Five.

“I’m cold.” She gives Jim a small smile before walking around him, heading back into the heated cabin of the boat.

She stops in the doorway, though, watching as Roy takes another snorkel shot. She looks back and sees Jim is looking down, elbows resting on the ship’s railing. Taking one more quick glance inside, she decides that even though she really is cold, she’s not ready to deal with… whatever is happening in there.

She closes the door quietly, keeping Jim in her periphery, making sure he doesn’t see her walk around the cabin towards the front of the ship. She’s surprised to find Dwight, humming to himself and holding onto a wheel she’s pretty sure is only there for kids to pretend with. She glances up and her thoughts are confirmed when she sees the helmsman watching from above, actually steering the boat. Jim would love this, she thinks as she walks over to Dwight.

She leans back against the railing, facing him. “Hey, Dwight.”

He looks at her for a second before focusing on the water in front of him. “Pam.”

She glances at the city lights before looking back at him, “What are you doing?”

He sighs, “What does it look like I’m doing? I’m making sure we don’t capsize.”

“Seems like you’re doing a good job, then.”

“Obviously. What are you doing out here?”

She shrugs, “I needed some air.”

“You know there’s a back of the ship, too, right? So, you don’t have to distract me from my job?”

“Yeah, but…” she glances towards the back of the boat even though she can’t actually see it. She sighs, “Jim’s there.”

Dwight scoffs, turning the wheel ever so slightly to the right. “Aren’t you two best friends?”

“Yeah, but… I don’t know. I was talking to him about Roy and he just got kind of quiet. Like he doesn’t want to get caught between us, but I don’t get it. I just need to vent sometimes; I’m not asking for him to take sides.”

“Jim’s an idiot, he couldn’t give you good advice anyway.”

“That’s not—”

Dwight continues, not letting her finish, “Let me give you some advice. You should listen to Roy, he’s your fiancé, not Jim. Women should always listen to their male counterparts, especially if they are engaged.”

She raises an eyebrow, “What if my male counterpart won’t listen to me?”

Dwight shrugs, “That’s not his job. His job is to provide for you.”

“He has to do more than just provide for me if I’m going to spend the rest of my life with him.”

“If you believe that, then why are you bothering to marry him if he isn’t what you want?”

“I didn’t say that. I’m marrying him because I love him.”

“Is that enough for you?”

“Yes. I think so.”

He shrugs, as if the answer is simple, “Then marry him.”

She nods, and now she’s freezing instead of just cold, so she gestures towards the cabin. “I’m going inside. Do you need anything?”

“No, I’ll be in soon, once I make sure our path is clear.”

She looks out at the empty lake, unsure of what exactly could count as an obstacle against a ship of this size, but she’s not going to fight him on this. She pushes herself off the railing, “Well, thanks, Dwight.”

“I don’t need your thanks.”

“I know. But I’m saying it anyway.”

She could have sworn she heard a mumbled “you’re welcome” as she walked past him, but maybe it was just the cold getting to her. She goes in through the side door, not wanting to risk the back in case Jim is still there. She spots him at the bar, though, talking to Michael and Captain Jack. She just sat down with Katy when Dwight comes in, joining the other two at the bar.

She rests her hands on the table as Katy greets her and Pam returns her smile.

Katy gestures towards Pam’s left hand, “I’d like to be engaged. How did you manage to pull that off?”

She immediately starts fidgeting with her ring, a nervous habit she has formed over the past few years. “Uh, I’ve been engaged for three years, and there’s no end in sight. So… you don’t wanna ask my advice.”

“Well, Roy seems like a great guy.”

She nods, “He is.”

Katy nudges her arm, “He’s cute, too. You’ve got good taste.”

She laughs a little and thanks her before changing the subject, asking Katy more about her purses.

Katy is in the middle of telling her about her latest addition, a Michael Kors leather handbag that she thinks Pam would love, when Jim is suddenly beside her, asking her if they can talk. She’s not able to respond before Roy is at the microphone and asking her to marry him on June tenth and it’s suddenly all real. She’s getting married and they have a date and tears sting her eyes as she walks up and kisses Roy. Snorkel shots, artsy fartsy comments, any doubts from tonight vanished when her lips met his and she knew that this was finally happening.

She mistakes Jim's fake smile as genuine, missing the flash of devastation that had crossed over his face.