Mixing the Flavors
“What are we…twelve?”
“Can’t hear you! You’re slowing me down Fillipelli!”
“Well you need to slow down I can hardly keep up with you as it is.”
“Haven’t you ever ridden a scooter before?” He gets off and lets her catch up to him. Out of breath she nails him good in the arm before getting off her scooter and shaking her leg a little.
“Isn’t the weight limit on these like 60 pounds?”
All she gets is a smug grin in return and he’s off again. Karen tilts her head back a little to groan before getting back on the old piece of metal and following in his easy stride. The tips of his Vans scrape across the street every so often and a few times she almost crashes into him. It takes his abrupt stop at the top of the hill to cause her to actually stumble and make contact with him. Her cheek is pressed up against his back and the sensation of tide burns her nasal passage and her hands are irritated from the rough material on the handlebars.
“Jim!” the cry is out in half frustration and half embarrassment. It’s probably the closest she’s ever been to him. She steadies herself and catches a whine before it can leave her mouth.
“Ah!! What did you do to my scooter kid?” Jim wheels his old scooter away from Karen and picks it up. The back wheel is detached and lying in the street near the bolt that once held it in place.
“Not like you don’t have another perfectly working one or anything Halpert,” she growls and something inside her is screaming for him to touch her and be as concerned with her at this particular moment as the 15 year old piece of crap he’s cradling in his hands.
“You broke it,” he pouts and she knows he’s kidding. He bends down and screws the wheel back into place. It’s askew now and she knows it won’t hold out. But Jim rolls it over to her anyway and she has to wrinkle her forehead before rolling it back.
“You must be out of your mind boy. I’m not getting back on that thing.”
Karen sees something flash behind Jim’s eyes and soon his hand is poking her side and she’s swiping at him.
“Halpert!”
But the more she struggles the more he’s amused and soon she’s giggling in the street forgetting about the scooter. He tickles her until she can hardly breathe and finally she’s able to get a hold of his hands.
“That is for breaking my scooter,” he says and the proud little grin on his face mixed with the little gelled piece of hair sticking up in the front that is never quite perfect, stops her from hitting him. Instead she lets him go.
“Are we still going to the gas station Halpert?” she asks readjusting her one good-wheeled scooter in front of her. The sky is overcast and her tanned skin is sticky with humidity. Her throats dry and god would it make her feel so much better if she could wipe the sweat trailing down the sides of Jim’s face.
“After all that you honestly think we’d turn back now?” he gets on his scooter and crosses 4 lanes of traffic before ending up on the other side. Karen stares and has the sudden urge to throw his scooter up a tree and tell him he can just forget about their ‘relaxing Saturday’.
“I see how it is,” she calls but she’s watching for oncoming cars. “Just abandon me!” As she’s screaming the scooter is rolling and when she reaches him she all but wrestles him to the ground. While he’s in shock of what had happened she takes his scooter and grins despite her actions. “Two can play at that game.” It feels good to leave him on the sidewalk alongside the decrepit scooter. She makes it to the gas station before he does but he’s quick to skid next to her.
“Lets…play nice now,” he pants and hides his scooter behind a concrete column near the front of the store. Karen crosses her arms.
“Why bother Jim? Even if someone steals them they’re worth like what…4 bucks a piece?”
His look of fake hurt is convincing. She props her scooter up next to his and his thumb loops through on of the belt loops of her jeans.
“Hey they’re classics!” he argues and he’s too cute to stay mad at.
“Can we just get your Slurpee and get out of here?” she re-crosses her arms and is pretty sure she has to stay mad at least a little longer for what happened earlier.
“Fiiiine,” he takes his hand off of her to open the door and she wishes she could have it back. The slushie machines are in the back and there are four flavors. Blazin’ blueberry, manic mango, crazy cherry, and Pepsi panic. She feels like a twelve year old for the second time in less then 10 minutes. Jim grabs a plastic cup from near the first machine and proceeds to mix all four flavors. Karen peeks over his shoulder.
“What exactly are you doing?” and Jim senses the fake curiosity in her voice.
“Mixing all the flavors. Got a problem?” and with his fake menacing tone an immediate image of Jim in a wife beater pops into her brain and her side hurts from laughing. A man in a trucker hat stands and waits for Karen to move out of his way and Jim is about to say something to her but can’t stop the laughs from escaping his own mouth. “Come on giggly.” He grabs Karen by the arm and they go to pay. She’s not too surprised to see their scooters are untouched when they come out.
“You want a sip?” Jim holds the cup to her as they start to walk. His lips and tongue are already stained blue from the drink. Karen stares at him for a second. Blues definitely his color.
“No thank you.”
“Your whole experience today won’t be complete unless you do baaabe,” and he drawls the word out and it sounds so funny coming from his mouth. It’s all in fun of the teasing but she feels her cheeks redden a little in a blush all the same.
“Okay…if only in the name of making this complete.” She eases the slurpee cup from him and takes a drink from the straw. The sugary drink floods her mouth and it’s almost as if she gets instant permission to be hyper. “Not bad Halpert.” She hands it back. Her voice sounds twingy and weird to her ears, the sugar collecting in a sticky ball coating her throat.
“We should make this a weekend tradition,” and he laughs at the look on her face. Her arm starts to hurt from carrying the scooter back up hill. It starts to rain and Jim’s hand is back on her waist.
“Can I have some more slurpee?”
“Why yes you can,” and this time he holds his cup and waits patiently while she drinks. When she’s done she feels him tug her gently closer to him. The slurpees still tangy in her mouth.
Together they walk in the rain with their blue tongues and unspoken adoration for each other.
Author's Chapter Notes:
I went down to the Shell Station today w/ teh crazy brothers and this is what came of it!! Enjoy!
DISCLAIMER: I don't own Jim, Karen, or The Office!!
