I’ll do this right (fires destroyed the plague)

She volunteers to stay back with him (the first annual hopscotch tournament out in the parking lot; thanks, Michael). He kind of knows it’s interlocked fingers and relationship disclosure forms keeping her in the annex (but he could use some company).

“Thanks for staying back” and he almost think she didn’t hear him but she looks up (take an inch, give a mile) and raises a shoulder smiling a little.

He can’t quite smile back because the cameras are a few meters away and because she swipes the back of her hand across her eyes every morning. So he studies her face then lowers his eyes quickly and stares at the papers without seeing them at all.

She steals Ryan’s chair and swings her legs a bit and asks him about Sasha, leaning on her elbows and tracing patterns on the armrest.

When everyone comes in she gives the chair back reluctantly (there’s nothing going on) and waves a bit before going back to her desk. The cameras linger on his face and he has an uncomfortable feeling and turns back to his desk as fast as he can.

He doesn’t like the drama, when the break room is awkward glances and hidden stares and he’s just trying to avoid getting caught. Jim and Karen are eating together and he’s at the reception desk before he really knows what he’s doing. This is stupid and he should know better (what are you getting yourself into?).

Something between her eyebrows relaxes a bit and she grabs her coat and they order subs and grin over the health plan advertised in a brochure.

“Better than coverage than we have,” he says wiping his fingers on sandpapery napkins

“Yeah but no magic shows,” she smiles a bit, like it’s a secret that she’s hiding but he really doesn’t have anything else to say (he’s not so good at this)

“Well Dunder Mifflin has it’s advantages, I guess.” Neither of them really means it and he can’t ask if she’s okay because then he’s back in HR and she’s the receptionist and he’s even less than he thinks he is.

They took his car and he opens the door for her because he just does and for five seconds between his car and the door when she announces she’ll march in and quit, declaring her new career at Subway, he smiles a bit and this isn’t a game.

She pushes the door open and it’s normal with a glance over his shoulder (and he ignores all the things holding him back.)