Pam stood frozen in place, one hand on the door knob the other hanging limply by her side. She blinked, just to make sure. She had to make sure that he was really there, standing in front of her.

“Hi…” he finally said softly.

“Hi…” Pam breathed. “What…what are you doing here?”

“I….don’t know exactly.” Jim said with a small smile. “I guess you were on your way out.” he added gesturing to the bag hanging loosely in her hand.

“Oh…well…I was going to the park.” She still couldn’t believe that he was here, standing outside her door. He was wearing jeans and a white t-shirt under a long sleeved navy blue shirt. He also had on a black baseball cap, something she had never seen him in before. His hair stuck out from the bottom and she thought that she had never seen him look more adorable.

“Look…I’m sorry. This is probably a bad idea…to just show up like this.” he said absently rubbing the slight scruff that was on his cheeks. “I’ll…I’ll go. I’m sorry.”

Without thinking Pam reached out and lightly grabbed his arm. “Don’t….don’t go. I’m sorry. I’m just surprised to see you here that‘s all. Please don’t go.” She slowly let her hand slide from his arm, but he could still feel the light pressure from her fingertips through his shirt. That small gesture made him happier than he had felt in months. He reached out and took the bag from her hand.

“Let’s go.” he said.

“Where?” she asked.

“Nope. Let’s go.” He smiled down at her.

“Okay.” She grinned back and then pulling the door closed behind her followed him down the hall to the elevator. They didn’t say anything as they waited for the elevator doors to open, but when they got inside she couldn’t help but notice that he was standing a bit closer to her, his arm brushing lightly against hers. He watched with a slight smile on his face as she hailed a cab, impressed at the ease and newfound confidence he saw in her. It was a 20 minute cab ride to Central Park. The sat in silence for the first few minutes and then finally Pam turned to face him. He was looking out the window of the cab.

“Um…” she whispered. He turned to look at her. It was as if he had read her mind, because he smiled and then said, “Your still wondering why I’m here aren’t you?”

Pam laughed softly. “Kind of…I mean don’t get me wrong. I’m glad you here. I’m just surprised.”

“Me too actually.” he paused and she waited for him to continue. “I stayed at my brothers last night and I got up early to go home and I was driving and before I knew it I was on the freeway and then I was here. I know that sounds weird.”

“No…not at all.” she smiled. “I’m really glad you came.” She shifted so that she was sitting slightly closer to him. The closeness of him, the slight fresh scent of his soap, the newness of it all had her stomach filled with butterflies. This was Jim…her friend Jim. She knew him, at one point she had been more comfortable around him than her own fiancé and yet he was making her feel as giddy and nervous as a teenage girl on her first date. She sighed happily and turned to gaze out the window.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

He really didn’t know quite what the reason for his sudden detour to New York City was. One minute he was driving around Dickson City, where his brother lived trying to find an open coffee shop and the next minute he was on the freeway heading towards New York City. Halfway there he realized what he was doing and almost turned around, but he wanted to see her, needed to see her and so he kept on going. He stopped just outside the city at a small gas station to ask directions, having looked up the address of the apartment on the Dunder Mifflin website weeks ago. Before he knew it he was standing outside her door. He raised his hand to knock about ten times, wondering what he would say when she opened the door. He turned around and walked halfway back to the elevator twice, before taking a deep breath and telling himself not to be such a wimp. He raised his hand once again, ready to knock, when the door flew open and there she was. He saw the look of surprise instantly on her face. His stomach dropped when she just stared at him, silently, gaping in surprise. Doubt began to cloud his mind and he knew he had made a bad choice in coming here. He turned to leave and then she stopped him. Finally, she didn’t let him walk away. It was a simple act, just a light touch on the arm, but it spoke volumes. Now he was sitting with her in a cab on their way to central park and he couldn’t remember the last time he had felt like this, so relaxed and so content. He could feel the heat of her body next to his. He could smell her shampoo and feel the soft touch of her shoulder against his and he knew this was going to be a great day.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

“Wow,” Jim said as he climbed out of the cab. “I had no idea this place was so big.”

“Yeah….I still haven’t been able to see everything yet.” Pam said.

Jim stretched his arms and looked around. “Which way?” he asked.

Pam pointed to the left and they began walking. They walked in comfortable silence for a few minutes, both unsure of what to say next. Occasionally Pam would turn glance at Jim only to catch him stealing a glance at her at the same time. He would quickly look away, but not before she caught the smile on his face. She could feel a flush stain her cheeks. She was excited, thrilled at the possibilities that stretched out before them. She wanted to let him know that she wanted this, whatever was between them, to happen. As excited as she felt somewhere hidden in the back of her mind was still the small nagging thought that perhaps it was still too late, maybe they were destined to just be friends. She
glanced at him again, trying to read something…anything in his body language, on his face. He had shown up…out of the blue. That had to mean something Pam thought. She knew though that he had done enough for now. He had opened his heart to her more than once and she had said no. She couldn’t imagine the gut wrenching pain he must have felt that night…not to mention the pain he had felt every day for all those years. She knew, kind of, what it felt like, for she had felt so miserable for the past few months, but she knew that months couldn’t compare to years. She had to make it up to him. She had to let him know that this was it for her and this is what she wanted, she wanted him. Her heart began to thump loudly in her chest. She never had been good at dating and was really bad at flirting, but she had to make this different. This wasn’t just some guy. This was Jim. He was her best friend, despite what might have happened in the past and she was in love him, more than she could even begin to imagine. She took a deep breath to try and calm her nerves and then moved a little bit closer to him as she walked, letting her arm brush up against him. She felt him stiffen momentarily, but then relax again. She knew that he was guarded; he had every right to be, to protect what she had broken. She knew that he was going to see if she made the first move and if anything she owed him that. She needed to prove to him that she was worth having him love her again. Before she could decide what her move would be they had reached the pond.

“This is incredible.” Jim said looking around.

“Isn’t it? It’s my favorite spot…that I’ve seen. I usually come here on the weekends, to draw, think…whatever.”

Jim sat down on the grass, knees bent up to his chest and he casually draped his arms over his knees. Pam sat down next to him, and suddenly worried if she had sat too close, her shoulder brushing up against his elbow. She glanced at Jim to see if he even noticed, but if he did he made no acknowledgement of it. If anything she could have sworn that he
shifted a little so that they were closer. He had set her bag next to her feet and she opened it and pulled out her sketch book. She had always been protective of her art, mostly because Roy thought it was so useless. He never really cared to see what she had drawn. She remembered one Christmas a few years back when she had asked him for some
new art pencils. He had laughed and said he wasn’t going to waste money on something stupid like that and why couldn’t she be practical. Of course he had loved the “practical” game system that she had bought for him, the one that she had saved for months so that she could get the best one. She glanced down at the sketch book and thought of what it
contained. It was like a window into her soul. She bared everything in this book, but part of her wanted Jim to see it. She wanted to share it with him because she knew it would mean something to him and that he would treat it like it was something special and important. She could feel him move so that he glanced down at the book and she could tell he wanted to ask about it, but was holding back. One paper stuck a little farther out
of the book. She knew what picture it was. The one she had done on the roof, of the sunset over the city.

“So…” Jim said finally. “Do I get to see any of the famous Beesly drawings?”

He was so sweet, so supportive, and so kind to her. She had thought several times about sending this drawing to him, but had always been too afraid, but now she wasn’t so afraid anymore.

“I drew this a while ago.” She said pulling out the paper. “I had actually wanted to send it to you…but I didn’t know if….” her voice trailed off as she handed him the drawing. She began to feel nervous and avoided looking at his face, fearful of his reaction. He held the paper lightly in his hands for a long time, just looking at it. Finally, to Pam’s relief, he spoke.

“Pam…” his voice was deep and husky, but there was a tenderness behind it that could only belong to Jim. “This is amazing. I can’t believe you drew this.”

Pam began to blush. “It’s not anything great….” she began.

“Stop…” Jim said finally turning to look at her.

She could have sworn she saw the glimmer of a tear in his eyes. Her whole body felt weak as he intently gazed at her. “It is great. It’s amazing.” He leaned closer to her and her breath caught in her throat at the possibility of feeling his lips on hers. Her eyes searched his, seeing all the possibilities of what they could be…what they were hopefully going to be.

He didn’t kiss her though, just leaned a bit closer and whispered, “Thank you….”

“You’re welcome.” She said breathlessly.

He turned back to look at the picture. He was quiet for a long time, so Pam opened her book to a new page and began to sketch. They sat by the pond for a while, making light conversation while Pam’s pencil flew effortlessly across the page. She loved this about them. The fact that they could sit doing nothing, talking about nothing of any importance and she could still feel like she was having the most fun she’d ever have. Finally, she slipped the sketch book back into her bag and lay back on the grass. Jim lay next to her, loving how he could be this close to her, and she didn‘t pull away. She told him all about her internship and the nerves she felt when she started. She talked about the excitement she felt when she saw one of her completed projects. Jim loved the tone in her voice, the confidence, the happiness. She had changed so much, but at the same time she was still Pam. He told her about work and his family. She loved seeing the smile on his face when he talked about his brother or his parents. After awhile Jim glanced at his watch.

“It’s already 12:45.” he said sitting up. “I can’t believe we’ve just been sitting here talking for almost three hours.”

“I know.” Pam said sitting upright. Jim glanced at her and began to laugh.

“What?” she asked self-consciously.

“Nothing…you just have…” instead of finishing he slowly reached up and pulled some grass from her hair. He let his fingers linger in the softness of her hair and then gently touched her cheek as he pulled his hand back.

“Thanks…” she said, her cheek burning from the slightest touch of his fingertips.

“Are you hungry?” he asked standing up.

“Yes, actually. Starving.” she said checking her bag to make sure she had all her supplies.

“That sounds great!” Pam said. She picked up her bag and stood up. They started walking down the hill to the pathway when Pam tripped over a rock in the grass. Without thinking she reached out and grasped his hand to steady herself. Instantly she realized what she had done and started to pull back, but Jim smiled at her and then giving her hand a gentle squeeze, softly laced his fingers through hers. He gave her a look, almost as if to ask if it was okay. She knew that he was expecting her to pull away, but she didn’t. She squeezed his hand back and started walking again, her hand tucked inside of his.

It was amazing what the feeling of her small hand in his did to him. He almost felt like they were playing a little game. She’d give a little and see if he responded and then he would do the same thing. He knew that it was okay though. They were both being careful, not wanting to ruin this again. They decided to walk the few blocks to the restaurant, both secretly glad for the chance to not have to let go.

When they got to the restaurant Jim pulled out Pam’s chair for her. She had always been impressed with how much of a gentleman he was. She couldn’t ever remember Roy pulling out her chair for her. She remembered fighting with him about it once. He had made some stupid joke about how he already had her and didn’t need to waste time on lame gestures. They talked and laughed over a pepperoni and sausage pizza. No one could make Pam laugh like Jim could. He loved the way that she clutched the napkin to her mouth as her shoulders shook with laugher. He loved the way that her eyes lit up when she looked at him. She loved the way that he would blush slightly and then quickly rub the scruff on his face when their knees would bump under the table. They kept the conversation light, but deep down they both knew that they were going to have to talk soon, confront the shadows of past memories that lingered near by. Time passed too quickly. Jim glanced at his watch and then groaned softly.

“What’s wrong?” Pam asked.

“It’s nothing…” Jim said. “It’s just that I didn’t realize what time it was. My 8 year old cousin is having a birthday party tonight and I kind of promised my mom a while ago that I would go. I probably have to head back to Scranton.”

“Oh…” Pam said trying hard not to show the disappointment on her face. It impressed her that family was so important to him, but she was not ready for him to leave yet.

“I’m sorry. I really wish I didn’t have to go.” He reached across the table and grazed his thumb over the top of her knuckles gently. Pam gave him a smile.

They rode back to Pam’s apartment in silence, Pam’s hand resting inside of Jim’s, trying to savor each moment. The cab ride ended too quickly and they were soon standing outside Pam building. Jim had thought about this moment, debating on how this day was going to end. He wanted to kiss her. In fact, it took every ounce of strength he had in him to not grab her and do it right then, but he couldn’t bring himself to do it. The last kiss they had shared had had such repercussions that as lame as it sounded he wanted their next kiss to be the beginning of a fresh start. They both knew that the hopelessness of the previous months still hung between them and they would finally have to confront it before it could begin to heal. He gave her hand a gentle tug and pulled her a little closer. His heart began to pound as she wrapped her arms around his waist. She leaned her cheek against his chest as his arms enfolded her. She held on tightly to him, breathing him in, feeling his heart beat against his chest. They stood that way for a long time, when Pam finally pulled away just enough so that she could look up at him.

“So…when do you think…I can see you again?” As soon as the words were out of her mouth she kicked herself for how cheesy it sounded. Jim must have thought so too, because he started laughing.

“Oh shut up!” Pam laughed swatting at his chest.

“Fine…I changed my mind. Have a safe trip back.” Pam said pushing herself away from him.

“I’m sorry…” he said pulling her back. Then taking a deep breath he leaned down and pressed a soft kiss against her forehead. She closed her eyes, trying to memorize the moment.

“Well I’d have to check my schedule.” Pam smiled. “But I think that could move some things around.”

“That sounds great.” Jim pulled her back for another quick hug before finally letting her go.

A lump formed in Pam’s throat. She felt like she had just got a piece of him back and now he was leaving again. The only consolation was that he would be coming back and this time he would be coming back to her. He waved as he pulled away from the curb and she watched as his car disappeared down the street. She made her way up to the apartment in a daze. She could still feel the warmth on her forehead where his lips had touched. She opened the door and set her bag on the floor.

“Hey!” Natalee said looking up from her laptop that was sitting on the dining room table.

“Hey!” Pam said sitting down across from her. “When did you get back?”

“Oh nothing much…“ Pam said fully aware of the grin that was plastered to her face.

Natalee noticed the look on Pam’s face and immediately closed her computer. “Okay, what’s going on?” she asked.

“Okay…are you ready for this?” Pam said. “I was going to go to Central Park to sketch this morning and when I opened the door to leave…Jim was standing there.”

“What?!” Natalee asked. “Are you serious?”

“Well we went to the park and then went to eat pizza. We just talked for hours. It was so…great.” Pam said, still not able to wipe the smile from her face.

“Okay…this might not be the best time to say it…” Natalee said, “But I told you so! I knew it!”

Pam just smiled, the memories of the day playing in her head. Despite the pure elation she was feeling at that moment she was still a little apprehensive because they still hadn’t had ‘the talk’. She knew what she hoped he was feeling, but she also knew better than to assume anything. Last time she had assumed something she ended up heartbroken. She glanced anxiously at the clock, knowing that Jim was barely half an hour outside of the city and all she wanted to do was call him and tell him to come back. She knew she had to make herself busy or else she would drive herself crazy. She pulled on some sweats and an old t-shirt, put on some music and proceeded to clean the entire apartment, dancing around with Natalee like they were thirteen again. Finally around 7:30 they collapsed on the living room floor with Chinese takeout. Pam rested her back up against the couch and sighed happily.

“So he’s coming back up next weekend?” Natalee asked taking a bite of chow mien.

Pam put a piece of chicken in her mouth and chewed thoughtfully for a few seconds.

“Yeah I did,” she said finally. “I had too. I mean it took me three years to finally be honest with him you know? I couldn’t let him keep believing that I was with Aidan.”

“What happened? Was he mad?” Natalee asked with a worried smile.

Pam laughed. “Yes you did. Although….” she paused.

A smile spread slowly across Pam’s face as she thought about the day she had had. “Yeah…I think I do.”

Around 10:00 Natalee had gone to bed and Pam was curled up in a ball on the couch watching some cheesy romantic comedy when her cell phone vibrated from the coffee table. She flipped it open to see the alert for a new text message. She opened it and the goofy grin she had worn on her face all day returned when saw it was from Jim.

She quickly hit reply and typed in ***Can’t enjoy the balloon animals on your own?***

Pam laughed thinking back to that day and despite the rift between them there was still an undeniable connection.

Pam fell asleep on the couch, phone clutched tightly in her hand, a smile on her face for the promise of tomorrow.