Well, I’ve kind of had a lot of experience with this, so…”

“Right.”

She looked up at him. “I could go pro at this point,” she said.

He laughed at the adorable grimace on her face. “It’s okay. This is the last wedding you’ll ever have to plan.”

“That’s a relief,” she said. “And also a joy, because I have the perfect groom now.”

“Wow. Really? Where did you find one of those?”

“Eh, the place I work,” she played along. “You should meet him sometime.”

“Sure. I’ve never met the perfect groom before.”

She laughed and laid her cheek against his arm. “How about April fourteenth?”

“Any particular reason?”

“No, it just sounds pretty,” she said, hiding her face in his coat and feeling all of fifteen years old.

“Oh, then it’s April fourteenth, by all means,” he said with a slight laugh. He didn’t care if they got married tomorrow on a street corner right in this lazy little hamlet, he just wanted her to be happy.

She sighed, snuggling in closer to him and he put his arms around her. She couldn’t remember the last time she had been so happy. She would say the moment he had finally asked her out on a date, but she had been so content ever since then, that it was hard to pinpoint a moment. He was everything to her, and she was finally going to have a husband who really, truly loved her, who knew her better than anyone else, who she loved so much it almost hurt to think about it.

“You don’t think we’re moving too fast?” he asked.

Her heart contracted painfully at the sudden uncertainty in his voice. She held him tighter. “Not even remotely,” she said. “Do you?”

“No,” he said. He could tell her a million things and give her a million reasons why he had wanted this ever since the day he met her, but he didn’t want to drag the moment down and make her think it was her fault. It wasn’t anyone’s fault; it had simply been the nature of things. It was time to quit looking back on that for good.

“Then stop worrying, Halpert,” she said lightly. “It’s not a good look for you.”

“Then what is?” he asked.

She twisted around until she was facing him and wrapped her arms around his neck, trying to ease all of his unnecessary uncertainties with one breathtaking kiss.

When she finally pulled back, he grinned. “That one, right there. That is definitely a good look for you.”