The next few days of Pam’s travels were a blur. She ran around the town with a tour group and snapped an enormous amount of pictures. All the while, she wondered what Jim was doing. Her thoughts usually lingered towards him despite how much she wanted to avoid it.

---

Everyone had already started their routine of turning on their computers and bustling about the office. Jim completed his task of filing his reports before the day started and checking his sale log for the day. He saw Karen come through the door, put her coat on the rack and shoot him a beautiful smile.

“Morning,” Karen said, passing by Jim’s desk.

Jim replied with a smile of his own, “Hey.”

“So, what are we going to do Friday night?”

Jim glanced up again with a smile. “I don’t know. What do you want to do?”

“I was thinking of going on a date with my boyfriend.”

Jim lifted his eyebrows. “Let me think. Something for dinner then…a movie?”

“That sounds wonderful,” Karen said, walking towards her desk.

Even though they’re relationship was still fairly new, things felt natural between them. Nothing was forced and came as second nature to them. No matter how much Jim pictured his life with Pam, Karen really had a good quality to her. Karen was a perfect mate for him.

---

Pam decided to take a tour of the Eiffel Tower before she left Paris and went into Rome and Nice. Her travels would take her all over Europe before she made her way back the United States. She had neglected to return to the Eiffel Tower since the man had scared her that one evening.

Pam took the same route to the tower like she did the last time. Once she was at the top she snapped photos from every angle. As she was leaning out over the railing, she heard a man proposing to his girlfriend. Pam smiled and when she turned away from the beaming couple, her smile faded. Almost as if it was instinct, Pam grabbed her phone from her pocket and hit some buttons. When she pressed the send button, she leaned back against the railing, hoping that a reply would be coming her way.

----

His phone made a ‘jackhammer’ vibration sound and Jim picked it up off the table. He hit one button and his eyes swept over the words.

“What is it?” Karen asked.

Jim looked up at her. “It’s Pam again.”

“Oh,” Karen said, picking up her water glass and taking a sip.

“I’ll be done in a minute. This won’t take long,” Jim said, motioning to his phone and hitting a few buttons.

“What did she say?”

Jim looked down at the screen and read: “On the top of the Eiffel Tower. This time, no creepy man hitting on me. What are you up to?”

Karen let out a giggle and slurped on her water again. Jim smiled as he replied.

----

A man in a uniform approached Pam. “Do you want me to take a picture for you?” he asked, in a heavy French accent.

Pam looked down and then handed the man her camera. “Sure.”

She leaned next to the railing and smiled. As the man was counting in French, her phone beeped and she jumped slightly before looking down at her phone in her hand. A flash seared her eyes.

The man laughed. “Oops,” he said.

Pam giggled and then refocused on posing for the picture. She smiled and the man snapped the picture. She took the camera from man and thanked him. She looked at her phone and read Jim’s reply.

[Text Message: Halpert]

Reading his words, her face fell. She knew that Jim and Karen were together but hearing that he was actually out on a date with her made her upset. She knew it was virtually over with him, but hated that she was so miserable while he was so happy.

Pam decided that she was done at the Eiffel Tower and made her way to the lift so she could descend back to the ground. It was getting late and her train to Rome was leaving early the next morning.

----

The restaraunts lighting set a very romantic mood for their dinner. Besides the obnoxious couple sitting next to them, Jim thought it was one of their best dates. Something about this date made Jim feel excited and happy. He wasn’t sure what it was, but it was something he was glad to be feeling as he sat next to Karen.

“You mentioned a movie after dinner?”

“Uh, yeah. What do you want to see?” Jim asked.

“What do you want to see?”

Jim was finishing up his sandwich as his phone vibrated loudly against the table again. Karen eyed the phone as Jim wiped his hands and picked it up.

[Text Message: Pam]

Jim was quick to hit the reply button and being punching the keypad. He didn’t even answer Karen’s question. He could feel Karen’s gaze on him as he punched the keypad on his phone.

“Ahem.”

Jim looked up, putting his phone down. “What did you say?”

“What do you want to see?”

“I don’t know. Whatever you want,” he said, glancing at his phone again.

“Jim, do you have to answer her texts at the table?”

“Um, sorry,” Jim said, putting the phone on the white table cloth.

“I mean, I was talking to you and you ignored me to reply to her.”

“Sorry.”

“What’s the deal, Jim?” she asked, leaning forward in her chair.

“What do you mean?” he asked as he furrowed his brow.

“I mean, you want to be her friend and yet, you’re acting like you still have that stupid crush on her.”

“No I’m not. I’m just being nice to her.”

“I know whenever you get a text from Mark you don’t jump at the chance to respond.”

“Well, that’s because Mark is Mark and this is Pam…” Jim caught himself before he finished.

“Oh,” Karen said, slightly taken aback.

“I didn’t mean it that way. She’s just a good person and I want to be there for her while she’s going through this whole…’finding herself’ period.”

“That’s a lie, Jim,” Karen said, crossing her arms over her chest.

“You don’t want to be there for her while she in her ‘finding herself’ period, you want her to find you while she’s at it, don’t you?”

“Not at all, Karen,” he said, shaking his head.

“I can see where this is going.”

Jim put his phone in his pocket as Karen wiped her hands on her napkin. “What are you talking about Karen?”

“You want to be with Pam.”

Jim dropped his gaze. “Karen, Pam and I are just friends. If you remember correctly, you were the one that said it was okay that I befriend her.”

“I guess I was wrong.”

“So, now what? You want me to take it all back? I’m the only friend she’s got right now.”

“I’m sure she has other friends out there she can text while she’s away, Jim,” Karen said, leaning back in her chair.

-----

Standing at the base of the tower, for the second time, Pam took in the sight. The structure was sturdy and tall. It was a fortress in Pam‘s eyes. She lingered over each metal beam and examined how the tower was reinforced. All the design that was put into the construction stood out to Pam as she looked over the huge masterpiece.

When she realized that she had been standing in the same spot for fifteen minutes, she decided to take the long way back to her hotel room. Once she was in her room, she fumbled with her phone to see if she missed Jim’s reply. When she looked down at her phone, she only saw the words, ‘No New Messages.’

When she put her phone back into her pocket she remembered the feeling of the wind through her hair at the Eiffel Tower. It was a nice, almost warm and chilly breeze that rustled her hair. For some reason it made Pam think of her freedom from her old life. The life that she felt like she was trapped in was an ocean away and if she didn’t want to, she never had to return. But there was always something pulling her back to it. There was no escaping Scranton, Pennsylvania.

-----

Frustrated, Jim stood from the table as her threw forty dollars down. Karen watched as he stood over the table.

“Do you need a ride home Karen?”

“What about the movie?” she asked.

“I’m not really in the mood for a movie right now.”

“Jim, come on. Don’t be upset with me for being protective of you.”

“You don’t believe me when I say that Pam is just a friend. She was one of my best friends before I left and I owe it to her to be there for her. Can you just be supportive?”

“Not when I know there’s more going on there.”

“There’s not. She’s not even in town. How could more be going on?”

Karen stood. “Jim, I care for you and I don’t want to lose you to her. Just promise me that you aren’t going to fall for her again.”

Jim blinked. Karen cocked her head to the side. Jim broke her gaze to stare at his feet.

Karen shook her head. “You can’t promise me that, can you?”

Jim looked back up at Karen. “I’ll try to keep the promise.”

“Are you falling for her again?” Karen asked as she stepped away from Jim.

The silence between them lingered. Although Jim had an answer in his head, he didn’t know how to say those words. Jim had never considered himself a heartbreaker before, but now was almost borderline. If he said anything now, that was it. No turning back.

-----

Pam awoke in a cold sweat. Jim is supposed to be my friend. That’s all. Nothing more, Pam thought. She looked at her clock and rested back against the headboard. Taking in a gulp of air, Pam tried to shake the dream from her head. She was just Jim’s friends despite how much she wished they were more. He was with Karen and he loved her. She was just the friend.

Pam grabbed her phone to see if any messages were sent while she was asleep and then remembered her desperate attempt at communication in her dream. That’s what I really look like, Pam thought to herself again. How pitiful.

----

As Karen backed away from Jim, he decided it was his chance to bow out gracefully. “I need to go. If you want a ride home, come on,” Jim said, pulling his keys from his pocket.

“You didn’t answer the question. Are you falling for her again?”

“I’ll see you later.”

Following him outside, Karen kept asking, “Are you in love with her?”

“Karen, I’m not ready to discuss this. This isn’t the place and I just don’t know how I feel about it yet.”

“So, you do,” she said, stopping at his car.

“I don’t know,” Jim answered, pushing his key into the lock.

“Well, where does this leave me? Did you figure me into this equation?”

“Karen, I don’t know what’s going on. I’m confused. Now, if you want a ride home, get in, If not, I’ll leave you money for a cab.”

Karen dropped her head. “Why are you so charming? Even when we fight you’re good to me.”

Jim opened his door and stopped at her words. “The thing is Karen, that I have feelings for both of you and I don’t know what to do. That’s all. Honestly, I don’t know what more I can say right now,” Jim said as he sighed. “So, are you getting in or not?”

“Yes,” Karen said as she slipped into Jim’s car.