Karen was in the middle of telling an increasingly bewildered Danny via texts about her day and how she had been interrogated by Dwight dressed up in a sheriff’s uniform before having to submit to a drug test when her landline rang. She saw it was Pam calling and answered.

“Hey.”

“Hey. Am I bothering you?”

Karen looked down at the cell phone she had thrown on the sofa by her side when she had reached for the landline. She was better off finishing her tale the next time she saw Danny face to face. There were some things you couldn’t convey with the written word, like the shape of Dwight’s hat. She held the phone against her ear with her shoulder to be able to shoot Danny a quick text saying she needed to step away for a bit.

“Nope. What’s up?”

“Nothing much,” Pam responded hesitantly. “I just… Today was crazy, right?”

Karen assumed that Pam wanted to talk about something in particular, but didn’t know how to bring it up. Karen was happy to play along until Pam found her footing.

“You can say that again. Did you ever figure out what Michael took that made him ask Dwight to pass his test for him?”

“Oh wow, I didn’t even think about that. I can’t imagine Michael on drugs.”

Karen shuddered.

“I don’t want to consider it.”

“Aren’t you curious?”

“Absolutely not.”

“It can’t be much worse than the Michael we know.”

Karen groaned.

“Don’t say that. You’re going to manifest it into existence. I keep thinking we’ve reached the bottom of the insanity that is the Scranton branch of Dunder Mifflin, and I keep being wrong.”

Pam chuckled on the other side of the line, before lapsing into silence. Karen could guess by now what Pam wanted to talk about and decided to help her out.

“So, you were extra flirty with Jim today, with your Jinx shenanigans,” Karen ventured, testing out the temperature.

She heard Pam sigh. “Yeah…”

“And do you feel about that?” Karen prompted.

“I don’t know,” Pam paused and then forged ahead. “On one hand, I really like it. When I am with him, it feels effortless and exciting, and I enjoy who I am in those moments. And this is not new, but it’s like a weight has been lifted off my shoulders. But at the same time, it’s like another type of weight is there instead, if that makes sense? Before, when I was with Roy, having fun with Jim was safe because I knew nothing could come of it. But now…”

“But now, it becomes real. And it becomes something you could lose,” Karen finished for her.

“Yes,” Pam breathed out.

“And taking risks is not something you enjoy,” Karen continued.

“No,” Pam agreed, her voice shaky. “I really don’t.”

“But this is a risk worth taking. And I think you know it. You just need a minute to catch up.”

“There was a moment today. When Jim couldn’t talk. I made a stupid joke about him being able to tell me anything. And he just looked at me with so much… I chickened out.”

“Pam, that’s okay. You shouldn’t rush into anything you’re not ready for.”     

“Don’t you think it’s too soon?” Pam asked sounding unsure.

“You’re the only who can know that.”

“I know, I know. But I am asking for your opinion anyway.”

Karen took the time to think about it. “Honestly?”

“Please.”

“If you feel ready, then no, I don’t think it’s too soon. But the most important thing, in my opinion, is that you find your boundaries. Yes, I tend to think Roy was an inconsiderate asshole and I believe Jim would treat you way better than Roy ever did. But you let Roy get away with murder, and Jim isn’t perfect. Nobody is. He is going to fuck up, it is inevitable. So, you need to be able to communicate your needs, to say no. If you think you can work on this, possibly with Jim’s help, I say go for it.”

“It’s hard,” Pam said after a while.

“I know. But it’s worth it.”

“Yeah.” Silence rang out for a moment or two. “Sorry. I didn’t mean to dump all of this on you,” Pam finally said.

“Come on, what are friends for?” Karen asked jokingly yet sincerely.

“In any case, I appreciate it. Thanks.”

Karen didn’t expect that comment to touch her like it did. She swallowed back down the sudden wave of emotion.

“You’re welcome.”

“So, tell me about you. How are things with Danny?”

Karen was relieved about the change of subject. There were only so many feelings she could take at once. And talking about Danny made her smile.

“Things are surprisingly good.”

“Why surprisingly?”

“I really didn’t think this thing had a future when we started it. But we get along pretty well. I keep expecting him to get bored but so far, he hasn’t.” Under that slick exterior, Danny had a goofy side that she really liked. He didn’t appear to be as much of a player as she had originally expected.

“We spent the whole weekend together last week. We had to stay in because of the weather, and yet it passed so fast.”

Karen had worried they would eventually run out of things to say to each other. The sex was great, but it could only take them so far. Even fantastic sex couldn’t sustain a relationship if it was followed by awkward conversations and uncomfortable silences. But that hadn’t happened with Danny. She enjoyed her time with him inside and outside the bedroom equally. It truly helped that Danny seemed to be fascinated by the inner workings of Dunder Mifflin, because Karen needed to vent often and in details. Her other friends didn’t grasp the full reality of Dwight Schrute and the likes.

“I don’t know, it’s fun.” Karen finished lamely with a shrug that Pam couldn’t see.

“Do you think it could get serious?” Pam asked the question that Karen had been trying to avoid thinking about for the last couple of weeks.

“Maybe,” Karen edged. But the more she actually considered it, the more she knew the answer. “Yes, I think it could.”

“A risk worth taking?” Pam further questioned.