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Ok. All I've ever written before were scripts. This is my FIRST short story. So don't laugh. Well, laugh.. but not at me. Be kind. Hope you like! Oh and, NBC owns it all, i don't have a damned thing.
Jim Halpert nervously shifted his weight from foot to foot and stared at the door in front of him.

This is it, buddy, he thought. Everything you ever wanted, everything you hoped for... At last, AT LAST, the door is open. And all you have to do is walk through it.

JIm looked at the small bronze 23 above the peephole and blinked.

Well... no. Actually the door.. is closed. So all you have to do is ring the bell. That little round door bell well within reach of your right hand. Just shift the flowers that you are strangling to your left hand and reach out.

You're not ringing it.


What if I screw this up? Oh, God, this ... this is it. If I screw up with Pam Beesly then it's off to the monastery. Or a cave. Nah, caves are cold. And not furnished. And they don't come with big, comfy robes.

He rubbed his face and looked up to the sky. It was darkening rapidly, the day becoming a warm clear night with just the sllghtest breeze rustling the treetops. It was the kind of night where you took a beautiful young lady by the hand and strolled the quiet streets, sharing stories and laughing gently. A romantic night.

You're just nervous. Oh, is that all? This is the most nervous I have ever been, EASILY. Heh. You were a little nervous the first lunch we went out on, the infamous "I'm engaged" lunch. Wanting to be a proper gentleman and hoping that she liked you as much as you liked her. But that was nothing compared to this. That was... that was the regular season and this.. this is the NBA finals. Jesus, what the hell am I talking about? Note to self. Pam is not a basketball game.

Jim looked down at his shoes and khakis and shook his head slightly.

I cannot believe this. I'm going out on a date with Pam Beesly. THE Pam Beesly. Well.. not so far I'm not. Right now now I'm shoe-gazing and having a conversation with myself in front of her apartment. You're an idiot. Yes, I am. Thank you. I'm going insane.

He pushed out a breath and steeled himself.

PLEASE don't let me screw this up.

Jim jabbed the doorbell forcefully, startling even himself with the sudden action.
There was a loud chime followed by a crash just inside the door. Jim stepped back and eyed the door warily.

Ok.... gotta ask Beesly about this crazy bell she has.


One minute before.

Pam Beesly stood roughly six inches from her front door, tightly gripping the mug of water she had been lugging around for the last half-hour. She had been parched, her nerves seemingly stripping the water from her body but too nervous to really drink from it. It was a strange and, she thought, stupid conundrum. She had heard Jim's car pull up and practically had run to the door. But now... there was nothing.

What is he doing? she thought. You have to ring or knock, Jim. Or kick it or beat your head against it. Something. If I open it now he'll be all like "How did you know I was here? And why did you leave me standing out here like an idiot? You know what, I'm going home." No. No, he won't go home. Not when we're so close.

I can't believe I'm going on a date with Jim Halpert.


Oh, God, please don't let me screw this up.

Pam peeked through the peephole again.

WOW, he looks good. Even through a peephole. Heh. Jim through a peephole. Peephole Jim. What the hell am I saying?

She put her head in her hand and squeezed her eyes shut.

JIM. Please ring the bell. Why won't he... wait. Maybe Karen called. Maybe his phone is on vibrate and I didn't hear it and she called and she's begging to see him. And maybe he's thinking about it. Maybe they're making plans to meet and he's gonna ditch me. And I can't hear them talking because they're speaking telepathically. Yes, Pam, Karen called him on his cell just so they could speak telepathically. I'm an idiot.

Pam stared at the door and felt her anxiety start to overwhelm her.

But maybe he does have doubts now. So much has happened. And I don't what happened today. I don't know what brought him back to me.

No. No, this is it. He's not leaving. This is what he wanted. This is.. what I want.
He's gonna walk through that door and we're gonna be... us. Together. This is gonna happen. Please let it happen.


And it will be better if I don't vomit all over him. GOD, i am so nervous. Maybe I should....

Suddenly the doorbell chimed, completely startling Pam. She jumped, dropping the mug onto the hard wood floor. Water splashed against the door but, miraculously, the mug didn't break and she didn't get wet.

OH MY GOD, OH MY GOD, OH MY GOD. That scared the CRAP out of me!

She bent and picked up the mug then stepped back a bit and turned her head to the side.

"One minute!" she called out.

Oh great. Pam Beesly, expert voice thrower, has fooled another one.

Pam ran to the kitchen and tore off a flag of paper towels. She hurriedly wiped the floor and door and then tossed the wet towels into a closet. Then she rushed back to the door, stopping to compose herself. Pam smoothed her skirt against her legs and swallowed. She vaguely felt like she was going to fall over.

This is it. This is it.

PLEASE don't let me screw this up.


Pam opened the door and smiled, trying to keep her eyes from widening too much. He looked much better than he did through the peephole.

"Hey!"

JIm's mouth almost involuntarily fell open but he wrestled his jaw up and smiled back. She looked incredible. She was dressed so cute and her hair was curly and bouncy. Her face was radiant. SHE was radiant. Jim swallowed.

"Uh... that's some kinda bell you got there, Beesly. If you had a cat, would it kick it, get that crazy "Mreow!" sound going?"

Pam laughed and let Jim in. She caught herself eyeing him up and down as he came through the door. She closed it behind him and chastised herself for being so naughty.

"Yeah, that." She smiled and then became nervous. "That...was... um.. uh... I dropped a mug 'cause... I was... I was standing right at the door when you rang it." She hung her head guiltily. "I knew you were there."

Jim laughed. "Wow, Pam Beesly all sneaky and stealthy-like. Except for dropping the mug. That kinda tipped me off that you were close." Jim's teasing turned slightly serious. "Why didn't you open the door?"

Pam looked down and shook her head. Just that slight action made Jim want to hug her.

"Because... I just..." she shook her head again and then looked up at Jim. Again, for about the millionth time, he was struck by how beautiful she was. "I just wanted you to be SURE. That when you rang that bell, you knew that it was what you wanted. Your choice."

Jim smiled and stepped forward. Gently, he wrapped his arms around Pam, pulling her to him. She obliged and suddenly felt enveloped in him. She took it all in, his scent and his shape, memorizing it.

Jim spoke quietly into Pam's ear. "I've made my choice. I've wanted to ring that bell for so long. But I thought that chance was gone. But here I am now, lucky enough to be at your door."

Pam felt tears stinging her eyes. She didn't want to cry. Not yet.

"I'm the lucky one", she whispered. "I'm so glad you're here."

"Me too." Jim turned his face towards Pam and they kissed lightly, their eyes never closing. It was absolutely electric. Jim stepped back and cleared his throat. Just that little bit was so much more intense than he thought it would ever be.

"Um... we better get a move on. I want to hurry up and start impressing you."

Pam smiled and tried to compose. He was WELL on his way impressing her.

"We'll see about that Mr. Halpert. Just let me give those-oooh! pretty flowers a home... I'll clip the bottoms later." Pam took the flowers and dropped them into a glass vase that was conspicuously near the door and already filled with water. Jim chuckled.

"Am I THAT predictable?"

Pam took Jim's hand and marveled at how easy it was. It was probably always that easy. It just took so long to find out.

"In a very, very, VERY good way." she beamed. She reached back and grabbed her jacket and purse, waiting on a chair near the door. " Are you ready?"

Jim kissed Pam's forehead and opened the door for her. "Oh, absolutely, I am."

And with that the two passed through that open door, out into the deepening night and into the future.



kgreene is the author of 6 other stories.
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