Her eyes flew open and instantly focused on the few strands of his chest hair that were poking out of the neckline of his T-shirt just centimeters away from her nose. Her whole body stiffened. She shouldn't be here. How had she ended up like this, curled into his body on the couch? She couldn't really remember anything after the movie ended, but here she was.

He was laying on his left side, and she was surprised that he hadn't fallen off the couch in the middle of the night. His right arm was wrapped around her and then in between her back and the couch cushion, cradling her close to him. His left arm jutted out underneath him and then bent at the elbow so that he was holding his own head with his left hand, and her head was lying against his bent arm like it was a pillow. Her own arms were spread around him too. One folded up against his chest, the other draped across his waist. His legs were tangled up in hers and she couldn't really tell where his cargo pants ended and her borrowed sweats began. But as close as they were, it wasn't uncomfortable. Far from it, in fact. In all the years she'd spent with Roy she couldn't ever remember waking up this close to him. It was surprising to find that she liked it so much. But she couldn't think about that now.

She relaxed a little again so as not to wake Jim. The trick would be to get out of this position without disturbing Jim. Because she really shouldn't be here. As comfortable as it was, and it was very, very comfortable she could only imagine the assumptions he might make if he woke up and found her here.

Maybe if she could just shift slowly. Very, very slowly. So slowly she wouldn't even have to move right away. She was still so tired. Maybe she could just lie here quietly for a little bit longer.

-----

She woke for the second time an hour or so later. Jim was still asleep. His arm now wrapped even more tightly around her. She knew it was time to move. Any minute now Jim would wake up and then there would be questions and he would want explanations and she didn't have anything to say for herself. There was no logical reason for the fact that she'd ended up like this.

But knowing that she needed to get up didn't make it any easier.

There was something so protective in the feel of his arm across her back. His scent was all around her. So familiar and yet so overwhelmingly new and different. He was so different from Roy. She had always known that, but last night it had hit her again and again as the hours passed that Jim was just different. She knew it wasn't right to compare them, but she couldn't help it. She'd spent so many years thinking that Roy was everything. That his shortcomings were just natural because he was a guy and all guys were like that sometimes.

Being with Jim had taught her otherwise. At work he was always, always there for her. Anything she needed he was there, getting it for her. And last night had proved that he could do that outside work too.

And he had been her best friend for ages. She knew Roy was supposed to be that, but she had long ago accepted the idea that while Roy was fantastic in some ways, there were certain things he would never quite get. That was just the way he was, and there was no sense in trying to change that. But with Jim there was nothing she would change. He was already everything she wanted.

But could she really be with him? Like this?

She wasn't blind. She knew he liked her. She'd seen the way he looked at her every now and then when he thought she wasn't paying attention. It had never really seemed like a big deal before now. So he had a thing for her, so what? It obviously hadn't been keeping him from dating other people, and she knew he would never do anything to hurt her or interfere in her relationship with Roy. He was too sweet to do anything like that.

But what if...

For a few seconds longer she let her mind wander. Exploring all the possibilities that now faced her. For the first time Roy was well and truly out of the picture and while it still stung to think of not having him in her life, perhaps something good could come out of this.

Then Jim stirred slightly.

Pam panicked for a second, and then carefully but quickly began moving herself out from underneath him.

She made it off the couch without waking him, but didn't know what to do next. For a moment she just stood there, watching him sleep. Her mind still overcome with thoughts of him. Then figuring she might as well let him sleep she turned to walk into the kitchen.

Maybe a cup of tea would help her to think more clearly. At the moment it was all she could do to keep herself from dreaming about a life in which she wouldn't have to get off the couch, wouldn't have to panic at his touch. A life so tantalizingly close.

-----

When he woke up he was still on the couch. It took him a second to remember why. Then with a start he realized that Pam was probably still there somewhere in his house. He checked his room first, hoping, though knowing that he shouldn't hope it, that she would be wrapped up in his sheets. Something he'd dreamed about more often than he cared to admit.

She wasn't; but the faint sound of a pot clanging in the kitchen let him know she was still around. He stopped in the bathroom to splash a little water on his face and collect himself before facing her again. Having her there alone with him last night had been amazing, but he knew this wouldn't happen again. In all likelihood she'd be making up with Roy in just a few hours. Their night together would be forgotten just as quickly as it had begun. And he'd go back to being her best friend. He'd have to pretend again that he was fine with that. The thought was bitter, but he couldn't let her see how much the pretending hurt. So instead he brushed his teeth and absently ran his fingers through his hair, trying to come up with something else to think about.

-----

"Morning," he drawled sleepily, padding barefooted into the kitchen.

"Good morning," she replied quietly, looking up from her chair near the window.

"How're you doing?" he asked. He came closer to sit with her and she turned to face him from across the small kitchen table.

"Fine. Better, actually. A lot better. Thanks for everything, Jim."

"You're welcome," he smiled. "Seriously, I'd do it again, any time."

"Well, maybe I should break up with my fiance more often," she mused.

"No, I meant--"

"I know what you meant," Pam interrupted.

"Okay. Well, do you want something to eat? I've got some--"

"Actually, I'm not really hungry," she said, giving him a look that he couldn't read.

"Oh. Well, let me just get my jacket so I can take you home then."

"Wait. That's not what I want either."

"Well then what do you want?" Jim asked. He laughed softly trying to get rid of the nervous tension of holding her gaze.

She smiled back, but she was still looking straight at him. "I want this, Jim."

And with that she was walking around the table and then suddenly she had bent down and then she was kissing him.

Jim responded automatically, pulling her closer to him and reaching up to run his thumb along her jaw, his hands in her hair. He knew he should stop, knew it was too soon to be doing this, but Pam wasn't showing any signs of hesitation and he just wanted this moment to go on forever, didn't want to think about what might happen when it ended.

Eventually Pam did pull back.

"Hey," she whispered a quiet smile reflecting in her eyes.

"Hey," he whispered back. "So what was that?"

"I just... I don't know. I mean, I can't explain it, I just... " she kept babbling as she backed up to lean against the table, the same way she did at his desk sometimes.

Jim couldn't speak. He held his breath, waiting for her to continue.

"It's over with Roy. This is... I mean, you, you are... I can't even compare it, but this is what I want. I know that now."

Still it took him a minute to speak. "Are you sure? I mean, you're okay? You really want to do this now? Because..."

"Jim, I'm fine! I swear. Now would you please just tell me you love me and get it over with?" she teased with feigned impatience, looking down into his eyes--straight into them.

"I do love you," he said sincerely.

"I know you do." Her voice was quiet, but so sure, like she had known it for ages and accepted it entirely. He wondered how long it had been obvious to her. And then he wondered how she could have known all along and not been freaked out by it. He wondered why she'd run to him last night.

Before he could think long enough to get lost in his thoughts she was kissing him again, and instead he found himself lost in the soft waves of her hair, the gentle slope of her shoulders, the feel of her tongue moving slowly in rhythm with his own while his fingernails traced faint patterns on the back of her neck.

"Pam..." he broke away, abruptly, and stood to face her, knowing he needed to settle a few more things before this went any further.

"What?"

"I think this is a little fast, don't you? I mean, I don't want this to just be some crazy rebound thing."

"It's not. Jim, I mean it, it's not. I think I've wanted this since the first day I met you, but I couldn't make myself realize it until right now."

He swallowed hard. "You have no idea how long I've waited to hear you say that."

"Actually, I think I do."

"Yeah," he whispered, leaning in to kiss her again. She kissed him back eagerly until he pulled back again a minute later.

"Pam, seriously, we can't do this now," he said again. As much as he wanted to just keep kissing her forever, this wasn't the time. Not quite yet.

"I know," she admitted, her tone almost solemn. "You're right. Not right now."

"You have to go talk to Roy."

"I know," she repeated dully.

"But... soon, right?"

"Yeah. Really soon." she insisted. The way her face lit up with hope and sheer happiness was perhaps the most beautiful thing he'd ever seen.

"We should probably get you home."

"Yeah. I guess that would be good," she conceded.

Maybe it was because she knew there was so much she'd have to face when she left or maybe it was that, like him, she just wanted to spend a little more time together, but in any case, Jim found that Pam was reluctant to leave his house.

So they spent another hour eating breakfast together. The quiet joyful calm in the air was interrupted only when every so often Pam caught him looking at her or he caught her looking at him. It took them a good half hour to realize that they no longer needed to look away when that happened.

-----

He dropped her off some time later, hating to let her go, but knowing it was for the best.

"I'll call you later," he said.

"I love you," she said at the same time.

He couldn't respond. He knew she'd implied that earlier, but hearing her say it like that was simply incredible.

"Sorry, I meant to say that sooner, like back at your house..." she trailed off, sounding embarrassed.

"No. Don't apologize. You never have to apologize for saying that."

"Okay, good. Because I think I might want to say it a lot," she said with a shy smile.

"I'd be okay with that." He smiled too, lacing his fingers through hers. "I might even say it back sometimes." He wanted so badly to kiss her again, but he knew that if he did it would only lead to more kissing and though normally he would've been more than okay with that, he knew it would probably be best to wait until they were some place other than Pam and Roy's former driveway.

"Okay," Pam said with a note of finality. She squeezed his hand tightly once more before letting go and reaching down to unbuckle her seatbelt.

"So, I'll talk to you soon," he repeated.

"Yeah. And thanks again for the party, it was amazing."

"Yeah, it really was," he reflected.

She just laughed a bit and got out of the car. Jim stayed to watch her walk up the pathway to her front door and let herself in. She turned back to wave at him. Then he drove home, thinking about everything that had happened since that knock on his door the night before, and everything that would soon be happening in his future.