Pam's in the kitchen enduring Kelly's enthusiasm and asking herself (again) why she mentioned she wanted to be set-up when the answer walks through the door.

He tosses them half a smile and heads for coffee, but all movement stops for a split second, and she knows he's figured out what they are discussing. She spares a thought for his feelings because he has that wounded look - the one she knows no one else can see - but then Karen walks past the window all sleek and coordinated, and instead she asks Kelly some leading questions.

Kelly spends the next several minutes abusing exclamation points, adding "o"s to "so" and squealing so much that Pam is certain the coffee pot is retaining its shape by sheer force of will. But he stays, for the entire conversation, adding creamer by half teaspoons and paying an extraordinary amount of attention to making sure each powdered grain is dissolved.

Kelly finally realizes she's spent more than seven and half minutes away from Ryan, and she leaves with a final "We are gonna have soooo much fun tonight!"

Then they are alone...together.

Eventually, he clears his throat, sips his coffee, makes a face and clears his throat again. She sits and waits, (which is what she does for him now) and words finally come from him. "....So, an MBA...?"

Responses flit through her mind. "Fuck off." "What's it to you?" "It's a favor to Kelly; I don't even want to go."

What she finally says is, "Give me a reason."

He goes still again, and she waits again.

His coffee cup settles on the counter and his arms cross over his chest, looking to defend. His expression settles into some Jim-patented combination of confused/hopeful/scared/annoyed.

So she says again, "give me a reason." Then, "any reason...anything, and I won't go."

He contemplates the floor, and she feels her eyes start to get damp, so she stands from her chair. She pauses in front of him, but doesn't look at him and whispers in a vain attempt to keep her voice from shaking, "anything, and my plans tonight won't be any more exciting than House and a pint of Dublin Mudslide."

Her hand is on the door before he makes a sound. And all he says is "please." She knows she's never moved more quickly than when she takes her hand off the door. She doesn't speak, but does turn around.

"Please, just don't go." When they finally look at one another, his eyes are nearly black and she steps toward him before she realizes she's moved, but he shakes his head, so she stops moving.

He's still staring at her, and he barely whispers her name.

His eyes never leave her as she moves across the small room to the opposite door - the one that leads to Kelly's desk. She bumps the door open with her hip and looks at him one last time before she leaves the room.

He's gone when she comes back through, but his eyes are on the door when she emerges from the kitchen into the office. He stares at her until she nods.

They don't speak about anything other than work for the rest of the day, and he and Karen still leave the building for lunch, but he visits her desk twice as often checking for messages and runs interference for her when Michael becomes impossible.

...and it's something...it's a lot, actually.