~~~~~
She's in the passenger seat, hyperconscious of her arms and legs, reminding herself that it's just Jim. She's trying to remember his bad hair, his hand-me-down ties, and the mornings when he has coffee breath. A week ago, a year ago, she would have invited him in. They would have tea and watch The Daily Show. He would take off his shoes and she would get out of her nylons. He would stay too late, they would sit too close, and a fine, tricky shimmer of tension would make everything they said or did shine brighter, mean more. She would lie in bed that night, carefully recalling the way he would have hugged her or touched her hand before he left and the look in his eyes that she wasn't allowed to notice. They would see each other at work the next morning and nothing would be different. Different is so hard, she thinks.
She's staring at the handle of his glove compartment, sitting so her knees touch but her feet don't. It has been quiet for too long. "Are you coming into work tomorrow?" She asks because she knows that he and Karen took Thursday and Friday off. Michael signed off on the forms and she deposited them in their mailboxes, picturing a nice hotel, dinner at a fashionable hour, and Karen's friends, who are probably the the type of women that make Pam feel thick and graceless. She thinks of all of it again, even though he's sitting next to her, in dress pants and a green sweater that brings out the mossy color of his eyes. Karen is somewhere in the city, with those imagined friends, trying to forget Jim. His phone had chimed in his pocket twice before he turned it off. It seems she's not succeeding.
"I might stop in to check my messages, but no, not really. I'm, um, I'm exhausted." She can see his right hand twisting on the bottom of the steering wheel out of the corner of her eye, but she can't quite make her head turn.
She takes a breath and fidgets with the strap of her purse. "I'm so glad you came back." She's said it no less than five times tonight, talking past the way that he faded in and out all through dinner, his effort to pay attention to her sincere but obvious. She knows that he came back and that he's here, but not entirely so. Not yet.
"So am I." She hears his seatbelt pop and his hand is in her lap, touching, but not really holding, hers. He tugs a little on her fingertips and she turns, hugs him without looking into his eyes. They sit there, holding one another, for a long time. She pulls back when she realizes she's going to cry and the reasons why are too numerous to deal with in the front seat of his car. He lets her go, gets out of the car, and comes around to open her door. She's barely gotten to her feet when she looks him in the eye. That's when he kisses her, one hand on the top of the car door and the other on her cheek. It's clumsy and a little rushed and she can feel that he's as nervous as she is. She drops her purse and her hands find his shoulders. He tugs at her bottom lip a little as he pulls just far away enough to speak. "Can I see you tomorrow night?" Another kiss, short and soft, the look on his face suggesting that he couldn't help himself, that same slightly alarmed expression she had seen a year earlier.
"Yeah." To prove to herself that she can do it, she kisses him. When he takes a breath, she tilts her head a little more, the kiss deepens, and their tongues touch. They pull away at the same time and study one another. He is utterly unreadable. He steps back to let her gather her purse.
"I'll email you tomorrow morning."
"Okay." He squeezes her hand and she starts walking up the path to her door. Halfway there, she turns around. He's got the door open, but he's standing next to his car, watching her. She regards him, then says, "I can't believe this is happening." Is this happening?
He smiles. "Me, either."
"G'night."
"G'night."
They stare for a minute before she turns away again. She hears his car start after she closes her door.
~~~~~
Story Notes:
This is going to be an experiment in pacing. I've finished the whole story (so the WIP-adverse should have no fear) and I'll post a chapter for every day between now and next Thursday. Some are longer, some are shorter, and I think this'll be fun all around. Think serial. Think amusing ourselves until the darn premiere finally gets here.
Author's Chapter Notes:
"Then it's a date."
Chapter End 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.
