.
It was late, but Jim had to finish his rendering before the morning. It wasn’t that putting his plans down on paper was hard. It was just that he was easily distracted. He would take breaks every five minutes and watch TV or message a friend online. If he could buckle down he would be done in less than an hour. There was a knock at the door and he got up to answer the door.
“Hey, come in.”
Katy entered the room and immediately took a seat on his unmade bed. They had been meeting like this for a month now. He wasn’t exactly sure how it happened. He knew that she liked him from the first day they met. She was always trying to stand next to him whenever they went somewhere. Within a few days she was openly flirting with him. She was nice, and she was definitely cute, but she wasn’t his type. Other than living and working in the same place they had nothing in common. They weren’t friends; they were just two people who had sex with each other. She seemed okay with it. He was glad when she reassured him that this was all it was, just sex. But secretly she hoped that it would turn into something more.
“So, how’s your thing going?” She tried to seem interested.
“Good. It’s taking longer than it should, but it’s looking nice.” He sat down on the bed next to her and moved her legs to lay them across his lap. This is how it always started, with just the slightest touch from him and she was puddy in his hands.
An hour later he was lying in bed naked and she was standing up putting all of her clothes back on. She gave him what she thought was a sultry smile and she left. He was always a little disgusted with himself after she left, so he would always go and shower ‘the Katy’ off of him. He grabbed at towel and wrapped it around himself and headed for the shower. When he returned to his room he saw that little IM window on his screen.
bees_knees: You’re up late.
bees_knees: or not.
He knew that she couldn’t have sent them too long ago; she had to still be up.
jimjam76: I’m here.
bees_knees: Oh hey. I thought you went to bed.
jimjam76: no, just taking a late night shower
bees_knees: are you naked right now? ;-*
bees_knees: wait, don’t answer that. I’ll be up in 30 secs.
jimjam76: really?
Jim’s skin became flushed when she didn’t answer right away.
bees_knees: no.
jimjam76: what are you doing up this late?
bees_knees: still working on this stupid project.
jimjam76: not going well?
bees_knees: you could say that
jimjam76: mine’s not going so well either.
bees_knees: perfect. How would you like to take a break with me?
jimjam76: what did you have in mind?
bees_knees: just a quick walk through campus maybe to get some midnight snacks
jimjam76: you mean 3am snack?
bees_knees: exactly.
bees_knees: get dressed naked boy and meet me downstairs.
It surprised him how fast he got dressed. When he walked out of the stairwell he thought for sure he had beaten her, but there she was sitting on chair across from the office. She got up and gave him a little shove as he greeted her.
“You look nice.”
“I only do it for you.”
“Wow, you really know what to say to a girl.”
Over the past month they’re relationship turned away from anything romantic. Sure she still got butterflies when she saw him, but they were easier to ignore. He still loved being around her and her having boyfriend wasn’t going to stop that. So he too ignored the feelings and generally tried to keep the conversation as friendly as possible. Every once in a while one of them would say something that would make the other person second guess this whole friendship thing. In the end though, the friendship thing was easier. There were no hurt feelings, and they could just hang out with each other.
It was surprisingly well lit on campus. This was a walk they had many times. At least twice a week they would go out for their 3am snack. They filled the time asking each other questions.
“So please explain the Dwight/Jim relationship.”
“You really want to know?”
“Yes, I’ve got too many theories and I just need to know.”
“Let’s hear a theory first.”
“Well the first one is...”
“I thought you were joking about the theories.”
She gave him a devious smile and continued, “The first one is that the CIA has hired you to torture Dwight until he reveals what really goes on at that beet farm. Because there is no way one family could be that into beets.”
“Close, but no cigar.”
They walked a while longer and she patiently waited for him to go on.
“Are you going to leave me hanging or are you going to tell me the real story?”
“It’s kind of a long story.”
“I think we have time.”
“I have a proposition for you.” She looked suspicious. “It’s nothing bad. When we get back with our food get your project and work on it upstairs with me. Then, and only then will I recount the story of Jim and Dwight. Dwim if you will.”
“Gross, don’t ever combine your names like that.”
He laughed, “What about Jwight? No, still weird?”
“I’ll come over, but only because I’m sure Kelly would like to get a good night’s sleep.”
“Uh huh, keep telling yourself that. No woman can resist me.”
There it was, that moment. Did he mean that? Did he know that she liked him. He bit his lip wishing he could take it back. Did she know that he wished she couldn’t resist him?
When they got back he headed to her room with her and helped her carry her stuff upstairs. She sat on his floor with her fries next to her. She was picking at the fries as she tried to figure out how to glue two pieces of glass together. He was sitting on the bed, still putting off the work eating his hamburger.
“So you really want to know about Dwight and me?”
“Yeah, are you kidding?”
“OK. You know how when you come for orientation you get a roommate then.” She nodded. “Well Dwight was my roommate.”
“Is that it? Cause that wasn’t really a long story.”
“I’m getting to it. Anyways, Dwight was my roommate then. When he walked through that door with those glasses I thought for sure someone was playing a prank on me. But at dinner that night I saw him sitting by himself and I felt bad. So I hung out with him for the next few days. Sometimes he could be annoying, but sometimes he was this sad little guy with no friends.”
“Aww, who knew you had such a big heart?” He grabbed one of his fries and threw it at her. She caught it and put in her mouth. “So, that’s it?”
“I told you it was a long story and I meant it. So later that summer I get the paper that tells you who your roommate is. I open it and irony of all irony it says Dwight K. Schrute II.”
“What?!? Now I know you’re lying.”
“So move in day comes around and I’m hoping that it was a misprint. Like maybe they got confused and they sent me my orientation roommate’s name instead. But I walk in the room and Dwight is sitting there. He’s got his side of the room completely decorated with black light posters, Mötley Crüe posters, and the biggest collection of action figures I had ever seen in my whole life.”
“Nice,” she said sarcastically.
“That’s not all. Remember I said that I was really nice to him when I first met him. Well apparently he didn’t remember. That first night I go to take a shower. I don’t take my key because he said that he would be in the room. I take my shower and come back to the room and the door is closed and it’s locked. I figure, no big deal, I’ll just knock, but he doesn’t answer. So here I am, standing in front of my door in just a towel. People are walking back in forth, you know, just getting to know each other.”
“Where was Dwight at?”
“I’ll get to it. At this point I’m sort of panicking. I didn’t realize that you could just go to the office and get a new key. So I’m wandering around the floor looking for my RA, Michael.”
“Michael was your RA? Now I know you’re making this story up.”
“Eventually I find Michael. And instead of just getting me a new key he insists that I go with him. So Michael marches me through the hall down to the front office. Do you know how awkward it is to be this tall in a towel? I get back to my room and I open the door and there he is sitting on his computer playing World of War Craft. He was in the room!”
“Did he have headphones on or something?”
“No, no headphones. He said that he can selectively block things out and that’s why he didn’t hear me. He thought that while I was knocking it would be the right time to use this special power that the rest of the world calls selective hearing.”
“That’s why you do all of the pranks?”
“Yeah, that and because for the next month I would come out of my room and find pictures of me in my towel on my door. He ruined that first month for me, Pam.”
“Don’t ever let anyone tell you that you aren’t spiteful.”
“Shut it. Get back to your glass thing.”
“Oh, you’re one to talk. You haven’t touched that paper since we got back.”
“Fine, I’ll finish mine, but no more lip missy.” He got up and sat back at his table and began drawing. He looked back at her sitting on the floor still force the two pieces of glass together. He wished they could stay like this forever.
.
Author's Chapter Notes:
We get some Dwight and Jim background information.
Chapter End Notes:
Thank you so much to all you reviewers. I've finished the next chapter already, and it's a Roy chapter.
