Ever since she has made her decision, Pam could think of nothing else. She was utterly absorbed.
She was finally acting without thinking, without doubt, without second guesses and the result was an explosion of colour on the previously blank canvas.
She had begun to paint several hours earlier and it was only now that she could see it was taking shape. It reminded her of the new Pam. It reminded her of independence. But yet, at the same time, it mostly reminded her of him.
She placed her brush down and allowed herself to take in the painting fully. It didn't seem quite finished but its bold colours seemed to make her stronger and she finally felt ready to pick up the phone.
He answered on the first ring.
"Uh Pam?"
"Yeah," she responded hoping she sounded breezy, "so I started another painting."
"Uh, oh that's cool... what's it of? Is it of a watercolour or."
As he trailed of Pam looked at the canvas and decided to get straight to the point, "So I sent you an email."
There was a silence of thirty seconds or so, until her replied "yeah I know. On Thursday. I read it while you were in Michael's office, before my sales call."
Pam didn't know how to reply. So all this time, all this fear, worry and doubt, hatching up ways to get the email back and praying Jim would avoid his desk, he had already read it and...
"and he didn't even tell me!" Pam shouted, thinking aloud without realising, "Uh, I mean, why didn't you tell me?"
She could hear the hurt in his voice when he replied. The same hurt of Casino Night. The same hurt she had seen on the youtube clip when he had explained to Michael why he had left. "Because I didn't know what to think, I didn't know if you were mad at me, or if it was some kind of joke, or... I didn't know what to think Pam, I just, I didn't know."
"Well, why didn't you tell me about Karen?" The words
were out of her mouth before she could stop them and she blushed furiously as she tried to explain herself, "Uh I mean, it's none of business actually, so let's"
"Pam," he interupted. "I wanted to tell you, I did, you must know I still feel, I mean you must know that, that I still...
"Jim" she said softly. "You don't need to do this now. Again. All I want is to go on a date with you. For you to take me to dinner. To drive me home and walk me to my door. To kiss me goodnight. The rest, the rest can wait. It doesn't have to be perfect, I mean, we've got a while for that."
She could picture his grin as he quickly replied, "yeah, we have, we have got a while."
As soon as Pam hung up, she began to pack away her art supplies. She swilled her brushes under the sink, looking at the painting again. She decided it was finished after all. It wasn't perfect. But it was real. And it was hers.
******
Jim picked Pam up an hour later and took her to an Italian Restaurant in town. The food was awful. They hastily paid the bill after their half-eaten main courses. They drove to get Pizza and spent hours in the parking lot. Talking. Laughing.
It was past midnight when Jim finally drove Pam home. He parked across the street and begin to walk her to the door. He stopped at the streetlight, just before her appartment block. And he kissed her.
They stayed like that for quite a while.
It wasn't perfect. But it was real.
And he was hers.
Author's Chapter Notes:
So last chapter up!
Thanks so much for reading/reviewing! So appreciate it!
Usual disclaimer: I own nothing!
Thanks so much for reading/reviewing! So appreciate it!
Usual disclaimer: I own nothing!
Chapter End Notes:
Hope you liked this. Any reviews are so so appreciated it. Would love to know your thoughts on whether I ended it the right way!
Added comment: So when re-reading this I noticed that at the end of Chapter 4 it says that the email is still waiting to be read, whilst Jim says in this chapter he read it all along. This was, uh, obviously intentional to show how narrators can be uh flawed in stories and not know everything. Obviously. No way have I made the same mistake as the writer's vollyball comment in the s5 finale. No way!
Added comment: So when re-reading this I noticed that at the end of Chapter 4 it says that the email is still waiting to be read, whilst Jim says in this chapter he read it all along. This was, uh, obviously intentional to show how narrators can be uh flawed in stories and not know everything. Obviously. No way have I made the same mistake as the writer's vollyball comment in the s5 finale. No way!
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