Pam stood still, watching the scene unfolding before her, unsure of what to do. She knew what the old Pammy would have done, but that girl was long gone. She had shed her slowly, over nearly a year, starting with ending a ten year relationship and ending with a fireside confession on the beach.
When Jim found out that he had to accompany Michael to the Annual Northeastern Mid-Market Office Supply Convention, he did everything to get out of it. He had suggested that Michael take Dwight with him again, which almost did happen until Ryan intervened. Apparently, Ryan is just too important now to attend such low level events and he wanted Jim there to keep Michael in line.
She wasn’t upset that Jim was going to be gone two nights, the convention running from Thursday afternoon until Saturday morning. She had been more worried about how cold and empty her bed would feel without him there. They hadn’t spent a night apart in months. They had tried, but inevitably one of them always caved, much to the relief of the other. So when Jim suggested she come with him, she jumped at the chance.
The plan was for Pam to work Thursday and a half day Friday. She would take the train to Philadelphia Friday, arriving in time to accompany Jim to the convention’s cocktail hour, and then after Jim finished up with convention stuff Saturday morning, they would have the weekend to themselves in Philadelphia.
Jim had already added an extra night to his hotel reservation, paying for it himself, and made plans for them. He had wanted to make up for their less than ideal first night away together at Schrute Farms. They were going to spend Saturday afternoon at the Philadelphia Museum of Art followed by a romantic dinner somewhere in Old City, Jim wouldn’t tell her exactly where. He suggested they play Sunday by ear, either leaving right away or doing some site seeing, but Pam had a surprise up her sleeve as well, having bid on eBay for two tickets for the Eagles game for that Sunday afternoon. If Jim was willing to spend a day in an art museum, she could suck it up and go to a football game. It’s not as if Jim would forget her there.
She finds herself now at the convention’s formal cocktail hour, dressed in the little black dress Jim had helped her shop for the previous weekend. They had been chatting about how boring these conventions are with the number two from the Buffalo branch, (she can never remember his name), when she excused herself to use the ladies’ room. When she was done, she stopped at the bar to refill their drinks, knowing Jim was near empty when she had left and that he liked to maintain a light buzz at paper-related functions.
With their drinks in hand, she turned from the bar and immediately spotted him across the room. He was wearing the same suit that he wore for Phyllis’s wedding and despite not having the best memories of that night, Pam couldn’t help but admire how good he looked. Unlike his work suits, this one was tailored to his lanky frame. The good fit combined with the dark color made him look undeniably sexy.
She had been ogling her boyfriend for a brief moment when she noticed that he was no longer chatting with the Assistant from Buffalo, but the Manager of the Utica branch: Karen. She couldn’t see Karen’s face, but could tell she was tense by the way she stood. She could also tell that they weren’t just exchanging pleasantries by how Jim was reacting. His head was down, eyes fixed on his feet or a spot on the carpet and his hands were in his pockets. He made a move to inch away, but Karen stopped him, grabbing his forearm and not letting go.
Pam felt a flash of jealousy. She knew she had nothing to worry about with Jim. He had assured her that he wasn’t going anywhere… ever. But what right did Karen have to touch him? And so, Pam watched the scene unfolding before her, Jim looking painfully uncomfortable with Karen’s hand gripping his forearm, and contemplated how to handle it.
She remembered something similar happening a long, long time ago. It was shortly before Roy had proposed and they had met some of his old high school football buddies for a drink. She had excused herself to use the bathroom, much like she done tonight, and when she headed back to their spot in the bar, she saw Roy openly flirting with some giggly blonde. She watched them for a good five minutes before sheepishly sliding up next to Roy and coughing lightly to get his attention. The blonde left then, but would periodically through out the night shoot Roy a flirty glance or find a reason to touch him.
She also remembered something Jim had told her shortly after they started dating. It was the night they had decided to get it all out in the open and he had told her about the day he had admitted to Karen that he still had feelings for Pam.
“You said ‘yes’ when she asked you?” Pam had questioned with tear filled eyes. Jim just nodded, knowing how hard it was for her to hear that he was able to admit his feelings to Karen but not to her.
“And why did she stay with you after that?”
“Karen may have seemed all strong and put together,” Jim had explained, “But deep down, she is incredibly insecure,” Jim started before continuing on with a long story about nights filled with endless conversation.
Armed with the knowledge that Karen was not as tough as she had acted and the desire to not be old pushover Pammy, Pam made her way towards Jim and his ex-girlfriend. When she got nearer to them, what she heard only added fuel to the fire. She couldn’t hear every word Karen was saying, but could distinctly make out “please, Jim,” “again,” and “good together.”
She knew she couldn’t confront Karen head on. No matter how much she grew, that type of confrontation would never be her style. Instead, she slid up next to Jim, linking one of her arms through his, leaning into him and pressing a soft kiss to his cheek. Then in a voice that was just loud enough for Karen to hear, she whispered into Jim’s ear, “You look really sexy in that suit. What do you say we take this upstairs?”
She could see the blush creeping up from Jim’s neck to his cheeks so she turned to acknowledge Karen with a quick, “Oh, hi, Karen, didn’t see you there.” Karen excused herself with a quiet, “I have to go,” and Jim and Pam were alone.
“Wow,” Jim said turning towards Pam, still blushing, but grinning ear to ear, “What was that?”
“Oh, I’m sorry,” Pam giggled, “Were you two not done? I could go get Karen and you could go back to what you were talking about.” She unlinked her arm from his and started to make her way in the direction that Karen had left them.
“Oh, no you don’t,” Jim replied, grabbing Pam’s arm and pulling her close, “Now, what were you saying about taking this upstairs?”
Author's Chapter Notes:
I was having a season 3 angst fest the other day and began to wonder why no one ever attended the convention again. Or maybe they did and this happened, I guess we'll never know. This is set some time between "Money" and "Local Ad" in season 4. Also, the title, which I know is rather lame, is based on Pam's TH in the season 4 promo where she talks about letting her hair down. I am so predictable.
Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.
Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.
Chapter End Notes:
Thanks for reading. Don't forget to review!
BluetimesTwo is the author of 6 other stories.
This story is a favorite of 4 members. Members who liked More Unpredictable also liked 2275 other stories.
