A week passed by in no time, and before long it was the day of the Preview Party. Pam had barely seen Roy in the past week, and frankly, that was fine with her. She didn’t quite know how to tell him she wasn’t inviting him to the party, and not only that, but had invited another man in his place. Roy didn’t often get jealous, but when he did he became very controlling, and because of that she hadn’t told him.
She had wanted to of course, and vowed to call him the very next morning after she had asked Jim to go with her. She even had the phone in her hand and was dialing the number when she realized that she was just looking for trouble. Even if she swore to Roy that she and Jim were just friends, there would be no way he’d believe it, and so she instead put the phone back down, wondering if she needed to tell him at all.
She vowed to herself she would tell him if he called her. Otherwise, she didn’t need to bother.
He didn’t call though. She didn’t hear from him all weekend, and was actually quite relieved. And instead of calling him, she had spent all Saturday watching movies over at Jim’s. They both had the same taste in movies, and so a day of films like Dazed and Confused and The Princess Bride suited her just fine. And a couple days later they managed to pull another prank on Dwight by suspending his socket wrench in Jell-O. He told them he’d sue them both for damage to his property, but they had yet to see a formal indictment against them.
Now with the party countdown well underway, Pam was having a hard time concentrating on her work, nervous for the night to come. She had been getting signals from Jim that he was interested in her, and so far she had been trying to ignore or deny his flirtation. But the more they hung out, the more difficult it had become to deny that her feelings for him were reciprocal, which just made her situation more torturous.
And although it was tough on her, she knew it also wasn’t fair to keep stringing along Jim, or Roy, while she made her decision. So with their first date only hours away, Pam needed to make up her mind, and fast.
“Hey, Pam,” a soft knock at the door drew her away from her thoughts.
“Hey, Toby. What’s up?”
He stepped inside the doorway and handed her a sheet of paper, “Here is the list of the members of the Chairman’s Circle—”
“Oh, thank you,” she said, glancing at the paper for a moment as she gestured to him to sit. “I can’t believe Ryan thinks he’s going to schmooze these people at the party with a private tour of the collection. I’d see right through that.”
Toby shrugged, “Eh, the rich only see what they want to see.”
“Very true.”
“So, about the party…” he started in, nervously playing with his hands.
“Yeah?” she asked, her attention focused on the sheet of paper in front of her.
“Are you bringing that guy you’re dating?”
She looked up at him with a somewhat unnerved expression, “Roy?”
“The one who thought Jackson Pollock was a mentally challenged Polish guy?”
Pam winced; embarrassed by the last debacle of a party she had brought Roy to. “Um, no, I’m not bringing him—”
Toby cleared his throat, his anxiousness much more apparent now, “Great. Well, I mean, not great, but great cause maybe I thought you and I could go together…”
“Oh. No, um…” she stammered, not quite believing what she had just heard. She and Toby had always been friends, but she had never thought of him as someone she would date. The fact that he was much older than she was unappealing, not to mention that he came with a lot of emotional baggage, only made worse by his impending divorce.
She had never realized he saw her in that way, and she wanted to let him down gently, trying to save their friendship in the process. “That’s very sweet,” she said, looking at him thoughtfully, and took in a deep breath, “But… I already invited someone else.”
“Oh.”
She saw the hurt look on his face and knew she had to do something to save his dignity. After all, she would go with him to one of these events, just not in the way he probably hoped. She continued, “I’m really sorry. You know I’d go with you because we’re good friends—”
Toby looked down and started nervously playing with his tie, “Friends.”
“Yeah,” she affirmed, needing to get the message across that she wasn’t interested in him romantically. But as she contemplated the possible explanation for her rejection, she couldn’t help but mention someone she was interested in romantically, “But I just, um… I’ve been telling my neighbor about the exhibit, and when I showed him the invitation he thought it would be really cool, so…”
“Right. Of course.”
“Maybe next time though…” She trailed off, and luckily she was saved by the ring of her phone. “PAFA Website Management, this is Pam… Hey Oscar… What? Okay, okay, hold on a sec—Toby, I have to run over to the gallery. Oscar’s having a crisis with the party planner—”
“Oh. Alright. See you later then,” he said in a tone slightly more downtrodden than normal as he slinked to the doorway.
She smiled at him softly, hoping she hadn’t caused any permanent damage to his self-esteem, “Okay, see you later…” He disappeared into the hallway and she let out a sigh of relief, then said into the phone, “I’ll be right there Oscar… Bye.” Pam put the phone down and dashed out of her office to the gallery next door, where she found Oscar and Angela waiting for her with scowls on their faces.
“Hey Oscar… Hi Angela,” she said as she approached them.
“Pam, please talk some sense into your coworker.”
“She asked specifically for you,” Oscar explained. “How do you two know each other?”
“She’s my neighbor,” she said impatiently before turning to the petite blonde, “What’s the problem, Angela?”
“This is a gallery of refinement and dignity, is it not?”
Pam and Oscar traded a look of confusion before she answered, “…It is.”
“So why is Oscar suggesting that we play hedonistic music at the party?” Angela demanded, crossing her arms and arching her eyebrow.
“Just because it isn’t Bill and Gloria Gaither doesn’t make it hedonistic,” Oscar retorted, shooting his own death glare at Angela.
Seeing the anger levels rising quickly, Pam realized she needed the full story, and so she asked, “Oscar, what music did you suggest?”
“Sinful and unnatural music,” Angela scoffed.
“My first round of suggestions was stuff people could dance to, like the B-52’s—”
Pam turned to Angela, “What do you have against the B-52’s?”
“They’re promiscuous, obviously. Their lyrics are filthy,” she shook her head at the two of them. “It encourages immoral behavior.”
Oscar continued, “Then I suggested something more mellow, like Nick Drake—”
“Pam,” Angela interrupted, “The man’s music is inspired by marijuana.”
Pam looked helplessly at Oscar to continue his story, and so he sighed and told her, “And finally I asked her who she thought would be acceptable to play, and do you know who she said? Guy Penrod.”
“Angela,” Pam turned to her neighbor, “Were you in charge of music for the city events?”
“No, that hussy Denise Stimm was always in change of the music. Her picks were even worse than Oscar’s.”
“Okay…” Pam sighed, “Is there a way we can come to some sort of compromise? Something maybe not rock but not Christian music either?”
“The only artist I especially like who does secular music is Harry Connick Jr.,” Angela explained, her arms still folded and her nose stuck high in the air.
Pam nodded her head, “Okay, jazzy stuff. I think that’s acceptable, people can still dance to it... What do you think, Oscar?”
“Fine,” Oscar said bitterly.
“Okay. Good,” she let out a heavy sigh. “Glad that’s settled.”
A man in a delivery uniform came up to Angela and asked her to sign for some serving plates, and so Oscar took the opportunity to steal Pam away for a moment. “Sorry to drag you away from your work,” he whispered to her apologetically.
“It’s okay,” she told him, remembering her awkward conversation with Toby just before he had called. “I needed a break anyway.”
“Well, thanks.”
“No problem,” she smiled at him and told him, “See ya later.” He made a small wave as she made her way toward the doors of the gallery and outside, headed back next door to her office. She had just made it to the hallway when she heard someone call her name.
“Pam, can you come in here please?”
She backed up a few steps and saw Ryan smiling at her from behind the desk of his corner office. She approached the doorway and he motioned to her to have a seat. “What is it, Ryan?” she asked cautiously.
Ryan leaned forward in his chair, “Pam, you know some very important people are coming to this party tonight…”
“Yes…”
“And as the man in charge, I need to come across looking flawless. Someone who these patrons would want to give money to.”
“Right.”
He smirked at her, “And how can I do that without a lovely and attractive woman by my side?”
Pam couldn’t believe her ears, and wondered just how desperate the guys in her office were to have this done twice to her in one day. Her eyes instantly widened and she stammered, “Oh, Ryan, no. I already have a date—”
“What?” Ryan asked in surprise. “No! Not you, Pam. I mean, no offense, it’s just—I need someone a little more fashionable, you know?”
She looked down and studied her plain pink sweater and brown skirt, rethinking the fact that this was one of her dressier outfits. “Oh,” was all she could muster in response.
“And feminine,” Ryan added with a grin. “These types appreciate a man and woman who know their traditional roles.”
“Of course…” Pam said, rolling her eyes.
“Do you think you could set me up with one of your friends?”
“What?” she exclaimed as she stared at him in shock.
“Just someone with… you know, unparalleled natural beauty but also looks put-together,” he leaned back in his chair, his arms motioning to an invisible girl off in the distance. “Someone who is bubbly and charming… able to win over the hearts of our patrons.”
“Bubbly and charming…” Pam repeated to herself, a devious smile forming on her lips. “I think I could do that…”
“Don’t think,” Ryan reminded her. “Just do.”
“Right.”
“You’re a peach, Pam. Just tell the lucky girl to meet me outside the gallery at nine.” He leaned forward again and extended his hand to her.
“I can do that,” she said as they shook on their agreement.
“Great. Get to it!” He shooed her out of his office, and she headed back down the hallway to her own, a brilliant prank taking shape in her head. She sat back down at her desk and was digging through her purse for her cell phone when she heard it ringing underneath her makeup bag.
Not recognizing the number on the screen, she made sure to answer casually, “Hello?”
“Hey,” a slightly gravelly, yet soothing voice said through the receiver.
“Oh, hi!” she responded, her face immediately brightening. “How are you?”
“Oh, you know…” Jim trailed off, and she could almost picture him sitting at his desk. “My editor is just bugging me to no end.”
“Important deadline coming up?”
“I wish. One day you will just have to meet Michael Scott, and then you will understand.”
Pam bit her lip, “You’re scaring me a little…”
“Oh, you should be scared,” he retorted back, his timing impeccable, and he could hear her stifling a laugh.
“So what’s up?” she asked as she regained composure.
“Well,” he leaned back in his chair. “I have a couple of questions about this date tonight—”
“Okay...” she grinned wildly again, and then had a realization. “Wait, you’re calling me now with questions? When the party is only hours away?”
“What can I say? I’m a procrastinator,” he replied, which got another laugh out of her.
“Alright, what are your questions?”
“First,” he said in his most serious tone, “Should I get you a corsage?”
“What! This isn’t prom!” she exclaimed.
“Well I’ve never been to one of these things before and I want to get it right,” he said, matter-of-factly. “Plus, I didn’t go to prom either, so…”
Pam expression changed to one of severe disbelief, “You didn’t go to prom?”
“If you saw my high school yearbook photo, you’d understand why,” he told her in a mockingly grave tone.
“You’ll have to show me sometime,” she giggled.
“I suppose I will,” he smiled, excited that she was laughing at all his jokes. “So no corsage?”
“No.”
“What about dinner then?” he asked innocently.
“What about dinner?” she repeated his question flirtatiously, and then bit her tongue.
“Are we going to dinner before? Or did Angela hire a fancy caterer to cook up some hors d'oeuvres?”
She sat back in her chair and thought for a moment, “I think they’re having a chocolate fountain, but that certainly doesn’t count as dinner.”
“Oh, definitely not.”
“I guess we’ll just have to go get dinner somewhere…” she told him, trying to be as nonchalant as possible, and wondered to herself why she was being this way around him. It felt almost wrong, like suggesting dinner was somehow an affirmation of what she had been denying to herself, but for some reason she couldn’t stop it.
“I guess we will,” he replied, and she swore she could hear his smile through the phone.
“Did you have any places in mind?”
“I had a couple,” he told her in that same coy tone of voice, which sent chills down her spine.
“Do I get to hear what they are?”
“Oh you know… Alma de Cuba, LaCroix, Bookbinder’s…” he said offhandedly, trying to sound like he hadn’t been thinking constantly for the past week about where to take her.
“Alma de Cuba is really good,” she told him. “Their chocolate cigar dessert is so delicious.”
“Okay. Why don’t we just go there and only order that, and make our night filled with chocolate?”
“Sounds good to me!” Pam laughed into the phone.
“Actually,” Jim said seriously. “I was leaning toward Bookbinder’s.”
“I’ve never actually been there.”
“Then that settles it. We’re going there.”
“Okay,” she agreed softly, her heartbeat quickening rapidly.
“But… we can go to Alma de Cuba next time though. I promise,” he told her in a slight quivering tone, knowing he was being bold.
“Alright…” she consented, as the phrase ‘next time’ consumed her mind. She contemplated whether he was talking about the next time they went out on a date, or the next time they were going to a party, or just the next time they were hanging out together. Whatever it was, she couldn’t help but think about how he had talked about the future a lot in this phone conversation. He even told her he wanted her to meet his boss! And so she began to wonder if he was already planning ‘next time’ when there hadn’t even been a ‘first time’ yet.
Before her thoughts wandered too far, she remembered he was still on the line, and so she inquired, “So is there anything else you wanted to ask?”
“Yeah, um, how dressy are these things?” he asked nervously.
“Maybe… semi-formal? I’m wearing this periwinkle dress I wore in my cousin’s wedding.”
“Alright then, so something to match an ugly bridesmaid’s dress. I read you loud and clear,” he chuckled into the receiver, and heard her laughing on the other end. “Oh, just one more thing,” he added.
“Sure.”
He tried to conceal the happiness in his voice, but failed miserably, “When should I make our reservation for?”
“Seven-thirty?”
“Sounds good.”
“Okay,” she replied, and he swore he could hear the joy in her voice as well.
“Okay. Later, Beesly.”
“Bye Jim,” she hung up the phone and slumped forward on her desk, exhausted from trying to interpret everything he’d said. The pressure looming over their night now seemed immense. Not only would he be meeting all her coworkers, but they would be going to dinner as well, and probably dancing to some Harry Connick Jr. too. Pam rubbed her eyes and decided not to worry about it for now though. For now, she would only worry about finding Ryan the perfect date.
She flipped open her phone again, the devious smile returning to her face, and pressed number six on the speed dial. After a few rings, she said into the phone, “Hey Kelly… What are you up to tonight?...”
… … …
Jim let out a deep breath as he checked himself one more time in the bathroom mirror. Even though he knew they were only going out as friends, he couldn’t seem to silence the small part of his brain that was screaming at him that Pam had feelings for him. He was convinced the way she looked at him when he said something thoughtful or how close she had sat next to him on his couch when they were watching movies meant something. But as much as the evidence pointed toward their mutual feelings for each other, he had to shrug it off and not get his hopes too high.
He stepped out of the hallway, a small bouquet of flowers in his hand, and locked his door. As if he was clearing his anxiety away, he softly cleared his throat and knocked on her door. “Just a second!” he heard her yell, and he was powerless to stop the smile forming on his lips.
He was still grinning when she opened the door, but his expression quickly changed from a goofy smile to a look of awe. She was breathtaking. The bridesmaid’s dress she had mentioned earlier on the phone was much nicer than he had imagined, and it made her look radiant. He could also tell she had spent quite a lot of time on her hair, and he was overjoyed by the fact that she had done it all for him.
“Hi,” she said, biting her bottom lip.
“Uh, hi,” he responded, and then remembered the bouquet in his hand. “Oh, uh, these are for you—”
“Oh, wow. Thank you,” she beamed as she took them from him and walked into her kitchen. He stepped inside and watched her get a vase from a high cabinet, and then realized he was staring again, so he quickly averted his eyes.
“Yeah, uh, even though you vetoed a corsage, I still wanted to bring you something, so…”
She smiled at him as she arranged them in the vase, “They’re beautiful. I love lilacs.”
“Good,” he beamed at her, and she returned his gaze with an equally affectionate look. “Uh, so, ready to go? Don’t wanna… miss our reservation or anything…”
“Right,” she chuckled nervously, grabbing her purse. “Well, I’m ready when you are…”
“Okay,” he smiled. “Let’s go.”
Author's Chapter Notes:
So I know all of you are just dying for them to go on their date, but I really felt like this chapter was necessary to set up everything that was set to go down. Plus, you get a little glimpse of the start of their date at the very end, so get excited!! (if you weren't already before, that is.)
Huge tremendous thanks to EmilyHalpert for all the rephrases, my ladies in Philly for restaurant ideas, and Little Comment for the encouragement.
Enjoy!
Huge tremendous thanks to EmilyHalpert for all the rephrases, my ladies in Philly for restaurant ideas, and Little Comment for the encouragement.
Enjoy!
Chapter End Notes:
Where they're headed for dinner (in the next chapter, I swear!!): http://www.bookbinders.biz/
