In what seemed like a blur, suddenly she was pulling out of the Dunder Mifflin parking lot, Jim in her front seat. It seemed surreal; they hadn’t been this physically close, alone, since he had come back from Stamford. She couldn’t help but notice that he still wore the same cologne that he always had and that his scent, though subtle, seemed to fill her car. She didn’t mind.
“Do you want to stop home really quick? Grab some clothes? Maybe a toothbrush or something?”
Jim nodded. “Yeah, probably should. Just, uh, take a right up here.”
Pam pulled into the parking lot of Jim’s apartment complex and waited in the car while he ran inside.
When he asked if she would go with him at the office, she had said yes without a thought. As much as the last month had worn her down as she continuously grasped for signs of their old friendship, she knew she would always do anything for him. She had never seen him look so scared and it tugged at her. There was no question, she was coming with him.
But now, sitting in the car with nothing but his lingering scent and her own thoughts, she started to feel a slow rise of panic in her chest. There were a million things left unsaid between them and now there was a nearly three and a half hour drive ahead. She wasn’t sure they knew how to talk anymore. He would obviously be worrying about Larissa the entire time and she desperately wanted to find a way to ease his mind and calm him down, but she was nervous she wouldn’t be able to do that now. He had begun to feel like a stranger and she had never been good at small talk.
Jim came out of the apartment, duffel bag in hand. He maneuvered his tall frame into her tiny car again and threw his duffel bag in the back seat. He looked at her, disbelief still lingering in his eyes from hearing the news about Larissa.
“Do you need to stop home for anything?” Jim asked.
“Uh, no, actually,” she shrugged. “As it turns out, I was planning on spending the weekend with my friend Isabel in Philly, so I already have a bag in the trunk. I was going to leave straight from work.”
“Well, now I feel extra terrible asking you to drive me.”
“Jim, stop apologizing. Isabel will understand. I’m happy to do this.” She looked over at him. “Really.”
He looked down at his lap with a sad smile. “Thank you, Beesly.”
There was a beat of silence between them as she pulled onto the interstate. She glanced at him as he fiddled with his phone.
“Any more news about your sister?”
“My mom texted me about ten minutes ago. Larissa got really lucky. I guess she and her friend were biking on the side of the road and a driver fell asleep at the wheel and hit her. She didn’t have any injuries to her head or anything, so thankfully no concern about her brain. She’s apparently pretty banged up, though. And uh, they’re worried about possible paralysis,” his voice broke as he said the last word. “I guess it’s too early to tell if it's permanent.”
“You alright?” She glanced his way.
He cleared his throat. “Yeah, I think some of the shock is wearing off. I’m just glad she’s going to be okay. My mom is a wreck.”
“I can imagine. Anything I can do to help?”
Jim yawned.
“Seriously, letting me drag you to New York is help enough. I feel bad, because now that the initial shock is gone, I probably would have been fine to drive myself. I just felt so sick when my mom called. I couldn’t really focus on much.”
“I’ll admit I was a little surprised you asked me to come,” Pam admitted, “but I’m very glad to help in whatever way you need. I don’t know what I would do if Penny got hurt.” She shook off the thought. “You look tired though. Do you want to sleep? I have a jacket in the back seat you could use as a pillow.”
“Actually, that would be nice.” His eyelids were already getting droopy. “Didn’t get much sleep last night and then this seems to have kind of taken it out of me.”
Pam reached in the back seat, keeping her eyes on the road, and grabbed the jacket. Jim balled it up and put it under his head. “Thanks,” he smiled. Within minutes, he was asleep.
She looked over at him. His sleeping face had released the worry he had been carrying all afternoon and it was nice to see him looking so peaceful. It was nice to see him at all, actually.
It wasn’t as if they never spoke to each other at work. There were still little jokes here and there, a couple pranks he had included her on (or that she inserted herself into), and friendly exchanges, even if they were laced with a formality that hadn’t been there before he left. But it just felt so different now. They never spent more than a few minutes together at any given time. Before Stamford they would spend their entire lunch break talking and laughing or plotting against Dwight. She didn’t see him much now, and he sure as hell didn’t see her. She picked up her phone and dialed Isabel’s number. Jim seemed asleep enough for her to have a conversation.
“Hey Pam!”
“Hi Iz. So, change of plans. I can’t meet you in Philadelphia tonight.”
“What, why?”
“I’m actually driving to Rochester right now with...Jim.” His name came out a whisper as she looked over, checking to make sure he was really asleep.
“WHAT?! Pam...details.”
“Shhhhh...he’s asleep in my front seat. His sister got into a pretty bad accident and he needed someone to drive him up there because Karen has his car and he asked me, for some reason. I’m sorry I have to call it off so last minute.”
“Oh, you KNOW you don’t have to apologize for this. Is his sister okay?”
“She should be fine, they’re just hoping she’ll regain feeling in her legs. Luckily no brain injury or anything.”
“And he invited you to come with him?”
“Yeah, I offered to just lend him my car but he said he was too shaken up to drive and invited me to come.”
“Hot damn. I thought he was all about professionalism and the art of the cold shoulder these days.”
“Me too! But here we are. Not sure what happens when we get there, but I was happy to help him out. I’ve never seen him look so scared.”
“Well, I guess keep me updated with everything. Hopefully his sister is okay. And hopefully you get the chance to tell him how much you lo----”
“Aaaaaand I’m hanging up now. See you, Iz.”
“You know you doooo---”
*blip*
Pam hung up on Isabel. Even though Jim was asleep and probably couldn’t have heard her friend on the other line anyway, she still felt uneasy with where that conversation was headed, especially considering Jim’s close proximity to her.
If she was being honest, she was still a little confused. Inviting her to join him seemed so out of the realm of their current “friendship”. She kept stealing glances at him in the front seat, then back to the road, then back at him. She saw his chest rise and fall rhythmically with even, sleep-filled breaths, his hair perfectly messy from running his hands nervously through it so many times. His tie was loosened and he had rolled his sleeves up to his elbows, like he always used to.
And she knew it. Isabel was right.
She loved him.
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© 2006-2023 More Than That | Skin created by Kali
© 2006-2023 More Than That | Skin created by Kali