1. Three weeks after her first day. And he isn’t sure why, but he’s never been so immediately smitten with a girl. He knows she’s engaged, but he also knows that she fought with her fiancé earlier today and he thinks they decided to take some time apart. So when they take the elevator down together at five, he kisses her before the elevator dings and the doors open. Kisses her quickly and shrugs, “Think about it.”
2. In the kitchen on a Tuesday afternoon. It’s her birthday and she looks sad. They’re eating lunch and when he presents the cupcake with the single candle to her, she almost cries. So he watches her as she closes her eyes and forms that little O with her mouth. And after the candle’s been blown out, she draws her head back slowly with her eyes still closed. Before she can open them, he leans across the table and kisses her. “Happy birthday, Pam.” There’s frosting on his tie and she laughs at him before devouring the cupcake.
3. The day of the booze cruise, after they finish doing their talking head together. Because she won’t stop looking at him and smiling. And when the crew leaves the room and she’s about to stand up, he stops her with his hand on her arm. She keeps smiling at him only now her teeth aren’t showing and when he leans in, it isn’t really a kiss because he starts to smile too. He thinks it counts anyway, because his lips tasted a little like cherries after.
4. Behind her desk after everyone’s left for the night. He flicks off the overhead lights for her and grabs on her bags which holds wedding invitations and various fabric samples in various shade of blue for bridesmaids dresses. She leans down to turn out her desk lamp and maybe it’s the weight of her wedding being literally in his hands at that moment or maybe it’s the way she looks for that brief second when just the light from the lamp is on her face. Either way, when she starts to straighten out, he catches her mouth with his and drops the bag. He doesn’t mean to, but he leans into her and presses her back into the edge of the desk, because it’s so horribly fitting to kiss her in a dark office with pieces of her wedding scattered around his feet. So fitting that when she pulls away, he says, “Sorry,” instead of kissing her again.
5. When the Stamford branch is incorporated into the Scranton branch and he finds himself at his old desk, but with a new title. Dwight and Michael have gone out to lunch with Josh and she comes over to talk to him. She leans back against his desk and her shirt tightens in various places that his eyes try to avoid. When she laughs, he feels like he’s been gone for years instead of just three months. And since nobody seems to be paying much attention to them and since the cameras left with Dwight and Michael, he tugs on her sleeve and she instinctively leans down toward him and he strains his neck to meet her halfway.
Author's Chapter Notes:
Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.
