Pam locked the door to her apartment, grinning from ear to ear. Before she turned to deal with Roy, she took a moment to collect herself. She was trying to figure out where her sudden boldness came from. “I kissed Jim,” she thought to herself, “I KISSED JIM!” Her brain was in hyper drive recalling the way his kisses felt and how it felt to be wrapped up in his arms.
If she was being honest with herself, she’s had a crush on Jim for some time now. Tonight was going so great and then Roy’s sudden, unannounced appearance had ruined everything. Pam couldn’t be 100% sure, but it seemed like Jim was about to tell her something important when they were interrupted by Roy’s knock on the door.
It was the look of pure disappointment on Jim’s face that lead to her making the first move. She knew he felt the same way, she could just tell. She could also tell that he was having just as good of a time as she was. When Jim announced he was going to leave, Pam knew it was the last thing he wanted to do. As he said goodbye to her on the porch, he had a look of utter devastation on his face. She didn’t know how to tell him with words that she wasn’t going back to Roy no matter how hard he pleaded and that Jim was the one she wanted, so she did it with her lips… and her tongue. That last thought made her blush.
“Pammy!” Roy’s voice snapped Pam out of her train of thought.
“Listen, Roy,” Pam began as the blush subsided from her cheeks, “I’m not going to get back together with you. Why don’t you just sleep it off on my couch. You can call Kenny in the morning and work things out.”
“Babe, you don’t understand. There is no working things out with Kenny,” Roy answered, sounding like he was starting to sober up, “We had a big fight and I don’t think I will ever forgive him. And, I don’t think he will ever forgive him for breaking his nose.”
“You broke his nose?” Pam was shocked. Roy was known to get a little rowdy when he drank, but he never physically harmed anyone. She was beginning to see how hard he had taken their breakup. “What did he say to you?”
“He, um,” Roy hesitated, “He told me I deserved to lose you. He said I never appreciated you and I took you for granted. He also said that I was a fool and it was obvious to everyone that you had moved on and I needed to do the same.”
“So you punched him?” Pam asked.
“Not before I told him to shut the hell up and mind his own business,” Roy said with a chuckle, “Truth is, he was right about that first part. I didn’t deserve you and I took you for granted. That’s why you gotta take me back, Pammy. I’ve changed. I know what I was doing wrong before and I won’t do it again. Please, babe, I love you.”
Pam’s eyes started to water. He knew how to get to her. Unfortunately for Roy, these were all things that she had heard before. They would fight, he would apologize, saying he’s going to be a better man now and things would change for about a week. Before she knew it, things would be back to the way they were. She knew she had to stop this, but it hurt her to see him hurting like this.
“Roy, please, just stop,” Pam said, holding back the tears, “You were my first love, and I will I always love you, but I’m not in love with you anymore. Your brother was right, you need to move on, I have.”
“With that guy?” Roy questioned, a hint of anger in his voice.
“What guy?” Pam asked.
“That guy, John, Jake, JIM,” Roy said, “Yeah, Jim. The one who was here when I got here. It’s him, isn’t it?”
“Roy, this isn’t about him,” Pam replied, “This is about us. I’m not going to get back with you so please stop doing this to yourself. If you don’t want to patch things up with Kenny, fine. Maybe you can call and get your job back and find a place of your own.”
“That’s not going to happen,” Roy said looking down at his feet, “I kind of burned that bridge when I came into drunk and crashed the forklift.”
“You what?” Pam said shocked.
“You just don’t know how hard it was after you left,” Roy continued, “I couldn’t function without you. I just drank and drank to numb the pain. You were the best thing I had going for me and then just one day, you were gone, without any warning.”
“Without any warning?” Pam asked, now she was getting annoyed, “You really are clueless, Roy. It was obvious to everyone but you how miserable I was. You went out all the time without me, stumbling in drunk at all hours of the night. You kept pushing our wedding date back, you mocked my love of art, and you never helped out around the house. You want me to keep going?”
“No, Pam,” Roy said, his eyes watering, “I get it. I was a horrible fiancé.”
“So you get it then?” she asked, “You get why I’m not going to get back with you. It’s over, Roy.”
Roy was silent as tears began rolling down his cheeks. Despite all he had put her through, there was a great deal of history there, and it hurt her to see him hurting.
“Why don’t you go stay with your parents?” Pam suggested.
“Can’t,” Roy replied, “I had it out with them after I broke Kenny’s nose.”
A soft “Oh,” escaped Pam’s mouth. She didn’t know what to say. Roy’s life had become a mess, he lost his job, his home, and his family, and it was all her fault. She knew she wouldn’t get back together with him, but she felt like she had to do something. She couldn’t just toss him out on the street and say, “Good luck!”
“Okay, here’s the deal,” Pam took a deep breath, “You can stay here for two weeks. I am not getting back together with you. I am giving you this time to find a new job and get your life back. After that, you have to move out and I think it would be best for you leave me alone after that. It’s the only way you’ll move on.”
Roy looked up at Pam, a grateful look in his eyes, “Okay, you’ve got a deal.”
“I’m serious Roy,” Pam said again, “Two weeks and then you’re out of here. I mean it.”
“No, yeah, I understand,” Roy said, standing and hugging her, “Thank you so much, Pammy. I promise, you won’t regret it.”
Pam untangled herself from Roy’s embrace. “I’m going to bed. I’ll get you a pillow and blanket and you can crash on the couch. Rest up, you have a full day of job searching tomorrow.”
Pam got Roy settled on her couch and then retreated to her room. As she settled in under the covers, she had a flash to earlier in the evening, kissing Jim on her front porch. She couldn’t wait to see him the next day, she was just hoping he would understand her decision to let Roy stay here.
Author's Chapter Notes:
This chapter is dedicated to Deedldee, who encouraged all of use authors with WIPs to update! So thanks for the kick in the pants!
There is no Jim in this chapter, so sorry to disappoint. I missed him, too, while writing it. It reminded me of the episodes this past season where he was MIA.
Same disclaimers apply. Don't sue, it's not worth it.
There is no Jim in this chapter, so sorry to disappoint. I missed him, too, while writing it. It reminded me of the episodes this past season where he was MIA.
Same disclaimers apply. Don't sue, it's not worth it.
Chapter End Notes:
I'm already working on the next chapter and we'll get Jim back. Don't forgot to review, your love is my drug. Yeah, I just quoted Kesha, someone shoot me!
