Even with the late night antics of Michael, Jim and Pam were up by only 9:00. It was a sunny day and they wanted to lay out by the pool and work on getting a tan, although Pam argued that she didn’t tan tan, she just burned. 

They threw on their swimsuits; Jim in navy swim trunks and Pam in the one she wore to the Beach Games, and some sort of cover up on top. Pam packed a bag with sunscreen (she would most definitely be needing it), waters, their sunglasses, towels, books and magazines and all of the other necessities.

They made their way down to grab some breakfast and ate their usual meal and finally went out to the pool deck. The warm sun instantly greeted them. It felt nice compared to the over-air conditioned rooms inside the cruise. They found two good beach chairs and set their stuff down. 

“Hm... This isn’t going to work,” Jim said. 

“Wait, what isn’t going to work?” she asked. 

He pushed the two chairs together and laid a towel over it so it was more like one big chair. He plopped down on a side and grabbed the sunscreen. 

“I like the way you think, Halpert,” she said and sat next to him. 

“I’m just so brilliant. Turn around.” She did as he said and he squirted some sunscreen into his hand.  

“Way to be modest,” she said and rolled her eyes. He began rubbing the sunscreen onto her back like he did the day before. “Good thing we beat the crowds,” he said as he slowly rubbed it in on her shoulders. As of right now, there were probably only 5 other people on the pool deck. But of course, just as he said that, he was jinxed. The shrill screams of two little kids, one boy and one girl, filled the air. 

“Never mind…” he said. As he rubbed his hands up and down her arms, he bent down to whisper in her ear which caused Pam’s stomach to fill with butterflies. Her eyes fluttered shut.

“You know how we could really escape the crowds?” he asked in a low tone. 

“Hmm?” she managed.

“We come out here at midnight,” he answered. She shuddered slightly and smiled slyly.

“There’s a hot tub, you know. What do you say?” 

“Absolutely I do,” she replied and winked. “Your turn,” she said as she took the sunscreen from him. The butterflies were still in her stomach for probably the next hour. Actually, she still always had butterflies around him and she concluded that she always would. She love how the slightest gesture from him, like a husky whisper in her ear, could do that to her.  

“Jimilicious definitions make them girls go crazy!” 

Oh no. It was the voice. Pam pinched herself hoping it was just a nightmare. But when she looked up, she saw Michael Gary Scott on the other side of the pool altering the words to Fergie’s song, Fergalicious, to fit Jim’s name and she couldn't help but cringe. “Is it just me, or does he seem to show up everywhere we go?” she asked Jim through clinched teeth.  

“I was hoping it was just a mirage. A really bad mirage,” he said. Michael ran over to where Jim and Pam were sitting and sat down at the edge of their beach chair. He grabbed the sunscreen out of Pam’s hands and squirted a smiley face on his stomach, making squirting noises with his mouth for dramatic effect.  

“So Jimmy Neutron, remember that dream I told you about the day we arrived? The one where you and I were on the pool deck and those girls in skimpy bikinis were checking us out and shoving their boobs in our face? Well, today I think we can make that dream become reality. Pam can be the sexy bikini babe and-” 

“No, Michael,” Pam said. 

“Yeah, sorry Mike, but I don’t really want my girlfriend shoving her breasts in your face.” 

“Aw, Jiiiiiiiiiiiiiim! She’s already wearing the bikini… even though it’s not skimpy… But-” 

“I think I’m going to have to pass, man.” 

Michael started to pout. “Fine. You can just go start your own loser club. Up in loserville. And you can be the president because you’re such a loser and-"

Hey, guys! What are we talking about?”  

Come on. Michael alone is bad enough. Now Dwight is here too? All I wanted was a nice and relaxing day with my girlfriend. Is that too much to ask? Jim thought to himself. 

“Oh my God,” Pam said when she noticed what Dwight was wearing.

“It’s Moby Dwight,” Jim finished. Pam burst into a fit of giggles and Jim soon followed suit. “What exactly are you wearing?” Pam asked in between giggles. 

“It’s my grandfata’s old sailor suit. He was the captain of the ship Edelweiss.” 

This only caused Jim and Pam to erupt into more giggles. Along with Dwight’s sailor suit, he was wearing floaties on his wrists and ankles.  

“I don’t get it. What’s so funny? James Halpert and Pamela Beesly, I demand you to tell me what is so funny.” 

“Dwight, just... God... Just go to the other side of the pool. You’re cramping my style.” Michael said. Pam and Jim were laughing so hard that she was having to lean on his chest and clutch onto him to keep from rolling off the chair. He was gripping her, too. 

Dwight saluted and said “Ahoy!” causing Pam and Jim to laugh even more, and made his way to the other side of the pool. 

“Hey, Michael, you know, the breakfast buffet had Cocoa Crispies today,” Pam said once her giggles calmed down.  

“Cocoa Crispies? See ya,” he said before dashing back into the cruise ship. 

“Oh, man, my stomach hurts now,” Pam said. 

“Mine too,” Jim replied as he lay down on the chair. She felt him grab her wrist and gently pull it towards him. She smiled and lay in between his legs, resting her head on his chest.

“Oh my God, look at Dwight,” he said. 

“What is he doing n—” she interrupted herself by throwing a hand over her mouth and falling into a fit of laughter once again. Dwight was bending down next to the two kids who came out to the pool screaming earlier. They were clearly fascinated by his appearance and thought he was a real sailor. Or at least, that’s what it looked like.  

Once their laughter died down (again), Pam reached into her bag and pulled out her book. Jim had his arms wrapped around her torso and she could tell he was reading over her shoulder. Before she knew it, she fell into a little nap... 

***** 

Her eyes fluttered open to the feel of soft, warm lips on her.  

“Well, hello, Sleeping Beauty,” he said with a sweet smile. She sat up and stretched, letting out a little yawn.  “How long was I out?”  

“Only about thirty minutes but I thought I’d wake you up because the sun is starting to get intense.”

Only Jim would do that. Something so small like that m eant a lot to her... He was just so sweet. And of course, he wakes her up with a kiss and calls her Sleeping Beauty. He’s just perfect. 

“And it would really suck if I was red on one side and not the other.” 

“That’s true. Oh, and Holly saved the two spots next to us. And Dwight has been a children’s magnet. And Michael has been a children’s repellant.” 

Pam laughed and stood up. 

“Oh, and apparently Michael hired a photography crew for the cruise that has just now come into existence. He took a picture of you sleeping on me. I think we’ll have to order prints for that one.” She playfully slapped him and giggled.

“What?” he asked. 

“Would you like a drink, ma’am?” A poolside waiter holding a tray asked. 

“Actually, a lemonade sounds great right now. You want anything, Jim?”

“I’ll have the same, thank you.” The waiter wrote down their orders and left to retrieve more drink orders. 

“Hey, guys!” Holly’s cheery voice said as she sat down with a handsome man on their chairs.

“This is Ty, my fiance, Ty, this is Jim and Pam, that couple I was telling you about last night.” 

“Oh yeah! It’s nice meeting you guys!” he said as he shook both of their hands. 

“You too,” Jim and Pam replied. 

“Pam works at Dunder Mifflin, as well,” Holly said.

“Oh, Jim does too,” Pam said. 

“Really? That’s so cool!”  

“Yeah, it’s actually how we met,” Jim said as he smiled at Pam. She smiled back. 

“You know, I think I remember you seeing you guys at that part the first night. Did you sing or something?” Ty asked. 

Pam laughed, “Yes, we did. We sang Don’t Go Breakin’ My Heart.” 

“No wonder you guys seemed familiar!” Ty said. 

“That’s weird... I don’t remember them,” Holly frowned. 

“That’s because you were pretty tipsy if I remember.” 

“Shut up, Ty.” 

“I love you,” he said. 

“Don’t try and pull that stunt,” Holly replied, mock-serious.  

***** 

They stayed at the poolside until sunset was nearing and Jim reminded Pam of her promise to him that she made the night before. They went back inside, the cold a shock to their bodies that were so used to the insane heat outside, and wrapped themselves in dry towels. In one hour, they had to be back on the pool deck for another company party. 

Pam stepped outside and opened her sketchbook and began to draw. The colors flowed out of her fingertips. She didn’t even notice Jim standing next to her, watching her the whole time. She drew until the sun was completely hidden behind the clouds.  

“That looks really good,” Jim said honestly. He was beaming down at her and she knew it was genuine. She closed the sketchbook and stood up to give him a short and tender kiss.  

“We’d better get ready...” she said as she stepped back into the room. She got dressed into a white sundress that accented all of the right features. She put on a pair of sandals with it and retouched her curls. Jim wore a nice pair of Khaki shorts along with a green polo shirt. Pam loved when he wore polo shirts. They just looked so great on him and she could help but marvel at the way the perfectly gripped his best muscles.  

“You ready?” she asked.  

“Yep,” he replied as they laced fingers and made their way out to the pool deck where the party was being held.  “And hey, I’m still holding you to that midnight swim,” he said. 

“I’m still game.”

They made their way to the buffet first and filled their plates with things such as shrimp and burgers. They found a nice table that overlooked the ocean. The only lights on the pool deck were torches lit and the pool lights. Of course, nobody was in the pool, though. There was soft music playing and the sound of crashing waves made everything feel so relaxing. Pam couldn’t help but love how romantic the atmosphere was.

That was, until he sat down at their table. Yes, it’s pretty obvious who he is. 

“Not. Again,” Pam muttered.  

“How about we just try hard to completely ignore him,” Jim whispered in her ear. “As soon as we’re through eating, we can go and dance and talk with other people.” She smiled and whispered back, “That sounds like a perfect plan.” 

Along with Michael, Dwight came and sat next to them.  “Psst, psst, psst,” Michael mocked Jim and Pam’s whispers. “Oh, Jim, tell me another secret. Oh, Jim! Jim!” he continued in a poor attempt to sound like Pam. Jim nodded his head, sticking to the plan of ignoring Michael, and wrapped his arm around Pam’s shoulders and took a bite of shrimp.

They were totally flabbergasted when they saw who came and sat at their table next. 

“Um... Hi Ryan. Karen,” Pam said, giving them each a nod and a weak smile. It was awkward enough being by her boyfriend’s ex, but it was another thing to be by a guy who asked her on a date in which she turned him down and he was now dating the ex. It was a complicated situation to explain. 

“Hello, Pam,” Karen replied. Jim saw Karen notice his arm around Pam, so she turned completely towards Ryan and gave him a sloppy kiss. Pam snorted as a result of trying to hold in a laugh. Karen turned towards Pam and glared.

“Well, I think I will leave you couples here to have your fun,” Michael said as he grabbed his plate and stood up. “Dwight.”  

“Coming, Michael.” Michael looked at Karen, then Ryan, and then Karen again.

“They should get a room,” he said to himself, quite loudly. 

“Well, technically, they already have one...” Dwight insisted. 

“Shut it, Dwight.” They both left the table and went over to where Andy and Angela were sitting. Karen turned back towards Ryan and kissed him again, this time turning it into a full out make-out session. Jim and Pam looked at each other uncomfortably and continued eating their food. "I think I've lost my appetite," Pam whispered as she picked at her food.

So much for a romantic dinner, thought Pam. As if Jim read her thoughts, he leaned towards her and whispered in her ear once again. "I’ll be sure to make this up to you, somehow.” She smiled at him and gave him a peck on the cheek. “I love you,” she mouthed, careful not to say it out loud, fully aware of how Karen would react. “You too,” he mouthed back.  They looked back at Karen and Ryan who were still making out. Jim cleared his throat causing them to finally stop their tonsil hockey.  

“I’m sorry, Jim. Was I making you uncomfortable?” Karen asked. 

“No, you were just making out with your boyfriend at a public event when you should just be eating dinner. You can always save that for later, you know,” Jim replied. 

“Wait, are you like, jealous or something?” Karen continued. 

“Nope, not at all. I’m perfectly happy with my current girlfriend because she’s all I ever wanted.” Pam had to fight not to smile, especially once Jim grabbed her hand and gave it a little squeeze. 

“And I’m guessing you’re totally, madly in love, right?” 

“Exactly.” Pam’s smile broke now and she felt the blush rising in her cheeks.

“Well, so are Ryan and I.” 

“We are?” Ryan asked. 

“Yes, Ryan, we are,” Karen said, threateningly.  

“You know, Karen, I’m happy for you. It’s great you finally found a man who really loves you.” 

“You loved me.” 

“Nope, never.” Yes, Jim was aware that he was being maybe a little harsh. But he was just speaking the truth and it was time that Karen really got over him. 

“I cried over you for months.”

Call me crazy, but I have this uneasy feeling that Karen is going to lunge over the table and start a girl on girl cat fight with me. That’s what she said? Oh god. I have  been around my boss way too much, Pam thought.

“You know, Karen, I think Pam and I are done with dinner,” Jim said as he stood up, still holding onto Pam’s hand.  

“Yeah. It was nice chatting with you guys,” Pam lied as she and Jim left the table. He placed his hand on the small of her back and they went over to another side of the pool deck.  

“Okay, everyone, it’s time to grab the one you love most and take them out to the dance floor,” the DJ said. Lucky by Jason Mraz started playing.

Jim and Pam walked out to dance floor along with many other couples in the company... And Michael and Dwight.  

“I love this song!” Pam said with a big smile. “It’s probably my favorite!” 

“Since when do you like Jason Mraz?” 

“Since forever! How did you not know that?” 

“You told me your favorite singers were John Mayer and Jack Johnson.” 

“And Jason Mraz. Now you know,” she said with a smirk as she wrapped her arms around his neck. He wrapped his arms around her waist and he pulled her close. The chorus began playing. 

I’m lucky I’m in love with my best friend

Lucky to have been where I have been

Lucky to be coming home again

Lucky we’re in love in every way

Lucky to have stayed where we have stayed

Lucky to be coming home some day 

“As many times as I’ve listened to this song, I’ve never realized how perfectly these lyrics fit us,” Pam said as she rested her head on his shoulder. She saw Holly and Ty dancing next to them. Holly gave her a wink and Pam smiled at her.

Jim noted that when they got married, because he was sure it was going to happen someday, this would have to be the song played for their first dance as husband and wife. He began to hum along to the music and she could feel the vibrations in his chest. She looked up at him and smiled. 

“This is a catchy song,” he said. 

“Told ya.” 

“You know how some couples have their own ‘song’?” he asked. She nodded.

“Yeah, and they play it at every occasion they can.” She thought back to Roy and how they had one. It was You Were Meant For Me by Jewel. She honestly hated the song, but Roy had a crush on Jewel so he decided that it would be "their song". Pam unwillingly obliged.

“Yeah. I say we need one.” 

“Totally.” “How about this one?” 

“You know what, Jim? I really like you,” she said with a twinkle in her eye. 

“You like me?” 

“Excuse me. I love you.” 

“There we go,” he said as he bent down and kissed her. They kissed and swayed for the rest of the song. Pam knew that somewhere, Karen was staring daggers at her, but she could care less. The former Stanfordite would never, ever get a second chance with Jim. He belonged fully to Pam and the receptionist was totally up to flaunting it in anyone and everyone’s face.

The song ended and the next song that played was Better Together by Jack Johnson.   

“Two of your favorite artists in a row. You are one lucky girl.” She smiled at him again and ran her hands in his hair.

“That I am.” She rested her head back on his chest and he sat his on to p of hers. He ran his hands up and down her back and drew little designs on it. She sighed in contentment. She loved this man all too much and now that she could finally say it, she was never going to stop. 

She always saw those married couples that eventually fell out of love. Some even got divorced. And then she saw those elderly couples that were so in love at such an old age. She knew very well that she and Jim would be the couple that was always in love. Each day would be as exciting, if not more so, than their first. 

They were both enjoying being in each others arms so much that they didn’t even realize that the camera crew was filming them and the photography group had snapped a lot of pictures of them too. They didn’t even notice the rain that had begun to fall.  

“Everybody, we’re so sorry, but this party is going to be cut short tonight. There is a storm brewing and we aren’t allowed to be on deck and another party is going on inside,” the DJ announced. Jim sighed with disappointment as he slowly floated out of his trance. Just then, a loud bang of thunder was heard which was followed by a bright flash of lightening. The cruise hit a big wave. Pam grabbed onto Jim so she wouldn’t fall.  

“Let’s get inside!” Jim yelled over the now torrential downpour. He grabbed her hand and they hurried back inside the cruise ship, now drenched wet.

“I guess this means no midnight swimming tonight, huh?” Pam asked.

“Maybe tomorrow night...” Jim said. Then, the boat hit another large wave. They hurried back up to their room and changed into their pajamas.

Jim noticed that Pam looked worried as she joined him on the bed. She also hadn’t said much since they left the party. “Anything wrong?”