“So Jim made this offer to me. He wants to keep in touch. I told him I would call him later. Um…yeah,“ Pam said, making a popping sound with her lips. “I’m not really sure how I feel about it.”

-----

Pam boarded the plane nervously. Somehow her trip had become nerve wracking. She had made all the plans herself and still didn’t know what she was doing. Pam was torn on whether to just stay home and work things out with Jim, like he had insisted, or go and come back a different person.

As soon as Pam arrived in Paris, she immediately felt alone. She was wandering around in a city that was made for love birds. There were couples all around her. Everywhere she looked there was a couple kissing, hugging, holding hands, chatting, eating gelato, or throwing coins into a fountain.

Pam wanted to get into her hotel and lock the door. She didn’t want to see any of that while she was there. Then she scolded herself for planning a trip to the most romantic city on the planet. If only Jim were here, she thought.

Once Pam got to her hotel and found her room, she flopped down on the bed. She had spent the last fourteen hours on planes and in airports and needed a well deserved bubble bath and sleep. She rolled over on her stomach and took in the room. It was a beautiful room reminiscent of all the movies that portrayed Paris life. It had a balcony with double doors, pretty see through curtains and old stained furniture. It felt like heaven, but was completely far from it.

Pam drew a bath and slipped into the bubbles. She rested her head on the back of the tub. Pam thought about her activities that she had planned over the next few weeks. There was a tour group, plenty of shows, and other activities that she could engage in.

After her bath, she changed into her oversized t-shirt and an old pair of boxers that she stole from Roy years ago. Despite their bad break-up, she kept the boxers and still wore them. They didn’t have sentimental value to their relationship; they were just Pam’s favorite pajama bottoms.

Pam picked up her watch and it read 3:45 p.m. She still had her watch on Scranton time and decided to keep it that way. That way, she would know what time it was if she ever decided to call Jim. The thought crossed her mind and she shook it out of her head. All she needed to do for tonight was to get her rest and prepare for her first day of sight seeing in Paris.

----

Jim sat at his desk staring blankly at his computer screen. Sales were down for the day and he wasn’t finding anything else to occupy his time. He just wanted to run down the clock and go home.

The temp that was filling in at the reception desk until Michael hired a permanent employee was talking away on the phone. Jim’s shoulders tensed up every time the phone rang and she answered, “Dunder Mifflin, this is Melanie.”

He didn’t like the way it sounded or necessarily like the sound of her voice. He wasn’t used to it yet. Hopefully the full time employee will have a sweeter voice that isn’t so strong and demanding. Jim wanted someone with a kind and quiet voice like Pam’s. It was much more soothing than Melanie’s.

To ease his tension, Jim turned to look at Karen. She had the end of a pencil lightly pressed against her lower lip and was clicking on her mouse. Jim studied her features until she turned to see him staring at her. She gave a smile and a wink and went back to looking at her monitor. Despite all Jim’s doubts, he knew that Karen was the better choice. So often Jim felt like he made a huge mistake bringing Karen with him to Scranton and then again, she was exactly what he needed. She was there when he was lost and confused and when she told him that she was into him, his thoughts drifted away from Pam. Not that he didn’t think about her or miss her, he felt at ease with them being two hours apart. And, Karen was bold enough to tell him what she wanted and it was plain and simple-she wanted him.

----

Pam rustled in her bed. She couldn’t get comfortable and couldn’t fall into a deep sleep like she had hoped she would. For about an hour she struggled with her pillow and fought with the sheets before deciding to forego the sleep and get into the Paris way of life. She put on her clothes and decided to take an early morning stroll through Paris.

It was barely four in the morning and the city was still surprisingly busy. She clutched a coffee that was way too strong for her, but decided to keep sipping on it. She needed to get used to the taste of the Paris life. Paris would be her home for the next two weeks and she made a decision early on to love every minute. She didn’t want any regrets from this trip. It would be all about her and no one else despite how her thoughts were always lingering toward him.

Pam sucked down more of her coffee and rounded a corner. As soon as her vision caught the sight, she gasped and stopped dead in her tracks. The Eiffel Tower was looming over the city with its lights blinking in harmony. When she realized that she was a mere eight blocks away from it, she continued her pace towards the base of the tower.

Pam slowly approached the fence that wrapped around the perimeter of the tower. She stopped and leaned against the fence and gazed upon the gigantic structure.

“It’s beautiful huh?”

Pam quickly turned to her side to see a man leaning on the railing next to her. She furrowed her brow.

“Oh, uh….yeah. It’s amazing to see in person.”

“You must be from America,” the dark headed man said.

“Yeah. And you must be from around here.”

“How did you guess?” he said, slightly chuckling.

Pam put her coffee up to her lips to avoid anymore of their conversation. She just wanted to feel lonely and look up at the Eiffel Tower. She could almost go for a good cry right about now too.

“So, you here alone?”

“Um…no,” Pam lied.

“Where is your friend then?”

“Uh,…they stayed in to catch up on sleep,” she said, sucking down more coffee.

“Oh. So, he let you go out by yourself.”

“How do you know it’s a he?”

“I can tell. You’re in love. But for some reason, there is sadness in your eyes.”

“Hey listen, I don’t know you and you don’t know anything about me…so, if you don’t mind, I’ll be going now,” she said, backing away from the fence.

“Wait. I didn’t mean to insult you,” he said with a thick accent lingering over each syllable.

“It’s not just that. You came up to me and startled me. That’s just a shoo-in for your butt to get kicked mister,” Pam said, waving her hands in the air.

“Wow. Why are American girls so defensive?”

Pam stopped at his words and noticed his lips. He had lips just like Jim. Her stomach flipped at her realization. Her eyes darted away from his lips down to the ground.

“Uh. You know a lot of American girls?” she asked, jokingly.

“No. Well, a few. But, it’s the truth. You all are very defensive.”

“Well, we have to protect ourselves from people like you. I need to go….bye,” Pam said, turning on her heel and marching to the sidewalk.

“Have a good time in Paris! Make sure you tell your boyfriend to take you to the top of it before you leave,” the dark haired fellow said pointing to the top of the tower.

“Okay,” Pam said over her shoulder. As she walked across the street, she grabbed her phone and quickly typed in a message to Jim.

----

He was sitting on his couch with Karen watching reruns of Friends when his phone vibrated deep in his pocket. He shuffled around and Karen watched on as he laughed at the message.

[Text Message: Pam]I think I was just hit on under the Eiffel Tower. It could have been a good sequel to that movie French Kiss if you ask me.

Karen leaned over to see why Jim was chuckling. “What’s so funny?”

“Pam just sent me a text. She said that some guy hit on her under the Eiffel Tower.”

Karen laughed. “She’s so lucky. I wish I was under the Eiffel Tower right now.”

“Me too,” Jim said, pressing the keys on his phone.

“Hey, do you want to go sometime?”

Jim looked up from his phone. “Uh, yeah…that would be a really cool vacation.”

“What are you saying back?” Karen asked, looking over his hands.

“Um, nothing. Just letting her know that it was good to hear from her.”

“Oh,” she said, slouching back down into the couch.

“I talked to her before she left yesterday. I told her you were okay with us keeping in touch while she was away. So, I guess this is her first attempt at keeping in touch.”

“I see that,” Karen said.

“So…you are okay with it, right?”

“Oh yeah. She could probably use a friend. I don’t think I could be in Paris all by myself so she is probably really depressed right now. She needs someone to talk to.”

“Probably…” Jim said, still poking at his key pad.

----

As Pam stepped on the elevator in her hotel, her phone chirped. She held it up and saw that Jim had texted her back.

[Text Message: Halpert]It’s good to hear from you. Is this a yes to my offer?

Pam’s face went flush when she read it. She totally forgot that she had made it a big deal about them keeping in touch. She was flattered that he wanted to keep in contact with her but she was still a little skeptical. She didn’t want her trip to be a waste of ample ‘forget about Jim’ time.

She quickly replied. She entered her room and turned on the television. She went over to the balcony doors and stepped out on the ledge. Just like at the Eiffel Tower, she leaned against the railing. This time a strange man wouldn’t interrupt her while she gazed at the sights.

----

“Hey, I’m gonna get going. See you in the morning,” Karen said, resting her hand on Jim’s knee.

“Oh, okay.”

Karen pushed herself up off the couch and Jim stood as well. Once they were at the door, he gave her their usual goodnight kiss and said their goodbyes until morning.

His phone buzzed on the couch where he left it. He quickly picked it up and read the message.

[Text Message: Pam]I guess it is. Sorry, I haven’t had any real sleep in the last day. I should have called you sooner.

Jim smiled and hit the reply button on his phone.

-----

Pam watched the sun rise over the city. It took her breath away. Even though she could feel her eyelids getting heavy and the bed looking more and more appealing by the minute, she hoped that Jim would reply. As soon as she stepped into the room, shut the door, and crawled under the covers, her phone went off again.

[Text Message: Halpert] So, what’s the thing that made you decide to keep in touch?

Pam didn’t exactly know that answer. She knew that she had feelings for him but a long time ago she had to stop acting on those feelings. In a sense, she had learned how to downplay all of those feelings.

She studied all her options before replying back.

----

As Jim was pulling off his jeans and shirt, his phone made the exciting noise again. It vibrated on his desk and he quickly grabbed it up before it plummeted to the floor.

[Text Message: Pam]I want my friend back.

Jim caught the breath in his throat and knew that’s what they needed. They hadn’t been real friends in almost a year and it hurt him to think about it. That’s why he had made the offer to Pam in the first place. It would give them the perfect reason to start fresh.

---

As she began slipping into sleep, her phone did another round of techno music in her hand. She clutched the phone and held it up to her eyes. With her vision blurred and the light of the phone piercing her eyes, Pam read two words that she never thought she would ever enjoy so much.

[Text Message: Halpert]Me too.