It was January. Jim he had never been so happy to actually go back to school. This would be the first time during their relationship that they could actually see each other on a whim without driving several hours. He was organizing his bookshelf and he placed Pam’s Christmas present to him on the shelf.
Jim sat cross legged in front of the Christmas tree at Pam’s house. He was holding a present for Pam in his lap. He leaned back on his hands and waited for her to come back downstairs with his. She skipped down the stairs holding way more boxes then he would have liked to see. He had one small gift and she was carrying multiple boxes for him.
“What are those?”
“Presents.”
“I only got you one, so...”
“Oh sorry, I forgot. One of these things is your Christmas present. The others are just small things I picked up for you in Italy. Souvenirs.”
“Thank God.”
She took a seat on the floor and moved his presents closer to him. He handed her the lone present.
“You first,” she said. “Open those two first.” She pointed to two small boxes that were wrapped in the same paper. “Those are the souvenirs.”
He opened the first one. There was a stack of King James III magnets in it.
“Where did you find these?” He laughed.
“Vatican City. I told you his body was entombed there.”
He set them down and went for the next box. It was a wallet.
“So funny story about the wallet. I got it on my third day there. I went up to this vendor to ask for directions and he has these wallets. I casually asked him how much and he tells me. It was kind of expensive and I haggled him down to half the price so I had to buy it.”
“So this gift is nothing more than you buying something you didn’t need?”
“Pretty much.”
“Thank you,” he said as he tilted his head to the side. “I opened two and I think it’s only fair that you open yours now.”
She was nervous. Roy always got her fake jewelry that would turn her skin green, but she wore it, because she loved him. This present was clearly not jewelry, unless Jim was really bad at wrapping things. She shook it next to her ear, but nothing really moved inside of it.
She peeled off the tape on the corner and then the other side. Jim watched in amazement as she was able to keep the paper completely intact.
“These are amazing Jim.” She turned the set of oil paints over a few times.
“I didn’t remember seeing any oil paints in your art supplies before. You don’t have any, right?”
She shook her head and continued looking at them. She leaned forward and kissed him.
“You’re turn.”
He picked up his last present. It was heavier than it looked. He tore a corner, but couldn’t tell what it was. He peeled a bigger piece from it.
“Do you know what this is?” He knew what it was and he was surprised that anyone other than his architect friends would know what it was.
“Yeah, it’s architectural monograph.”
“It’s an Eric Moss monograph,” he clarified like she didn’t know what it was that she bought him. He fingered through the pages. “How did you know that I liked him?”
“You mentioned it once, to my dad actually on my birthday.”
“And you remembered that?”
“Yeah.”
Now he sat in his room waiting for Pam to move her stuff into a room and he laughed about even asking her if she remembered some small detail that he said once. Because the truth was that he remembered everything she said. There was a point in time when he tried to make himself forget things because it just seemed like a sick obsession, but he couldn’t. He would remember things even when he was willing himself not to.
Pam was standing in front of Phyllis waiting for the key to her room. It was taking way too long. Phyllis seemed sort of nervous as she went through several different folders and checked her computer. Finally she walked up to Pam with an ominous expression.
“I can’t find your name in the database anymore. It’s just gone.”
“Can’t you just add me in there?” She said pragmatically.
“I could, but there still wouldn’t be an available room for you.”
“My housing request has been in since last April.”
“I’m so sorry.” And she did seem really sorry.
“What should I do?” She had her whole car packed with her stuff and she had nowhere to put it. She had nowhere to sleep.
“If you can find somewhere to stay for a week I’m sure there’ll be an open room by then. Lots of people decide that college isn’t right for them after that first semester and maybe a few of them have yet to check out of their rooms.”
Pam knew that was really wishful thinking on Phyllis’ part though. If people were going to leave they would have left before the break, not after it. “Thanks for looking so hard for me. I guess I’ll see you tomorrow afternoon for work.”
Pam fished her phone out her purse and called Kelly. She didn’t pick up.
“Hey Kelly. It’s Pam. I was wondering if I could ask you a huge favor. Call me back as soon as you get this.”
Pam walked back out to her car and threw the bag she was carrying back into the trunk. She sat on the bumper for a few minutes just thinking. Her phone ringing pulled her back to reality. It was Kelly. Pam explained her situation and then asked Kelly if she could crash on her couch for the next week. She agreed and Pam thought about saying never mind when Kelly said that every night would be just like a slumber party.
Jim was still in his room waiting for Pam to come up. He didn’t know what was taking her so long. He heard her knock and he jumped up to get the door.
“So what’s the verdict? What floor are you on?”
“Kelly’s,” she said.
“Huh?”
“Phyllis couldn’t find my room and she said that I would have to wait a week for a room to become available.”
“And you’re staying at Kelly’s?”
“Yeah.”
“Why didn’t you just ask me?”
“I didn’t want to intrude. One week of living with me and you would bolt.”
“Never,” he said as he wrapped his arm around her waist.
“I’m sure we’ll see each other plenty during this next week. No classes, nothing to do.”
“I can think of lots of things to do.” His fingers ran across her back and she shivered. “You can stay at Kelly’s under one condition.”
“Are you authorized to give conditions?”
“Yes. First and only condition. I reserve the right to a minimum of two nights here.”
“Maybe,” she said pulling out of his arms.
“Maybe? Pfft. You’re not allowed to play hard to get anymore. It doesn’t work when we’re together.”
“I don’t know. Seems like its working.”
“Alright, have it your way, but I give you one day before you get tired of Kelly.”
She sat on the bed and stretched her legs out. “I think you’re underestimating my tolerance of Kelly.”
He moved toward the bed and sat next to her feet. He grabbed them and placed them on his lap and slid his hand up her leg, but then suddenly Katy popped into his head. That was his move that always started out a night with Katy. He quickly moved her legs off of his lap. There was just something wrong about using moves that he used on Katy. That was one person he did not want in his head while he was with Pam.
“Let’s go for a walk.”
“Right now?”
He grabbed her hand and pulled her up out of the bed.
“What got into you?”
“What do you mean,” he said sort of defensively. He thought maybe she knew he had thought about Katy for a brief second.
“I thought you were... never mind.”
“Thought I was what?”
“I don’t know.” She shrugged her shoulders. “I thought you wanted to have sex.” She was embarrassed to say it out loud.
“I can hang out with you and not have sex. It is possible.”
“I know. I just—forget it.” She linked her fingers with his.
They still weren’t great at talking about their relationship. Sometimes they were still stuck in friend mode.
“How’s Dwight? Is he still with Elizabeth?”
“She came to visit him at Schrute farms and she’s still hanging out with him.”
“Angela’s still in love with him,” she blurted out.
He stopped. “What?”
“She’s still in love with him. She told me last month.”
Jim didn’t say anything. He knew Dwight was still in love with her too, but some things were sacred between friends. It wasn’t his secret to share. Even if they were normally rivals, the fact that he could call Dwight a friend at any point in time meant something.
They walked for a while longer until it got colder and they turned back. Pam left for Kelly’s and Jim took the stairs two at a time up to Dwight’s room. His door was open, but he was playing a game on his computer.
“Can you pause that?”
“I’m in a guild meeting!” Dwight typed a message even though he had a headset on and could have easily just said it.
“I have to ask you something.”
Dwight removed the headset and waited for Jim to continue.
“If you could be with Angela again, would you?”
“I try not to dwell on the impossible.”
“Yes or no, Dwight?”
Dwight fiddled with his things on his desk for a minute before answering. “She made her choice, and I’ve made mine.”
“OK. Just wanted to check.”
He turned and headed down the stairs to his room, but he kept going. He walked until he reached Angela’s room. She wasn’t there, but he left a not for her on her white board.
“Can you stop by my room when you have a chance?” -Jim
He knew he was butting in where he shouldn’t, but these two clearly needed a push to get them on the right track.
.
Author's Chapter Notes:
They exchange gifts and Jim is on a mission to save a relationship.
Chapter End Notes:
Next chapter Jim continues on his path of matchmaker and Pam meets Kelly's neighbors.
