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"That is vodka and I mixed it with orange juice. I call it an orange-vod-juice…ka."


"Wow, that is delicious," Jim said upon tasting Michael's concoction, "can't believe no one's thought of that."


"Yeah," Michael said, the sarcasm in Jim's statement seemingly evading him, "so how are you enjoying the party?"


"Oh, it's really fun. I'm loving the whole Moroccan thing. Umm, can I talk to you about something?"


"Yeah, man. Of course, you can tell me anything. Is it about Pam? Are you having trouble performing because I've experienced that multiple times with Jan. You see the trick is—"


"Okay, no," Jim immediately stopped him lest he should say something that his brain would not be able to handle, "it's about Katy actually."


"Oh, did you see how hot she looked?"


"Michael…."


"And she seems like a really adventurous girl. You've had sex with her, right? Is she better than Pam? Does she do things that you thought you wouldn't like but end up enjoying?"

"I am not going to answer any of those questions. Look, Michael. I just wanted to ask if you told her I was engaged."

"To Pam?"

"No, funnily enough, I gave Karen a quick call a while ago and proposed to her right then and there. I leave for Utica tomorrow."


"Really? You're leaving for Utica and you didn't tell me?" the way he asked his question was so earnest that it almost broke Jim's heart at how gullible he truly was.


"No, Michael. I was just kidding. Anyway, did you did you tell Katy that I'm engaged to Pam?"


"Nope. I did not tell her. Wait, Katy doesn't know?"


"No, unfortunately it didn't cross my mind to tell my ex-girlfriend that I had not spoken to in three years that I'm engaged."


"Wow, that is so weird that she went to this party. Isn't that a strange coincidence?"


"Yeah, it is," Jim sighed and finished the contents of his drink. He handed the cup back to Michael, who in turn gave him another one.


"You know, it finally makes sense now. When Katy was here, she kept asking me about you and I said you were doing really good. I even told her that you bought your parents house. Then I found out she's single and then she asked if you were dating anyone. And I thought to myself, 'Well, he's engaged to Pam. It would be so weird if he was dating someone on the side.'"


"And you didn't think to tell that to her?" he could feel himself getting frustrated but couldn't blame Michael who had been blissfully unaware of the situation.


"I just thought she was acting weird," he explained, "wow, you should probably clear things up with her right?"


"Wow, I definitely did not think about that," the sarcasm was once again clear in his voice, "I'll make sure to talk to her. Thanks, Michael."


"You are welcome my good sir."


He kept himself from groaning at him as he left Michael's station. He searched around the room for Katy, knowing that he had to finally tell her about his engagement, but could not seem to find her. As he continued looking, he came across a familiar tune, one that he had been hearing in the past two hours.


"I have no gift to bring pa rum pum pum pum." 


"Dwight…" he glared at his co-worker who had just gone inside the conference room to get a drink, "Come on, really?"


"What? I can't think of any other songs, Jim."

"Jingle Bells, Let It Snow, White Christmas, Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas. Do you want me to keep going?"

"Wow, great job Jim," he gave him a mocking slow clap, "thanks for providing me with songs for kindergarteners. I'm sure your mommy and daddy are so proud of you."


"I also learned 'The Little Drummer Boy' when I was in kindergarten," he mumbled out and looked at Dwight as if he had a lightbulb moment, "hey, can you help me out with something?"


"I refuse to help you with anything," Dwight said, "but continue."


"When Katy comes over, do you think you can maybe mention to her that I'm already engaged?"


"Why can't you tell her yourself?" he asked.


"I will. I just need someone to get the ball rolling," he scratched his head, feeling embarrassed to be asking Dwight of all people to get him out of a situation, "so will you help me?"

"Of course, Jim," a wide smile was suddenly plastered on his face, "I'll do anything to help out my favorite little buddy."


"Great?" he wondered if Dwight was actually being sincere but had not time to contemplate as he saw Katy entering the room, "Okay, here she comes."


"Hey Jim," he could smell the alcohol in her breath as she spoke, "I've been meaning to talk to you. Are you busy?"


"Umm, no not really. But I think Dwight was about to tell me something. What was it again?"


"Oh yeah," Dwight stared at him for a few seconds before speaking up, "Jim wanted me to tell you that he thinks you look beautiful tonight. I'm not sure why he couldn't tell you himself."


"What?" he pursed his lips at Dwight who was clearly reveling at getting some sweet revenge on his frenemy, "Are you sure that's what you wanted to say, Dwight?"


"Yes, that's what I clearly remember you telling me. Anyway, I'll leave you two alone. I have other matters to attend to. Hey, Katy. By the way, do you have any daughters or nieces interested in a Princess Unicorn doll?"


"Oh no, sorry. They're not really a fan of the horns."


"Ugh, typical. Anyway, I think the two of you have some catching up to do," he said before leaving, purposely ignoring Jim's continued pleas to stay. 


Giving up on trying to convince Dwight to help him, he faced Katy once more. As he continued awkwardly looking at her, memories of the booze cruise suddenly resurfaced in his brain. He remembered watching Pam on the dance floor with Roy, wishing it was him she was sharing the moment with. He was too heartbroken that night to even realize how brutal the way he ended things with Katy was. 


"I don't know. Let's break up." 


Those six words completely took her by surprise and he could tell that she was willing herself not to slap him. It was an awkward night for both of them as it was another hour in the ship and a thirty minute car ride home before they could officially go their separate ways. He completely understood if she never wanted to speak to him again. 


"Do you want to sit down?" she asked.


"Umm, yeah sure," the first thing that he noticed when he led him to a spot with two empty chairs was that she held his hand in doing so. Instinctively, he searched around the room for Pam whom he hoped was not getting the wrong idea. While she had just told him how she enjoyed seeing him uncomfortable, he also knew Katy could unknowingly do something that would upset her. Eventually, he saw her having a casual conversation with Phyllis. He was initially unsure if she was witnessing what was happening to him but then he saw her take a quick glance at him before stifling back laughter.


"Is she okay?" Katy pointed to Meredith who had been dancing non-stop by herself, "I think she's had too much to drink."


"Nah, she'll be fine," he said, "she's always drunk in every party. What about you?"


"Oh, I'm fine. Maybe I've had a bit too much too," she smiled at him before pushing back his hair with his hand, "it's really nice getting to see you again."


"Really?" he cocked an eyebrow at her, "Because we didn't really end on a good note."


"Yeah, I know that. And you know when Toby invited me, I wasn't sure if I was ready to see you since you were such a dick to me that night. But seeing you again, I just remembered how much fun we had and..."


"Umm," he looked away when he felt her palm on his hand. He then looked over once more to his fiancee who was clearly seeing Katy flirting with him. He signaled for her to hurry over to him but she simply shrugged and went back to talking to Phyllis. Frustrated, he swiped his hand away and took a deep breath, "hey I need to tell you something."


"What is it?"

"Well, I should probably tell you… umm,  you should know that I'm—"


"Oh my God! Your friend is on fire!"


Jim immediately looked beside him and saw Meredith still dancing, unaware of the flame that had caught on her hair, "Oh my God. Meredith, you're on fire!"


"What?" she slurred out.


"We got a live one!" Dwight rushed in with a fire extinguisher and immediately put out the growing flame which caused Meredith to tumble over.


"I'm okay!" she screamed to everyone.


"Damn it, Meredith," Jim groaned out in frustration before turning to Katy, "hey listen. I was about to tell you that I'm—"


"Wait, I think she needs some towels. I'll go grab some," she immediately stood up and Jim looked up at the ceiling, annoyed at missing the chance to tell Katy the truth.


"That's really crazy," Phyllis told Pam as they watched Dwight unnecessarily perform CPR on Meredith, "we've never had a fire at.a party before."


"I know. It's crazy, right?" Pam replied, the thought of Jim's wish not escaping her mind..


"By the way, is it just me or has Katy been flirting with Jim?"


"Really?" Pam feigned shock, "I didn't seem to notice."


"Wow, I mean it's painfully obvious. You should make sure she knows her place. That's what I did with Bob's secretary."


"Eh," she shrugged, "I'm sure Jim and I will be fine."


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