Of course, he didn’t actually spend the entire rest of the booze cruise on the deck with Michael. There were about ten minutes left before the boat arrived back on shore, and he went back inside for the rest of that time.
When he came in, he tried to look at everyone but Pam and Roy. Eventually his eyes rested on Katy, sitting alone at the bar, looking sad. He knew he owed her an apology. She deserved better than the way he’d treated her.
Jim walked over to the bar, stepped up next to her, and ignored her dirty look as he opened with, “I’m sorry. I really am. I just–”
“You think you’re going to make it better with a little apology?” she snapped, cutting him off. “No. What you did was despicable. When you want to break up with somebody, you don’t just go, ‘I’m in a crappy mood, so it’s over.’ You sit down with them, and you tell them nicely. You give them a reason.”
He pursed his lips and tilted his head thoughtfully. “A reason?”
She narrowed her eyes. “Yes. Give me a reason. One goddamn reason. Please.”
He nodded, and leaned forward onto his elbows on the bar. “A reason. Okay. You always…” He stopped himself, suddenly unsure of how to word what he was feeling. It wasn’t just Pam, the reason things couldn’t work out between him and Katy. That was a big part of it, yes, but they couldn’t have lasted anyway. He knew that, so he continued, “You get up and go to the bathroom, before I wake up. You brush your teeth, wash your face, put on lip gloss, and brush your hair. Then you climb back in bed, like that’s normal. Just so I don’t ever have to see you looking less than perfect.”
Katy’s glare had faded, replaced with a look of shock, and a little shame. She was speechless, had no idea how to respond. She hadn’t realized that he knew she did that.
“If we actually had a future,” he asked carefully, “would you still do that? Everyday, for the rest of our lives?”
“I, um…” Katy tried, but she didn’t have an answer.
They fell silent for an uncomfortably long pause, before Jim finished, “I need something a little more… real.”
She just nodded, struggling to hold back the tears that were filling her eyes. She’d never felt like such a fraud. She couldn’t believe she’d never thought of her morning ritual like that before, what it would look like from his perspective if he knew.
He placed a hand on her arm and gently added, “I’ll still give you a ride home, if you want. Or money for a cab, if you can’t stand to be near me.”
He gave her one more sorry, sympathetic look before he turned and walked away.
Neither of them spoke to anyone else until long after the boat docked.
Author's Chapter Notes:
I was just thinking about the dynamic of the Jim/Katy relationship, and how even if Pam wasn't in the picture, she probably wasn't really his type in the long run anyway, so I gave them an extra break up talk.
First Office fic - nervous!
Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.
