“So, you gonna tell me what today was about?” Pam pinned her cell phone between her ear and shoulder in order to flip the grilled cheese sandwich she was making over in the pan.  A frustrated sigh was her greeting.

            “No,” Jim’s voice was irritated, scratchy, and something else she couldn’t place right away.  The tone caused her spine to stiffen in response.

            “Oh really,” She questioned, her voice rising in both decibel and pitch.

            “Yeah,” was the only response he offered and she could hear the sound of glass heavily hitting wood coming from his end.

            “So, you’re not going to offer any explanation for why you stormed out of the office after you get a call from Ryan and I’m making grilled cheese in my apartment alone instead of out dinner with you, on our anniversary?” She tired to keep the hurt out of her words, but she knew she’d failed miserably when she’d heard him groan.

            “Damn it,” he cursed, loudly.  “I forgot all about tonight. Fuck! I am so, so sorry Beesly.” He took a deep unsteady breath and all the hurt she had felt was overshadowed by concern.  Jim had been planning tonight for weeks, closing guarding this secret way he intended to celebrate their six months together with childish glee.  Something very serious must have happened to drive those plans out of his mind. Something else occurred to her.

            “Jim, are you drunk?” She asked softly and was surprised by the wet, unsteady laugh that followed.

            “A little bit, I think,” he answered. “I’ve been sitting her with that bottle of Glen you gave me for my birthday since I got home so...yeah. I’m well on my way. Fucking Ryan…”

            When he trailed off, Pam felt a cold chill run through her.

            “Jim, what did Ryan say to you?” As the silence stretched on, she tentatively asked the question she had been dreading the answer to since Ryan had called this afternoon and had with exaggerated formality ask to be transferred to Jim. “Are you getting transferred again?”

            “No,” he answered softly. “That wouldn’t be so bad.”

            Pam’s brows furrowed with confusion. She knew if Jim ever did get transferred, she’d follow him if he asked, but what could be worse than him having to leave Scranton before they were really ready.

            “Then what did he say, Jim?”

            There was a long moment of silence. In her mind, she could picture Jim sitting with the phone to his ear and frowning into his glass of whiskey. Finally, he spoke and his words surprised her.

            “You can’t say a word to anyone, Pam,” he began. “I’m serious. I’m not supposed to even tell you about it.”

            The formality of his words reminded her that she wasn’t just talking to her boyfriend, but to her boss. Her boss needed to ensure the confidentiality of this conversation before her boyfriend could talk to her about his problems.

            “You know I won’t say anything, Jim,” she soothed. “you know you can always tell me anything.”

            “No, I know,” he agreed quickly, letting the mantle of Assistant Regional Manager fall off his shoulders. “It’s just that Ryan old me today that effective Monday, I’m being promoted to Regional Manager.” She could hear him take a drink after finishing his statement.

            “I don’t understand. How can you be promoted to Regional manager and not be transferred...” She trailed off as understanding washed over her. No wonder he was so upset. “Oh my God.”

            “Exactly,” he replied bitterly.

            “Does Michael know yet?”  She asked.

            “Given the telling lack of hysterics from both him and Dwight, I’d say no,” his voice was sad, weary.

            Pam shook her head. She had wondered if Michael’s position as Regional Manager was in jeopardy once Ryan went to corporate, but she had thought after so much time had passed that her worries had been unfounded.

            “And Ryan just expected you to sit on this for the rest of the week?”

            The bitterness was back in Jim’s voice full force. “I would be surprised if the little bastard was planning on making me be the one to break the fucking bad news!”

            Pam was silent for a while, mulling things over.

            “Seriously Jim,” she began. “How much of that bottle have you drank?”

            He sighed. “About half,” he admitted.

            “I’m coming over,” she stated as she gathered up her purse and her car keys. She heard his uncharacteristic whimper as she turned off her stove and tossed the now burned sandwich in the trash.

            “You shouldn’t have to take care of my grouchy, drunk ass on our anniversary, Beesly,” he apologized.  “I’m so sorry I forgot about dinner, tonight. I wanted things to be special, not like…” As his words trailed off she knew without asking that he meant he had wanted to show her he was better than Roy had been.

            “Yeah, well it’s not your fault Ryan has terrible timing,” She soothed. “If it was me, and he put me in the same position, I’d be drinking too.”  She locked her front door and made her way to her car.

            “I had reservations at that fancy new place you wanted to try and everything.” By his tone, she could tell he was pouting.

            “Well, Halpert,” She began jokingly in an attempt to cheer him up. “How about I make you anything you wan when I get over there?”

            “Grilled Cheese?” He asked tentatively and she chuckled.

            “If it will make you feel better,” she allowed and he finally laughed in response.

            “You know, it would make me feel even better if you were naked while you made it for me,” she could tell he was grinning in that lopsided way he had whenever he talked about sex. She shook her head and snorted out a laugh.

            “Dork.”