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The Gift

From far away, her clothes didn't look all that much different.

Jim could barely form coherent thought but in the fleeting moments he had been able to focus he remembered some quote from some movie that Katy had adored - about a girl being like a Monet painting, OK from far away but up close a big old mess.

Neither really applied in this situation.

From far away he couldn't tell that her skirt hugged her hips, her sweater clinged to her curves, he couldn't see that the stockings she wore weren't actually patterned but a kind of fine fishnet.

Up close, he could definitely tell the difference.

Of course - it was kind of hard not to notice that type of detail especially when in the act of peeling off said hosiery using only his teeth.

The texture of her shirt was different, not her usual soft cotton but made of something that caused the fabric to spring back into place as he pulled it down off her shoulders.  The style was still conservative but for the first time ever he was able to see what she wore beneath one of those buttoned up blouses.

To say he was pleasantly surprised would be a severe understatement of fact.

A fact it took him a while to uncover, since he couldn't seem to get his hands to stop shaking.

Pam had surprised him thoroughly, shocked him speechless when she'd walked through the door that night.  It had been six weeks since Karen had left, four months since he'd been back in Scranton, nearly a year since he'd told her he loved her and she hadn't replied the way he'd hoped.  When finally, after months of avoidance, he had agreed to meet her, reluctantly agreed to have dinner and talk he hadn't realized that in the time they'd spent apart she'd also taken time to read a fashion magazine or two.

Or twenty.

"Kelly." She'd laughed when he asked her later, her chin resting on his chest, her leg twined around his." I had no clue how to put it all together.  She's really the one you need to thank."

Jim made a mental note to risk an hour long conversation in an effort to show his unending gratitude.

Pam's hair was unpinned, still full of curls but she'd done something to smooth them out a bit.   It fanned out over her pillow; his nose buried in the crook of her neck, his teeth gently scoring her skin.  He inhaled deeply finding that a new scent lingered there.  It was something equal parts light and floral, sensual and seductive and he hoped it was something she only saved for special occasions.  He was afraid for his sanity if he'd have to contend with it every day.

When his face was inches from hers he could see that her makeup was still natural, save for the smudge of smoke she'd added to her lids.  Her lips were still unlined but a little bit shinier, glimmering like candy colored glass.  Earlier, at the restaurant, as he sat across from her with a plate of appetizers between them it was all he could do to keep himself from leaning in and taking a taste.

He now knew that the flavor was actually slightly sweet and a little bit tart - almost like sugar coated lemons.

He realized that was exactly how he'd describe her personality - if he really took the time to think about it.

Of course, it wasn't her personality he was thinking of at the moment.

He'd asked very few questions at the beginning of the night, back when he was trying his best to keep things casual, to keep from falling head first right back into the cavernous crater he'd spent almost a year climbing out of.  But just by the fact that he quickly agreed to meet her he should have guessed it'd be futile.

She had smiled at him as the waitress placed their second round down and that smile was really all it took.  Pam had looked straight into his eyes and said the words that ultimately changed things forever. 

"I'm so sorry it took me so long to tell you but Jim, I really thought you should know.” 

She’d sucked in a breath, licked her lips nervously and sighed.

“It's always been you."

The words had barely left her lips when Jim called the waitress back and cancelled their entrees.

Pam stood and took his hand and he knew without question that he would follow her anywhere.

With a confidence he'd never seen from her before she led him to her apartment; they both stumbled blindly through the door as he kept his mouth fused to hers, his teeth nipping, their tongues tangling, her heart pounding under his palm. 

He tripped over his feet as she led him to her bedroom.  She fell back on the bed and pulled him down with her, her now crimson colored nails trailing the length of spine and then teasing lower.  Their fingers simultaneously yanked at seams, tugged at zippers, tore at buttons.  The look she'd left work early to create and then spent hours constructing now lay scattered across her floor.

Jim's mouth slid from hers, travelled the curve of her neck and enjoyed the occasional taste of lace and satin as his lips made their way downward.

The way her back arched and the sound of her breath hitching was all the encouragement he needed.

He'd initally been wary of the situation he'd suddenly found himself in, in truth it all seemed far too surreal to be true.   Now only one thing kept him from thinking he'd fallen fast asleep and this was all just a dream – albeit a glorious dream where she'd tamed her hair and tinted her face.  A dream where she transformed her style almost completely and thankfully omitted a certain accessory she'd worn every day for three of the years he'd known her.   Just when he was beginning to doubt one thing made him sure that it wasn't a dream at all.

Despite all that was different the sound of her laugh when his fingers trailed the inside of her thigh and traced the back of her knee was purely, utterly, simply Pam.   It echoed in his ears, made him slightly dizzy and it was then that Jim realized nothing that truly mattered had gone missing.

He shifted above her, met her smile with his and knew for certain.  Despite how long he'd had to wait, regardless of how dramatically the trimmings had changed the fact still remained.

The wrapping had certainly been altered, but the very same gift was waiting underneath.