On Thursday night, Pam fell in love with Jim.

It started off as just a regular night, they had dinner at his place, and then went for a long walk around the park. It was when they got back to his apartment, that she figured it out.

Pam was sitting on the couch, and Jim sat turned next to her, with his feet up on her lap. The movie they were watching had ended a few minutes before, but neither of them wanted to move from the positions they were in. Jim was running his fingers through her hair, and Pam was massaging his sore feet (he’d been on sales calls all day). They were having a causal conversation as Jim’s fingers explored her hair, then stopped at the barrette that was holding it together.

“So, I have three weeks to finish this project, then I have to go--” Jim removed the barrette that was holding her hair back. “What are you doing?”

“Oh, I just wanted to see what you looked like with your hair down. Is that OK?” He asked.

“Yeah, I’ve been meaning to let my hair down for a while now. Maybe I’ll just leave it down.”

“Hypocrite.”

“Excuse me?” He couldn’t tell if she was angry or amused.

“You heard me. You’ve been saying forever that you’d let you hair down, and I’m calling you out on it now.”

“Oh come on, you can’t call me out on it. It’s just hair. Nobody cares.”

“I care.”

“Why?”

“Because I think you’re beautiful. Hair up, hair down, bald, baldING…” She slapped his arm playfully to get him to stop.

“What was that for?”

“Stop. I’m not…beautiful. Pretty, yes, but not beautiful.”

He immediately swung his legs off her lap and turned to face her. His look was serious as he took her face in his hands.

“I don’t want to hear you say that again. Ever. Do you understand me?” Pam was taken off guard and she opened her stunned mouth to speak. He cut her off. “You, Pamela Morgan Beesly, are the most beautiful woman I have ever laid eyes on, and I won’t let you demean yourself like that. You’re not only beautiful on the outside, but you’re even more beautiful on the inside, where it counts.”

It took Pam a few moments to catch her breath as his words caught up to her. ‘He thinks I’m beautiful’ she played over in her head.

She almost told him she loved him, right then and there.