Jim’s eyes slowly scanned the colors as he sat waiting for Pam to show up.  He had been in the hardware store for over an hour now.  Most of that time was spent getting up the nerve to call Pam.  He would never tell Pam this, but Jim’s grandpa owned a hardware store when he was growing up and he used to spend his summers working for him there.  Ironically, his main job was mixing and selling paint.

            He shook his head at the multitude of colors in front of him and suddenly caught a glimpse of standing near him out of the corner of his eye.  He turned just in time to see a goofy grin fall from Pam’s face only to be replaced by a shy smile.

            “Hey, you made it,” he said smiling broadly.

            “Yup.  How’s the color selection coming?” 

            “Ha.  Uh, well …” Jim motioned to the paint samples spread out before him, “not so good.  I’ve only ruled out four so far.”

            Pam giggled, “Oh, and what four are those?”

            “Um, well, let’s see, hmm I seem to have lost my “No” pile.” He leaned forward, scanning the various piles in front of him.  “Oh, here they are.” He said reaching out to grab a pile made up of only one sample.

            Pam took a few hesitant steps forward.  “This is some system you have here.” She said, shaking her head, her eyebrows raised in mock awe.

            “Yes, well, picking out colors is an important task and I am taking it completely seriously.”  Jim replied, looking her in the eye as he stared up at her.

            “Here would you like me to show you what I’ve done so far?” he asked.

            “Sure.” Pam said, a faint smile on her face.

            “Ok, well have a seat Beesly, this might take a while.” he patted the floor next to him.

            Pam smiled and sat down gingerly beside him, careful not to sit too close.  She sat Indian style and placed her hands neatly in her lap, “Ok, I’m ready.” She said, turning her head to face Jim.

            “Ok, well as I said before, here are the colors I’ve ruled out.  First we have white.  Duh, right?”

            Pam smiled, “Duh.”

            “Um, next we have off white.  Next is cream, and um this is called ivory.”

            “Wow, you’ve made a lot of progress.” Pam said, giving Jim a teasing close-lipped smile.

            “Yes, you have no idea!  I’ve been here since 9 this morning.”  He paused, “Ok, so, yeah, that’s about as far as I’ve gotten.”  Jim smiled as he turned to look at Pam, “I was hoping you would have some advice.”

            “Hmmm, well …” Pam turned to look at the rainbow of colors spread out before them.  “Ok, well let me ask you some questions first.” She said turning back to look at Jim.

            “First of all, what is your favorite color?”

            “Wow, bringing out the big guns, huh?  That’s a tough one.  Hmm, I’d have to say, um well, I don’t really know I guess.”

            “Jim.  You don’t know what your favorite color is?” Pam asked, cocking her head to the side in disbelief.

            “Not really.”

            “Hmm, ok.  Well, that’s probably something you should work on.  Um, maybe we should do this room by room.  Which do you want to start with?”

            “Um, how about my bedroom.” Jim said, swallowing a bit harder than normal.

            “Ok.  What color is the comforter on your bed?”

            “Blue.”

            “Ok, how do you feel about having a blue bedroom?”

            “Sounds good,” Jim replied nodding, “Wow, you are really good at this.” He said giving her a goofy smile.

            Pam rolled her eyes, “Ok, um, let’s see.  What color is your couch?”

            “Green.”

            “Ok, how do you feel about a green living room then?”

            “Good.”

            “Ok.  What color are your dishes in your kitchen?”

            “My dishes?  Well, they are clear.”

            “Hmm, ok, um what about your tablecloth or placemats, do you have any color in your kitchen?”

            “Um, hmm, well, I have some teal I guess.”

            “Ok, how do you feel about a teal kitchen then?”

            “Teal kitchen?  Um no, Beesly, in case you haven’t noticed, I am a man.  I need a manly kitchen.  How about …hmmm, how about a red kitchen?”
            Pam gave him an odd look and nodded, “Why red?”
            “I don’t know, I guess I have always liked teal and red together.  Is that bad?”

            “No,” Pam answered quickly, “It’s not very manly though,” she added.  “Um, ok, let’s see, what color are the towels in your bathroom?”
            “Yellow.”

            “Are you serious?”

            “Yeah, why?” Jim laughed and gave her a confused look.

            “Nothing, I just … um … didn’t peg you as a yellow towel type of guy.”

            “Oh Beesly, you have so much yet to learn about me …” Jim said shaking his head.

            “I guess I do.” Pam said quietly, “Ok, are there any other rooms you want painted?”
            “Yeah, actually I had this idea – I have two bedrooms you know, and well, I’ve always wanted to have a movie room.  You know like a room that is dedicated completely to watching movies?  Like with a nice big couch, and comfortable chairs and no light.  You know?”
            Pam nodded.

            “So, I was thinking, that maybe I would paint my second bedroom black and turn it into a movie room slash office.  What do you think?”
            Pam smiled, “That’s a great idea, Jim.”

            “Really?  You think so?”

            “Yeah, totally.  Who doesn’t like watching movies in a comfy chair in total darkness, I hate watching movies when there are lights on and you get all that glare on the TV and stuff.”
            “Yeah, me too.  But, well, Karen thinks it’s a dumb idea, so … I don’t know.”
            “Oh.”  Pam said, suddenly looking down to her folded hands.

            “Yeah, I don’t know, you know what, let’s just do it.  It’s my apartment, right?”

            Pam nodded and spoke without looking at him, “Yup.  It is.”

            “Ok, it’s settled then.  What’s next?”

            “Well, now we have to pick what shade you want for each room – that’s where these guys come in,” she said motioning to the paint samples. 

            “Ok.” Jim said.

            “Oh.” Pam said suddenly, “What time is it?”  She quickly reached for her phone, leaning toward Jim in the process as she fished it out of her right pocket.

            Jim sat completely still as Pam leaned into him, crossing the imaginary barrier that separated his space from hers.  Her shoulder brushed gently against his right arm and Jim felt himself lean ever so slightly into her, rejoicing in the unexpected contact.  Pam pulled out her phone, “Oh shoot,” she said, “I completely forgot my landlord is coming over at 3 today to fix my kitchen light.  It’s 2:45 right now.”

            “I can give you a ride home.” Jim said,

            “Thanks but I have my car.”

            “Ok, um, well, what should I do now then?”

            “Well, you should bring the samples home with you and try to figure out which ones look best in each space.”

            “Ok.” Jim said looking confused as he quickly scooped up the samples before him.  “How do I do that?”

            “You don’t know much about painting do you?” she asked, standing up and straightening out her shirt.  Without thinking, she stuck her hand out to Jim, offering to help him up off the floor.

            Surprised, Jim reached out to hold her tiny hand.  He took it gently in his and stared at their clasped hands, united in the air, fitting together perfectly and couldn’t help but smile a little.

            Pam pulled up on his arm as he stood up stiffly, and reluctantly dropped her hand as he gained his balance.

            Jim stood straightening out the samples as Pam bent to pick up her purse.  “Ok.  Well, I have to go home now, where do you live?”

            “Where do I live?”

            “Yes.  Where.  Do.  You.  Live?”  Pam asked, smiling.

            “On Cherry Street, why?”

            “Cherry?  Ok, well I live on Randall.  How about you give me a ride to my house so I can meet my super, and then we can run to your house and get these colors picked out and then can you drop me off back here at my car?”

            “Um, yeah, sure.  Ok, that sounds good.  Did you have plans today though?  I mean, if you’re busy …”
            “Jim, no, it’s ok, I’m not busy.”

            “Ok, that sounds good then.”

            Jim clicked his car unlocked as they walked out of the store. 

            “Looks like you got a fancy new car too,” Pam commented, buckling her seatbelt.

            “Yeah, it was about time to put the Corolla to sleep.  I kind of miss her though.” He said, glancing at Pam as he spoke.

            He put the car in reverse and turned in his seat to look through the back window.  As he did so, he placed his right hand on the corner of Pam’s seat, his fingers just barely grazing her shoulder.  He backed out quickly from the parking space and put the car in drive.  “Where to Ms. Beesly?” he asked as he returned his hand to the steering wheel.

            Pam gave him directions to her apartment and a few minutes later they pulled into a space at the back of her complex.  Pam unbuckled her seatbelt, “Do you want come up?” she asked.

            “Ok, sure, if it’s ok.”

            “Yeah, it’s fine.” She said getting out of the car.

            They walked in silence up the three flights of stairs to Pam’s apartment.  Jim stood patiently behind her as she pulled her keys out and unlocked the door.

            Pam opened the door and stepped inside, sliding off her shoes and dropping her purse on a small table near the wall.  Jim followed her in, closing the door behind him.  He slipped out of the old pair of running shoes he was wearing and followed her into the apartment.  Down a small hall from the door was the small living room.  In the center of it was a large sage green couch draped with a thick dark green afghan and several throw pillows.  A coffee table sat in front of it with a scattering of newspapers and magazines and a large floor lamp and end table sat at one end.  There was also a large bookcase sitting against a wall that was filled with what looked like art books.  The dining area was just off of the living room and from what Jim could see, had been converted into a makeshift art studio. 

            “Have a seat,” Pam said, motioning to the couch.

            Jim walked slowly to the couch and sat down, “Wow, this is a nice couch.” he said as be leaned back into the soft cushions.

            “Thanks, we got it, I mean, Roy and I got it two years ago.  But he let me take it.  I picked it out.”

            “That’s cool.” Jim said.

            “Do you want something to drink?” Pam asked, as she hurriedly picked up the blue paint that had spilled on the floor earlier that afternoon.

            “No thanks, that’s ok.” he said, “Did you have a little accident?” he said, watching her.

            “Yeah, actually when my cell phone rang this afternoon, it startled me and I knocked over my jar of paint.” She explained.

            “Oh, was that when I called?” Jim sounded concerned.

            “Yeah.  But it’s ok, don’t worry about it.”

            “Sorry Pam.” Jim said as he got up and kneeled down next to Pam on the floor, “Here let me help you clean it up.”

            “No, that’s ok, don’t worry about it, really, you can just go sit down, my super should be here any minute and then we can go.”

            “Ok.” Jim said straightening up and looking at the picture Pam had been working on when the blue explosion occurred.  “Wow, Pam. This is really good.” He said, staring at the half-finished canvas in front of him.  It was the beginnings of a landscape.  The view was looking out over a lake in what looked like the early morning.  The painting was mostly blues and greens with a hint of yellow and orange in the sunrise.

            Pam stood up, “Oh, thanks, but you don’t have to say that.”

            “No.” Jim said and turned to face Pam.  He bent his knees slightly and looked into her eyes, “Pam.  You are really talented.  Seriously, this is really good.”

            Pam looked back into Jim’s eyes and felt her heart flutter at the warmth and sincerity she saw there.

            “Thanks” she said shyly, looking down at her feet.  “Um, are you sure you don’t want something to drink?”  She asked as she walked into the kitchen.

            Jim followed her, “Well, what do you have?” he asked.

            Pam gestured to the refrigerator as she washed her hands in the sink, “Take a look, you can have whatever you want.”

            Jim opened the refrigerator and peered inside.  The shelves were scattered with vegetables, yogurt, Chinese takeout containers and several unidentifiable Tupperware containers.  Jim’s drink choices appeared to be skim milk, cranberry juice, bottled water, a few cans of Coke and a six pack of grape soda, with one can missing.

            “Do you drink grape soda now Beesly?” he asked, smiling at her.

            She looked over her shoulder, “Oh, no.  I mean, yeah, well, I don’t know.”

            “Ok.” Jim said and laughed as he grabbed a bottle of water from the top shelf.  He closed the refrigerator and leaned against the counter next to the sink.  Unscrewing the cap to the water, he took a look around the small kitchen.  The two walls above the sink and cupboards were painted a deep red.  “Wow, so I guess this is what a red kitchen looks like, huh?” he asked.

            “Oh, yeah.” Pam said as she turned off the water and stood drying her hands with a red dishtowel.  “This is it.”

            “Hmm, well, I like it.” Jim said as he turned his head taking in the whole room.  He stopped when he noticed a small teal teapot sitting on the back right hand burner of the stove.  He felt a pang in his chest as he remembered the Christmas party and the excitement he felt when Pam had chosen his teapot over the ipod.  He stared at the small ceramic piece, lost in thought.  Pam followed his eyes, “Jim, I …” Just then the doorbell rang, giving them both a start.  Jim looked down at his water and took another drink as Pam walked to the door, greeting her landlord cheerily in the hallway.

            Jim sat down his water on the counter and walked back into the living room, “Can I use your bathroom?” he asked Pam after she had informed the super of what was wrong with her light.

            “Sure, it’s the last door at the end of the hallway.” She said, gesturing to her left.

            Jim walked slowly in the direction she pointed, breathing in the happy smell of Pam’s apartment.  Smells like apple pie in here. He thought and smiled, that is just how he had always imagined it would.  There were only two doors in the hallway, both of which were open.  As he walked by the first, he peeked discreetly into what appeared to be Pam’s bedroom.  It was a simple room, painted a lovely shade of blue, to match the navy blue comforter on the neatly made bed.  A small stuffed monkey sat in its center.

              Jim kept walking toward the end of the hall, flipping on the light in the small bathroom as he stepped inside.  The room was painted a pale yellow color.  Jim shut the door quietly behind him and leaned back against the counter.  He looked around the tiny room, smiling at the small touches Pam had added to it, the fresh flowers on the counter, the detailed border of daisies along the top of the wall near the ceiling that Jim was sure she painted on by hand. 

               A small closet was on the wall opposite him.  He paused for a second before slowly leaning forward and pulling open the door.  He couldn’t help but smile to himself at the large stack of yellow towels that were neatly folded inside.