Perfect 

It was by far, bar none, the best moment of Jim Halpert’s life.

The night was a soft black, illuminated only by the 50 paper lanterns he had released minutes earlier. The fresh, green smell of the shrub they were crouching behind filled his nostrils as he inhaled. A slight breeze blew a few strands of Pam’s hair into his mouth, but he couldn’t stop smiling. In the glow of the lanterns, he could see that she was smiling, too, her hazel eyes still shining wet with tears of joy. On her left hand, a small, perfect diamond was also catching the light.

She’d said yes.

After weeks of mock proposals and thwarted attempts, Jim had finally gotten it right. Years of coordinating elaborate pranks had left him uniquely qualified to pull this off- arranging for the park to be empty, for Pam to arrive on-time and unsuspecting, for the lanterns to be launched at exactly the right moment. Pam had gasped, biting her lip as she watched the glowing paper rise on the light wind and drift over Scranton.

He’d stumbled over the words, of course; words were never their strong suit. But he’d managed to tell her that he loved her. He had said that she was his home and his future. He’d asked her if she would please marry him. Pam had nodded, smiled through tears, and whispered, “Yes.”

They had stood staring at each other for a moment, both caught up in the wonder that it had finally happened. Breaking the spell with a short laugh, Jim had reached into his pocket and pulled out the ring box. The ring fit perfectly. Pam had tilted her hand for a few seconds, watching the facets reflect the lights slipping away overhead. Then, she had flung herself into Jim’s arms, and they shared their first engaged kiss.

Jim could have kissed her all night. He would have, at that moment, sworn that he couldn’t possibly be any happier. He would have sworn that nothing could possibly be better than this.

And then it was.

The voice that had shattered their silent moment was loud, frantic, and obnoxiously familiar. Jim had felt a stab of anger and irritation. Dwight.

He obviously hadn’t seen them, yet, but he was approaching rapidly. Jim had looked into Pam’s eyes, ready to apologize, when he had realized that she was still smiling brightly. She had placed a finger against Jim’s lips and tilted her head toward the voice, indicating that he should listen. His eyes had widened as he heard what Dwight was saying, and he and Pam had moved as one to dash behind the near-by bushes before Dwight came into view.

Shoulder to shoulder in the darkness, Jim could feel Pam shaking with suppressed laughter as they heard Dwight’s end of a frenzied cell phone call.

“Yes, Officer. Unidentified Flying Objects. At least fifty of them, emerging from a location near the park. No, I’m here now, and there are no lightning bugs! No, no kids with flashlights, either!” Dwight’s voice rose to a pitch even Jim had never heard. “Don’t be daft, man, the invasion has started!! We must alert the federal government immediately!!”

Jim felt Pam squeeze his hand. His fiancée. His future wife. Pam was going to marry him, and he’d just pulled his greatest prank on Dwight without even trying.

Life was absolutely perfect.