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Story Notes:
I don't own anything, I wrote this all as one story but I think it might be more powerful broken up into segments. We'll find out, I guess. This started out as a response to the Jealous Jim challenge but kind of...evolved? It also takes a bit of an AU-ish turn because this confrontation obviously never happened, but it would have been interesting, maybe...
Author's Chapter Notes:
Just setting the stage...
Jim tried as best he could to focus on the spreadsheets before him but that was easier said than done. Ever since he’d returned from Stanford with Karen in tow, he thought he was over it. He thought he was over her, and could really get on with this fancy new life of his. But the moment he heard her laughter – laughter brought forth from her by someone else – that façade was shattered. Jim felt the anger rise up in his chest, burning through him like a wild fire. He didn’t understand her at all; he knew he had never misinterpreted their friendship, knew she’d felt the same way. Hadn’t she proven that when she’d called off the wedding? But then, instead of contacting him, she did nothing. The thought infuriated Jim even further and finally he slammed his pencil down atop the spreadsheets, snapping it in half. The action startled Ryan, who’d been lost in a game of Free Cell. He didn’t say anything, just raised an eyebrow quizzically at his desk mate, but Jim barely noticed. He shoved his chair back from the desk with such force it almost toppled over and headed toward the kitchen, letting the door slam close behind him.

Karen watched Jim go, concern washing over her face – though she did not follow. Jim had been acting off lately and she wasn’t sure what she could do about it anymore. Since they’d move to Scranton, he’d become…different. They hadn’t even been together officially when they’d arrived in Pennsylvania, but she thought it had been obvious at the time that’s the direction they were headed. Jim was a good boyfriend – brought her flowers, paid for dinner, held doors open, everything a boyfriend was supposed to do. But still, Karen couldn’t help feeling that he was holding her at arms’ length despite his insistence over coffee one day that he was glad she was there. She knew it had to do with Pam, it always had to do with Pam, despite Jim’s active engagement in their numerous late night relationship discussions. Karen sometimes felt like she was watching herself from the outside; the person she’d been before was so much stronger than this. That Karen would have dumped Jim Halpert so fast, it would have made his head spin. Yet this weak new Karen clung to Jim desperately, and she couldn’t figure out why. Maybe because she’d made a rash decision based on a casual comment and a lopsided grin? So to justify all of that, Karen was trying her best to keep that sinking ship afloat. It wasn’t working.

Pam had been on the phone making lunch plans when Jim had suddenly departed from his desk in such an abrupt and gruff manner that she was startled. He’d been acting strange lately, at least from what Pam could tell by observing his back and neck. They didn’t interact much anymore and she missed him terribly, but Pam knew he’d moved on and so she was forced to do the same. So she had, with a nice guy she’d met in her art class. He was handsome and nice, but he was no Jim and that sometimes made her sad, other times angry – not at him, but herself. Getting over Jim should have been easy, this was something Pam had told herself many, many times. After all, she’d only had to deal with the feelings for a few months, Jim had dealt with them for years. And yet he’d come back with a new girlfriend, a new wardrobe, new title, an all-around new life. None of those were things Pam had been expecting and the fact that they were no longer friends made all of it worse. She wasn’t sure what she’d been expecting when he’d walked through the door with Martin that first morning back, but certainly not the situation as it existed now. She hadn’t expected a replay of that night when they’d been alone in the office and he’d kissed her so sweetly and gently, but she had thought something might happen. Pam had tried, had asked about how he was doing, if he wanted to hang out after work, but he’d shot her down immediately. And that was that. Yet she was still heartbroken.
Chapter End Notes:
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