Pam looked down at the oversized envelope in her lap for what felt like the hundredth time this afternoon. The sight of her elaborately written script of his name on the burgundy envelope made her heart palpitate slightly faster. Would it be wrong of her to give this to Jim when she knew that he was still trying to make it work with Karen? And more importantly, did she care?

She traced the edges again and thought about the words she had written inside. What little room for misinterpretation the profession of love left was more than covered by the accompanying CD. But the truth of the matter was that she was not sure that she wanted to do this. She was almost content with what she had now. After the spectacular prank that had sent Andy over the edge, she and Jim were almost back to normal. And Karen was proving to be a great friend during office hours, a refuge from Kelly’s celebrity gossip and Michael’s general insanity.

But running underneath that sense of normalcy and friendship was a strong undercurrent of want and need, as in she wanted Jim and needed Karen to disappear. When those feelings were running particularly high, she often imagined pushing Karen into the conference room in her chair and locking the door, leaving her trapped and helpless as she kissed the living daylights out of Jim and set things straight. She knew that something had to be done. And that something was sitting in her lap.

A sudden movement towards the coat rack by a certain lanky someone caught her attention, and Pam shoved the envelope farther under her desk. She noticed that they were only two of the remaining four people in the office. Karen had apparently left a little while ago. As Jim ambled over to get his overcoat, he gave her a slow and lazy smile that warmed her all over.

“Going home anytime soon, Beesly?”

“Um, yeah. I just have to fax a few more things.”

“All right. Well, have a good night.” It was now or never.

“Wait. Jim?” Her heart leapt into her throat.

“Yeah?”

“Here,” she said, holding the envelope out to him. “Happy early Valentine’s day.”

“Beesly, you shouldn’t have…” His voice was hushed and tinged with what sounded like affection to Pam’s hopeful ears.

“No, it’s nothing. Well, not nothing. But, um-” Her nerves made her stutter and stumble a little. “It’s just a little something from me to you. I hope you like it.”

“I’m sure I will.” He stood there, running his fingers over the letters slightly. He smiled again as a little blush tinged colored his cheeks. “G’night, Pam.”

She couldn’t even manage words, just gave a smile and a small wave. A wave of freedom and fright broke over her as she realized just what she had done. All she could do is wait and see. And with that realization, she closed down her computer and prayed to the benevolent gods of mixtapes for a miracle.