Disclaimer: I don’t own anything related to The Office except a Dwight Schrute T-Shirt.
Jim woke up feeling truly excited to go to work for the first time ever on Pam’s second day at Dunder-Mifflin. He felt a little silly about it, actually. After all, he had known Pam for less than twenty-four hours, and they had spoken for a total of maybe one. He did not know enough about her to justify the feeling in his gut that she was really, really special. And yes, they had made plans for lunch, but as much as he wanted to think of it as a date, he had to be realistic and admit that she most likely did not think of it that way.
Ever since he had said goodbye to her in the parking lot on the previous day, he had been trying to explain why he was so pathetically, girlishly giddy, chalking it up to his recent lack of dating (or social interaction of any kind), his gratefulness to a break in the monotony at work, or an excess of caffeine. But none of his explanations made the feeling go away. It only intensified when he pulled into the parking lot and saw her pick-up truck already there.
He strolled into the office at around 9:04, trying to look casual, but feeling his heart practically break dance when he saw Pam sitting at the reception desk. She was sorting through a stack of papers, her mouth tight, her eyes tired. But when she looked up at Jim, she smiled. Pink lips, gleaming teeth, sparkling eyes…maybe Jim hadn’t been so silly.
“Good morning, Jim.”
“Morning, Pam.” He felt like he was talking really loud. He hung his jacket up and felt her still looking at him, expectantly.
“Do you notice anything…different? About my desk?” she asked.
Yeah, I notice a gorgeous girl sitting behind it instead of a curmudgeonly grandmother, he thought. “Umm....” Then his eyes fell on the new candy dish.
“Oh my God, Pam. Jelly Bellies!”
She beamed. “Well, I figured that you could enjoy some after our lunch today, so in a way, dessert is on me. Then I won’t feel so bad about kicking your butt in that bet.”
“Well who said I have to wait until after lunch?” Jim popped a couple of beans into his mouth. “Mmm…buttered popcorn…and pina colada. The breakfast of champions.”
Pam giggled. This day was already Jim’s best day ever at Dunder-Mifflin, and it was only 9:06.
* * * *
The morning passed slowly and uneventfully. Well, uneventfully by Dunder-Mifflin standards. For unknown reasons, Dwight insisted on crawling under every desk in the office to inspect for termite damage; Jim threw a cluster of thumbtacks on the ground under his desk before Dwight inspected it, eliciting a giggle and a “Well done, Wiley Coyote,” from Pam. Michael called everyone into the conference room for a “staff meeting” only to ask everyone to vote on what tie he should wear to an upcoming trip to corporate; Jim silently celebrated when Pam filed into the conference room and took the seat next to his.
By the time noon approached, Jim really didn’t feel hungry at all – probably because his stomach was full of butterflies – but he was extremely eager to head to Cugino’s nonetheless. He had resolved to ask her out on a proper date over lunch, seeing as his infatuation had only increased throughout the morning. As soon as both hands of the clock were vertical, he walked over to Pam’s desk.
“So…did you want to head to lunch?”
Pam slowly shifted her gaze from her computer screen, clearly in a daze. “What? Oh, yes! Please. I have been playing solitaire for the last half hour.”
“Wow. Thank goodness the company hired you. We haven’t met our solitaire quota in months.”
“Shh! Keep it down! I was at least trying to look like I was doing something important. What if Michael hears you?”
“I’m sure if he heard, he would only challenge you to a Freecell duel. He seems to think his win rate of 32% is impressive.”
Jim reached for Pam’s jacket and was holding it out for her when Dwight slammed down his phone and yelled out.
“Pam! What happened to those faxes I asked you to send?” Dwight stood up and stomped over to the reception desk. Pam’s smiling face fell into an expression of wide-eyed shock.
“I sent them right away.”
“Well my client just called. He did not receive them. He was very displeased, and is threatening to drop the sale. Are we always to expect such incompetence from you?”
Jim moved to stand between Dwight and Pam. “Dwight, don’t talk to her like that.”
Pam spoke up over Jim’s shoulder. “I’m sorry, Dwight, maybe I misdialed. I’ll send them again--“
“Don’t bother, I’ll just do it myself. Just know that I will be telling Michael about this. You better watch your step, missy. Next time why don’t you focus a little more on your job and a little less on giggling with Slacker Halpert here.”
“Ouch, Dwight, that hurts. When I told you Slacker was my middle name, that was in confidence. Now I’m going to have to tattle to Michael later too.” Jim turned away from Dwight and helped Pam into her coat, rolling his eyes. Pam still looked uneasy, but walked with Jim out of the office as Dwight very noisily sent the faxes.
Pam was quiet as they waited for the elevator.
“Don’t listen to Dwight. He’s an asshole to everyone. He’s probably going to be extra mean to you if you’re friends with me, so you just gotta ignore him.”
Pam’s eyes were downcast, her mouth tense. But her lips pulled into a half-smile. “Wow, Jim, I didn’t know being friends with you would be so dangerous.”
“I’m a loner, Pam. A rebel. You don’t want to get mixed up with a guy like me.” Jim gave her a look of mock seriousness.
She finally met his gaze, although her smiled was still reserved. “Wow, a Pee-Wee Herman reference. I underestimated you yesterday. You’re clearly very sophisticated and mature.”
“I know you are, but what am I?’
A full laughed escaped from Pam’s lips. They stepped inside the elevator, and as the doors closed and the air fell quiet, Jim suddenly got that nervous first date feeling. The one where you feel like there are a million things you urgently want to say, but for some reason, you can’t think of any one in particular. He cursed himself for getting so flustered, but at the same time, it made him happy to feel so excited about someone. He resigned himself to the slightly awkward silence and looked over at Pam.
Pam’s eyes were downcast once more, her smile again replaced by a tense line. Jim had seen that look on her face a few times the day before. She must have had some first day nerves, but Jim could have sworn the sadness ran deeper. However, his jokes had caused it to evaporate altogether. Seeing that transformation had given him a sort of high, a high that he was eager to get back.
Today, the sadness seemed more persistent. Jim worried. Was she just being nice yesterday when she laughed so readily at his jokes? Was she really this upset over what Dwight had said? Did she not want to go to lunch with Jim? A small part of him dared hope that Pam was actually nervous, the same way he was. No matter what the reason, this elevator ride, and Jim’s tied tongue, were lasting way too long.
Luckily, they reached the ground floor before Jim’s anxiety could lead to any bad, desperate jokes or excessive sweating. As they stepped into the sunlight, Jim found his words, albeit mundane ones.
“Have you ever been to Cugino’s before?” he asked.
“No, I don’t think so. It’s Italian, right?”
“Geez, Pam, don’t you know anything about fine dining? Of course it’s Italian. It’s only the second-largest non-chain, dine-in and carry out pizza establishment on this side of Scranton.”
Pam laughed weakly. “What can I say, I guess I don’t get out much.” She veered towards his car.
“Well, it’s right down the street, so we can actually just walk there.”
They crossed the parking lot and set off down the sidewalk, which wasn’t quite wide enough for two people to comfortably walk side-by-side without touching. Jim ended up walking with one foot precariously close to the curb. Had Pam’s mood been more cheerful, he might have walked a little closer, allowing the occasional arm graze, but she now seemed a bit quiet and distant. His hopes of this leading to an official date were fading.
“So…are you still upset about Dwight?”
“Hmm? Oh, no. I mean, a little, I guess. He did kind of overreact.”
“Total overreaction. I think he’s just trying to assert his dominance. I’m pretty sure he watches way too much Animal Planet.”
Pam laughed a little more strongly. Maybe Dwight was the only thing bothering her after all, Jim thoughtful hopefully.
“Well, at least he didn’t try…marking any territory or anything.” Pam sounded almost hesitant with her joke. When she looked up at Jim for the first time since they had started walking, she peeked at him sideways through her sideswept bangs, almost as if she were doing something forbidden.
Jim laughed, half delighted, and half disgusted with that image of Dwight. His spirits buoyed further at Pam’s renewed sense of humor. When he looked over and saw her adorably bashful look, he allowed his hope to flare up just a little more. Maybe she IS nervous for the same reasons as me, he thought.
“Well, here we are, the most exclusive restaurant in town,” Jim said as they approached Cugino’s.
“Even more exclusive than Denny’s or Dunkin’ Donuts?”
“Much more so. Lucky for you, I have a Cugino’s connection. I have the distinction of having eaten their pizza at least twice a week, pretty much since I moved out of my parents’ house. So we’ll definitely get VIP treatment.” Jim pulled open the door and gestured for Pam to go inside. She walked past him looking almost amused by the gesture.
“Well Jim, either this pizza must be really great, or you really just don’t know how to cook.”
“Hey, I’ll have you know that my grilled cheese sandwiches are VERY good.”
“I stand corrected. Only the most skilled chefs can execute a grilled cheese.”
The restaurant was about half full. Pam smirked.
“Wow, it’s so exclusive, they only let half of their tables get full?”
Jim nodded silently, his mock-serious face eventually breaking into a smirk. He shrugged. “Okay, so maybe snooty restaurants aren’t my style.”
“Me neither.”
Jim and Pam looked up at the menu board, Jim with his hands in his pockets, Pam clasping her hands together in front of her.
“Should we share a pizza?” Pam asked.
“Sounds good…what toppings do you want?”
“Oh I don’t know…just cheese is fine.”
“Pam, c’mon. Lunch is on me. You should take advantage and get some crazy, expensive toppings.”
“Well, I don’t know, what do you like?”
“I’ll pretty much eat anything. It’s up to you.”
Pam smiled and looked at the menu with wide eyes. “Umm…” She seemed almost afraid of the responsibility of deciding.
“Wow, I never knew how many toppings you could put on pizza. Shrimp? Really? Do people eat that?”
Jim never saw someone so overwhelmed by ordering a pizza. “Yeah, it’s pretty good.”
“Well you are the culinary master.”
Pam squinted up at the menu one more time.
“Alright. How about half shrimp, because I want to try it, and half vegetarian?”
“Excellent.” Jim stepped up to the counter and placed their order. “Pam, you drink regular Coke, right?” he asked, remembering her drinking it the previous day. Pam nodded.
Jim turned around holding two Cokes and a placard with a number 12, which would tell the server where to bring their pizza. Pam took her drink from him and slid into a booth near the window.
The business of placing their order done, Jim faced Pam and felt another flurry of nerves. But he was feeling a little more confident. He found Pam so easy to talk to, really funny, warm…he was so excited to feel so comfortable with someone that it made him anxious. He chuckled inwardly at the paradox.
Pam was fidgety. She toyed with the wrapper of her straw, folding it into an accordian and then stretching it out and in, keeping her eyes down on the table.
“So, Pam,” Jim started. She looked up at him as he sat up straight, straightened his tie, and clasped his hands on the table in front of him. “What brought you to Dunder-Mifflin?”
Pam laughed. “Let’s see…” She smoothed out her skirt and mimicked Jim’s uptight body language. “I’ve always been very intrigued by the secretarial arts.”
“I see, I see…and, where do you see yourself in 10 years?”
“Why, I see myself as secretary to Michael Scott, who will be the CEO of Staples in ten years.”
Jim broke character completely with a loud guffaw. Pam soon followed.
“Well played, Beesly.” Jim looked at her with pure admiration. Pam gave a small bow.
Jim’s chuckles died out and he cleared his throat. “But seriously, tell me more about yourself…all I really know is that you are a great artist, and that you are very sheltered when it comes to pizza toppings.”
Pam laughed, but looked around a little uncomfortably. “Umm, I don’t know…I don’t even know that much about you, since you had to be all secretive with our bet yesterday. All I know is that you like jelly beans and that you can’t cook.”
Jim took the hint that she didn’t really want to talk about herself. He obliged with the basic details – where he grew up, where he went to college, when he started at Dunder-Mifflin.
“Wow…it’s kind of depressing when I can sum up my entire life in about 5 sentences.”
“Well I’m sure that’s not your ENTIRE life…I mean, you must have friends, hobbies, a girlfriend…” Pam’s voice trailed off halfway through the last word, but Jim heard it loud and clear, and it sent his brain reeling. Okay, if she thinks this is a date, why would she ask about a girlfriend? But then, if she just wants to be friends, why would she care about a girlfriend? He recovered quickly.
“Uh, yeah I guess so. I play lots of basketball with my roommate and some guys from college. Uh, no girlfriend, though…” Now it was Jim’s turn to fidget. He tapped his fingers against the table. Before he could gauge Pam’s reaction, a waiter arrived with their pizza and two plates.
“Thanks, Pete,” Jim said, spreading a napkin across his lap. Pam looked at him with a half smile.
“What?” he asked.
“Wow, you really do come here a lot. You’re on a first name basis with the waiter?”
Jim laughed, shaking his head in half-embarrassment. “After you taste this pizza, you’ll be getting really friendly with the staff here too.” He seized the round pizza cutter. “Alright, Beesly, which piece would you like to start off with?”
“Hmm…I think I’ll dive into the shrimp side first. Give me the one with the big bubble on it.”
“Not the coveted bubble slice! Alright, just to be a gentleman, I’ll let you have it.” Jim carved out the slice, slipped it onto Pam’s plate, and served himself a veggie-laden piece.
“Here goes…” Pam took her first bite and chewed thoughtfully. “Wow…that is good! I never would have thought of shrimp on pizza before.”
“Geez, Pam, I ought to take you out more often.” Immediately after completing that sentence, Jim realized it might have been a bit forward. But he didn’t backtrack, because in truth, he really did want to take Pam out again. A lot.
Pam smiled and looked thoughtful. She finished her bite and put down her slice, fiddling with her straw.
“Yeah, that would be great…maybe me, you, and my fiancé could get together for a drink after work sometime.” Pam’s smiled had vanished, and she focused her eyes on her drink, her cheeks slightly reddening.
Jim froze, his slice of pizza halfway to his mouth. Fiancé. Fiancé? Did she really just say that? He watched her fidget, and for the first time noticed the ring on her left hand, which glinted as she played with her straw. Suddenly, his slight butterflies turned into a dead weight in his stomach. He lowered his pizza and tried to cover his devastated reaction, realizing that he had been sitting there with his mouth agape for a good ten seconds. Luckily, Pam was looking down and didn’t seem to notice.
“Yeah…wow, you’re engaged? Congratulations,” he finally managed to say, although the “congratulations” sounded half-hearted at best, sarcastic at worst.
“Yeah, do you know Roy, from the warehouse? We’ve been engaged for about a year, and dating since high school. He’s the one who told me about the receptionist job.” Pam was still looking down, her tone almost apologetic.
“Yeah, I’ve met Roy a couple times…mostly when I’ve gone into the warehouse to hide various personal belongings of Dwight.”
Pam laughed and looked up. Jim didn’t meet her eyes, trying to seem natural and cheerful, but he knew his ears were flushed.
“I probably should have mentioned him yesterday. I felt awful…I left my engagement ring at home, and then I just sort of forgot about Roy all day. I guess I was just overwhelmed with the new job and everything.” Pam said all these words in a rush, as if she had been rehearsing all the reasons to herself for hours. “I felt bad because you’ve been so friendly to me, not just yesterday but today, when you defended me to Dwight, and taking me to lunch and everything. You’re being such a great friend to me, and here I neglected to tell you basically the most important thing about myself.”
Jim took her hurried explanation in, nodding and watching her discomfort. He was, of course, very disappointed. But he still couldn’t stand to see her upset. She didn’t come out and say that she knew Jim probably thought this lunch was a date, but Jim could tell that was contributing to her distress, so he decided to let her off the hook.
“Don’t worry about it, Pam. Come one, we just met! There are plenty of things I haven’t told you yet….I’m actually seeing someone from the office too.”
“What? I thought you said you didn’t have a girlfriend…”
“Well, when you’re seeing a woman like Phyllis, you don’t demean her with a name like ‘girlfriend.’ We’re lovers.”
Pam guffawed, and Jim delighted to see all her tension melt away. Jim now knew this was definitely NOT a date, but he couldn’t help feeling excited to have made her happy again. He figured it was just an aftershock, and that eventually he could just be her friend without getting all the schoolgirl crush symptoms.
“So is that why you were so quiet before? You thought I would be mad?” Jim asked incredulously.
“Um, yeah I guess. I was so afraid Roy would get mad too, but luckily he didn’t notice my ring was missing. I didn’t even really get a chance to tell him about my first day at all, actually, so…” An edge of anger had creeped into Pam’s voice. Jim felt a small amount of satisfaction knowing that their engagement wasn’t all perfect, but it was overshadowed by a larger feeling of anger on Pam’s behalf. Who could possibly be with a girl like this and not treat her perfectly?
Pam caught herself starting to ramble. “I mean, yeah, I guess I was a little distracted knowing that I had to tell you. But I was upset about Dwight too,” she finished lamely. Jim could tell she felt like she had said too much. He knew all he needed to know: that she was off-limits as anything other than a friend. So, like a good friend, he saved her from any further embarrassment.
“Well, now that it is out of the way, we can get on with the true business of the day,” Jim said, taking up his pizza slice again.
“What do you mean?”
“Well, obviously, some retaliation against Dwight is in order.”
Pam grinned and bit into her pizza bubble with relish. “I think you are right, my friend.”
Jim felt another flutter looking across the table at her beaming smile and thought, that was just another aftershock, right? We can just be good friends at work, right?
Those concerns were soon pushed to the back of his mind as he suddenly thought of the perfect prank for Dwight…one that he had never wanted to attempt under the watchful eyes of the old receptionist, and that could take advantage of Pam’s access to the phone system.
“Do you by any chance have any nickels on you?”
* * * *
The rest of lunch passed quite enjoyably as Pam and Jim discussed the rather drawn out plot that would result in Dwight whacking himself in the head with his phone. Jim admired the enthusiasm and creativity Pam brought to the prank, feeling like he had finally met a partner in crime…while still trying to ignore the pain that she would not be, as he had hoped, his partner in any other way. Oh well, he thought. C’est la vie. There are always other fish in the sea. That advice worked, right? He would get over it, wouldn’t he?
They headed back to the office, vowing to look for opportunities to sneak nickels into Dwight’s phone, and got back to work. Five o’clock arrived quickly for Jim, seeing as he didn’t have the feeling of anticipation he’d dealt with all morning. He was about to pack up and head home when he saw a large figure clad in brown walk in. Roy from the warehouse. Something compelled Jim so sit at his desk for a few extra moments. He did a little extra, unnecessary sorting of the papers carpeting his desk.
“Ready to head home?” Roy asked in a monotone. No hello, no how was your day.
“Hey…uh, yeah, I just have one last fax to send.”
“Well, hurry up, I’m really tired.”
Jim tried to pretend he wasn’t listening, but it was hard to mask his disapproval of Roy’s demeanor. He reasoned with himself – maybe this is how people talk when they’ve been in a relationship for eight years. Maybe it is naïve and silly to think that you would treat Pam like a princess every day. But all the excuses in the world couldn’t stop him from instantly hating Roy.
Pam finished up her fax as Roy leaned against the counter staring off into space. When she finished, she reached for her jacket. Roy didn’t budge. Pam gathered up her purse.
“See you tomorrow, Jim…hey, have you met Roy?” Pam asked. Roy looked unenthused.
“Uh, yeah I think so. Good seeing you, Roy,” Jim answered haltingly, hoping Pam hadn’t noticed him sneaking glances at their interaction.
Roy grunted in response. “Hey.” He turned to Pam. “Ready?”
Pam reached back to pull her long curls out from under her jacket. “Yeah…bye Jim.”
“Bye Pam. Have a good night.” Jim watched Pam lead the way out of the office, opening the door herself. Roy sauntered behind, looking tired and bored. Jim shook his head at Roy’s behavior…but after a moment he was really shaking his head at himself. Not everyone falls over himself like a schmuck all the time, being nice to everyone, he told himself harshly. You’ve only known Pam for two days. She’s engaged. She’s a work friend at best. You are stupid to care this much. If Roy isn’t the world’s best boyfriend…er, fiancé, then that was Pam’s problem.
Jim pushed out his chair and got up, picking up his jacket and bag, all his actions a little more aggressive than usual. What a crappy way to end the day. He felt even worse looking back at the morning’s optimism and excitement, which had been so foolish and unwarranted. He was about to leave when he realized that he had forgotten his last task of the day.
Knowing that Oscar and Phyllis, the only people left in the office besides Jim, wouldn’t pay any mind to what he was doing, Jim reached over to Dwight’s desk, picked up his phone’s handset, and pulled two of the nickels Pam had given him out of his pocket. He unscrewed the mouthpiece, secured the nickels to the inside with some sticky tack to keep them from rattling, and then screwed the mouthpiece back on. He instantly felt a little better.
Author's Chapter Notes:
This first chapter is a direct follow-up to my first ever fic, “Pam’s First Day at Dunder-Mifflin.” Also, this story assumes that Cugino’s Pizza is right down the street from D-M. Oh, and, my description is totally made up seeing as I have never been to the actual Cugino’s.
Chapter End Notes:
Next chapter: Jim's first date with Katy. I hope to have it up in a week or so. Oh and also...reviews? Suggestions? All are appreciated!
FancyNewBeesly is the author of 2 other stories.
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