“Um, are you gonna open that?”
Pam was suddenly jerked back to reality. Immediately flushing, she turned to face whoever had spoken behind her.
“Oh! Um, sorry. I’m sorry. It’s just…my first day.” She looked up apologetically, hoping to see a friendly face. She was surprised when she was met with the knot of a necktie, and had to move her eyes up even more. She took in a long, lean, tan neck, and fought back the urge to lean in and smell it. She mentally shook herself and continued raising her eyes to look at this stranger’s face. She hesitated slightly when she saw a pair of what looked like the softest lips in the world stretched over a beautiful white smile. Her eyes finally made their way up the rest of his face, over nose that was kind of big, but cute.
After what seemed like years, her eyes finally locked with his. She had never seen eyes like that before. They were different from Roy’s dull brown, the same dull brown that she had seen every day for nine years. These eyes were a light, happy, green, and they were smiling at her. It made her feel…it made her feel warm.
“Oh, I’m sorry. You must be…Pam? The new receptionist, right? Welcome to Dunder Mifflin! I’m Jim, I work in sales.” One of his big, manly (Manly? Did I really just think that word?) reached out and grasped hers. It was soft and warm, and she liked it.
“Yeah. I mean, yes. Yeah, I’m Pam. Pam Beesly. Thanks, Jim.”
He reached across her to open the door—she caught a whiff of what must have been his deodorant, or his aftershave, or his cologne…or all three…whatever it was, it smelled like pine trees and oranges and Irish Spring soap, and she liked it—and showed her inside.
So, this is Dunder Mifflin Scranton. A circular desk at the front of the office housed a nameplate that said nothing more than RECEPTION. That must mean me. With a small sigh she placed her bag over the counter and stepped around to take her seat.
It was after lunch before she got a chance to take a minute to get used to her new surroundings. Her new boss, Michael, had promptly arranged a greeting line in order for everyone to meet Pam, the “hot” new receptionist. Then it was a brief video in the conference room welcoming her as a new Dunder Mifflin family member, and a nice woman named Phyllis showed her how to log onto the inter-office computer system while a small, sharp, angry looking woman named Angela made criticisms. She managed to sneak down to the warehouse to eat a turkey sandwich with Roy…but all she could really think about was talking to Jim again.
Jim. Woah, Pam, get a grip. Roy. Roy. Roy…Jim. Ugh. But he is pretty cute. Roy has nothing to worry about, but, still. It’s nice to look at something new. And what a view she had, too. From where she was sitting, all she had to do was shift her eyes slightly and she had the perfect vantage point. It took a while for her to realize that she had been comparing his chest and shoulders to Roy’s. Roy has a nice body…but seriously? Those shoulders are perfect. And that back. Oh, wow. It’s amazing how tall he is! The way he unfolds out of that seat when he stands up, it’s…woah. Wait. Is he…is he coming over here?
Pam hurried to look busy, even though she didn’t have any real tasks since it was still her first day. She looked up when she saw his shadow fall across her keyboard, and saw him leaning over the counter, smiling that smile again. “So, Dwight. You remember Dwight, right?”
Pam smiled. Of course she remembered Dwight. Already she could tell that he was very different from anybody else she’d met. “Yeah. He’s the one in the yellow with the glasses, right?”
“Exactly. Well, I’ve been looking for an accomplice for quite a long time. Do you think you’d like to help me out with something?”
Pam smiled. She didn’t have anything else to do—and even if she did, she would have set it aside without a second thought. “Sure. What do you need?”
“Well, I’m going to need a distraction. Dwight is single, and you’re…well…pretty, (He’s just saying that. Stop blushing, Pam!) so all I need you to do is go over to his desk and just talk to him. Ask him about black bears, that’ll get him going.” Jim smiled, then motioned with a nod of his head for her to follow him.
What seemed like hours later, Pam was in the kitchen with Jim, her head full of more facts about black bears than she had ever wanted to know. Jim was rummaging in the refrigerator, and she was slightly surprised when he pulled out a half-set jello mold. “Now, all I need you to do is just slip that stapler there into the mold. Then we’ll freeze it, and voila. My favorite prank to play on Dwight.” Pam giggled—she must have sounded like an idiot!—and an hour and a half later the office was surprised with Dwight flinging jello at Jim and then storming off to the human resources representative to make a complaint.
As Dwight stalked to the back of the office, Jim swiveled in his chair to face Pam. She looked up at him and smiled, pleased that she was making friends with her co-workers so quickly. “Hey, Pam! Catch!”
Jim tossed a wadded up sheet of paper her way, bouncing off her desk and landing in her lap. She quickly unfolded it giggled when she saw what it said:
She looked back up at Jim, who was waiting to see her reaction with a smile. She grinned, wider than she meant to, and tucked the note away in her purse for a reason that she didn't really know.
That evening, as she was putting on her coat to leave the office, Jim stopped by her desk. “So, how was your first day? Ready to retire yet?”
Pam smiled. “It’s not so bad. Everyone here is nice, and that jello stapler prank was fun. Do you do that often?” Jim just looked guilty; there was no need for him to reply. Pam laughed, hoping that he would continue to include her in. She liked the thought of already having made a friend.
Making her way around her desk, she the short distance to the door with Jim. They reached for the handle at the same time, Pam’s fingers resting on the back of Jim’s hand for the slightest moment. “Oh! Sorry. You go ahead.” She withdrew her hand from his, noticing that he was staring at it. She looked down, and realized what it was he must have seen.
“So, you’re getting married? That’s cool.” Pam looked up at him, feeling as though she should apologize. “When’s the wedding?”
“Oh. Well, we haven’t really set a date yet. It’s been…well, it’s been a long engagement, to say the least. You might know him, though. Roy? Roy Anderson? He works down in the warehouse.”
A look of surprise crossed Jim’s face, but he quickly recovered. He smiled down at her, pulling the door open and motioning for her to go first. “Yeah. I know Roy. I’ll have to congratulate him the next time I see him. That’s great, Pam.”
It is great. Isn’t it? She didn’t really know anymore. She loved Roy, but lately she had been feeling as though the only reason she was still with him is because he was comfortable and familiar. They hadn’t stepped out of the same routine since high school, and they probably never would. He was a solid man, a good man. Of course it’s great. It’s what I’ve always wanted.
“Well, it was nice to meet you, Beesly. I’ll see you tomorrow? 9:00 sharp, right?”
“It’s a date! Bye, Jim. And thanks!” Jim smiled at her, all crooked and adorable, and she felt like swooning. Instead, she turned and walked towards the same blue pickup truck that had carried her here this morning. Roy was waiting for her in the cab, greeting her with a kiss on the cheek and an exclamation of how much he was looking forward to a beer and the game when he got home.
“Yeah, babe. That’ll be great.” She didn’t want to acknowledge the fact that he hadn’t asked how her first day at a new job had been. It was great, Roy. I made some new friends, and my boss is…well, he’s unique. I even helped play a prank on somebody. And I met the most beautiful man…
Whoops. Pam smiled to herself—it was a good thing Roy didn’t take that much of an interest in the things she did, otherwise there might have been a slight problem. She busied herself by digging in her purse, hoping that Roy wouldn’t notice her pink cheeks. Her eyes caught the balled up Post-It note that Jim had thrown her earlier in the day, and grinned.
A beautiful friendship. She liked the sound of that.
