Chapter 1 (Pam’s POV):

Pam could tell that the camera crew was ecstatic that they had managed to capture such a pivotal moment in the primary Dunder-Mifflin intra-office romance.  Obviously recognizing what an emotional, distracted, daydreaming mess she had suddenly become, they didn’t even try to pull her attention away from Jim.  They did the opposite, in fact, asking her question after question about him and how she felt about this new development.  Even though it wasn’t Pam’s style to divulge her most intimate secrets to a film crew, it actually felt good to be able to talk about some of her newfound and heightened emotions.  After being peppered with questions for at least another hour, Pam was finally excused from their session.

Pam had hoped to see Jim upon exiting the conference room, but a quick glance at his neatened desk revealed that he was likely gone for the afternoon.  It wasn’t a surprise- she wasn’t expecting to see him at all that day, in fact.  He had initially requested to put in a half-day with some flexibility, not knowing how long his interview would take or when he would get back from the city.  But that didn’t make his absence now any less disappointing.  Pam let out a shaky exhale as she made her way back to reception.

When she reached her desk, she immediately noticed the purple Post-It note that had appeared on its surface with her name on it.  Her initial reaction would typically have been to fume for a minute.  A lingering occupational hazard, Pam still felt her blood pressure rise a bit whenever she saw one, especially from Michael (it served as a reminder of how insensitive her boss could be sometimes, specifically his accusation that she had been stealing them for fifty cents a pop back when he had fired her ‘as a joke’).  Today, however, on the heels of Jim asking her out, it didn’t even faze her.  And she brightened upon realizing that the note was penned to her in Jim’s unmistakable scrawl:

Pam,

Sorry for leaving while you were in with the cameras- I wanted to do a few things this afternoon to get ready for our date.  I think I have your address…pick you up at 7:30?  Dinner reservations are at 8.

I literally can’t wait-

Jim

Pam smiled, the same goofy grin that overtook her face the second that Jim Halpert had walked back into her life.  She ‘literally’ couldn’t wait for their date either.

Yet their date was almost five hours away.  Pam sat at her desk, glancing at the clock even more frequently than usual.  2:37, 2:42, 2:46.  Despite his proclamation that he couldn’t wait, the significance of Jim’s patience suddenly was not lost on her.  She tried to appeal to her rational side.  You’re being ridiculous, Pam.  Jim waited for years.  You can wait an afternoon. 

Yet- she couldn’t convince the rest of herself of that.  Her palms were so sweaty that she had to keep wiping them on her skirt, especially when she wrote down messages for Michael.  Her heart still hadn’t returned to its normal rhythm; it kept palpitating and sporadically Pam felt like it would burst out of her chest.  Her nerves were shot; she almost jumped straight out of her seat when Dwight tapped her on the shoulder to ask if she’d make him some more copies of his “Schrute-bucks” (why he needed more now, Pam didn’t know).  And because her mind kept wandering to different scenarios of how her date with Jim would play out, Pam found herself woefully, embarrassingly distracted- often letting the Dunder-Mifflin phone ring numerous times before it even occurred to her to answer it.

She still couldn’t believe she was going out on a date with Jim from the office!  Or how excited she was about it.  The fact that she could never actually admit the truth about how she felt- to herself, especially- made her now want to proudly proclaim it to anyone who would listen.  Yes, I’m going out with Jim- and yeah, I really like him.  Yet she didn’t know if Jim had told anyone else from work about their plans- and she didn’t want to be the one to spill the (jelly) beans if Jim wasn't ready for that yet.  She was tempted to make the trip up the precariously narrow ladder of the fire escape just so that she could shout it from the rooftop. 

Instead, she headed to the break room to grab a drink, her throat completely parched from her nerves.  Pam needed to find as much as possible to occupy the last two-plus hours of her shift- and, of course, her drifting mind.  She eavesdropped on all of her coworkers along the way, in keeping with one of her time-killing work pastimes.  As she sauntered past them, she overheard Andy reassure Dwight that their painted black office scheme was brilliant and that Michael just didn’t get it; she heard Phyllis on the phone, mumbling to someone (obviously not a client) about Vance Refrigeration; and she heard Kelly blathering on about Ryan to Toby.  When Pam reached the empty break room, she quickly glanced around to make sure the coast was clear- and then she jumped up in the air as high as she could (which really wasn’t very high).  She just needed to take a second to express her sheer exhilaration before going about the rest of her day.  She stood for a while at the vending machine, mulling over her drink choice, drawing out her decision as long as humanly possible merely to pass the time.  After what felt like at least a half an hour but according to the clock was only four minutes, Pam was about to settle for water (she didn’t want to look bloated for her date) when she felt a light tap on her shoulder.

“Beesly?”

At the sound of Jim’s voice, Pam spun around to face him.  He was still wearing the suit from his interview at corporate, and damn, did he look sharp.  She still wasn’t used to seeing his hair short or styled- it made her want to run her fingernails all through it, mess it up a little.   The purple Post-It he had left her was adhered to Jim’s right pointer finger.

“Halpert,” she breathed, trying to sound normal, but she knew she was failing miserably.  Jim was resting one of his hands on the vending machine, so he was less than an arm’s distance away from her, and the proximity was making Pam feel a little lightheaded.  Probably in part because Jim must have worn aftershave or something for his interview.  He smelled so good. 

“Um, what are you doing back here?” she asked him after a few moments.  She needed a bit of time to collect herself.

“I’ve been in and out.  I had to take care of a few things,” Jim replied cryptically.  He raised his hand, referencing the Post-It.  “I just wrote this in case I didn’t see you.”

“What kinds of things?”  Pam wondered, raising a brow at him.

 “Um, well-” Jim hesitated.  “I broke it off with Karen.  That’s one of them.”

“Oh.” Given that Jim had just asked her out on a date a little while ago, she supposed the move wasn’t particularly surprising.  Still, it was a little weird to talk about.  “How did it go?” It would feel awkward not to somehow acknowledge what he just said, considering the enormity of his news.

Jim shrugged.  “I mean, she was never the one I really wanted to be with- and I think I always knew it.  But Karen’s such a good person, you know?  I dunno…”  Jim trailed off, looking down, avoiding her gaze. 

Pam nodded in understanding.  She couldn’t blame Jim for feeling guilty or having these kinds of residual feelings for Karen, not when she was with Roy for so long.  Plus, Karen really was nice.  She felt her own little pang of sadness, since her relationship with Karen would never be the same, either.  They weren’t that close, but Karen was one of the few people at the office that Pam genuinely liked, someone that she could have envisioned being friends with outside of work, if circumstances weren’t what they were.  However, the pang was very temporary.  An acquaintanceship with Karen was nothing compared to what she might be getting in return.  It was a risk well worth it.

“…it was actually pretty hard.  And it took longer than I thought it would.”

Pam came back to Earth at his words.  She placed her hand on Jim’s shoulder, giving him just a hint of a grin.  “That’s what she said?” she murmured sympathetically.  Michael’s catchphrase would forever be ingrained in their minds, and while it pained her to admit it, it could actually be pretty funny sometimes. 

Jim looked up, finally meeting her eyes.  “That’s what she said,” he echoed.  He cleared his throat, face suddenly looking serious.  “It, um- it was the right thing to do, though, I’m 100% sure of that.”  He looked into her eyes for another second, and then at her fingertips brushing top of his bicep, before breaking into a big smile.  

God, that smile- it melted Pam’s heart.  In that moment, she just felt so lucky. She could feel herself beaming, too, though she was a little bit self-conscious, and she slowly pulled her hand away.  She tried to shift gears, lighten the mood.  “So- you literally can’t wait until tonight, huh?  Like if we can’t go right now your heart will just explode or something?” she teased him, though in actuality Pam was just describing how she currently felt.

Jim’s smile faded; his cheeks flushed slightly and he averted her eyes. “Yeah, something like that,” he murmured.  “I thought that might actually be the case for a while.”  He sounded serious.  He paused, avoiding her gaze, before speaking up again.  “Hey listen, I really am going to get going now- I still have some stuff to finish up-”

Pam had hit a nerve, perhaps embarrassed him.  She had to fix it.  “Jim-” she said a little desperately, reaching her hand out again, this time putting it gently on his forearm.  “I, um- I literally can’t wait for it either.”  It nearly killed her to be so grammatically incorrect, but she’d deal with it if it made Jim feel better.

Jim met her eyes again, and his grin was full-on now.  “Good.  I’ve still gotta go now, though.  Lots of stuff- including work- to do before our date.  See you at 7:30 at your place?”

Pam nodded, still a bit in disbelief at the prospect.  “See you then.”

Jim gave her his classic smirk.  “This date is going to kick your ass, Beesly.  You literally won’t want it to end,” he turned and sauntered out of the break room, leaving Pam a little breathless.  She had no doubt he was right.