It’s been one week.  Sitting at his desk, idly twirling a plastic spoon between his fingers, Jim reflected on the past six nights of his life.  Pam and he spent five of those six nights together.  After their first date however, it was a miracle they even spoke again.
    Things had started out great.  They didn’t talk much at work except for Jim getting directions to Pam’s apartment.  He will always remember how she smiled at him that day when she came out of the conference room.  Her eyes were red and raw, but her smile made his doubts and fears slide out of his mind (for that moment anyway). God he loved her.
    Pulling up to her place at seven, he walked up to her front door with a small collection of flowers wrapped in loose plastic.  They were going to go have a nice quiet dinner and just talk.  At least that is what he planned to do.
    She answered the door and with a shy smile and let him into her apartment.  Jim could tell she was a little nervous.  He was as well, which was ok.  Indeed it was ok…until he actually heard himself talk.
    “Why didn’t you ever call me after you canceled the wedding?”  His mouth asked Pam.  Did he really just ask her that?
    Pam, in the midst of putting the flowers in water, froze.  The smile on her face was instantly replaced by a confused frown.  “Uhh…what?”
    Jim simply shrugged.  “I had to hear it from Kevin Pam.  A MONTH after you called it off.  It took him betting me ten bucks that he was telling the truth for me to believe him.”  His mind screamed at him to stop this.  His heart however pushed on.  “I told you that I was in love with you and I don’t even get a cursory e-mail.”
    “Wait…you asked me out just to interrogate me on possibly the hardest time in my life?  Am I understanding you correctly Halpert?”  She stood there facing him, arms crossed.  Anger and hurt replaced her happiness and nervousness.
    His heart had taken control, shutting any rational thought out.  “I wanted to tell you for years Pam how I felt.  YEARS.  I finally build up the courage to lay it on the line for you.”  He rubbed the back of his neck, memories of that night making his mouth go dry.  “What did I get in return?  I get you telling me that I ‘misinterpreted’ our friendship.  That even though you wanted to kiss me, you were still marrying…him.”  The rims of his eyes started to burn.  “So yeah I am asking you why did I not deserve to know that you had backed out of the big event.”
    Eyes flashing, Pam responded in a shaking voice,  “I guess it was for the same reasons you didn’t bother to tell me you were leaving the STATE.  I had to find out from Dwight that you were gone!”  The sadness in her voice was palpable.  “I did the best I could Jim.  I had to virtually plan, supervise, and cancel a wedding, MY wedding, alone.  You had vanished in the night leaving me to pick up the pieces of our friendship.  So excuse me for not rushing out the second I looked my mom in the eyes and told her I am sorry for all the trouble but Roy isn’t the guy I love to send you a damn e-mail.”
    Jim started to say something but she cut him off.  “Like I told you at the beach Jim, I called it off because of you.  But I guess that wasn’t good enough huh?”  She turned her back to him.  “Please leave.”
    Finally some common sense trickled back into his mind, but it was too late.  “Pam, look, I-“
    She did not raise her voice, but the pain was more than evident.  “Just go.”
    He did as she asked.  By the time he got home, he was sure he had ruined his one chance to be with the woman he ever mattered to him.