“Hey,” Pam breathes out, the corners of her lips quirking slightly upwards into a smile.

“Hey,” Jim forces the greeting out of his mouth, shoving his hands into his pockets. They feel like dead weights. He doesn’t know what else to do with them. “How's it going?”

“Good,” Pam replies, eyes shining mischievously. “Especially after I took all your money in poker.”

She’s beautiful, just…great. Perfect. Jim gives a little chuckle for her benefit. “Yeah.” Remembering Jan’s words from earlier, he soldiers on. “Uh... Hey. Can I talk to you about something?”

Pam looks up at him. “About when you want to give me more of your money?”

He’s not about to be derailed. It would be too easy to just keep things light, play along with her, pretend their days together are not numbered, pretend she isn’t the reason he wakes up in the morning and looks forward to working every day at Dunder Mifflin.  “No, I...”

She rocks back and forth on her heels, an absolute vision. He would marry her now if he knew she’d say “Yes.” But no…she had already accepted a proposal, Roy’s proposal, and she was going to marry him on fucking June 10th. “Did you want to do that now? We can go inside. I'm feeling kind of good tonight.”

“I was just...um...,” He trails off, losing his nerve. He devours her with his eyes, mesmerized by her face, her hot little body hugged so tightly by her dress, just her. She is it for him. She is the one, the one for him, the only one he can ever see himself with. “I'm in love with you.”

“What?” All traces of a smile vanish from her face. She looks alarmed, like she’s debating whether or not to bolt.

“I'm really sorry if that's weird for you to hear, but I needed you to… hear it. Probably not good timing, I know that, I just...,” He can barely look at her. His jaw is tight, eyes stinging.

“What are you doing?,” She gapes at him. “What do you expect me to say to that?”

Fuck it all… “I just needed you to know. Once.”

“Well, I um...I...I can't.” It sounds like a question, but the message is painfully clear.

And…there it is. Rejection, white-hot, inevitable, twisting through him like a blade. He wonders if there is something about his personality that refuses to allow him to be happy, something that makes him obsess over someone so…unattainable, unavailable in every sense of the word. “Yeah.”

“You have no idea...” Her eyes are brimming with tears, tears that he has put there.

He shakes his head, desperately trying to stop her from saying the words he knows she is going to say. “Don't do that.”

“...what your friendship means to me.,” She finishes lamely.

“C'mon. I don't want to do that. I want to be more than that.” He is on the verge of losing it.

She bites her lip, looking contrite. “I can't. I'm really sorry...I…um, I’m engaged.” He feels like laughing. How well he knows that she's engaged… “Jim, I feel awful,” She offers, voice catching on a little sob.

“Not your fault. I'm sorry I misinterpreted, uh, our friendship.” He wipes away a fallen tear as he makes to walk away from her.

“Jim, wait.” She is full on crying now. “You didn’t misinterpret anything. Can we…can we talk about this?” The fingers of her right hand fiddle with her engagement ring.

He meets her eyes, nods. Silently, the two walk through the doors of Scranton Business Park. 

It might be the most awkward elevator ride of his life; neither of them so much as look at each other once. He can hear Pam’s persistent sniffling over the whirring of the old elevator, and he doesn’t need to see her face to know it’s marked with tears. He feels like crying himself. The doors open, and he gestures wordlessly for her to exit the elevator first. She moves on shaky legs and he trails after her in a daze.

The doors to the office are still unlocked. He knows Pam plans to lock them from the inside before she leaves for the night. Of course, Dwight is the only one aside from the security guard who keeps the actual keys to the place, both the master and the spare. When Pam had asked Dwight what would happen if he died, and she and her coworkers needed to get into the office, he replied, “If I'm dead, you guys have been dead for weeks.” Though she and Jim both would never admit it, even to each other, they think there is probably some truth to that.

Pam wraps her arms around herself, shivering, as Jim follows her into the office. Red-eyed and blotchy-cheeked, she sits lightly on the edge of Jim’s desk, not meeting his eyes. “Are you cold?,” Jim asks gruffly, already pulling off his sweater and offering it to her. He can deny her nothing. Nodding slightly, she takes it from his hands, shoving it over her head and pushing her arms through the sleeves. It is comically big on her, but Jim thinks she’s never looked more beautiful. “Pam.” She ignores him, tears running silently down her face. She looks like a child in need of comfort from her mother. “I can leave.” He turns toward the door. “I…didn’t mean to make you upset.” This gets her attention.

“No!,” she calls out, panicked. “I don’t know what’s wrong with me, I’m just, I promise I’m not crazy, I…I” She’s starting to hyperventilate, gasping for air.

He hurries over to her. “Hey. Hey, Pam. Look at me. It’s okay. You’re not crazy. I know you’re not crazy. You’re allowed to feel things. Just tell me what’s wrong.”

She looks up at him desperately. “Everything,” She mouths, unable to voice the word. 

“What’s that?,” Jim prods, gently, slowly sinking into his desk chair in front of her, hands gripping the armrests for dear life.

“Everything.” She blinks at him.

“Oh, Pam.” Jim looks tortured. “Just tell me what you want me to do. Anything, and I’ll do it.”

“I just…I don’t want this particular life.” She wrings her hands in her lap.

“What?” He‘s genuinely not sure he’s heard her correctly.

“I…I’m not happy.” She twists her engagement ring over and over, bringing it almost all the way off her finger before sliding it back on.

Trying to ignore the hope that’s rising in his chest, he asks, “Why aren’t you happy?”

In a voice that’s barely more than a whisper, she replies, “This is never where I thought I’d be, a receptionist (her voice breaks on the word), and a crappy amateur artist, about to marry my boyfriend from high school.” 

Before he can stop himself, he stills her much smaller hands with his own, finding her eyes with his. She's shaking. “Pam. You’re so smart and funny and beautiful...and talented. And you’ve got your entire life ahead of you. You don’t have to do anything you don’t want to, especially if it doesn’t make you happy.”

He feels her hands stiffen beneath his own. “I don’t know what to do. Jim, I need help.”

He gently squeezes her fingers. “I’ll help you. Anything you need.” 

“Jim.” She meets his gaze directly.

“Pam.” His thumb absently strokes the top of her hand. He will stay here all night if he has to.

“Did you mean what you said in the parking lot?” It pains her to say the words.

“Yes.” He doesn't even hesitate.

“You’re in love with me?” Her lips part into a little O.

“Yes.” How could she even doubt it?

“How can you be in love with me?,” She asks in a voice so small, it sounds like it belongs to a little girl. She almost looks mad at him.

Sighing, he answers, “Pam, it’s…not like I have a choice in the matter.”

She looks down at her lap, at their intertwined fingers. “How long?”

“Pam…” Jim doesn't want to freak her out, but he knows she expects honesty. He hesitates noticeably, trying to silently communicate to her that he doesn't want to talk about this. He just wants her.

“How long have you felt this way?” She needs to know.

Another sigh. “For…a while." Try...since pretty much the day he met her. He forces himself to continue. "I’m thinking of accepting a transfer to Stamford, and...I couldn’t leave without telling you.”

Her head shoots up. “What? You’re leaving?!” He cringes a little at how shrill her voice sounds, her emotions clearly taking over.

Shaking his head slightly, he explains, “I have to. I…have no future here, not if I have to sit here and watch you marry another man.”

Her eyes close on the word "marry." “Jim, he’s the only person I’ve ever been with. I don’t know anything else. He’s…not a bad person, he just, he’s very different than I am." She pauses, and then opens her eyes to stare right at him. "I can’t hurt him.”

Jim swallows, hard. “You’re really gonna marry him?”

Silently, and with shaking hands, Pam slips her engagement ring off of her finger, setting it down gently on Jim’s desk. Lips clenched together, trembling, she stares at him with wide eyes.

“Pam…,” Jim starts, carefully.

“Please don’t take the transfer. Please don’t.,” She pleads.

“I won’t. It wasn’t official yet, I didn’t sign anything.,” Jim reassures. No promotion in the world could get him to leave her now.

“Okay.,” She nods, staring past him.

Jim catches her eyes. “But, Pam. I need to know that you didn’t just take off your engagement ring because I was going to transfer. It…has to be more than that.”

She shakes her head at him as if beating away his words. “I shouldn’t have been with Roy. And there are a lot of reasons to call off my wedding. But the truth is, I didn’t care about any of those reasons until I met you.”

Jim just stares at her blankly, blinking a few times before snapping out of it. “You have no idea how long I’ve wanted to hear you say that.”

Smiling slightly, she asks, “Can you take me home?,” before immediately cringing, looking beyond pained. “I can’t go home. I can’t face him!”

An uncomfortable feeling in the pit of his stomach, Jim comforts her. “Pam, if you need to, you can go home. It’s your home too. You can grab whatever you might need and I’ll come with-“

“No!,” She cuts him off.

“Okay…” He takes a breath. “Well, then just come home with me for tonight. We’ll figure everything out later, together.”

“He’s gonna think something happened to me if I don’t come home.” She's working herself up into a state.

Jim is thinking fast. “Okay, just for tonight, text him that you’re sleeping at Angela’s because you had too much to drink.”

She lets out a little puff of air. “Okay.” She fishes her phone out of her desk and sends the message. He prays Roy has already passed out for the night.

Jim rubs her back soothingly. “Everything is gonna be okay. Let’s go.”

Pam lets Jim begin to usher her out the door, before suddenly sprinting back inside at the last minute. “Oh!” She hastily grabs the ring, holding it tightly in her fist. “I need this to give back to him.” He can tell she doesn’t want to say his name.

Jim nods his head understandingly. Pam remembers to lock the door to the office from the inside, and the two exit Scranton Business Park, finding themselves back in the parking lot, the same place where not a half hour ago, their lives had changed irrevocably.

Jim drives outside of Scranton Business Park in silence, Casino Night still in full swing inside the warehouse. Pam looks kind of dazed, her high heels resting on the floor of the car and her bare feet tucked underneath her bottom. Jim has to remind her to strap on her seatbelt. Meekly, she complies. His brain is going a mile a minute. Pam is coming home with him. Pam! Warm, funny, beautiful Pam. Engaged Pam. Well, she isn’t engaged anymore, is she? She took off her ring and said she planned to return it to Roy. Ugh, Roy. Still sleeping, blissfully unaware of what his fiancée has decided to do. He almost feels sorry for him. Almost… Jim wishes there was a way to discreetly tip off Mark that he is bringing Pam home with him, but there is no opportunity while driving. Mark has never been one for subtlety, so Jim can only pray he is out, sleeping, or staying at his girlfriend’s for the night.

Jim parks the car outside his building, quickly coming around to Pam’s side to open her door for her. She’s already unbuckled by the time he gets there. Barefoot, she makes her way out of the car. He leans over past her to grab her heels from the floor of his car and her cell phone from the passenger seat, before closing the door as quietly as he can manage. He ushers Pam in front of him as he digs in his pockets for his keys. Here goes…everything. Jim unlocks the door and gestures for Pam to enter ahead of him. The house is quiet, lights off, hopefully meaning that Mark is out for the night. It is a Friday, after all. Pam stands stiffly in his living room while he places her heels by the door and her phone on the table. She walks over to set her engagement ring next to her cell phone. When he glances up, she’s staring at him.

“Well, would you like a tour again? I can’t promise you that the place has changed that much from the last time you were here.”

She nods, agreeably. “Sure.”

“Okay, if you would be so kind as to follow me.” He holds his arm out for her to take, and she lightly rests her hand in the crook of his elbow. He tries not to get too caught up in the feel of her hand on his arm.

“Well, you’ve seen the living room. We’ve got your standard couch, flat screen, your basic kitchen, the patio is out back, and if you will follow me upstairs…” They stop by his bedroom, and Jim is reminded of the last time the two of them were here, when she sat on his bed and made fun of his yearbook picture. It’s almost too much. “Um, listen, you can take my bed for tonight. Just give me a second to change the sheets, and I’ll take the couch, or better yet, if Mark is sleeping elsewhere tonight, I’ll just take his room.”

“Okay.” She pauses, thinking. “Um, do you have any clothes you don’t care about that I can wear tonight? This dress isn’t the most comfortable thing…,” She trails off, looking awkward.

“Um…” He stares at his dresser.

“You don’t have to, I was just wondering.,” She’s quick to add.

“No, no, I, um, I’m just trying to think. If the way my sweater fits you is any indication,” He smirks at the blush developing on her cheeks. “anything I have will be absolutely huge on you.”

She nods understandingly. “Anything is fine. I just need something to sleep in.”

“Um, let’s see…” He’s rifling through his drawers. Soon enough, he produces a large, white Scranton University T-Shirt. “How’s this? It’ll be huge on you, I know. But it’s clean, I promise.” He holds it out to her and she takes it from his hand.

“This is fine, thanks. Um…you don’t have anything I could wear with it, do you?”

His eyebrows rise to his hairline. “Yeah, the thing is, Pam, I’m 6’3, and so…there’s just no way any pajama pants I have will fit you. I mean, here, maybe this will work.” He pulls out a pair of black sweatpants. “Since there’s a drawstring and, I mean, you’re definitely gonna have to roll these up a bunch, but they at least shouldn’t fall off of you…” He hands it to her, and with a murmured “Thanks,” she takes her borrowed pajamas and lays them on the bed.

“No worries, Beesly. Okay. So…you can change in here, or in the bathroom, which is down the hall, and I’ll go see if I can hunt down a spare toothbrush.”

She smiles up at him shyly. “Great, thanks, Jim.”

“Anytime.” She has no idea how much he means it.

Jim returns to his bedroom, spare toothbrush in hand, and not seeing Pam, he uses this time to replace the sheets on his bed. He’s embarrassed to admit (even to himself) that he lives his life on the messier side, often waiting a little longer than is socially acceptable to do the laundry and change his bedding. But not tonight, not when Pam is sleeping in his bed. Of course, his fantasies always involve the two of them sleeping side by side, but there will be time for that, he hopes. He will give her all the time she needs. The ball is very much in her court. He can hardly believe the turn of events the night has taken. Just hours ago, he was planning to transfer to Stamford and start a life that didn’t include Pam. And now, Pam is changing into his clothes in his bathroom, with a newly bare ring finger. He can hardly believe his good fortune. He isn’t sure exactly how he sees this playing out, but since Pam isn’t marrying Roy and she agrees that he “didn’t misinterpret anything” when it comes to their relationship, he is more than willing to wait and find out.

He senses a presence behind him, and looks over his shoulder to see Pam entering the room. She looks tiny and adorable in his clothes, which are, as he suspected, absolutely huge on her. She’s holding his sweater in one hand, and her dress is hanging on her arm.

“Just a second, Beesly. I wasn’t exactly expecting company tonight - not that I’m not thrilled to have you here (he adds with a wicked grin) - but I just need some time to make up your bed for you.”

Pam goes to fold Jim’s sweater on his desk chair, pausing to delicately lay her dress on top of the dresser. “Oh, please, you don’t need to go to any trouble. I’m hardly high maintenance. You can barely see the floor in my be-,” She pauses short of referencing her bedroom, and Jim knows it's because it isn’t just her bedroom, it is her bedroom with Roy.

Jim chooses to ignore this fact. “It’s no trouble. Hey, I found you an extra toothbrush. It’s never been used. I must have gotten it at the dentist. Anyway, it’s on my desk there.”

“Thanks!” She moves to grab it, still in its plastic case. “Um, I hate to ask any more of you, but I’m realizing more and more how much I didn’t think through my decision to spend the night here.” She fiddles with the toothbrush nervously.

Her words send him into a panic. Spinning around fully to face her, he demands, “What do you mean?”

“Just that, well, I don’t have any of my things, Roy thinks I’m spending the night at Angela’s, I still don’t know how I’m going to be able to face him, I have to cancel all of my wedding plans, and, I don’t even have my purse, or a cell phone charger, or my glasses or contact solution.” She’s crying again. Fucking perfect…

Jim schools his face to the best of his ability so as not to give away how badly her words are affecting him. “Pam. I’ll help you, whatever it is. We’ll deal with these problems one at a time. As for the most immediate problems, you’re only here, as of now, for tonight. I have no problem lending you clothes, I get that they are all huge on you, but they should be fine to sleep in. And Roy? I’ll help you. Whatever you want to do, whatever you need. For the time being, he thinks you’re safe, which you are, and that is all that matters right now.”

Pam nods, “Okay.”

“Did I forget anything?” Jim challenges, the barest hint of a smirk on his face.

Pam returns the slightly amused expression. “Do you have a charger for my phone?”

This throws him for a bit. “No…I don’t have the same type of phone as you, and neither does Mark, I’m afraid. But you’ve barely used it today. It’s just been sitting there in your desk. So just turn it off for tonight to conserve the battery until tomorrow. Okay?”

“Okay…”

“What else?” He dares her to stump him, knowing full well there is no problem she can have that he will not devote himself to fixing.

“All I have are my contacts, and I didn’t bring any contact solution.”

 Jim knows that Pam is practically blind without her glasses or contacts. Shit. He has perfect vision himself, or he would gladly offer her his contact solution, offer her anything to make her happy. “Ya know, I think we can steal some of Mark’s contact solution. He won’t mind.”

“What about the case? I didn’t bring one with me.”

Ah, fuck. “We’ll see if Mark has an extra one we can use just for tonight. If not, I’ll run to the store and grab you one. See, Pam? No need to worry.”

She seems satisfied with his answers, and noticeably calms down. “Okay. I’m gonna brush my teeth real quick, and then I’ll go and turn my phone off for the night. Let me know if Mark has a case I can use.”

“You got it, Beesly.” She exits the room purposefully.

Jim has a pretty strong feeling that Mark doesn’t have any extra contacts cases, but waits for Pam to finish brushing her teeth so he can check and be sure. He smiles at Pam as she passes him on her way downstairs to deal with her phone. It only takes one glance at Mark’s side of the cabinet to confirm his suspicions. Well…apparently he is going on a late-night shopping trip. He makes his way downstairs to find Pam in the living room sat on the couch. “Okay…so. It looks like we have contact solution, but no case, at least not one that I can find. So here’s what we’re gonna do. I’m gonna set you up all nice and comfy on the couch.” He pauses to drape a knitted throw over Pam’s legs. She giggles, and he wants so badly to kiss her, but knows the timing cannot be worse.  “TV’s all yours. Feel free to raid the fridge. Just make yourself at home. I’ll be back. I’ll call the home phone if there are any problems.”

Pam smiles at him slightly, looking as relaxed as he has seen her look since before their talk in the parking lot. Still, being Pam, she makes a halfhearted attempt to volunteer to leave in his place. “I feel bad making you go out for me. I can go, you know, you don’t need to.”

A chuckle escapes his lips. “Beesly, I’m not taking no for an answer.”

Pam smiles wider and he can see her dimples. “Well, I guess I have no choice then.”

“Guess so.” And with that, he grabs his keys, and heads out into the Scranton night air, making sure to lock the door behind him.

Jim’s heart races as he drives. Pam is on his couch, wearing his clothes, waiting for him to buy her a contacts case so she can spend the night in his bed. He has no idea what even the most immediate future will bring, but it feels so fucking good to just be hopeful. Pam is interested in him...maybe. Well, at the very least she’s not interested in Roy. Not anymore. He tries not to think about what might have happened if he hadn’t told her how he felt about her. Would she have still married him? He really hopes not. He pulls over in the parking lot of a drug store that’s open 24/7. Okay. Contacts cases… He makes his way inside, approaches the cashier, and is directed to aisle 3. He quickly grabs the first case he sees. This, plus Mark’s solution, should cover it. Oh shit. Mark. He pulls out his phone, flips it open. It’s a little after 10:00PM. He decides to call Mark really quickly to get a sense of where he is and what his plans are for tonight. The phone rings about six times before Mark picks up. There’s a lot of background noise and he sounds pissed. “Yeah?,” He croaks out.

“Hey, man. There’s…uh, a bit of a situation. Pam from work, the one you met at my barbeque, she decided to leave her fiancé tonight and she’s pretty upset, so I’m letting her stay the night.”

There’s enough of a silence to make Jim wonder if Mark hung up on him. “And…you’re telling me this why?”

“Just wanted to give you a heads up unless you came home and saw her there.”

“Aren’t you with her?” Jim thinks Mark must be at a club or something. He can barely hear him.

“I’m actually at the drug store right now to pick her up a contacts case. We’re gonna borrow some of your solution so she can take out her contacts to sleep tonight and still be able to see in the morning.”

“Damn, man, you move fast. She just breaks off her engagement and you’re already spending the night with her?” He sounds impressed.

“Stop, it’s not like that.”

Mark chuckles. “Okay, that’s cool. Ah, do you ah, want me to give you some privacy? I was thinking of bringing Jess back, but we could crash at her place. We’re gonna be out late anyway.” Jim can hear the smirk in Mark’s voice.

“Naw, man. You don’t have to do that. I just wanted to let you know what’s going on.,” Jim hurries to say, and although he will never verbalize it, he wishes Mark would spend more than just the one night at his girlfriend’s.

“Yeah…listen, I’ll, um...me and Jess will spend the night at her place, okay? No worries. You can let her have my room if you want. You just might want to clean it up first.” Jim winces a little at the thought of Pam sleeping in Mark’s bed. Mark is messier than he is, and I mean, hey, he isn’t gonna get excited about Pam sleeping in another man’s bed, even if that bed does just belong to his roommate. The way he sees it, Pam has been sleeping in another man’s bed for far too long.

“Thanks, man. I already made up my room for her, so I’ll take your bed if you don’t mind.”

“Sure. Just have the decency to change the sheets if you wind up fucking her on my bed.”

“Hey, fuck you, man.” Jim can hear Mark’s laughter over the static, voices, and music.

 “See ya tomorrow, not sure when.”

“See ya.” Jim flips closed his phone.

Jim lets out a relieved breath. That’s one thing he doesn’t have to deal with tonight. He decides to grab a women’s deodorant stick at the last minute, before checking out and paying for his two items at the register. He doesn’t want Pam to get insulted and think he’s implying she doesn’t smell good (that’s far from the truth), but he’s also not sure she’ll appreciate using his deodorant and smelling like Old Spice, as much as her using his deodorant might excite him.

Jim unlocks his door, shopping bag in hand, to find Pam exactly where he left her, curled up on his couch. She's facing away from him, but when she turns, he can see she's on the phone.  

His eyebrows rise in surprise. Who is she on the phone with? Surely not Roy? He doesn’t want her talking to him, even though he knows she has to, has to officially leave him. He tries unsuccessfully to quash the possessiveness he feels about her. She isn’t his to claim, not yet, can’t be, not when Roy still thinks they’re getting married. He turns to lock the door, putting on the chain as if that will somehow stop Pam from ever leaving and facing the very real reality of a nearly 10-year-long relationship coming to an end.

“I have to go. I will.” Pam hangs up the phone and gives him her full attention.

Jim takes a deep breath. “Hi,” He says on the exhale, strolling over to the couch to drop the plastic bag from the drug store by her feet. “Who was that?,” He tries to ask as nonchalantly as possible.  

“Oh, it was my mom.”

Jim’s eyebrows shoot up again. He’s more than a little worried about what Pam’s parents might think about her choosing to leave Roy, her fiancé, who she has been engaged to for years and in a relationship with for even longer, and then staying the night at her male coworker’s house, of all places, without even officially ending the relationship.

“Oh yeah? What’d you two talk about?”

“Oh, everything. She knows, and she’s gonna help me. She's coming to Scranton tomorrow with my dad to help me talk to Roy and get my things. She’s gonna handle canceling the wedding, calling all of the guests, returning the gifts.”

“Wow, that’s uh, that’s amazing! See? I told you that you weren’t alone here.”

“I know - I’m glad I called. I already feel better knowing that I won’t have to go there alone.”

“Pam, you know I would have come with you. I still will.”

“I know, Jim, and I appreciate that, but I think I need to do as much of this as possible on my own. Well, not really on my own, with my parents, but you get what I’m saying. Plus, I’m not sure it’ll be a good idea for you to be there when I break the news to Roy.”

Jim thinks she has a point. Jim’s a big guy in terms of height, but Roy is both taller and more muscular than he is. He has no doubt that if Roy wants to do him harm, he will be more than able to. Still, his masculinity at stake, he adds, “I’m not worried about Roy, Pam. You’re all I care about. But, you know, you call the shots here. I’ll follow your lead. But just know that I’ve got your back 100%.” 

Pam smiles, both rows of pearly whites on display. She’s a stunner. “Thanks.”

“You got it, Beesly. By the way, I got you a contacts case, along with some girly deodorant.” He wiggles his eyebrows at her goofily.  “I didn’t think you’d want to use mine, although of course you’re more than welcome to.” He gestures to the bag in front of her.

Blushing slightly, Pam murmurs, “Great, thanks again.”

Jim waves away her thanks. “So, Beesly. The night is still young. What do you want to do tonight? I have a pretty decent movie collection and snacks if you’re interested.”

“Ooo, yes, whatcha got?”

“It’s probably better if you have a look for yourself. Check out those shelves over there, and I’ll bring us stuff to munch on.”

“Cool.” Pam springs up from the couch excitedly, the throw falling off of her and onto the ground in her haste.

Jim pulls out some microwavable popcorn and puts it in the microwave to pop. Then, he opens the freezer and pulls out the one large tub of Friendly’s chocolate ice cream and two spoons.

“Hey, Beesly,” He calls out to her. “Want anything to drink?”

“Honestly? Water’s fine. It’s been a….day.”

Jim chuckles. It’s been a day indeed. “Alright, two ice waters coming right up.”

Jim and Pam manage to devour all of their snacks between the two of them, Pam claiming most of the ice cream for herself, leaving Jim with the popcorn. He’s not about to complain though – He’s just happy to see her happy, and if eating all of his chocolate ice cream and pouting at the thought of sharing with him makes her happy, there’s no way in hell he’s going to stand in her way. Like he could ever stop her from doing something she wants to do, whatever she wants. Dazed and Confused (in Pam’s top three favorite movies of all time and in Jim’s top five) is playing on his TV. It’s the movie’s final scene and he knows it well. He smiles slightly as Foghat’s “Slow Ride” starts to play, and turns to notice that Pam is fading fast on the couch next to him. Loath to wake her up but very aware of the fact she’s wearing contacts, he nudges her slightly. “Pam?,” She blinks at him dazedly. “Pam, you need to take out your contacts so you can sleep.”

“But I’m not ready to sleep,” She protests weakly.

“Yeah, I know you say that now, but I also know you’re exhausted, and I don’t want your eyes to get hurt. Please?”

“Jim, if I take them out now, I can’t see ANYTHING. I’m basically blind without them. I’ll have to go straight to sleep or keeping my eyes open will just give me a headache.”

“Well, Pam, it is past midnight. It’s okay to sleep. Don’t stay up on my account. I can keep myself entertained pretty well, and I’m probably gonna call it a night in a bit too.

Pam exhales dramatically, her cheeks puffing out. “Okay, well, I think I should take a shower.”

Jim hops up and heads up the stairs, motioning for her to follow. “C’mon.”

She trails behind him tiredly, dangling the plastic bag containing her contacts case and her “girly deodorant,” as Jim had referred to it, on one finger.

They make it to the bathroom, and Jim ducks into his room for a second before returning with a clean towel that he hangs on the back of the door. “Okay, so before you take these out,” he gestures to her eyes, “and descend into total blindness, I just wanna explain the shower.”

“What, does it double as a time machine or something?”

“Only every other weekend. Sorry about that, Pam.” He grins goofily. “But the right side is really hot water and the left is really cold. It’s mislabeled, so be careful.” He hovers awkwardly.

“I think I’ll be fine.” She picks up the toothbrush she had used earlier (her toothbrush)  and proceeds to brush her teeth a final time before bed. Jim admires her dental hygiene, knowing how often he “forgets” to brush his own teeth even once every night before falling asleep. It’s a miracle he doesn’t have any cavities. He backs out of the room, not at all wanting to overstep or make her uncomfortable. His heart is racing at the thought of her using his shower, not to mention his soap and shampoo. “Okay, so I’ll leave you to it.”

 “Kay,” She mumbles, her mouth full of toothpaste, the mint green foam starting to drip down her lip. 

Oh boy…  He has to get out of there. He closes the door behind him, a little more forcibly than necessary. He needs to lie down. He walks into his room without thinking about it before freezing, realizing that it’s Pam’s room for the night. He pulls out some clothes to sleep in, deciding Pam will almost definitely not appreciate him sleeping in the nude like he usually does. Gathering his plaid pajama pants and a T-shirt under his left armpit, he quickly grabs a fresh pair of jeans and a Navy blue sweater for the next day. He gives his room a quick once-over, and deciding it’s acceptable, he steps out, leaving the light on for Pam, and settling himself in Mark’s room. Ugh. Mark did not kid. His room is a pig-sty. Deciding not to bother with tidying up his roommate’s mess, he collapses on the bed, dosing off before he knows it.

 Jim is floating on a cloud of nothing, and over the roar in his ears he can hear Pam calling his name. He is vaguely aware he must be dreaming, because why else would Pam be calling out to him? But she doesn’t sound like herself, she sounds upset, panicked even. Something’s wrong. And just like that he’s jolted awake, sitting up. “Pam?!,” He calls out, voice cracking slightly. The silence that greets his cry worries him enough to send him off the bed and out the door entirely, his clothes scattering everywhere. He clears his throat. “Pam?” He rushes to the bathroom and hesitates at the closed door. The light is still on. Tentatively, he knocks. No response. He turns the knob, squinting his eyes at the light, and…nothing. The air is steamy, the mirror still slightly fogged up. Pam’s toothbrush is on the sink. Walking over to his bedroom door, he pauses when he registers that it’s closed, but the light is still on, just as he left it, and he needs to see her, needs to know she’s okay. He knocks loudly enough to wake her up, but when he doesn’t hear anything, he lets himself in and immediately lets out a sigh of relief. There she is. Pam. She really is a sight to behold, all bundled up in his comforter with her wet hair spread out on his pillow. He sees her watch, earrings, along with her new contacts case and deodorant on his desk to the left of the bed. A sense of calm overtakes him and his heart rate starts to return to normal. At that, he quietly pads out of his room, pausing to flick off the lights, closing his door behind him. He barely makes it back to Mark’s room before he collapses, dead to the world. 

He must have been way more tired than he had realized, because when he wakes it’s almost 11:30AM. Shit. He had all these plans to get up early and make breakfast for Pam. He takes the quickest shower in the history of the world, throwing on his clothes and running downstairs, expecting the worst case scenario: that Pam has already left. She did say her parents were coming into Scranton today. But when he makes it down the hallway he can see Pam clearing away their mess from the night before and placing the dirty bowl, spoons, and cups in the sink. Pam. “Oh my God, Beesly, please, please stop cleaning. You’re making me feel like a horrible host.”

She spins around to face him, looking embarrassed. “It’s fine, you know, I want to, especially after you’ve been so great.”

Jim has to smile. “Very, very not necessary. In fact, I forbid it, and so you’re just gonna have to sit there while I tidy up and make us breakfast.” She opens her mouth to say something and he cuts her off. “Sorry, it’s my house. Them’s the rules.” He gestures for her to sit at the bar by his kitchen, before wiping down the coffee table with a damp paper towel. Pam has really done most of the work. He runs the faucet in the kitchen sink for a little bit before squirting in some dishwashing liquid, leaving everything to soak.

“Okay, Beesly.” He claps his hands together. “What’re you in the mood for?”

“Oh, just whatever you have is fine. Tea would be nice, actually.”

“Yes, absolutely!” He flings open a few cabinets at random, praying he has at least one goddamn teabag. He curses under his breath.

“It’s okay, I only meant if you had tea.”

He tries to recover. “Could I interest you in any coffee?”

“Um, no thanks.”

“Okay, here’s an idea. How about we order delivery from the diner? That way, everybody gets what they want, plus, we don’t have to actually do any work.” He flashes his signature grin.

“No, I feel bad. You don’t have to order anything for me. I don’t even have my wallet.”

“Pam, you’re my guest, I’m not gonna make you pay for breakfast.” He looks at her like she’s grown an extra head. Before she can respond, he continues. “So, come on, lemme know what you want, besides tea. I’m gonna do Eggs Benny and coffee, obviously.”

“Um, scrambled eggs?”

“Done. Now, I’m assuming you want bacon with that.”

“Absolutely, I do.”

“There we go. I’ll place the order now. When are your parents coming in, by the way?”

“A little after 2:00PM, if there’s no traffic.”

“Awesome. I’m looking forward to meeting them. I don’t think I actually got a chance to meet your mom properly when she was in the office.”

“Jim – They’re both gonna love you.” He can see their future in her smile. If he’s being honest, he’s more than a little nervous about meeting Pam’s parents. Because after all, if everything goes as planned, those are his future in-laws. He wants them to know that he can take care of Pam, that he’s not going to take advantage of her, that he loves her. 

Pam’s parents pull into Jim’s driveway closer to 3:00PM. At this point, Pam is changed back into her dress from the night before. She looks nervous, as she shuffles to the door, slipping back on her heels. Jim hangs back a little, not wanting to overstep. Pam opens the door to reveal her mother, Helene Beesly, looking a little worse for the wear. They embrace, and Jim feels like he’s intruding on something private. When they break apart, Jim forces himself to step forward.

“Hi, Mrs. Beesly. I’m Jim. It’s nice to finally meet you.” He reaches out his hand for her to shake. She steps into the house to take it delicately.

“Helene. It’s nice to meet you too, Jim, but I wish it was under better circumstances.”

Jim doesn’t exactly know how he’s supposed to read that. Helene looks like she hasn’t slept all night, and he can’t tell whether she’s more upset that her daughter’s upset or that her daughter just called off her wedding to Roy. He tries not to think about it, nodding at Helene like an idiot.

Pam turns to her mom. “Mom, where’s dad?”

“Daddy is in the car. We want to get going as quickly as possible, so make sure you have everything.”

“Um, I think I do, right?” Pam turns to Jim questioningly.

“Uh, let’s see. You’ve got your phone? I think that’s everything, unless you want to take your new contacts case and toothbrush and everything with you.”

“Um, no thanks. It was really sweet of you to buy them for me, though.”

“Not at all a problem. Okay, so I don’t want to hold you guys up, but Pam – Anything you need, I’m just a phone call away. I’ll see you Monday?”

“See you.” Pam hugs him softly.

And just like that, Jim is alone in his house again. 

Pam doesn’t call right away, and Jim tries not to let it get to him. As is, he’s afraid to leave his cell phone for even a minute and accidentally miss her call. He attempts to keep himself busy, forces himself to eat, considers playing basketball, but even his favorite sport doesn’t have the same appeal it once did. He wants to call her, but he doesn’t want to overwhelm her. He tells himself that he’ll give it a day, and if he hasn’t heard from her by tomorrow, he’ll reach out, just to get the confirmation that she’s okay. Jim is lying awake in his bed, the same bed Pam had spent the night in. It smells like her, and he plans to get away with not washing the sheets for as long as possible. He’s about to resign himself to a sleepless night of worry when his phone beeps. It’s a text from Pam. She’s never texted him before. “Hi Jim, it’s Pam. Thanks for all your help. Everything’s okay. It was hard, but okay. And I’m going to stay in a hotel for a while until my parents help me find an apartment. Let’s talk tomorrow over the phone. Sound good?”

He can’t respond fast enough. “Hey Beesly. Nice to hear from you. Ooo, Fancy New Beesly is going to get herself a fancy new apartment. Let me know if you need any help. Talking tomorrow sounds great. What time were you thinking?”

“How’s 3:00PM? I’m gonna try sleeping in if I can.”

“Perfect. Be there or…”

“Oh boy.”

“Be square.”

“*Rolls eyes* Such a dork! I’ll be there.”

“Good. You don’t want to be square, do you?”

“Definitely, definitely not.”

“Well then, I’ll call you at 3:00PM.”

“Night, Jim.”

“Night, Beesly.”

Jim smiles to himself in the dark of his bedroom. Holy shit. Pam must have left Roy. She must have. She moved out of their apartment, and now she’s staying in a hotel until she finds her own apartment. For the first time in Jim’s knowing Pam Beesly, she is single. So is he. Both of them are single at the same time. And she knows he loves her, is in love with her. And she said he didn’t misinterpret anything, meaning maybe, just maybe, she has feelings for him as well. He would never push her, but he feels more hopeful about his future than he can ever remember feeling. How crazy to think that the entire state of his happiness rests on this one girl. But she’s not just any girl. Michael was right. “Engaged ain’t married.”  And now (he’s pretty sure) she isn’t even engaged anymore. He needs to wait until she’s settled, until she’s ready. But then there’s nothing stopping him from simply manning up and asking her out, as in on a date, an actual date. And the rest? Well, he’s excited to find out. 

Jim sets three separate alarms for Sunday: One at 2:00PM, one at 2:30PM, and a final one at 2:55PM. There’s no way in hell he’s about to miss this call. He’s planned nothing else for the entire day, in case by some miracle Pam suggests they should meet in person. Not that he expects that, but he wants to be ready for anything. He doesn’t even feel embarrassed about calling her a few minutes before 3:00PM. Pam already knows his feelings. There are no more secrets on his end. The phone rings three times before she picks up.

“Hey.”

“Hi.” There’s a bit of a pause. “It’s so great to hear your voice.”

She giggles a little. “You do realize that you just spoke to me yesterday, right? In person?”

“Mmmm, I might recall that… It’s a bit blurry, to be honest.”

“Wow, okay, well I guess I have that effect on people.”

“You do, Pam. Me especially.”

“I make things blurry for you?”

“All the time. It’s a wonder I ever get any work done.”

“You make things blurry for me too.”

“…I do?”

“Like on Friday night.”

“Wow.”

“Yeah, but I think things are starting to get clearer.”

He clears his throat loudly. “Oh, they are, are they?”

“Well, I ended things with Roy.” He lets out what he hopes isn’t an audible sigh of relief. “Obviously.”

“Wow, that’s uh, that’s big, Pam.”

“Yeah, it was…hard. He…didn’t take it well. I couldn’t have done it if my parents weren’t there. My dad stayed in the car, and together, my mom and I packed up the majority of my most important things. I still can’t believe almost ten years of my life fit into my parents’ car.”

“Oh.” Jim says dumbly. He’s desperate to ask for details, but at the same time he doesn’t want to pry. He’s also not sure how much he wants to know. “Are you okay?”

“Yeah, I will be. He just, he just didn’t get me. “

 “I know.” I get you, Pam. Jim forces himself to speak again. “So, Roy is keeping the apartment?”

“Yeah, we decided that makes the most sense. I don’t have any real attachment to it, anyway. We were only renting.”

“Well, you’re gonna have your own place pretty soon. That’s exciting, right?”

“It is, but it’s also a little scary. I’ve never actually lived alone before.”

“Really?”

“Nope. In college I had roommates, and I lived with my parents until Roy proposed and I moved in with him. Even being in this hotel room by myself is freaking me out a little.”

“Huh. You know, come to think of it, I’ve never lived on my own either. But you shouldn’t be scared. You’re perfectly safe. What hotel are you staying in?” He tries to sound casual, like he’s  just making conversation.

“I’m in the Holiday Inn Express. It’s just temporary.”

“Of course it is. Hey, if you’re not doing anything tonight, I’d love to get you out of that scary hotel room and take you to dinner.”

“Jim, you definitely don’t have to do that.” But she sounds pleased.

“I don’t have to do anything, Pam. I want to. Plus, we’ve both got to eat, huh?”

“That’s true… Okay. Well, where do you want to meet?”

Oh my God, oh my God, oh my God. “Um, how about I pick you up at around 6? Text me the hotel’s address?”

“That works.”

“Alright, then…it’s a date.”

Jim flips closed his cell phone, heart trying to escape from his chest. Holy fucking shit. He was just as clear with her as he could ever be. This was a date. With Pam. This is all he’s ever wanted since literally the moment he saw her. And now there aren’t any major obstacles standing in their way. He has to get ready. Where should he take her? What should he wear? Okay, first thing’s first. Another shower. Then he’s gonna brush his teeth, shave, and start coming up with a game plan.

The shower manages to clear his head, and when he emerges he has a pretty good idea of how he wants this to go. Pam had sent him the hotel’s address, so all he needs to do is drive over, pick her up, and take her to the Glider. He realizes a diner isn’t the most romantic place in the world, especially for a first date, but he wants Pam to feel at ease, and he wants a place where they can talk. They have a lot they have to work through, but for the first time in a long time, he feels like they’ll be able to work through it all together. He throws on some jeans, sneakers, and his favorite button down and sweater. He checks his watch. It’s close to 4:00PM, but he wants to make sure he has time to pick up some flowers for Pam. Specifically, daises, which he happens to know are her favorite. He drives with a sense of purpose. What an amazing weekend this has been so far. He can only hope it will get better. If things progress the way he wants them to, he’ll have to take Michael out to dinner as a thank you. Who would have thought that Michael Scott would have sound advice, advice he would actually follow, advice that would actually work?

Flowers now securely in the passenger seat of his car, along with a note that reads, “Some daisies for my Beesly,” he drives in the general direction of the Holiday Inn Express where Pam is staying. He knows he’s early, but mainly he’s just hoping Pam won’t take his words the wrong way. He is not meaning to call her his, as if he owns her. If anything, it’s entirely the other way around. He could not be more hers.

Driving around, he’s just killing time now. He can’t believe how slowly time is moving. In his nervousness, he’s worked up a sweat, and so he quickly swipes his underarms with the spare deodorant he keeps in his glove compartment. Finally, he can see a light at the end of the tunnel. It’s around a quarter to 6:00PM, and instead of waiting a moment longer, he parks in the hotel parking lot, and gets out of the car, flowers in hand. He makes his way to the concierge desk and asks them to ring Pam on his behalf. The phone rings once, twice, three times, four times, and a final fifth time before Pam finally answers.

“Yes, a Mr….” The concierge looks at Jim questioningly.

“Jim Halpert.” Jim blurts out hastily.

“Jim Halpert is here to see you.” There’s a pause. “Yes, I’ll send him right up.”

The concierge hangs up the phone and smiles faintly. “Room 515.”

“Thank you.” Jim makes his way over to the elevator, and his numb fingers press the 5 button. He considers ripping off the card and stuffing it in his back pocket. It’s too weird of a message. Why didn’t he just write, “To Pam, From Jim,”? But the doors open, and his feet move of their own accord. And he’s knocking gently. Too gently. He knocks a little more firmly. “Room service,” he calls out jokingly. He can hear Pam’s giggle through the door, the sounds of her undoing the chain lock, and then the knob turns and all he sees is her.

“Hi,” he breathes out.

“Hey.” She’s blushing, absolutely radiant in her bare feet and jeans, with a red short sleeved V-neck top he’s never seen before.

“Beesly, you look beautiful.”

“Thanks. You look great too.” He ignores that, holding out her flowers.

“These are for you.”

“Oh, Jim! They’re beautiful! I love daises.”

I love you.

“So, ya wanna come in? See my super fancy hotel suite?”

Jim chuckles. “Absolutely, I do.” And with that, he follows Pam into her hotel room, closing the door behind him. 

Pam’s “super fancy hotel suite” is little more than a Queen Size bed, but Jim can’t imagine a place he would rather be. There’s not much room for him to stand, due to the fact that Pam’s entire bed is bordered by suitcases and plastic and cloth bags bursting with belongings. She’s moved her entire life into this room. Pam carefully removes the plastic from around the bouquet of daisies, breaking off the ends of the stems. Once she does this, she places the flowers in a glass filled with water that she makes a big show of setting on her nightstand, before plopping down on the edge of her bed and beaming up at him. He beams right back at her, even though he feels a little awkward just standing in her room with his shoes on.

“So, Beesly. It’s quite a place you’ve got here.”

“Yeah, it’s really…something.” She looks down at her toes, embarrassed. “I have the room booked through all of next week, and I have appointments to see a different apartment every night.”

“Wow, Pam, I’ve gotta hand it to you. You move fast! You’ve got to be careful though, not to get ripped off.”

“Oh, yeah?”

“Yeah. Don’t settle for any less than an apartment with at least three kitchens.”

“And why would I need three kitchens?”

“Beesly, don’t make me spell it out for you. You need at least one kitchen per meal a day. Anything less than that and you’ve been totally taken for a ride.”

“Wow, well, I’ve been warned.”

“You’re welcome.” He smirks at her.

“So…what’re the plans for dinner? I haven’t eaten since breakfast, and even then all I had was an apple.”

“Pam!” He is genuinely concerned. “Why didn’t you eat anything?”

“I didn’t get much sleep last night. It was weird sleeping by myself, and I finally conked out in the morning for a few hours, but I ended up missing the continental breakfast. By the time l got downstairs, all I could really grab was an apple.”

“Yikes, well we need to get some food in you, pronto. You don’t want to keel over.”

Pam giggles. “No, we wouldn’t want that.”

He cocks his head towards the door, hands in pockets. “Come on.”

She shakes her head at him, slipping on her socks and Keds. “You know, you still haven’t told me where we’re going.”

“Hmmm, well, could it be that it’s a surprise? Oh yeah, it is.”

Laughing, Pam grabs her purse and a pink cardigan, in case she gets cold later. “Why would it be a surprise? It’s just dinner.”

He clutches his heart, feigning hurt. “Just dinner? Pam, this is most certainly not just dinner. This is our first date. Or…” He gives her a look, and she smiles up at him. “Is it our second date?” He knows they’re both remembering that night up on the roof of Scranton Business Park, his famous grilled cheese sandwiches, Dwight’s pitiful fireworks display, swaying together while listening to his I-Pod.

“No, this is our first date.”

He’s vaguely disappointed by her answer. Pam must be able to see it on his face, because she hastens to add, “Now it’s right. Now there’s nothing in our way.”

He grins at her affectionately, holding his arm out to her. “M’lady.” She places her left hand in the crook of his elbow, and she lets him lead her out of the hotel room and into his Corolla. 

“Hey!,” Pam nudges his side with her elbow. “The Glider Diner? That’s the big surprise?”

‘Uh, yeah.” He smirks at her as he parks. “I hope that’s okay. I just wanted a place where we could…” He drifts off. “Talk.,” He finishes, upon seeing Pam’s smile.

“Talking’s good. And I love the Glider.”

“That’s what I like to hear.” He hurries to get out of the car before her so he can open her door, grinning. Pam looks mildly surprised at the gesture, which makes him grin all the more. She’ll just have to get used to him treating her like a princess. He’s certainly not going to stop anytime soon…or ever, for that matter. He will open doors for her for as long as she lets him. The rest of their lives, he hopes.

“Why thank you, Jim. Such a gentleman.” She blushes as she steps out of the car, leaving her cardigan on the seat.

“Only the best for my Beesly.” They make their way inside, motioning to the hostess that they would like a table for two. A waitress seats them at a booth in the corner, and they hold hands across the table. “So…,” he starts, running his thumb over the fingers on her left hand.

“So…,” she replies.

“So…,” he blushes, “What are you in the mood for? Anything coming to mind?”

“Um, let’s see. I know it’s a totally unoriginal order, especially at a diner, but I think I’m gonna go with a burger. Ooo, and a chocolate shake!”

“Ooo, nice. I like it!”

“What’re you gonna get?”

“Mmmm, I’m probably gonna get a Tuna Melt. Annnd cheese fries.”

“Ooo, I’m getting cheese fries too!”

“Copy me, why don’t ya?” He delivers mock-accusingly. They both chuckle nervously, and he smiles at her, feeling like a schoolboy on a date with the cutest girl in school. “Let’s do it.” The waitress returns with glasses of ice water and menus, and starts to rattle off the specials. They politely nod throughout her whole spiel, waiting for an opening. She pauses to take a breath, and Jim takes advantage. 

“Hey, I think we actually know what we want.” He points at Pam. The waitress looks pissed off, but Jim continues politely. “The lady will have a Cheeseburger Deluxe with a side of cheese fries.”

“How would you like that cooked?,” The waitress directs at Pam.

“Um, Well done, please?” Pam looks embarrassed.

“Oh, come on, Pam! That’s not how you have a burger.”

“I don’t want to get sick.” She looks down at her lap.

“You’re not gonna get sick. Trust me – You’ve got to have it at least Medium.”

The waitress sighs dramatically.

“I can’t help it if I like it the way I like it.”

“Hey – That’s fine. You can have it Well done.” He turns to the waitress desperately. “You heard the lady,” He tries to lighten the mood. “One Well done cheeseburger deluxe. A side of cheese fries. And,” he pauses dramatically, “best of all – A chocolate milkshake.”

The waitress scribbles down the order, looking like she’d rather be anywhere else. “And you?,” she looks over at Jim.

“I’ll do a Tuna Melt. Also a side of cheese fries.”

“Anything to drink?”

“Uh, do you guys still not serve coke here?”

“We have Pepsi or Diet Pepsi.”

“Yeah… So not the same thing.” The waitress is practically glaring. “Okay, let’s do a Root Beer.”

“Anything else?”

“That’s it.”

 “Coming right up.” She rushes away from their booth, and the both of them let out breaths of air they didn’t realize they were holding at the exact same time. Then they burst out laughing. 

“Okay, she was a…bitch.” Pam blushes and looks down as she gets the word out.

“Whoa, did I just hear a swear word from Beesly?!” Jim has never heard her say anything that would earn more than a G rating if it appeared in a film.

“It doesn’t count as a swear word if it’s a statement of fact.” She defends, reddening further.

“Wow, I like this Fancy New Beesly. Speaking her mind and…apartment hunting. It’s a good look for you.” Jim nods appreciatively.

“Why thank you.” She gives a little bow, and it’s dorky and so her, and he just loves her guts.

“Hey, I speak the truth. So,” he pauses to sip his water dramatically. “Speaking of apartment hunting, are your parents coming with you to see these places?”

“Um, no, they both drove back. They couldn’t get off work. But they’re the ones who found me all of the listings, which was great, you know, to not have to deal with that.” Aha! There’s an opening…

“Well, I’d love to come with you,” the corners of his mouth start to lift up before he carefully schools his expression. “You know, in the interest of making sure you don’t get ripped off.”

“Oh, just in the interest of making sure I don’t get ripped off, huh?” Pam challenges.

“Oh, absolutely. Spending time with you would just be an added bonus.” He winks.

“Hmmm,” Pam pretends to take her time considering the offer. “That could potentially be arranged.”

“Okay. Let’s do it.”

“Okay.” She’s smiling full-on, both sets of pearly whites on display.

“So it looks like you’ll be seeing a lot of me this week.”

“Looks like it.”

“I think it’s safe to say that you’re stuck with me.”

“I think I’m okay with that.”

“Well that’s nice to hear, because it would have been true whether you were okay with it or not.” They’re still laughing by the time their food arrives.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

“I am so stuffed.” Pam throws her napkin on her now empty plate and slumps down in her seat.

“Too stuffed for dessert?” Jim raises his eyebrows at her.

“Arrrggg.” Pam groans, resting her head on her arms which are crossed on the table. “No dessert for a while. I’m still digesting. That was amazing, but I probably shouldn’t have had so many of your fries in addition to mine.”

“It’s okay. We can always do dessert later.”

“Yes, we can do room service at my place!” She makes air quotes around the word “place.”

He’s not about to turn down Pam’s offer to go back with her to her hotel room. “Nice, I like it, Beesly. I’ll just go flag down our favorite waitress so she knows we’re ready for the check.” He makes to stand up, but she stops him.

“Wait, here.” She digs a credit card out of her wallet. “Let’s go dutch.”

 Jim’s already shaking his head. “Mmmm, nope. Your money’s no good here. Sorry.” He shoots her another wink. And with that, he’s off to settle their check directly at the cash register, before Pam can get a word in.

Jim drives in a nervous silence, still shell-shocked that he has just gone on a date with Pam, that he’s technically still on a date with Pam, and now he’s driving them both back to her hotel room at her invitation. All he can think of is kissing her, and okay, definitely way more than kissing her, but kissing her would still be amazing. He thinks back to the Dundies, to when Pam planted a smacking kiss on his lips after accepting her award for the Whitest Sneakers and giving an adorably drunken speech. Jim didn’t know what to feel in that moment, in a Chili’s packed with their entire office and a bunch of strangers, but he has not been able to get that kiss out of his mind ever since. And Pam initiated. She kissed him, arms wrapped around him, smiling and laughing. It would have been so easy to pretend that they were a regular couple, and that the engagement ring on her finger was one that he had put there. Like Jim would ever buy her that dinky piece of shit. But that was then, he tries to tell himself. This is now. And she’s not engaged and we’re both single and we’re on a date. And I know kissing her will be so much better now that “there’s nothing in our way,” as Pam put it. But Jim doesn’t think he’ll be able to wait for her to initiate this time.

Pam fiddles with the radio for a bit, but after a while, she just shuts it off completely, opting to lean her head against the passenger seat window. She looks totally content, if perhaps a little anxious for what’s to come. Her ankles are crossed and her right foot jiggles nearly in time with the rapid beating of his heart.

He pulls into the hotel parking lot and parks, turning to smile at her. She makes quick work of hopping out of her seat, grabbing her purse and cardigan and moving to wait for him by the hotel’s entrance. Taking a deep breath, he follows her.

They keep looking at each other and blushing, as they ride up the elevator. He’s not expecting anything from Pam tonight, but he sure is hopeful. He realizes that they haven’t spoken since leaving the diner, and he tries to think of words to fill the space, but comes up empty. At least Pam doesn’t seem to mind.

Pam looks bashful as she once again welcomes Jim into her room, locking the door behind them and reaching up to put on the chain lock. She smiles at the sight of her daisies, still waiting for her by her bed.

“Have a seat,” she gestures to the bed. “I’m sorry there’s not anywhere else to sit.”

Jim perches on the edge of the bed, toeing off his shoes. Pam deposits her purse and cardigan on top of a suitcase and kicks off her Keds, lying down, sighing. “Ah, it feels good to just veg.”

“Yeah…” Jim replies.

“You can lie down too, ya know. It’s okay.” She pats the comforter invitingly.

“Alright, will do.” He stretches out beside her, leaving space between them. His feet hang a couple of inches off of the bed. “I’m,” he clears his throat. “I’m just gonna take off my sweater.”

Pam giggles. “You don’t need my permission.”

Jim sits up and shrugs off his sweater, folding it and stuffing it on the nightstand beside the glass of daisies.

“Hi.” Pam says, once Jim gets settled on the bed again.

“Hey.”

“So…that was some date.”

“Pam!,” he cries, in mock-anger. “We’re still on a date!” He shakes his head at her.

“Well, it’s some date, don’t ya think?”

“That’s not very descriptive. What do you mean by some?” He wiggles his eyebrows at her.

“What do you think I mean?”

“Hey, I asked you first.”

“It’s just…it’s right. She says it like a question.

“It’s right.” He agrees, reaching to clasp her hand in his.

“So…what do you wanna do?,” Pam asks, squeezing his fingers a little bit.

Jim can think of a few things, but he’s not about to tell Pam.

“Um, whatever you want.”

“Well, are you ready for that room service?”

“No.,” Jim breathes out distractedly, transfixed by the sight of Pam’s hair fanned out on the pillow.  

“Jim?”

“Mmm-hmm?,” He mumbles.

“What are you looking at?”

“Uh, you…”

“Why are you looking at me like that?”

“You’re so beautiful.” He scoots a little closer to her.

“Thank you.” They’re still holding hands.

 “Don’t thank me – It’s true.” He gently tugs on one of her curls. “You are so,” He lifts the hand he’s holding and places a kiss on her knuckle. “so,” He turns her hand to kiss the inside of her wrist. “beautiful.” Very slowly he moves his face toward hers, giving her plenty of time to pull away. Softly, he feathers his lips over hers, lifting his face to look at her. Pam looks back at him, wide-eyed, the corners of her lips quirking up into a smile. 

They kiss without interruption for several more minutes, until Pam lightly pushes at Jim’s chest. He pulls back immediately. “Hey, you okay?”

“Yeah.” She’s a bit breathless. “It’s just…This is only our first date. And, well, I’ve only been with one other person in my entire life. Is it…I want to take things slowly. Is that okay?”

“That’s fine.,” He reassures her, kissing her nose, and then both of her cheeks. “I can be patient.”

Pam smiles at him with tears in her eyes. 

“What’s wrong?,” He asks, concerned.

“Nothing‘s wrong.”

“Why do you look like you’re about to cry?”

“I’m not, I swear. I’m just happy.”

“Me too.” He suddenly squeezes her body to him tightly, breathing in the perfume of her hair. Pam returns his embrace enthusiastically, and he rolls them so he is on his back and she is on top of him, their bodies still wrapped around each other.

“I don’t want to go to work tomorrow.,” She sighs.

“I know.”

“I wish we could play hookie together.,” Her voice is muffled by his shoulder.

“Whoa, look at Fancy New Beesly, breaking all the rules.,” He strokes her back reverently.

“I don’t know how I’m gonna get any sleep without you here.”

“Well…technically speaking, you don’t have to.” He gently moves her off of him and props himself up on his elbow to look at her.

Pam looks slightly stunned. “You can’t stay here.,” She gestures around the small space. “You don’t have any of your things, and we have work tomorrow.”

“Well, the way I see it, there are three options. One. I could stay here with you tonight and wake up early enough to shower, change my clothes, and drive us both to work. Two. I could run home really quickly and pack a bag so I’ll have clothes in the morning to wear to work, and like, a toothbrush and stuff. Then we wake up tomorrow and can go to work together. Or Three. You pack a bag and we can both go back to my place for tonight. Up to you.”

“Wow, you really think of everything.”

“Always.”

“Um…I dunno, this room doesn’t seem so bad now that you’re here, and we do have privacy. Not that I don’t think Mark is a nice guy.,” She hurries to add.

“No, you’re right. You’re very right. Privacy is good. Okay, so I’ll just run over really quickly to pick up a change of clothes and I’ll be back. Try not to miss me too much while I’m gone.”

“You’re really staying?”

He leans over to kiss her. “If you’ll let me.”

“How long will it take you to pack a bag and come back?”

“30 minutes, tops.” He shoves on his sweater. “Do you want me to bring you back anything?” He sits on the edge of the bed to get his shoes on.

“No thanks.”

“You sure? What about that dessert? I’m not even sure that a Holiday Inn Express offers room service.”

She giggles. “Uhhhh, surprise me.”

“Happily.”

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Pam’s head is resting on his chest, the two of them lying fully clothed (minus shoes, socks, and his sweater) under the covers. Together, they had polished off the chocolate chip cookies that Jim had brought back earlier. Pam’s favorite. “I’m so glad you came back.”

“Beesly! I was always gonna come back.”

“I know. I mean, I’m so glad you’re staying the night. I don’t know how I’m ever gonna live by myself. I think I need people too much. And I don’t care if that’s anti-feminist or whatever.”

“It’s not. And who cares if you’d rather have a roommate? Most people do.”

“Yeah.”

“So, you think you’ll look into roommates?”

“I dunno. All of my appointments are for studios, so having a roommate would be kinda difficult.” Unless that roommate was me.

“Well, we’ll figure it out. You’ll be fine whatever you end up doing.”

 “Thanks.” She squeezes him tightly. “Okay, I’m gonna shower and change before I fall asleep here.”

“Hey, there could be worse things.,” He offers.

“Oh, stop.” And she hops out of bed, grabbing her bag of pharmaceuticals and pajamas on her way to the bathroom. “Try not to miss me too much while I’m gone.,” She winks, before closing and locking the door.

Nearly 45 minutes later, Pam emerges from the bathroom, steam billowing behind her. She’s wearing her flannel pajamas and her glasses, and her hair is wrapped in a towel.

“Damn, Beesly! You were in there for an hour at least.”

“No way.,” She argues, putting her things away and getting settled in the bed once again, turning to face him.

“I’m barely exaggerating.”

“I like long showers.,” She shrugs. “They calm me down.”

“Apparently.”

“Are you gonna take one?,” She asks around a yawn.

“Nope. Strictly a morning shower-er.”

“Well that works out.”

“Yup.”

“Oh boy, I can only imagine what people will say at work tomorrow.”

“…Yeah. Well, who cares about them? I’ll be there – It’ll be fine.”

“I know it’ll eventually be fine, but what are we gonna tell them?” 

“Well, we don’t have to tell them anything necessarily.”

“You don’t think they’re gonna figure it out when I come in without a ring? Plus, word will spread quickly in the warehouse.”

“Then we’ll just be honest.”

“We?”

“Yes…”

“About…you and me?”

“Well, yeah, unless you don’t want to be.”

“What will we tell them?,” She looks down.

“I don't wanna speak for you, Pam. But I don’t want to date anyone else." Her eyes dart up to meet his. “You know how I feel about you – That hasn’t changed.”

“I know, and I -”

“I don’t expect you to feel the same way, not yet, but I just want you to know where I stand.”

“I do.,” She leans over and kisses him on the cheek.

“Mmm, what's that for?"

“For being amazing."  

“I should be amazing more often.," He pecks her lips gently.

“I don't wanna date anyone else either."

“Okay, so let's not.," He shrugs.

 “Okay.," She answers easily.

“So," Jim wiggles out from under the covers, standing up and stretching out his long limbs. “Why don’t you find something on TV while I use the bathroom really quickly?”

“Sure.” Pam flips through channels carelessly as Jim disappears into the bathroom. When he returns, clad in sweats and a dark T-shirt, breath minty fresh from toothpaste, the TV is on TNT and it looks like some crappy thriller is playing.

“What’s this?” He asks, chuckling, scooching next to her under the covers.

“I don’t even know, but it looks really bad.”

“Ooo, perfect.”

She leans her head on his shoulder, and he feels like he could end his night exactly this way every night for the rest of his life, and that would be enough. 

Jim jolts awake to his cell phone alarm. He’s about to hit snooze before he realizes where he is – Pam’s hotel room! Pam! Where is she? He’s wide awake now. He registers that the bathroom door is left ajar, and forces himself out of bed to investigate, knocking on it curiously before opening it the rest of the way and confirming what he already knows: Pam is not in here. A horrible feeling is churning in his stomach. Then he spots it - A piece of hotel stationary sticking out of the crack in the front door, and he races to grab a hold of it.

“Jim – Went to get breakfast. Coming back up with food :) - Pam”

Jim lets out a breath of air he didn’t realize he was holding, and throws himself on the bed. Okay, okay. Shower. Then food. Then drive to work with Pam, and spend every day with her this week. He likes his schedule enough to get out of bed and into the bathroom to start getting ready for work. Through the thin hotel walls, he can hear Pam come back inside the room while he’s brushing his teeth. She brought me breakfast, he thinks, smiling at his reflection. What a lucky sonofabitch.

“Hey Beesly,” Jim saunters out of the bathroom, fully dressed and ready for work.

“Hey Jim.” She grins up at him from where she sits at the foot of the bed, feet dangling inches off the ground.

“Did you sleep well?”

“I slept amazing, better than I’ve slept in a while, which is good. I needed it.”

“Yeah – Me too.”

“You hungry?”

“Starving! And by the way, thanks for bringing me breakfast.”

“Of course, but we should probably take it to go. Don’t wanna be late.”

“Sounds good to me. I think I’ll take a donut and some coffee.”

“I ate downstairs.”

“Oh, nice.”

“Yup – You have everything?”

He takes a moment to shake his head at the surrealness of the situation.

“Keys, wallet, phone - yup!”

She smiles up at him, gesturing around the room.

 “Cool. Well, I have this room all week, so if you forget something, you’re fine.”

He raises his eyebrows at her in a challenge.

“And what If I don’t forget something?”

She’s already gone beet red – She must know where he’s going with this.

“Am I still fine?” He presses, holding open the front door.

“I’m going to wait for the elevator.” And with that, she ducks underneath his arm and she’s gone.

…

The office is silent when they get to work. Pam walks in a little bit ahead of Jim and goes immediately to her desk, picking up her phone and going through her messages. Jim tries to stall at his desk, taking his time to get settled before strolling over to Pam’s desk, leaning over and snatching a few jellybeans. He can’t help himself – it’s such a massive turn on that the entire office has no idea what transpired over the weekend – it’s his and Pam’s little secret. And it’s not that he doesn’t want to shout about how good things are from the rooftops, but he’s not sure Pam will appreciate his making a scene. And  plus - he’s not about to complain about having Pam to himself for just a little while longer before it inevitably becomes public, “it” being their coupledom, the one thing he can remember truly wanting for the past three years.

Pam smirks up at him adorably. “I have over twenty voicemails.”

Jim smirks right back. “Hmmm, well you are a pretty important person.”

Pam chuckles. “Right, well then why have three of these been from some scam Dental company trying to get Dunder Mifflin to shell out big bucks for a teeth whitening?”

“Pam! They only scam the best.” She laughs, and it sounds more free than her other laughs. He doesn’t think he’ll ever tire of the sound.

Pam is still giggling a bit when they hear loud footsteps.

“Hey Halpert!” It’s ROY, looking not even remotely sober.

“Hey…” Jim turns to face him. The rest all happens in a blur. Roy lunges toward him, and he hears Pam scream Roy’s name before he feels a throbbing pain in his left cheek. At first he can’t see much except for black and yellow spots, but when things become clear he sees that Pam is beside him and she’s in tears. He can see her shaking, and he moves to put his arm around her, which only makes her cry more. Roy is on the floor moaning in pain and clutching his eyes - Dwight is standing over him triumphantly, and the office is buzzing with energy and noise. He lets out a breath he didn’t realize he was holding, staggering back against Pam’s desk – It’s supporting his weight almost entirely until he lets Pam guide him into her chair, and he makes sure to steal one of her hands once he sinks into her seat. He turns her hand so her palm is facing upward and he presses his lips against it as softly as he can manage.

Following the incident, as Jim has begun to refer to Roy’s attack in his mind, Roy is fired from Dunder Mifflin, and as grateful as Jim is for this, he can’t bring himself to press charges against him. He is guilty of having flirted with Roy’s fiancé (ex- fiancé) for years, and he’s also guilty of confessing his love for her just seconds after promising Roy he would “keep an eye on her.” He figures he deserves a punch in the face if it means he can now be with Pam. Similarly, Pam makes the decision not to take out a restraining order against Roy. She still hasn’t gone into why, but he thinks they’re both on the same page in wanting to put all of the unpleasantness behind them.

The day after the incident, Jim and Pam both take a “sick day” to process everything that has happened. When they return to work the next day, he and Pam each sign the necessary forms provided by a very reluctant Toby to register their relationship with HR. It’s as official as it can be. Pam is his girlfriend. They are still taking things incredibly slowly – In the weeks they have been together, Jim and Pam have yet to make it past the fully clothed making out stage. But Jim tries not to concern himself with that – He and Pam will get there when Pam is ready. And he has no doubt they’re going to be amazing together when she is.

Speaking of Pam and being amazing, Pam is now the proud renter of a studio apartment of her own and the owner of a blue Toyota Yaris. With the help of Jim and her parents, Pam has managed to get mostly settled into her new space. He has to admit that the new lifestyle looks good on her. Pam has become incredibly independent, literally wearing her hair down and looking into taking art classes. Jim couldn’t be more proud of her. And in the meantime, he has her ring, a new ring, sitting in a black velvet box in the back of his underwear drawer. He couldn’t resist once he laid his eyes on it a week after he and Pam had started dating. All of this waiting, the heartbreak of seeing Pam go home with Roy every single day, has led up to Pam agreeing to be with him. And now that he has her, he can't imagine a future that doesn't contain her in it. He wants it all - House (with a terrace for Pam), yard, maybe a dog, kids somewhere down the road. And it all doesn't seem so scary or impossible because he knows Pam will be right next to him the entire time. Pam is his girlfriend, and someday, sooner rather than later (because what's the use in waiting much longer?), Pam will be his wife. He has a pretty good feeling that now is still too soon, and the last thing he wants to do is freak her out. But a proposal is coming, and when it does, it's gonna kick her ass.