Pam stared angrily at Jim as they drove into work, “I can’t believe you did that to me.”

Jim looked suitably embarrassed.  “You didn’t believe me, so I had to let you experience it for yourself.”

“That’s five…no, six minutes of my life I’ll never get back.”

“I know, I’m sorry,” Jim apologized.

“That was absolutely the worst song I’ve ever heard.  What was the name of the group, again?”

“Tortoise and Bonnie Prince Charlie.”

“I will never be able to listen to the Springsteen version of Thunder Road again.  You have ruined that song for me.”  She turned her face to the window and watched a jogger trotting along the sidewalk. 

Pam didn’t tell Jim that Thunder Road was one of Roy’s favorite songs.  It had been one of the tunes he had asked Scrantonicity to learn for their wedding.  For so long, so much of her life had been colored by Roy.  Before Jim, when she heard the song “Thunder Road, she thought of Roy singing in the shower, never quite understanding that she hadn’t found it funny when he sang to her, “you ain’t a beauty but hey you’re alright.”  A morning kiss was Roy’s stubble as he kissed her neck.  How a boyfriend acted around other guys was Roy’s his jealous reaction when he saw Pam and Jim laughing about a prank they pulled on Dwight.

Slowly those impressions were being erased, quietly overridden by memories Jim created with her.  She couldn’t think about her art without remembering Jim’s loving encouragement.  Boyfriend’s were low-key, but assertive when guys flirted with her, because that’s how Jim was when Ryan asked her out and when the guy at the bar asked her if she’d even been on a motorcycle.  Roy’s song favorite song would always remind her of this moment, riding with Jim on a cool autumn morning.  And ride to work would mean sitting comfortably in Jim’s car, not bouncing around in Roy’s truck…  The same truck that was just turning into the Dunder Milfin Parking lot.

Instinctively, Pam reached out and grabbed Jim’s hand.  She turned to see the concerned look on Jim’s face.  He pulled just past the gate to the parking lot.  They saw the passenger door of the truck open and a familiar figure emerge.

“Oh my god!” Pam said.  “It’s Angela!”

Jim turned to Pam and was surprised how concerned, or was it angry, she looked.  “What is she doing getting out of Roy’s truck?” Jim was unable to stop himself from asking.

“That can’t be what it looks like,” Pam said, shaking her head.  “I never thought they were friends.”

“Well, do you remember what Roy said when we played Who Would You Do?”

“Yeah, that he’d do the ‘tight ass Christian chick,’” Pam replied with a frown.  The truck was backing up.  “Quick, circle the block.  Don’t let him see us.”

Jim cocked his head to one side, but did as his girlfriend asked.  They pulled into the parking lot after four right turns and Pam hurried inside, leaving Jim behind.

In a rush, Pam pushed the elevator button angrily, but it the device refused to cooperate.  By the time it reached the ground floor, Jim was beside her.

“So, what are you doing?” Jim asked.

Pam turned to her boyfriend and “I want to know what Angela is doing with….”  She saw the hurt expression on Jim’s face.   She suddenly felt nauseous.  “It’s not that…”  She couldn’t figure out what to say to make this better.  “I’m not jealous…”

Jim raised an eyebrow at the statement.

“It’s just…unexpected,” Pam finally managed.

“Yeah,” Jim said, quietly.  “Well, we’d better get into the office.”  He held the elevator door open for her and pushed the button.

Pam knew that she needed to say something to Jim as they rode in the elevator and walked into the office, but nothing came out.

Dwight was already at his desk.  Pam wanted to confront Angela, but doing it in front of Dwight, who had been so depressed lately, seemed cruel. 

Jim helped Pam take off her coat and hung it up for her.  “Thanks,” Pam said, smiling at him.

“No problem,” Jim said, retreating quickly to his desk.

Michael Scott walked into the office, carrying a large boom box.  Normally, having a new toy made Michael happy.  Today he seemed unusually sedate.

Oscar, who had been helping Michael with his finances, looked at the boom box.  “Michael, why did you ….”

“Jan bought it for me,” Michael said, looking distinctly uncomfortable.

“Why did she do that?” Jim asked, knowing there had to be some kind of a story involved.

“Well, I did something for her, and she gave me this as a thank you.”

Kevin heard this and snickered.  “I bet you did something for her.”

“So what did you do M-dog?” Andy asked, smirking.  “Were you a good boy?”

As a veteran watcher of Michael, Pam knew that he didn’t want to say more, but he was constitutionally unable to stop himself in the middle of a story.

“She made me…wxmychst,” Michael said, mumbling the last part of the sentence.

“What?” Dwight asked.

“Wax my chest,” Michael said.

Jim wanted desperately to suddenly hear his alarm clock go off.  Maybe this day was simply an awful nightmare that time and proper medication might be able to erase.

“See, Jan has very sensitive skin and…”

“Michael, stop!”  Pam snapped.

“Dwight asked,” Michael said, defending himself.  “Hey, when you and Jim do it…”

“Okay,” Jim silently said to God, “just give me an ice pick.  One quick strike, in through the eyelid, and I can give myself a lobotomy.”  That would have to be preferable to hearing one more word.

“Michael, no one wants to hear about Jim and Pam’s sex life,” Angela said.

“Well…” Kevin started.

“Yes, that’s true,” Pam agreed, turning to the small accountant.  “Why don’t we talk about yours, especially the guy who gave you a ride into work today.”  When she realized what she said, she thought, “Oh crap.”  She put her hand over her mouth as she looked over at the shocked faces of Jim and Dwight then turned back to see Angela’s normally pale features flushed as she stalked to the ladies room.

“Pam, come into my office,” Michael said, oblivious to the chaos around them.  “I need to find something to do with this,” he said, holding up the boom box.

Pam looked towards Jim, trying to silently apologize.  He was ignoring her, staring into his computer screen.  She grabbed a pad and went into Michael’s office.

Jim turned to Dwight, who was sadly looking at Angela’s empty desk.  “Hey Dwight,” Jim said.  “I’m going to run down to Wilkes-Barre to visit our clients at the new office park.  I could use your help to make sure they stay with us.” 

Phrased that way, Dwight could only accept.  He couldn’t let Jim’s slacker attitude alienate a client.

Jim waved off the camera crew.  He left Pam a note saying where he was going and looked at his boss’s office.  He could see his girlfriend’s back.  With a sigh, he put on his coat.

When Angela returned from the rest room, the camera crew asked her for an interview.  Reluctantly, she agreed.  “My car is in the shop and I was driven to work this morning by Roy, Pam’s former fiancé.”  She fidgeted, trying to settle on what she should say.  “He’s had a hard time since Pam broke his heart.  There was a traffic… an incident one evening…  He was participating in a counseling session at my church and my minister asked if I’d speak to him.  He’s been a perfect gentleman.  I have nothing more to say.”  She got up and left the conference room.

Michael was showing Pam his new boom box.  “See you can hook up an iPod here and carry your music with you everywhere you go.  But the cool thing is that everyone can hear what you’re listening to.”

Pam held back a shudder at the thought of what Michael might subject them to in the coming days.  Maybe she could just “accidentally” knock it off the shelf.

“You know what would be really great?” Michael asked, suddenly inspired.

“What?” Pam asked, full of dread.

“If I could make a soundtrack and carry it with me.  I can have theme music, a laugh track, sound effects…”

Pam had to control this.  The sanity of the office depended on it.  “Sounds like a lot of work,” she noted.

“Yeah, Ryan’s been such a jerk recently.  He wants me to account for each hour of my day.  What kind of boss does that?”

Pam decided that it would be best not to tell Michael that Jan had asked her to keep track of Michael’s time last year.  “Maybe I could put something together for you?”

Michael looked like someone had just given him puppies.  “That would be great!”  He handed the boom box and iPod to her.  “Get started.  And none of Jim’s Indie crap, I want it hot and happening.”

Pam took the boom box and left Michael’s office.  The camera crew grabbed her for a quick interview.  Rather than talk about Angela, she discussed her new project.  “This is something that Jim and I can do together.  It’ll help smooth things over after…”  She stopped.  “Not that there’s anything wrong…There’s nothing wrong… I hope.”  The camera followed her as she walked to her desk.  She saw the too brief note and couldn’t help sighing as she looked over at Jim’s empty chair.  At least he had signed the note, “I love you, Jim.”

Angela was walking past the reception desk.

“Hey,” Pam called out, wanting to apologize.

Angela scowled at the receptionist and walked over to Oscar.

“Are you done yet?” Michael called from his office.

It was going to be a long day for Pam.

Jim drove to Wilkes-Barre with Dwight safely tucked in the back seat.  He was quiet, knowing that the beet farmer would eventually ask about the situation with Angela that Pam had mentioned.  He waited for 27.3 miles.

“Question,” Dwight began.  “Who dropped Angela off this morning?”

“It was Roy,” Jim said, trying to keep a neutral tone.  He looked back in the rear view and saw a stricken look on Dwight’s face.

“Maybe she was having her oil changed?” Dwight offered.  “Angela is hopeless about car maintenance…At least that’s what I’ve heard.” 

“Yeah, that’s probably it,” Jim agreed.

“It could be that Roy is stalking Pam and used Angela as a means to determine if she was in the office,” Dwight continued.  “Jim, are you armed?”

“Uh, no.” Jim said.

“You’re such a girl,” Dwight said, impatient in dealing with someone so unprepared for his own self defense.  He looked out the window for a moment.  “I’ve already proven that I’m more than a match for Roy,” he whispered.

Jim knew that he wasn’t supposed to hear that, so he checked his side mirror and continued driving.

------

Pam looked at Michael’s iPod and allowed herself to giggle.  She held the device to the cameraman and flipped past Mambo Number 5, I’m Too Sexy, Who Let the Dogs Out, Baby Got Back, Hold Me Closer Tiny Dancer, Lose Yourself, It’s Gettin’ Hot in Here, I’m Like a Bird, and Three Times a Lady.  Sure, there were some songs she liked, but there was so much that could be mocked.

Seeing Michael’s song library gave her hope that, no matter how bad her selections were it would still be better than letting Michael choose.  She looked over at Oscar and wondered if Michael would have chosen La Bamba or YMCA for him.  She couldn’t in good conscience allow that to happen.

She saw a tune she didn’t recognize, the Beach Boys, In My Room.  She put on the ear buds and listened to Brian Wilson’s youthful plea for solace, understanding how Michael might be drawn to it.  She frowned briefly as she pondered her boss, interrupted as Toby approached her desk.  She took out the ear buds and turned towards him.

“Hey,” Toby said.  “Is everything okay?”

“Sure Toby,” Pam replied.  “Why did you think something was wrong?”

The gloomy HR guy blushed, “I just saw Jim leave a note at your desk and…”

“No, he was just going off on a sales call with Dwight and didn’t want me to wonder if he’d be back for lunch.”

“So, are you free?”  Toby asked quickly.

It struck Pam as a little odd.  Toby had been kind of hovering recently, especially when Jim wasn’t around.  “I think I may be having lunch at my desk.  Michael gave me an assignment.”

“Oh…Okay.”  Toby sighed.  “If you change your mind…”

“I’ll let you know,” Pam replied, turning her eyes back to her computer monitor.

------

Jim and Dwight had almost reached Wilkes-Barre before the beet farmer spoke again.  “When Pam was with Roy, did you ever wonder if your feelings for her were a mistake?”

Jim took a deep breath before replying.  “Well, there were times it was pretty hard.  I’d see her and Roy together and sometimes they seemed so happy, I just felt guilty about caring for her.  Then there were times when they were fighting and it was all I could do to stop myself from telling her exactly how I felt.  And when I finally told her, she shot…  Well, I spent a lot of my time in Stamford feeling like I’d done something terrible to her.”

“But if you wouldn’t have said anything, she would have married Roy.  She said so at the beach.”

“Yeah, but at the time all I thought was that I had trashed the best friendship I’d ever had.”  Jim didn’t know why he was saying all this, to Dwight of all people, but it was like he couldn’t stop.  “She told me I’d misinterpreted things.  So mostly it was like I couldn’t trust my feelings.”

“You thought that she was the one person you were meant to be with?”  Dwight asked.

“I guess so.  I mean, before Pam, I’d never thought about settling down with one person for the rest of my life.  Of course Pam must have already decided that she felt that way about Roy, otherwise she would have never accepted the ring.”

“So you care about her more than she cares about you?  Is that a woman thing?”  Dwight asked.

Jim laughed, in spite of how serious the talk was.  “No, I’ve been on the other side with some of the girls I dated,” Jim was careful not to name anyone, “I knew they wanted to be with me more than I wanted to be with them.  Not that I think I care about Pam more than she cares about me.”  Jim hoped he wasn’t sounding too lame with that disclaimer.

“Interesting.” Dwight said, as if he were balancing an equation.  “And did you prefer being pursued?”

“Both situations are tough.  It’s hard being with someone if you’re constantly under pressure in the relationship.  Sometimes you just kid yourself that the feelings will grow over time, but for me they never really did.  And if you care more, there’s no security in the relationship.  Not that it’s like that with me and Pam.”

------

Pam had grabbed Jim’s iPod from his desk and was scrolling through his songs.  She smiled, as so many of the songs made her remember small minutes with her boyfriend.  He always had music playing in the apartment.

She flipped though his play lists and found, to her surprise, one that was labeled “Pam.”  She looked up, saw the cameraman pointing his lens at her, and immediately grew self-conscious. 

Pam walked into Michael’s office. 

“So, are you done yet?” Michael asked.

“Not yet,” Pam said.  “I need to have some quiet time if I’m going to finish this today…”

“Well, have Kelly answer the phone,” Michael said, impatiently.  “This is your top priority.”

“Will do,” Pam replied, happy that Michael has responded just as she thought he would.  She went back to the annex and spoke with Kelly.

“Michael wants me to do an errand for him, so I have to leave the office for an hour or two,” Pam said.

“Is it something he wants for Ryan?” Kelly asked, her eyes flashing.

“Maybe,” Pam replied.  “I’m not sure.”

“Well, that’s just great.  Do you know if the guys in the warehouse are busy?”

“We have a shipment going out this morning, so things should be pretty calm after lunch.

“Great,” Kelly said, reaching for her phone.

As Pam went back to her desk she heard Kelly say, “Darryl, when you get this message, call me.”

Pam wanted to drive to her apartment, but she remembered that Jim had the car.  So she grabbed her lunch and walked down the stairs.  Thankfully, she wasn’t followed by a cameraman.  She pulled her coat tight around her and walked to a nearby park.  She found a table in the sun and scrolled through the iPod play list Jim had simply labeled, Pam.

She scanned the list, knowing some of the songs.  The titles of some of the others left little room to the imagination.  Here, in order of oldest to most recent, were Jim’s thoughts of her: 

Here, There, and Everywhere – the Beatles

You Don’t Know Me – Ray Charles

There She Goes Again – Sixpence, None the Richer

Babylon – David Gray

Tiny Dancer – Ben Folds

If She Wants Me – Belle & Sebastian

Barricades and Brickwalls – Kasey Chambers

Please Break My Heart – Caitlin Cary

After You, Who? – Jodie Watley

Mad About You - Hooverphonic

Hallelujah – Tim Buckley

La Tenatacion – the Iguanas

Layla – Derek and the Dominoes

Wild Horses – the Sundays

Pam sighed as she hit these titles.  She could only imagine that Jim added them around Casino night.  The next few songs were even darker:

I Can’t Make You Love Me – Bonnie Raitt

Love Hurts – Emmylou Harris and Gram Parsons

Dance Away – Roxy Music

Busby Berkley Dreams – the Magnetic Fields

However, the mood changed again, and Pam had to smile as she flicked past:

Wraith Pinned to the Mist – Of Montreal

Let’s Do it Again – the Staples Sisters

Let’s Pretend We’re Bunny Rabbits – the Magnetic Fields (Pam was glad she had left the office, she knew she was blushing just reading the title).

Lloyd, I’m Ready to be Heartbroken – Camera Obscura

Handle Me with Care – Jenny Lewis and the Watson Twins

Central Reservation- Beth Orton

Your Love is King – Sade

I’m Still in Love with You – Al Green

I’m Your Man – Leonard Cohen

Turn Your Light Down Low – Bob Marley and Lauren Hill

Then finally, Pam reached the last title on the list, Grow Old with Me, by John Lennon.  She almost dropped the iPod.  She knew that both of them were serious about the relationship, but to see what Jim was thinking, and then to remember how things must have seemed to him this morning, made Pam feel the need to reassure her boyfriend.  She had to let him know how she felt about him.

---

Jim and Dwight had just finished with the client and were about to leave the office park.  Dwight looked at the next office.  “Morris Accounting,” was painted on the glass.  Dwight took out a notebook.  “According to my records, we haven’t made contact with this client before, which makes him my sale.”

Jim shrugged.  “Sure.” 

They entered the suite and were greeted with the smell of drying paint.  Dwight noticed a bell at the front desk and pinged once.

“Oh, hi,” a man said as he entered the reception area.  “I’m Tom Morris.  Sorry things are a little unorganized.  I’m just setting things up.”

“So, is this your company?” Jim asked.

“Yeah,” the man said, unable to stop the grin from showing.  “Been working on this for ten years.”

Dwight leaned in.  “Well, my name is Dwight Schrute and I work for Dunder Miflin Paper Products.  We can help you grow your company?”

The man’s smile dimmed.  “Look, I can barely afford a printer and paper.  I can get what I need from Staples.”

“True,” Jim said, assuming his customary role when working with Dwight.  “But we can help you in ways that big companies can’t.  You’re a one-man show now, right?”

“For now.”

“Well, we can help you with direct mailings to your old clients, forms for invoicing and taxes, we can even help you with web page design if you like.”

Dwight looked over at Jim, but remained silent.

“Well, I suppose it wouldn’t hurt to listen to what you guys have to say.”

---

Pam had listened to Jim’s iPod during lunch.  Afterwards, she started on her assignment for Michael; she had to make a sound track that he could use around the office.  With a smile, she started two lists of tunes.

---

Dwight was pensive as they returned to Jim’s car.  “About the sale…”

“Yeah, I think it went pretty well,” Jim replied.

Dwight knew he had to voice his concern, “Do you really think Pam can design a web page?”

“Yeah, I do.  She showed me what she worked up for the Dunder Miflin web site.  It was better than most I’ve seen.  We can develop it cheaply and use it as a template for other clients.  Pam is overhead staff, so anything billable she produces is a bonus.”

“So this wasn’t just because she’s your girlfriend?” Dwight persisted.

“No, this was because I know what she can do.”

“Interesting.”  The beet farmer thought for a minute.  “Shotgun,”he called as they reached the car.

“I thought you always wanted the back seat for safety reasons.”

“Well, I’m willing to risk it till we get to Scranton,” Dwight replied.

Jim wasn’t sure, but he thought he saw a smile on Dwight’s face.

Chapter 4

Pam knew she had to apologize to Angela.  When she saw the accountant go to the break room, she followed.  She cast a nervous eye behind her and was happy that the cameraman didn’t follow.  She wasn’t aware that another member of the film crew was hidden out of site, ready to capture everything.

Angela sighed when she saw the receptionist.  “I don’t have anything…”

“I want to say that I’m sorry,” Pam cut in.  She stopped about three feet in front of Angela, knowing how she valued her personal space.  Seeing Angela’s almost imperceptible nod, she continued, speaking very softly.  “I shouldn’t have said anything in front of everyone this morning.  I know you’re a very private person and I apologize if I embarrassed you.”

“Oh,” Angela said, caught off-guard.  “Well, I…  Thank you.”

“I was surprised when I saw you with Roy this morning, but whatever he does is none of my business anymore.  If you were to get involved with him, that would be fine with me,” she finished with what she hoped was a sincere smile.

Angela moved slightly closer to Pam.  She looked around and seeing nobody in the break room, she said very softly, “I never really understood why you weren’t happy with Roy.  He seemed so strong and capable…”  She caught herself and got back to what she wanted to say.  “But I’ve been helping him with some…issues…and it made me see things a different way.  I may have been a little…judgmental towards you.”

Pam barely managed to conceal a grin at that statement.  “It’s okay.  Looking back, there’s a lot I should have done differently.  But that’s in the past and all I want for Roy is for him to be happy… And that’s all I want for you, too.”  She slowly reached out and took the accountant’s arm.

Angela gave in to a cautious smile.  “He really has changed.  He…”  Angela saw the cameraman and froze.  Pam turned and frowned, dropping her hands back to her side.

“We should be getting back,” Pam said.

“Yes.  It was good talking to you,” Angela said.

-----

As Pam reached her desk, Michael called out from his office.  “Pam, come in here please.”

She grabbed her pad and pen and walked into Michael’s office.  “What can I…”

“Pam,” Michael asked as he stood up behind his desk.  He had taken off his suit coat and was smoothing out his shirt with his left hand while looking at himself in a mirror he held in his right.  “I need to know.  Without the chest hair, do I look thinner?”

“I don’t…”

“I think I look thinner,” Michael continued.  “Maybe younger, too?”  He looked at the receptionist expectantly.

“You look kind of the same to me,” Pam admitted.

Michael sighed.  “Have you finished with the music thing yet?”

“I’ll have it done by the end of the day so you can surprise everyone with it tomorrow,” Pam promised.

“Oh.  Yeah, that would be better.  Thanks.”

-----

Pam interviewed for the camera:  “Sometimes you have to be happy with the small victories.  At least I managed to put him off for a day.  That’s got to count for something, right?”

-----

Jim and Dwight returned to the office.  Jim was smiling. 

“I don’t care what Rowling says,” Dwight snapped, “Dumbledore is not gay.”

Oscar, who was chatting with Pam at the reception desk, looked over at Dwight.

Seeing the accountant, Dwight paused for a rare explanation.  “I am the author of twenty-seven fanfiction stories about Harry Potter.  It is part of my carefully constructed canon that Dumbledore had a youthful affair with Harry’s great grandmother.  If Dumbledore is made ‘suddenly gay’ by JK Rowling, then I would have to change everything.  I never change my stories.  I don’t even have a Beta.”

“You don’t have a tropical fish?” Jim asked, puzzled.

“It’s not a fish, Jim…it’s…Never mind.”  Dwight stomped off to the bathroom.

Jim’s smile dimmed as he approached Pam.  “Hey, I need to talk to you for a minute,” he said.

“Break room?” Pam asked.

“What?  No,” Jim said.  “We can do this here.”

Pam’s eyes grew wide.  Surely Jim didn't want to talk about this morning in front of the cameras/

“Dwight has a new client and we’d like for you to help him develop a web page.”

“What?” Pam asked.  This wasn’t what she thought he was going to say, so it took her a minute to catch up.  “You want me to do a web page?”

“Well, yeah.  I saw the mockups you did for Ryan, and the stuff you’ve done for your computer animation class.  I think you could develop a website that would look good.”  Jim couldn’t resist a smile as he teased, “And if you need any IT help, I’m sure that…”

“Jim…” Pam said warningly, although she was smiling as well.

“I’m just saying that he came here awfully fast last time you called.  And he already knows you like to buy sex tapes online.  That’s got to be a plus…”

“We promised not to mention the tape again.”  Pam thought about the opportunity Jim had just given her.  It would look great on a resume and would be much more enjoyable than answering phones or making play lists for Michael.  “You really think I can do it?”

“Pam, I wouldn’t have mentioned it to the guy if I didn’t.  Here’s his information.  I told him you’d call him in the next day or so to go over ideas.  If this works out, we can offer the service to our other clients.  It could be a difference maker for some of them.”

“Wow,” Pam said.  “This is…So, we’re good, right?”

Jim looked at the cameraman.  “Uh, yeah.  Sure.  I have a few things to get done before we leave.”  His smile didn’t quite reach his eyes.

Pam knew this was as much as he’d say with the cameras around.  “Good.  Well, thanks for this.”

“Anytime.  Make us proud,” Jim said as he tapped the top of her desk and turned to get back to his paperwork.

-----

At 4:55, Michael was at Pam’s desk.  “Is it ready?”

Pam handed him a piece of paper.  “Here’s a list of what you should play and when,” she said.  She saw Jim staring at them.  “Here’s the boom box.  Just turn it on and go to the Office play list.  If you visit each of us in the order I have on the page, you can just fast forward to the next song on the list.”

“Cool,” Michael said as he looked at the list.  “Wow, you have a Jan list, too?”

“I thought you might want to try it out at home, first.”  Pam thought, “With any luck, Jan will spare us having to listen to anything tomorrow.”

Michael pressed the play button and Tom Jones began to sing She’s a Lady.  Pam saw Jim smile, which made the whole thing worthwhile. 

Andy, who had been getting ready to leave, started to sing a strange, counterpoint harmony.  He took the paper from Michael.  “Oh cool, It’s Getting’ Hot in Here is next.”

Michael stared at Andy for a second, then shrugged and joined in as they left the office. 

Jim walked up to Pam’s desk and asked, “What was that all about?”

“Michael wanted me to make a sound track that he could use around the office.”

Jim’s wide eyes gave an easy indication of his panic.  “You mean he’s going to be playing that boom box in the office.  And you helped him?”

“Would you rather I let him pick out songs for each of us?”  Pam asked.

“No.  Definitely.  You did the right thing,” Jim said as he shook his head. “Sorry.”

“It’s okay.  Want to see the list?” she offered.

“Why not?”  He looked over the tunes she had selected. 

“I picked the first one as our office theme song,” Pam said.

“Handbags and Glad rags.”  I think it’s been done,” Jim teased.  “Oh my God!  You didn’t?” he asked, amazed as he continued reading.

“I had to,” Pam said, defensively.

“You picked out Who Put the Bomp to play when he talks to you?”

“He already calls me ‘Pama-lama-ding-dong.’” Pam replied.  “I had to give myself the worst song so nobody else could complain.”  They started to the elevator.  Pam grabbed the keys from Jim.  “I’ll drive,” she said.

Jim nodded.  “Sunday Morning for Angela?”

“That’s your fault.  You’re the one who played the Velvet Underground for me.  It’s a nice, quiet song.  They won’t even hear the words.  Angela will think it’s about going to church.”

“Kelly is definitely a Hollaback girl,” Jim said.  “But you know Michael would have picked out the worst Bollywood music available for her.”

“Which is why I had to do this.” Pam said with a smug smile as they reached the ground floor.

“I Like the Way You Move is perfect for Phyllis,” Jim said with obvious pride.

“She’s a good dancer,” Pam agreed.

“You picked Sexyback for Ryan?  As Michael's song for him?  That is deeply weird.”

“And your point is?”

“Fair enough,” Jim conceded.  “Love Fool for Andy.  Dangerous but necessary.  “Iron Man for Dwight, very nice.  Okay, Sweet Baby James?  You know I’ll never live that one down.”

“I’m the girlfriend,” Pam countered as they got into the car.  “It’s expected that I make fun of you.”

Jim paused, knowing that there was no argument for that point.  “Okay, now where’s the other list?”

“What other list?”  Pam asked, innocently.

“The list you made up that has what you really think of all of us,” Jim replied.

“Why do you think I’d do something like that?” Pam asked.

“I’m the boyfriend,” Jim said simply.  Pam reached into her purse and handed over the list.

“I got some ideas from your iPod,” Pam said.

“You took my iPod?” Jim asked, a little concerned.

“I had to,” Pam answered.  “Finding songs for all of you was tough.  I think you’ll approve of my selections.”

Jim laughed as he read the first title, “Office theme, I Wanna Be Sedated!  Perfect!  This is definitely a Ramones’ Office.”  He scanned the list and picked out a few songs he liked:  “Crazy, by Gnarls Barkley.  That fits Andy, definitely.  White and Nerdy for Dwight!  Yes!  Jockey Full of Bourbon from Tom Waits for Meredith, very nice.  Barbie Girl for Kelly.  American Idiot for Michael?  True but a little harsh.”

“Jim, he asked me if his waxed chest made him look thinner and younger.”

“Did he take off his shirt?”

“Thankfully, no.” 

Jim finished reading, then turned over the page.  “I think you left a couple of people off the list,” he noted.

“You mean you and me?”  She asked with a smile.

“Yeah.”

“You’ll just have to wait for those, I guess.”

Jim knew Pam had something on her mind.  He hoped she hadn’t seen the Pam play list on his iPod and freaked out.

Pam had driven to his apartment.  Once they were inside, Pam turned on his stereo and docked his iPod.  After she selected a song, she turned to Jim and asked softly, “Dance with me.”

Jim came to her and they danced slowly to one of the songs Pam added, Alison Krause’s version of When You Say Nothing at all.  Just before the song ended, Pam murmured softly into Jim’s chest.  “You know that I love you, right?”  She felt Jim’s shudder.

“You’ve never said it before,” Jim said.

“I should have.”  She reached up and kissed him softly as the song ended.  She pulled back and said, “Oh, I guess you figured out that I added a couple of songs.  Hope you don’t mind.”

“Sure, anytime,” Jim started.  Just then the next song started.  It was Alanis Morissette’s Head over Feet.  When the song reached its chorus, Pam softly sang along, “You’ve already won me over.  In spite of me.”  That was as far as she got before Jim captured her lips with his and gently led her to the couch.  By the time Al Green’s Sha-la-la (make me happy) started playing, Jim already was.  And the less said about what happened during the Barry White and R Kelly songs, the better.

The next morning, Jim and Pam were sharing not-so-secret smiles when Michael arrived, his fancy new boom box broken into several fragments.

“I don’t know,” Michael admitted.  “The songs you picked out for her were playing and I was in the kitchen making dinner.  The third song was playing and suddenly Jan hit the boom box with a tennis racket and locked herself in the bedroom.”  He looked at the broken machinery.  “Can you see if this is covered under the warranty?”

“Sure, Michael,” Pam promised.

“Thanks.”  Michael, closed the door to his office.

Jim asked, “Just out of curiosity, what was the third song?”

“Kings of Convenience,” Pam replied.

“Not…” Jim started.

Pam smiled, “Yep.  I’d Rather Dance with You than Talk to You.”

They shared an air high five.