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.
Snow tubing. Snow tubing was Michael’s latest camaraderie affair. Most people didn’t want to go, but Jim thought the giant exclamation at the top of Michael’s memo had eased a few people’s minds about the “mandatory” event. “ALCOHOL WILL BE SERVED” was not only in the subject line of the email, but mentioned twice in the actual body. Nearly everyone had replied that they would be there, with the exception of Ryan, who adamantly stated to Michael that he would not be out again the night before his business prep exam. Kelly, therefore, had also excused herself from the evening, telling Jim that there was simply no reason to attend if Ryan wasn’t going to be there, if they wouldn’t be there together. Jim thinks Michael would have made her attend, but she pretty much holds the trump card after the incident that occurred on Diversity Day.
Jim approaches Pam’s desk and she tilts her screen so he can see it.
“MySpace?” He says, surprised. “I didn’t know you were into this kind of stuff.”
“Yeah,” she replies, giddy. “It’s kind of fun! Hey you should get one. We can leave each other messages!”
“Umm, no thanks, I have a life,” he purses his lips to hide his forming smile.
“Interesting,” Pam replies, and furrows her brow, “what’s that like?”
“So anyway. About this snow tubing thing…”
Pam just groans and rolls her eyes. “Snow tubing? What does that have to do with anything? The bowling, I understood. The booze cruise, ok, I get it. But snow tubing?” Pam shakes her head. “I can’t see how this is going to relate to team-building at all. And Roy can’t come because he’s going to visit his aunt and uncle, so I’m going to have to drive to this place in the snow by myself.” Jim flushed because he was sure when his face lit up, she saw it.
“God, Pam, you don’t have to beat around the bush,” Jim said. “I’ll drive you. You can just come out and ask, you know,” Jim grinned.
“Oh! No, I wasn’t…”
“No really, it’s ok,” Jim laughed, “I could use the company. Oh, plus I’m making hot chocolate for the drive, soooo…you just happen to be in luck.”
“Well,” Pam started, hesitantly, “if you really don’t mind. I just hate driving in this weather, especially by myself.”
“No problem. I’ll be at your place around 5 o’clock, and we can grab something to eat before we hit the road. Sound good?”
Pam smiled. “Yep. Good. Thanks Jim.”
Jim winked, and walked back to his desk.
++++++
Michael approaches them as they walk in, rubbing their hands together. “Cheers!” he yells, and holds up two 26-oz bottles of vodka. “Jim and Pam are here!” A few heads turn, and mumble “hello”. Meredith raises her glass.
The lodge is beautiful. This was obviously a corporate-sponsored event, Jim thought, as he studied the beautiful hardwood flooring and huge fireplace at the south end of the cabin. The crown moulding on the ceiling was intricately done and the warm mahogany and burgundy and brown tones on the walls warmed the place right up. Jim looked at Pam who was already studying all of the art on the walls.
“Hey, Pam,” Jim says, “I’m going to go put my jacket in the coat room,” and he gestures toward the back of the lodge. “Want me to take yours?”
“Sure, thanks,” she replies. “I’m going to get a drink. I’d offer you one, but you know…” and she points to the car keys in his left hand.
“Always looking out for me, eh Pam?”
“No, not really for you,” she teases and pats his upper arm, “but I’d like to get home in one piece.”
They turn and walk in different directions. Pam approaches the bar where Kevin is sitting and orders some form of alcoholic hot chocolate. Kevin orders her a second one before she’s finished the first, because it’s “what guys do”. She thanks him, but immediately turns to search for Jim. The lodge has gotten busier – Dunder-Mifflin is obviously not the only group there. It’s loud and packed, but Pam notices it’s still strangely warm and intimate. She sees Jim’s head bob across the room above the people. She smiles, and turns back toward the bartender. “I’ll have another one of these,” she says, and nods toward her drink.
Jim’s eyes widen as he approaches. “Are these all yours?” he asks, surprised. I was gone for not even 10 minutes. Pam grins. “They’re good!” She says. “I can’t stop.”
“Apparently not…” Jim replies, and turns. “Hey, wanna go sit over there by the fire? There’s fewer people,” he stops. “Unless, of course, you wanted to ‘hit the slopes’,” he gestures toward the door where Michael, Kevin, Creed and an inebriated Meredith are doing up their jackets and waiting in line to get tubing passes. Oscar, Phyllis and Stanley are sitting at a table enjoying drinks and laughing, Angela is nowhere to be seen, and Dwight walked away about 15 minutes ago.
“Umm, no. The fire is fine.” Pam gave the bartender her credit card to start a tab, and they got up (slowly) and walked towards the fire. Pam was wobbly, Jim noticed, but was coherent and hadn’t started shouting yet. He thought about cutting her off from the alcohol, but she was having way too much fun. She’s so cute, he thought, and smiled shyly. Might as well let her enjoy herself. Pam had found a wool blanket and insisted that they wrap themselves in it. Jim was warm already, but didn’t argue. She carefully draped it around his shoulders, then around her own. His thigh was pressed against hers and a new warmth emanated through his body. She’d drop her head on his shoulder every once and a while, and it made him smile every. Single. Time. Dwight and Angela had joined them across the fire, and even Angela had seemed a little more relaxed this evening. The four of them talked and laughed for a while, and Pam had continued to drink. She giggled every time Jim laughed, and Jim laughed every time she giggled.
Pam wanted to walk around, so Jim obliged, although he thought walking may not be the best idea for Pam right now. Primarily because there wasn’t much “walking” involved. It was more – stumbling. Nevertheless, she insisted that they “mingle with the Mifflinites”. As the approached Dwight and Angela, she heard her name. Angela was talking.
“I mean, she does this every time,” Angela tsked. “Can she not control herself? Remember the Dundies? Roy left her there, too. Some fiancée he is. I can only hope the man I plan on marrying isn’t a lazy, incompetent, careless goof like he is. And did you see her tonight? That’s just…” she stopped and her eyes widened as Dwight cleared his throat.
“Oh, Pam…” she started awkwardly.
Pam’s mouth trembled and she glared at Angela before she started sobbing. She turned away and ran out of the lodge.
++++++
Jim trudged out to the car with the wool blanket slung over his left shoulder. The back windows had started to fog, and he tapped on the left rear window before he opened the door.
“Hey, I found you.” He said it so quietly it was almost a whisper. “Are you okay?”
Pam doesn’t say anything at first, and when she looks up, Jim’s sure his heart breaks into a million pieces when he sees how red, puffy and wet her cheeks and eyes are. His eyes start to well up, but he clears his throat.
“Why would she say that?” was all she said.
Well, because she’s blunt. And she’s right, he thought. You do this the last time Roy was an ass. He’s clueless. You know if Roy wasn’t in your life, nothing would have been said and you and I would still be in there by the fire wrapped up in a blanket together, talking and laughing and drinking…
But instead he just pursed his lips, tilted his head, raised his eyebrows and shrugged as if he was apologizing for something that wasn’t his fault. Pam slid over to the far side of the car and leaned against the window.
“I don’t want to go back in right now. Will you…” she gestured for Jim to take the empty spot next to her.
Jim’s heartbeat tripled. Not a good idea, he thought. Of course, I’d love to sit in the back of my car under a blanket with you, Pam. Just…not a good idea. For the sake of my heart and soul.
Pam must have sensed his hesitancy because she leaned toward him, grabbed his wrist and slid her hand down so that her palm was against his. She firmed her grip and tugged him a little. Reluctantly-but-not-so, Jim ducked his head and squeezed in the back with her. Her hand still held his, and she draped it around her shoulders and leaned against his right side. Jim glanced at the lodge nervously and shut the door to the car. He pulled the blanket out from under him and fixed it over Pam. The side of her face pressed against his chest and she started crying again.
“Listen, Pam…” he started. “I don’t know that we should…”
“Just stay here. For a while. Please, Jim,” she was almost begging him as her tear-filled gaze cut into him like a knife. “I had too much to drink and I don’t know where I want to go right now or where I want to be.”
Jim wasn’t sure if she meant right that second, or in general in her life. He didn’t bother asking.
He squeezed her a little tighter. “Yeah, I can do that.”
A silence pressed into them, and the warmth of the car and Pam’s body and the feeling that this was Pam in his arms in the back of his car was almost too much for him to handle. He rubbed her left arm and pressed his cheek into the top of her hair. She smelled like ‘fresh’, the thought. There was no other way to describe it. Not clean or new, or like shampoo or laundry detergent or perfume; but fresh, and beautiful. He wanted to lock up every feeling in his body at that moment and keep it there forever. The way she smelled, the way her cheeks had a rosy glow on her pale skin from the heat and the alcohol, the way that even though her hand was so tiny, it fit so perfectly in his.
Her breathing had steadied and Jim thought that perhaps she’d stopped crying. He waited until she was the one that broke the silence.
“Jim?” she whimpered.
“Mhmm,” was all he managed. He reached and gently pushed the hair out of her eyes and she gazed up at him.
“Why are you like this with me? I mean, no one else came out here after me. Everyone saw it happen. They knew I was upset. Roy won’t even come to these things with me let alone spend an entire evening with me.” Her voice was shaky, and had started to slow down with fatigue. She turned and put her head back on his chest. “And it’s not just tonight. I mean, at work,” she paused, and yawned. “You pay attention to me…and remember things about me. You ask me about…well, me. You know me…better than anyone has known me my entire life.” She yawned again.
His heart raced again. She has to be kidding, he thought. Why does she think I’m out here? He didn’t respond, and watched as her eyelids slowly dropped, and her breathing steadied. I could watch her sleep forever, he thought, and never get out of this car.
He kissed her forehead and adjusted his body under Pam’s, and tightened his arm around her. He checked again to see that she was asleep, and he reached his face down next to hers. His lips brushed her ear lobe and he wasn’t sure why he did it, but he whispered, “because I love you”.
Jim settled back in his seat. He wiggled his body further down and sleeping-Pam wrapped her arm around his waist. He didn’t know how long they’d be there or when they’d go home. But he didn’t care. Right before he closed his eyes, her voice reverberated into his chest. It was barely audible, but he could feel it through his entire body, right into his heart.
“I love you too, Jim.”
Author's Chapter Notes:
Still new to this, but I had to respond to this challenge. Fanfic and TWoP will happily fill my summer, I think. This turned out to be much longer than I'd anticipated, so my apologies!
tabitha is the author of 2 other stories.
This story is a favorite of 7 members. Members who liked Fresh also liked 1933 other stories.
