College: the promise of a brighter, better future. Or maybe not, but for Pam Beesly it sure was. It promised more than whatever high school had attempted to offer her—those cheap clichés that turned out to be true and the horrible house parties where half of the school almost gave themselves alcohol poisoning, and don't get her started on all the kids who viewed her as the shy, quiet girl, earning her remarks like “Wow! I didn't know you could talk!” or “Hey, we're totally best friends, right?” College brought new friends, new changes, and…moving 3 hours away from home.

She was okay with the fact she'd have to share a dorm, despite her shyness. Her mother had remarked that college would help change that, because “when I was in college, I was as shy as you were. And look at me now!” (which didn't say much; she loved her mom, but she knew exactly who she got her shyness from). However, she was more excited than she was nervous. She hoped whoever was rooming with her would be nice enough because, honestly, that's the least she could hope for.

She lugged her bags up the stairs to her dorm—which proved more difficult than she originally believed it would be—before stopping once she stepped off the stairs. It was a modest building to begin with: 3 floors with about 12 rooms on each floor. That being said, her dorm had just managed to be all the way on the other side of the floor (just her luck too because why would life go easy on her?). She pulled everything all the way to the door of her dorm as she tried not to trip over her feet before taking a deep breath and opening the door.

Huh, she thought. Empty. 

Not completely empty, like her roommate forgot to show up, but empty as in she wasn't there. Her stuff was definitely there, though. She stared at her roommate’s side of the room—her name was Kelly, and the only reason she knew was because of the big, glittery letters that hung on the wall—in disbelief. It was so…pink. Pink and cheetah? Leopard? Some type of animal print. It was almost admirable.

Pam moved her bags onto her bed and finally sat down. It wasn't a very big space, but it did come with a bathroom, so she was very thankful. And, thanks to thinking ahead of time, it looked like her roommate forgot to bring any sort of microwave, so the one Pam brought proved necessary after all.

She stretched out her arms over her head as she tried to fix the crick in her back that she had achieved from driving 3 hours straight without a single break. She had wanted to get there as soon as possible than delay it with unnecessary stops.

Better text Mom that I'm here safe, she reminded herself as she pulled out her phone. And Roy. She almost forgot about her boyfriend, who didn't believe in college. When she told him she was leaving, he laughed and asked if she was joking. She realized she poked the bear when she sarcastically replied with “did it sound like a joke?” He didn't approve, but he also said he wasn't going to stop her. He was already busy with work anyways, barely seeing each other as it is. Maybe 3 hours away would help relight whatever flame that had gone out in their relationship a long time ago. 

Did it feel hopeless clinging onto something that was barely there? Yes. But she couldn't afford to lose that sense of security—she'd get used to it. Besides, everyone approved of their relationship. Why ruin something that seemed perfectly fine?

She sent the text to both of them, notifying them she'd arrived safely and promising to talk on the phone soon, before she finally got up and headed back down to her car to get the rest of her things. Of course, because the universe always had other plans, the moment she stepped outside, rain had begun to pour. She hissed as she stepped under the awning and teetered on a decision. Either she runs out in the rain now, gets her things, and gets soaked, or she goes back inside and waits it out.

But she was really hungry now, and the microwave was still in one of those boxes in her car. She looked down at her short sleeves and cursed herself for not wearing a long sleeve like she usually did. 

She bit the inside of her lip as she began to convince herself that running into the rain wouldn't be completely bad. Sure, she would be cold, and would smell like a wet dog, and could potentially ruin whatever she had in her boxes, but it would probably work out…right?

And then, the universe seemed to work itself out right in front of her.

A man had seemingly appeared out of thin air—soaking wet from the rain, Pam wondered if he'd been out there for a while—and scrambled to get under the small awning. She shuffled closer to the edge of the awning and risked getting soaked in order to give the stranger more room. “Shit, it just started pouring out of nowhere,” he said as he craned his neck to try and look at the sky. 

“Yeah,” Pam replied awkwardly. She hugged her arms tighter to her stomach.

“Thanks for…moving over,” the stranger chuckled as he ran his hand through his hair, messing it up even more than before. He was dressed nicer than Pam was—a dark gray crewneck with jeans and a pair of worn-out Chucks. He crossed his arms as he faced her. “I'm Jim.”

“Pam.”

“So, I take it this is your building?” Jim asked as he glanced up, probably to break the awkward eye contact.

“Yeah,” Pam smiled as she stared at her shoes (because why had she managed to pick open-toed shoes on the one day it would rain?). “Yours too?” A chill blew through the air, and suddenly her neck felt a little too exposed with her hair up in a ponytail.

Jim smiled at her—one of those smiles you didn't see often, especially not from people you'd just met—and nodded. “Yeah. Yeah, this is…a weird building.”

Pam tilted her head. “Oh? Well now I'm intrigued.”

He chuckled and kicked his shoe on the ground. “Yeah. Moved in about…a week ago? And apparently, there's this camera crew who wants to film a documentary about the campus. Weird, huh?”

“You're lying.”

Jim held up his hand. “I, Jim Halpert, go on record saying I am not lying.” His voice pretended to be serious, and Pam laughed because it just sounded so absurd. “That's what I was running from, actually, and yeah, I don't know how they're possibly carrying around all that equipment in the rain. In the rain!”

“Waterproof cameras,” Pam suggested sarcastically.

Jim nodded, “Definitely.”

“Definitely.”

Silence settled between them once more, which almost made Pam give up and walk back inside. But then she realized that she was actually making a friend. Sure, maybe it wasn't the most interesting circumstance—meeting under an awning during a rainstorm definitely wasn't anything to write home about—but maybe having a new friend wouldn't be such a bad start to college. Besides, Jim seemed nice enough.

“I actually came out here to grab the rest of the stuff from my car,” Pam said as she pointed with her head to her car. “But…no jacket. Or umbrella. Or literally any appropriate clothing for the rain,” which somehow managed to earn a laugh from Jim.

“Hey, you know, I could help,” Jim offered. “I mean, I'm not exactly the driest right now, so…”

“Oh, no, it's okay,” Pam smiled awkwardly. “I'd feel bad if I let you do that.” But Jim was already walking towards the edge of the awning. 

“Your car is unlocked, right?” He asked as they both looked at the grey 2002 Ford Explorer. “Otherwise, I'm gonna look like the world's biggest idiot.”

Pam smiled. “It's unlocked.”

Jim took a deep breath as he promptly turned back to her. “Well, see you on the other side.”

She watched as he stepped out from under the awning and ran over to her car. He popped open the trunk and managed to stack and grab both boxes (talk about impressive) before he shut it closed with his leg. She was giggling by the time he made it back under the awning and watched as he caught his breath, both boxes still in his arms. “Hey, question, what's up with the license plate?”

“Oh, that? Yeah,” Pam pressed the lock button on her keys, “it's just my last name.”

“Holy shit, your last name is Beesly?” 

“Hey! It's not like Halpert is any better.”

Jim smiled with his teeth, which only made Pam smile wider because somehow a stranger's smile was the most infectious thing in the world. “Alright, Beesly. Where are these boxes going?”

—

Jim set the boxes down by Pam's bed while she closed the door behind them. “Oh my god,” Jim said as he looked up at the wall across from him. “I take it your roommate's name is Kelly?”

“You know the sad part is I haven't even met her yet,” Pam laughed as she bent down and opened the boxes. “Make yourself comfortable. Uh—I mean, unless you have somewhere to go—”

“Do you mind if I use a blanket or something? It's kind of cold here, and…” Before he could finish his sentence, Pam stood in front of him and held out a spare blanket towards him. “Thanks.”

His hand brushed hers as he grabbed the blanket, and she swore it was like a thousand degrees in there, because she was sweating like crazy. Which was weird. She's usually somewhat of a nervous person, but somehow the stakes were higher now that he was in her dorm, on her bed, wrapped up in her blanket. She realized the circumstances had just gotten weird.

She reached into the box and pulled out her microwave before she placed it on the floor next to an outlet. “Thank God, I was starving,” she said as she rummaged around and grabbed the singular cup of ramen she remembered to bring with her (and she secretly thanked herself for her forward thinking). “Sorry, I only have one…”

“Nah, not really hungry anyways,” Jim shrugged off. “Something about being cold and wet just doesn't really give you an appetite.”

She grinned as she stepped into the bathroom momentarily—something she was thankful she only had to share with one other person—and filled up the ramen cup with tap water. She brought it back and sat criss-crossed on the floor before she placed her food in the microwave and set it for 4 minutes. “So…college…has it been fun so far?” Pam asked as she looked up at him.

“It's alright,” Jim said as he climbed off of the bed and sat in front of her on the floor. “My roommate is…a piece of work, I guess.”

Pam raised an eyebrow. “And to put it bluntly?”

“The guy's a textbook douchebag,” Jim laughed. “Which is probably mean, but he never shuts up about how much money he has or how many girls he has waiting for him back home. I'm starting to think he's lying.”

“Ohh, one of those…” Pam nodded. “Yeah…poor you.”

“Yeah, well, it was either that or this nerdy guy who is way too easy to piss off.” The microwave beeped, and Pam opened it before she poured in her seasoning packet. “If you ever have the pleasure of crossing his path, you'll know.”

Pam gave a short laugh before she looked down and blinked at her ramen. Oh my God, she thought to herself, I didn't bring a fork. Or any utensils.

Jim leaned his head down and raised an eyebrow, his mouth going into a slant. “Beesly? You alright?”

“I forgot to bring utensils,” Pam blurted out. “Like…I triple-checked what I packed and somehow just…forgot.”

“And you're sure Kelly doesn't have any?”

“Jim, does it look like Kelly would have utensils? I think all she brought was clothes…” Pam looked down at her cup of ramen. It looked sad now. 

Jim suddenly stood up. “I'll be right back,” he said before he rushed out the door. Pam's eyes followed him before she ultimately had to get up and peek around the door. Jim had made it across to the other side of the hall, opened a door, and…

Oh, she thought. So that's where he's staying.

Soon, he came back out with a fork in hand. Pam clapped her hands together as he jogged back to her door and stopped in front of her. “One fork,” Jim looked down at her as he handed her the fork, “for the one and only Ms. Beesly. Or—is it Mrs.?”

“Oh, God no,” Pam laughed as she accepted the fork. “I mean, maybe one day, but not now.” She settled back down on the floor and sat criss-crossed once again with Jim sitting in front of her. “And you?”

Jim wrapped the blanket from before back around himself. “Oh, no, definitely not,” he said, then took a long pause. “So does that mean you're—”

And finally, Pam's roommate had finally decided to make her appearance (bringing in the camera crew! Maybe that's what she was doing this entire time?) The door swung open suddenly—which made Pam jump straight up—and in walked Kelly with cameras behind her. “Oh my gosh! You must be Pam, it's so great to meet you!” Kelly wasted no time as she hugged Pam tightly. “Oh! And is this your boyfriend?”

“No! No,” Pam said as she pulled away from the kind-but-way-too-tight hug. She brushed herself off as she clasped her hands together, and not sure where to turn, turned to face Jim. “This is Jim. He helped me move in.” The camera zoomed in on his face, to which Jim stuck his hand up as a sort of wave. “He lives down the hall, actually! So, that's nice…”

“Well,” Jim said as he stood up, “I'd better get out of the way and let you guys…uh, get familiar. I'll see you around, Pam.” 

“Yeah,” Pam said as Jim headed for the door, “Bye.”