It was a long walk. Jim realized that it probably felt even longer for Pam: her legs weren’t as long, for a start, and she was wearing, while they were Keds, less helpful shoes than he was. Mark had tricked him once into joining a trail-running group; he’d thought it was more about the destination in the park than the journey, wooed with stories of picnics overlooking the lake with beer and bro-time before heading back. He’d realized after one run that there wasn’t a lot of beer or food on offer if you were running back the way you came, and so he’d quit right after. But he still had the shoes, and they were extremely comfortable (for shoes) over long distances.

He didn’t think Pam’s Keds, which were looking a lot less white than usual, were quite that comfortable.

He asked later, and it turned out that they’d walked about four miles including the walk inside the park to get to the actual visitor’s center. It felt like a lot longer, even to him.

Once they got there, he took one look at her, gingerly hopping from foot to foot while trying her best to look ready for anything and only succeeding in looking adorable and suggested, gently, that they should definitely rest underneath the large awnings at the Visitor’s Center for a little bit.

“It’s not that hot out, but I could use a cool down,” he offered gently, and then, once he had her seated and settled, ran into the Visitor’s Center, got two cool drinks, and returned to sit next to her before anyone else could grab the best seat in the house (that being whatever was beside her, naturally).

“So, Beesly, had enough walking yet?” He stretched out his legs and noticed that her eyes tracked as he did so. “It sounds like our best bet to see the wildlife is to…walk some more.”

She groaned and he laughed. “Yeah, that was my reaction too. The Visitor Centre has some good displays about what we’ll see, but I figure that’s not any better since we’d still have to be on our feet. Might as well chill for a bit and then try if we can go see it for ourselves.”

“Agreed.” She stuck her legs out next to his, and giggled.

“What?”

“I was just thinking…you’re so long.” She blushed bright red. “Don’t say it!”

“What would I say?” He winked.

“You’d say that’s what she said!”

“But you did, didn’t you?” He put on his best innocent, confused face. “Why shouldn’t I say you said it if you said it?”

“That’s not what I meant and you know it.” She swatted his arm lightly.

“But you did say it, Pam!” He leaned closer so no one else could hear them. “And I’m hoping that might not be the only time in my life you ever say it.”

“JIM!” She had been a little red from exertion; now she was the color of a cardinal who’d taken a swim in a can of red paint while eating peppers.

“What?” He put the innocent face back on, with a little raise of the eyebrows. “If we hang out together more, obviously we’ll have more opportunities to spread our legs. Like this, obviously.” And he stretched his legs out and uncrossed them ostentatiously.

**

“I’m going to kill you.” She ground it out, but couldn’t keep her jaw locked hard enough to stop a giggle popping out at the end. “I swear, Halpert, you are so dead.”

“At least if you’re there with me, I’ll die happy.” He crossed his ankles again and god help her she couldn’t stop thinking about how long his legs were and the implication he’d made out of it.

“Weren’t you listening, Jim? Of course I’ll be there. I’m going to be the one who kills you.” She smirked. “Honestly, sometimes it’s like you don’t listen.”

“Oh, I’m listening, Beesly. I think you’re the one who didn’t listen—if you’re there, I’ll be happy.” He crossed his hands behind his head and now she was thinking about how long he was in the other direction and that led right back to the dimension she was as yet unaware of.

All the blood in her body, she was pretty sure, was in her face right now. She might need a transfusion if he kept this up, just so she could blush adequately.

“Let’s go for a walk!” she blurted and hopped to her feet. “I wanna see a kangaroo.”

“Your wish is my command.” He stood slowly, causing (forcing? No, this was her choice. Allowing) her gaze to wash down his body and then up again as he towered just a little over her. “Let’s bring the drinks, though.”

“That’s the first good idea you’ve had all day,” she grumbled, and then thought better of it. “OK, the second. The sitting was nice for a bit.”

“I live to serve.” He handed her her drink and pulled a map out of his back pocket that he’d clearly taken from the Visitor’s Center. “Shall we do the easy wilderness walk or the easier not wilderness walk?”

“This is a trick question, isn’t it?” She grabbed the map, ignoring the drink for a moment, and checked her intuition. “The woodland walk.” She handed him the map and took the drink. “That’s the one with the wallabies. And wallabies, as everyone knows, are kangaroos.”

“Well deduced.” He took a sip of his drink and gestured forward. “Lead on.”

“Jim, I gave you back the map.” She took her own drink—he had good taste, the lemonade was delicious and slightly fizzy—and gestured herself. “You lead on.”

“Fair enough, Beesly. Would you object greatly if we went together?”

“I think that could be arranged.” She slipped an arm through his and off they went. It seemed like her feet barely hurt at all anymore.