“And now, on your right hand, you will see a group of camels. A camel can outrun a horse over long distances and can run for several hours without stopping. In the summer, it can easily survive for two or three days without food and water. In winter, it can live without food and water for up to a week. As you can see...”
“Jim.” Pam interrupted with a huge grin on her face.
“What is it, I’m kind of in the middle of something, Pam.”
He tried to act annoyed, but could hardly suppress a smile crawling up his face. Pam was smiling at him and she looked so happy and this time he knew it was because of him. He had made her smile and it made him feel so strangley satisfied. He wanted to memorize every little movement she made, every smile she gave him and everything she said. No matter what would happen between them, nobody could take that away from him.
“I know, I’m sorry. I just don’t think those are camels.”
“You don’t think those are camels? Well, allright then, Ms. Know-it-all. What do you think they are?”
“Actually, I’m quite certain they are dromedaries. You see, they only have one hump.”
“Well...” He turned around to take another look at the ‘camels’.
“Oh my god! You’re totally right! How did I not see that!?”
“Great tour, Halpert. It’s awsome that there’s so much I can learn from you!”
“Oh, shut up, you! It doesn’t really matter anyway. Camels and dromedaries are practically the same. Who cares?”
“Actually, I think there are a lot of differences between them. For instance...”
“Moving on! Moving on, this way please. Everyone, stay with the group, c’mon, keep up!”
Pam giggled and followed him. She loved how he made her laugh all the time. He was so easy going and fun to be around. They went up a little bridge and passed a beautiful fountain. Suddenly, Jim stopped. Pam, caught by surprise, bumped into him.
“Oops, sorry.” She said, laughing at him.
“Don’t mention it.”
“Why did we stop?”
He grabbed her arm and pulled her closer to where he was standing.
“Stand right here, look over there,” he said, softly.
He was pointing at a little opening in the bushes behind the fountain. Pam followed his gaze and then she saw it:
“Jim, that’s... That’s beautiful!”
“I know, isn’t it? I used to love this place when I was a kid.”
“You used to come here a lot?”
“Yeah. I loved coming here. And especially this spot.”
He saw her staring at the flamingos with amazement in her eyes. He remembered how he used to stand here at this very spot for hours when he was a kid, simply refusing to go home. It had something magical. The flamingos in the distance stood between amazingly green bushes and trees and glistening droplets of the fountain at the forefront.
“It’s just... breathtaking.”
“I know.” He had to keep telling himself to stop staring at her.
“I wish I could draw this.”
“Ah, well, actually I thought about that. Don’t get too excited though, I couldn’t bring all your art supplies, but I did bring a camera! Here, take it.”
“Oh my god, you’re the best! This is so cool!”
Before he knew it, she had put her arms around him. At first, he hesitaded a bit, but then he wrapped his arms around her, putting his chin upon her head. After what seemed forever, she let him go and took a couple pictures of the view. The scent of her shampoo still lingered and he knew he wanted to always remember that aroma.
“Now, I want one with you in it!”
“With me? No, I don’t think that’s a good idea. I’ll ruin the photograph.”
“Oh stop whining and get over there allready! You ready? One.. two... three...!”
She took the picture and noticed how warm his smile was. The empty picture frame she had at home would be the perfect place for this picture.
“Alright, now I want to take one with you in it.”
“Fair enough.”
He looked through the camera and saw how Pam ran her hand through her hair to make it look good for the picture. It made him smile, because in his opinion, that was totally unnecessary.
“Allright, smile!”
As he took the picture, he realized it was truly the most beautiful thing he’d ever laid eyes on. It was his favorite place, with his favorite person in it. And he loved it. She just looked so beautiful. He gave her a little nod and said: “So... we’re moving on again! We still have so much more to see in so little time.”
As they started walking, Jim felt her hand brushing against his. He immediatly put his hand in his pocket to stop himself from grabbing hers. He saw Pam doing the same. That doesn’t mean anything, Halpert, he told himself.
“Hey, Jim! Come here for a second.”
“What’s up?”
“These animals; they are just like you!”
He started laughing. They were looking down on an clan of meerkats. They seemed really busy; they were running around making all kinds of peeping sounds.
“Oh really, Beesly? And do you mind telling me why you think I’m just like a meerkat?”
“I mean look at them. It’s everything. You can see they really observate everything that’s going on around them, just like you. They can get really hyper, running around and stuff...”
“I’m not hyper!”
“Oh, yes you are! Sometimes at least. Remember the office olympics? Or the time when you were playing basketball with the warehouse guys. Trust me, you can get really hyper. Besides, it’s also their whole appearence. They’re brownish, just like you. And... they’re skinny. You see? Tons of similarities.”
“Wow, thank you Pam,” he replied sarcastically.
“No, I don’t mean it as a bad thing! I mean, look at them! They’re adorable!”
“So you think I’m adorable too?” As soon as he said those six words he regretted it.
She looked at him.
“Yes.”
She turned around again. Jim was still looking at the meerkats. What was she doing? What did this mean? Was she trying to tell him something? It probably didn’t mean anything. To refrain from getting his hopes up too high, he told himself: She’s your friend. She just likes you as a friend. An adorable friend. Nothing more. Nothing less.
“Are you coming? I need my guide!”
“Yup, we’re moving on again. Let’s see if I can find an animal that has a lot of Pam features.”
This was going to be an interesting day.
Author's Chapter Notes:
Special thanks to flonkertonxx, because she's a really great beta!! :D
Enjoy!
Enjoy!
Chapter End Notes:
Hope you liked it. I'll try to update soon! Reviews are great ;)
