They had been exchanging letters for four months now and while it was nothing compared to seeing her every day, Jim still felt his stomach flip when he saw her handwriting. When he first realized that he would never get over her this way, he thought of stopping. He told himself he wanted to move on. If he kept doing the same thing again and again, what was he doing?

He had shoved one of her letters into a desk drawer at work and tried to forget about it, but by the end of the day he had opened it. He couldn't help himself. Maybe he was doomed to be in love with Pam Beesly forever. Sometimes that didn't seem so bad.

It was the first day back after New Year's and the office was sluggish. When Jim walked into work, Abby smiled weakly.

"Hey, Jim," she said, stifling a yawn. "How was your New Year's eve and everything?"

Jim shrugged off his coat. "Uh, okay. I went to my brother's. Nothing really exciting. You look like you had a great time though."

"Yeah," Abby said. She rubbed her eyes. "I went to a couple parties. I just have some advice for you - don't drink Spanish sangria out of a plastic garbage can. If you spend most of the evening calling something 'garbage punch,' then don't... don't drink it. I learned this lesson the hard way for your benefit."

"Thanks, you're a trooper," Jim replied and smiled.

He grabbed a peppermint from the small bowl on the reception desk and walked over to his desk. He started the computer before sitting down and pulling out a stack of photos from the top drawer. He had kept all of the photos Pam had sent him over the months and routinely rotated them. He picked out an old photo of himself and Pam from the last Halloween party.

While he placed the photo on his desk, Abby came over to give him his mail.

"Cute cat," she said, smirking. She pointed to the Halloween picture. "Your girlfriend?"

"No," Jim answered. "Just a friend."

"Pam, right?" Abby asked. She eyed the picture closer. "The old receptionist?"

Jim nodded. "How did you kn -"

"Michael has a picture of her in his office," Abby explained. "On my first day, he showed it to me and made me stare at it while trying to psychically link my brain with hers so I'd be the perfect receptionist. I thought about Johnny Depp the entire time. Anyway, here's your mail."

Jim smiled and took the small pile of letters.

Abby went back to the reception desk, rubbing her temples as she walked.

Jim sifted through the letters until he found the one he wanted and tore it open.

Dear Jim,

How was your New Year? I didn't really do anything exciting, just had a small party here at the house. It's so nice to finally know enough people to have a party! I still can't get over it. The people from my art class are really nice and Roy's friends from work are okay I guess. It kind of feels like back in high school when I would spend all my time in the art room and Roy... would not.

Anyway, Maddie came up with a great idea - selling paintings and art at the antique store. I think that'd be fun and attract a new crowd. I really love that place. Who would have thought I'd be any good at sales, right? Well, I guess it isn't really sales since most of the time I just help young hipsters pick out vintage belts and jewelry, but still.

How are things at the office? Thanks for the copy of Michael's memo about his chest hair. NOT. That was really disturbing. I don't know that I can forgive you for that.

Did you hang the watercolor up yet? I think it'd look great in your bedroom. You know, to balance out all that raw manliness and everything. I'm glad you liked it. I worked really hard on that one. I wanted to make sure it was perfect for you. It should come in handy this time of year. When it's snowing, you can look at the ocean instead.

How is the snow, by the way? I miss it a little. It's just been raining here. The last couple of weeks have been okay, just foggy in the morning. I bet by now you're sick of the snow. Oh! Hey, if you've still got that week of vacation days left, you should come visit. I'm gonna be lonely the 16th through the 22nd - Roy is going with his cousin to Nevada for some work stuff. You should come. I could show you California. Plus, Maddie is dying to meet you and I would hate to disappoint her. Let me know if you can (or even want to - maybe you like the snow now). You could stay here so you wouldn't have to worry about a hotel and I'm a master chef at this point, so no worries about eating. I think it'd be fun.

Other than that, there's nothing new with me. I've just been working and painting, which is nice. I've been thinking about getting a puppy but I'm not home enough to take care of it. I was thinking of getting a beta fish instead, but Roy is insisting on naming it Masta, so I think I'm going to remain pet-less. I guess it's okay. I've been at the antique shop late most nights anyway, so it's probably not even fair to a fish.

Okay, I'm rambling. I'll end by saying: I hope you can come visit.

I really miss you.

Love,
Pam

Jim set the letter down and stared at the photo of himself and Pam.

He had to think about this.