DISCLAIMER - I don't own anything.
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Fifteen Months
May, 2007
To say that it was one of the most exciting, best weeks of her life would be an understatement – the understatement of the year. One week ago to this very day, he came back. Asked her on a date, to which she accepted. A week ago today she sat in her bedroom after work, trying to find the perfect outfit to wear – her peach colored dress she had bought but never wore. She fixed her hair in bigger curls, added a bit more make up, and went out to dinner with her best friend Jim. That night, when they split appetizers and dessert and got back into one another’s lives, ending the evening with a light, almost playful chaste kiss by his car, she thought she would permanently wear a grin for the rest of her days.
And later that night when she lay in bed, the ghost of his kiss still on her lips, she couldn’t have had a more restful sleep. Because things could have gone a whole other way – he could have taken the job and moved away forever. Had the unthinkable happened, well, that night would have been completely different for her– filled with anger, resentment, self loathing and despair. That Pam didn’t have to worry about that now – now that he was officially back at his old desk and back in her life for good made her feel invincible.
She knew the happy, giddy, bubbly new relationship feeling would wear off eventually and they would become comfortable, familiar and settled – in a good way.
She just didn’t realize that it would happen so soon. At least that’s what she was currently pondering as she sat at her desk, eying the side of his face – his line of sight unmoving from his computer screen. His back hunched, almost looking as if he were trying to block the monitor from other peoples view. Pam wasn’t sure why it bothered her so much that he hadn’t looked her way once since he walked into the office an hour ago, other than to say good morning when he hung up his coat. But for some reason, some sort of slightly frustrated curiosity began to percolate to the surface.
Pam tried to concentrate on tasks at hand – filing, faxing, copying, taking memos for Michael and answering the phone. Turns out though, with each lull came her lingering glance back to his direction. And normally – back before things changed and then went back to the way they were – he would just know she was looking at him. He would instinctively know that she was bored. He’d look up, smile at her and then casually walk over and pretend to check messages.
That he wasn’t doing any of those things right now sort of annoyed her. Not to the point where she became irate. It was more so that she was curious as to what had his attention on that computer screen that he couldn’t look up for ten seconds.
She did what any normal girl would do in her situation. Be passive aggressive about the whole thing. She took her pink honey comb tea mug with her to make him think she was going for tea and ‘just so happened to stop by and say hi to him.’ The brilliance of that idea made her bite her lip to keep from giggling in delight.
He didn’t move a muscle when she stood up. She took three steps toward him – he didn’t budge. Two steps later, she was a hairline away from his desk when his head shot up and he clicked his mouse furiously.
He looked up at her with a half dazed, half guilty expression. “Hey. Time for tea?”
She tilted her head to the side and nodded. “Yep. Care to join?”
“Oh, I would love to. But I’ve got this thing I’m doing and you know how it goes. Can’t get away.” He laughed lightly, a hint of color on his cheeks.
“Okay,” she said, playfully pouting. “We’re still having lunch today?”
“Oh … uh, I sort of have a client to see during lunch,” he said, smiling with squinted eyes.
She shrugged and smiled. “Okay. I’ll save your half of the cross word for when you get back. You’re doing the across today.”
“You got it.” He grinned and concealed a wink that made her stomach flutter a bit.
She walked toward the kitchen and turned around to look out the door window the second she stepped in, trying to get a view of his computer monitor. But his entire upper back was literally blocking her line of sight.
She let out a frustrated sigh and made her tea.
Her suspicions grew when she walked out of the kitchen and he instantly minimized what he had been looking at and started moving paper around his desk. The fact that he completely avoided making any form of eye contact with her as she walked past him made her feel slightly deflated.
That small innocuous feeling of disappointment in not talking to him before he left for his client lunch made her stab at her yogurt as she ate it. And while doing the crossword puzzle she sat with her hand on her cheek.
When he walked back in almost three hours after lunch with a nod and a “Hey,” before he walked back to his desk, she twisted her fingers together. And started to worry.
She wracked her brain to try and remember if she’d said or done something that would make him act this weird. They’d been getting along so incredibly well, got back to their usual banter and had managed to get past all of the ‘why didn’t you’ and ‘why did you’ questions. Just last night, they were situated on her sofa and making out like horny teenagers. Things got heated as their hands began exploring slivers of skin.
And then he stopped suddenly, she remembers he had that deer in the headlights look on his face when he pulled back. The way he stared at her felt like his eyes were looking into the depths of her soul – which only made her want him more.
Much to her and the ache between her thighs chagrin, he sat up, rubbed his hands over his face, took a sip of his soda and then said, “It’s getting late. I should go. I’ll see you tomorrow though, okay?” He said it gently, with warmth and happiness exuding his words.
But now, as she sent her end of day faxes she worried. Maybe she had done something wrong and that’s why he stopped?
She tried filling in the blanks, but each time she tried to she came up with the same answer. Everything was fine yesterday.
She quietly wondered what the hell happened when he went home last night.
With a shrug of her shoulders she smiled and accepted her coat from his hands and they walked toward the elevator.
Once the elevator doors closed, his arm wound its way around her shoulder. “Everything okay?” he asked, kissing her temple.
The air in her lungs became a bit cooler and the knot in her neck loosened. “Yeah. So, you’re coming over tonight?”
“Yup. Just have to go to my place for a minute. I’ll pick up Chinese food?” he asked, his arm slipping back to his side as they walked out into the lobby. He looked around to make sure they were not within anyone’s line of sight, and he bent down quickly to brush a kiss over her lips.
She grinned. “Yeah, pick me up some soup.”
“Really? You eat soup in the spring.”
“Yep, I’m mixing it up.” She winked.
“Oh, are you now?” he asked, raising his eyebrows and grinning. “Well, live it up, Pam.”
“Oh, I will.” She giggled. “We’re so weird, aren’t we?”
He shrugged, “Eh, what can ya do. Hey, I’ll see you in a half hour.”
“Okay.”
**
“Oh my god, how much food did you buy?” she asked, standing in the doorway. Jim stood in front with two bags in his hands.
He shrugged, grinned at her and looked at his hands, lifting the bags. “We can always have the leftovers for lunch tomorrow,” he affirmed, walking to her kitchen.
It had only been a week, she marveled, and already he was walking around her space like he had done it a thousand times.
“Hey, didn’t you go home? Why are you still wearing your work clothes?” she asked, taking the soup container from the bag.
“Oh, yeah I did, but I forgot to change.” He shrugged.
“Oo-kay, weirdo.” She laughed lightly. “Hey, you okay? You seem a little … something today. You’re not mad at me are you?”
He shook his head and puckered his lips. “Nope, I am definitely not mad at you.”
She nodded. “Okay, good. You’d tell me though, if it was something, right?” As she asked, she lifted the lid from the soup container, spilling some on her hand. “Ouch!” she yelped.
Jim quickly took the container from her, and walked her over to the sink, holding her hand in his as he ran it under cool water. “You’re okay.” He soothed, kissing her head.
He stood behind her with his arms around her waist as she dried her hand with a towel.
“Thanks,” she said with her head bowed down.
His head dipped down lower, his mouth near her ear. “You’re going to have to be more careful with my girlfriend.”
All she could do was stifle the teenage girl inside of her brain – the one who wanted to squeal at the mention of the G-word. “I’ll … I’ll make sure I do that.”
“You’re blushing,” he whispered, kissing her neck.
She giggled and closed her eyes at the sensation of his breath crossing under her chin. She turned in his arms and put her arms around his neck. “Thanks, for saving me.”
He kissed her lightly. “It’s what I’m here for.”
“Oh. Good,” she stammered, her heart beat quickening at the smoldering serious look he had on his face. And when he leaned closer to her, kissing her cheek before he held her in a tight hug, she wasn’t sure her legs would be able to sustain her weight any longer.
“This is nice,” he whispered, his hands rubbing her back gently.
Her response to that was a sigh and a nod.
He pulled back, his arms still around her waist. His cheeks were pinker than normal and his expression was a mixture of apprehension and confidence, mixed with joy. With his eyelids lowered and a grin on his face, he laughed lightly before saying, “I love you.”
The instant excitement within her could only show itself in one way in that instant as she let a small happy laugh escape and tightened her arms around his neck. She kissed his cheeks in rapid succession, moved her lips to his forehead, down his nose and then saying against his lips, “I love you, too.”
Once they’d thoroughly sealed their words with a feverish make out session that included accidentally knocking over eggrolls and wonton noodles, they were seated on the couch enjoying their meal and some television.
“So, I think I answered your question from before by the way.”
She giggled. “Yeah.”
“How’s your hand?”
She wiggled her fingers and opened and closed her hand. “I think I’ll survive.”
“Oh, thank god.”
“How’d your sales call go? Did you close the deal?”
He laughed at that. “Something like that, yeah.”
“Cool.”
He put his arm around her shoulder after setting his plate on the coffee table. As she put her head on his chest, she completely forgot what she was so worried about.
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Story Notes:
Some chapters have been tweaked. I noted in the beginning of each one where that was the case.
