Valentines Day 2007

FEBRUARY

It's a snowy Wednesday in February and she still can't believe her eyes.

She remembers just a month ago, how she waited for him to come in. How she'd been both unbelievably nervous and incredibly excited. She's still kind of fuzzy about what she'd said to him New Year's Eve but she knows that she jokingly called him James, knows that she said something about kisses…

…she knows she'd been terribly drunk

She knows not only because of the massive hangover she'd had the next day, but because he'd sent her something to tell her he'd noticed too.

It was a bottle of Excedrin and an ice pack with a note saying:

"For the next time."

It had made her smile and cringe all at once.

And now it's like he'd never left.

Almost.

He remembers his first day back, how he smiled when he saw her, smiled wider when he noticed how little jewelry she wore, especially on her fingers.

On that day she had five bags of jelly beans stashed in her bottom drawer, and he’d already had fifteen emails waiting in his in box.

He gave Dwight a look, sank into his chair and turned on his monitor.

And it was like he never even left.

Almost.

Today is a day for declarations of love, but neither of them has the nerve to speak.

At least, not out loud.

She's been doodling hearts all over her steno pad since this morning. She catches herself writing his name at least twenty times.

She wears a new pink v-neck sweater and a matching headband.

He’s leaning over her desk, in the middle of telling a story and he catches her staring at him.

She’s been staring at him a lot lately. More than usual.

When she smiles up at him it’s all he can do to keep his hands off her.

At lunch he nibbles on his ham and cheese sandwich while she stirs her mixed berry yogurt.

She teases him about never changing – he tells her it looks like she’s changed for the better.

She blushes to match her sweater and his heart beats a little faster.

Since he's been back they haven’t talked about last spring.

They can’t bring themselves to.

They sit in comfortable silence and it’s almost just like it used to be.

But not quite.

That afternoon the phone rings and when she answers it's that voice again. Not his mother or his sister or his aunt who sometimes calls to give him a hard time. It's the voice that she finds familiar. The voice of that girl who'd picked up his line all those months ago.

She watches his face closely as he talks on the phone, sees affection in his eyes, and hears it in his voice. It stings to know that someone else is the recipient of his witty banter.

"I told you never to call me here." He says with a smile.

"It's good." He says softy. "No. Not too weird."

His voice lowers and his cheeks flush a bit. "I haven't really done anything about that yet."

He leans back in his chair, his eyes wander towards her and she ducks her head, hoping he hasn't caught her eavesdropping. "I'm not sure."

"Yeah. It's great to be home." He says finally.

Upon hearing that, she can't help herself. A small spark of hope bursts forth and latches onto her heart.

It looks like he's planning to stay for a while.

Today she'd been embarrassed when Roy sent her a bouquet of roses. Of course he'd do that, make a grand gesture when it was way too late. She took them and handed them out to everyone in the office, leaving only one standing lonely in the vase on her desk.

She smiles when she sees Jim holding his rose in his teeth while he types.

As a gift today she'd given him three boxes of Jell-O, Strawberry and Raspberry and Cherry, all red flavors of course in honor of the holiday. She didn't know if he'd had time to replenish his supply. She'd wrapped them up and added a spiral bound book, filled with notes and complete with diagrams of some of the pranks she'd thought of for Dwight in his absence.

He told her there was no gift he'd treasure more.

"It's good to be back, Beesly." He'd said with a smile.

"It's good to have you back, Halpert." She nodded in reply.

As the clock ticks on past five-thirty she's dragging her feet, wondering if she's assumed too much. That maybe she'd misinterpreted that conversation she'd overheard and he'd really be driving up to Stamford to surprise…

…whatever her name is.

She sighs and when she can't wait another minute makes her way to the Ladies Room, rushing a bit, hoping he doesn't leave before she can get back out there.

When she walks back into the office her face falls. He's already left for the day - left without saying goodbye, and just like last year, without giving her a gift.

His chair is pushed back, his coat is gone. Hanging her head and blinking back tears she makes her way to her own desk.

And when her eyes catch sight of something resting there her face lights up again.

Nestled between her phone and her monitor there's a small bag of dark Hershey's Kisses, her absolute favorite.

Her heart beats faster as she reads the post it note he'd attached.

New Years Eve 2007

I.O.U.

James