Disclaimer: I have no claim to these characters, nor do I own any part of The Office. I just like them an awful lot.
Silence. It wrapped around them like a cocoon, cushioning them from the blows of the world, enveloping them in its downy soft stillness. There was nothing left to say. Words no longer had enough meaning to convey everything that they knew. Let Charles disparage him all he wanted, if it made him feel superior. Let Dwight talk down to her as he always seemed to do. The rest of the world could drone on and on, it didn’t matter, they couldn’t hear it over the hum of the car’s engine.
Radio silence. Something that very rarely happened in Jim’s car. His iPod was always hooked up, ready to spin out the latest playlist. It stood poised and utterly useless, ready to fill the air with the clash of guitars, the relentless beat of the drums, and the gut wrenching lyrics of songs that no longer applied to him. To them. They had no need to stifle this silence. This silence was golden.
The turn signal mimicked the beat of his heart, it’s rhythmic insistence a comforting reminder that, yes, he was supposed to turn left at the next corner. He was relieved that his fingers remembered the route home, because he wasn’t sure that his brain could be trusted. That’s why he had her. He glanced over at her, half-expecting one of her passenger seat driver reminders, but when she turned to face him, he knew that she knew that he knew exactly where they were going.
The engine revved as he came out of the turn. His foot pressed the accelerator a little harder than absolutely necessary for cruising through a residential area. He forced himself to let up, the toes of his shoes hovering just above the brake pedal as they both focused intently on the first of three stop signs loomed between where they were and where they needed to be. He pressed his toes to the pedal, gently halting the car’s progress inches over the white line painted on the asphalt. Pam smiled as she mentally ticked off one, two, well, almost three seconds before he pressed the accelerator again.
The car lurched forward and he gave her a sheepish smile as he gripped the steering wheel too tightly. His knuckles turned white, belying his outward calm and betraying his impatience. She reached over and touched the taut muscles of his thigh, her fingertips gliding over the slippery fabric of his shorts. He unfurled the fingers on his right hand and captured her left, holding it there as his thumb brushed over the stone set in her engagement ring.
Pam looked down at his hand, noting the way it engulfed hers for a moment. Then he laced his fingers through hers, linking them inextricably and squeezing them as he slowed for stop sign number two. She smiled as he brushed her ring again, another cursory blow, a subtle reminder that there were things that needed to be resolved between them.
One, two, and nowhere near three seconds passed before he took off again. This time, there was no apology in his smile as he looked over at her. She returned it without censure, the sparkle in her eyes owning nothing to the street light above. There was nothing left to say. They’d left all words behind them.
The houses flew by as the car ate up the pavement between them and stop sign number three. With only the briefest of pauses, his gaze swept the intersection and the car leapt forward. Two hundred yards, one hundred yards, fifty. Her fingers tightened on his as she raised her hand from his thigh. He looked over at her questioningly, the headlights sweeping across their neighbors lawns as he cranked the wheel, making a sharp right without benefit of signal, and then jerked to a stop in the driveway.
Pam lowered their joined hands to the gearshift and pushed it safely into ‘park’ before pulling them over to her. She kissed his knuckles softly, her eyes meeting his as his fingers curled slightly, cradling hers. Then she slipped her hand out from under his and pressed it to her stomach, covering it with both of hers.
For a moment, she stared through the bug spattered windshield at the closed garage door. There was an easel in there. A drafting table. A workbench covered with her tools, not his. She turned to him, searching for the right words to say, and came up empty. But it didn’t matter. She could see the ‘Oh my god’ in the way his lips parted in awed disbelief. Her eyes danced, matching her impish grin as they answered ‘I know!’
His teeth flashed white with a giddy smile that rivaled the glow of the dome light as he opened his door, and patted her stomach gently as a signal for her to stay put. A flush of pleasure warmed her cheeks as she glanced at the side mirror and saw him circle the back of the car. Her door opened, and he held out both hands. Pam grinned as his fingers wrapped securely around hers, gently pulling her from the car.
She imagined that she looked like a stork standing on one leg, her hands sliding up over his t-shirt and curling into the fabric, bunching it at his broad shoulders as she found her balance. Or, was it a crane? It didn’t matter. All that mattered was the vibration of his almost silent laugh as he wound his arms tightly around her, holding her close, wrapping her up in him as he was now in her.
Jim stooped down, ignoring the aluminum crutches wedged into the back seat as he lifted her up. She giggled softly and buried her face in his neck as she wound her legs around his hips and clinging to him.
He carried her to the front door. Her thighs tensed around him as he jiggled his keys, trying to winnow out the right one. She kissed his neck as he slid the key into the lock, absorbing the soft hum that bubbled up in his throat with her lips as the tumblers fell into place.
Jim stumbled as they stepped inside. Pam smiled as she swiped at the door, batting it closed behind them, shutting out the world and all of its mindless noise. She pulled back, her fingers slipping up into his hair and cradling the back of his head as she peered down at him in the darkened foyer. He kissed her, drawing her lips against his so sweetly that it almost made her teeth ache. She kissed him back; taking it deeper, taking him in.
The silence enveloped them, pulsing with the beat of their hearts, cushioning them in its downy softness and swaddling them in a cocoon of certainty. There was no need for words. Words couldn’t say enough.
Author's Chapter Notes:
This was inspired by EllaBella’s ‘Mute’ challenge, but I’m not sure that it actually meets the challenge. I thought I’d go ahead and post it anyway. My thanks to Ninjam for looking it over for me. I hope that you like it!
JAMhands is the author of 14 other stories.
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