As much as Pam had missed Jim’s voice, and as easy as it was to just talk to him again, to laugh with him again, it felt different to her. Something inside of her felt strained, wrong. Another part of her felt free from any feelings at all – it was the complete opposite of how talking to Jim used to make her feel. So when Ryan came into the office over an hour after everyone else had left, with Dwight in tow, she felt herself easily pulled away from the voice on the other end of the phone. When Jim misinterpreted her goodbye, she felt obligated to try to correct him, but she didn’t really want to talk to him anymore. Hanging up the phone, she gathered up her discarded belongings and closed the office up for the night.

He was waiting for her by her car, his eyes bright with something Pam couldn’t name. He pulled her to him silently and kissed her again, and the fact that he had initiated it this time meant more to her than it probably should have, considering he’s been dating Kelly for quite a long time and she was supposed to be heartbroken over two different men.

They drove back to her new apartment, but she didn’t really feel like giving him the grand tour. ‘To hell with it all’, she thought, and pushed him towards the bedroom.

Afterwards, they ordered sushi in and ate it on the floor of her bedroom, Ryan in his undershirt and boxers, Pam in his button down with the sleeves rolled up. She’d never felt quite right in Roy’s shirts, but she hadn’t been able to resist picking up Ryan’s and putting it on, letting him watch her button it up slowly over her bra and panties. She liked feeling a little bit risky, and a lot different. He showed her how to eat the little pieces of salmon and tuna with a pair of wooden take-out chopsticks, and she was surprised at how good it was.

When he left he had seven new voicemails, but he snapped his phone shut and kissed her again, tugging gently on the collar of the shirt she was still wearing.