Is it too late to remind you how we were

When Pam handed him the red folder that perfectly matched her new red turtleneck, for a moment, a second, it felt normal and good. It felt like it used to, he smiled like he once did at her. But as quickly as that all-too-glorious moment had happened, it disappeared. His smile faded, he slipped the folder back in her hands, and he walked away.

And just like that, she realized, it was over. He had told her he loved her, she told him she couldn’t, and now it was all over. There was no friendship, no foundation, nothing left but the mess she’d left behind.

She watched silently as he exchanged gifts with his girlfriend, felt his eyes watch her as she exchanged gifts with her former fiancee. But all she wanted, the best Christmas present she could ever ask for would be to have her best friend back.

And to remind him, to remind herself, what she’d given up simply by saying I can’t.