Day 236: 6:54am
He still had seven minutes before the alarm went off but he had been awake for at least an hour, his mind racing about the decision that he had yet to make. He lay on his back, one hand resting behind his head as he stared at the ceiling and went over his options as he had done a hundred times before. He could take the job, which meant a pay raise and the prospect of not having the cameras around very long. But it also meant having to spend the first four months of his marriage away from her. Or he could stay and nothing would change. They would get their small summer break from the documentary crew, but they would have another year with the same contract. His head spun as he debated the pros and cons of each option and concluded that he didn’t care for either choice.
He turned on his side to face her. She was curled up on her side, her back towards him, her chest rising and falling as she steadily breathed in her sleep. He gently brushed a hand through her hair, loving the silky of feel of it in his fingers. She looked so beautiful as she slept and his heart ached at the prospect of ever having to leave her. He wasn’t sure it was something he could ever do. So many nights he had spent next to her that the idea of her not being there was hard to comprehend. He had gone back and forth so many times in the past two weeks over the decision but if asked now, as he watched her sleeping gently, he would flat out refuse to go.
His eyes wandered lower until they rested on the glittering diamond on her hand. With only a month until the wedding everything couldn’t be more ready. Pam had made sure every detail had been taken care of and with the exception of a things that would have to be taken care of last minute, they were all set. A month to go and the thought made his heart flutter. She would be his wife. His wife, he repeated to himself as he lightly traced his fingers over her hand, careful not to wake her. He loved the sound of that.
With a sigh, he rolled onto his back again. If only he could concentrate on the wedding instead of what happened when documentary crew returned. The idea of their return was why he contemplated going to Stamford at all. After eight months of them sticking cameras in his life he was ready to be done. He looked out the window at the still dark sky and thought about Connecticut. It was only a few hours away, Jen had explained to him. Close enough that Pam could visit as often as she wanted to. But still, it felt far.
Pam stirred in her sleep and Jim turned back towards her. “Jim?” came a quite muffled tone.
“Yeah?” Jim responded, coming close to whisper in her ear.
She turned and her eyes drifted open. “You keep tossing,” she said sleepily.
“I’m sorry, it’s alright,” he assured her though he knew she worried about him. “You have a few minutes if you want to go back to sleep.”
She eyed him curiously. “What are you thinking about?”
“You,” he said with a grin. He bent down and gave her a kiss on the nose.
She reached out and brushed a few strands of hair off his forehead. “I love you,” she responded.
“I know,” he replied. “It’s just…going to be a long day.”
A smile crossed her lips and her eyes widened in realization as she became more awake. “Hey, that casino thing is tonight. That should be fun, right?”
It usually was but that was the deadline. He had until the casino night in the warehouse ended to make his decision or the Stamford deal would be off the table and they would be stuck with the cameras for another year. “Yeah,” he breathed.
9:57am
The morning started off better than he anticipated. Not only had Dwight come in his dead grandfather’s tux but also he had been able to get Dwight to believe he had telepathic powers. And, of course, Pam had helped wondrously with that. Another mark went to the ‘stay’ column on the invisible tally chart in his head. It was becoming harder and harder to find reasons to go.
Despite the cameras in his face and the huge pile of work that he knew he wouldn’t be getting done that day he was beginning to become optimistic. That was until Jen called him in the conference room for a one on one meeting. There were few people on the planet that Jim truly disliked. Jen Wilson was one of them.
The first thing he noticed when he entered the conference room and took his usual seat next the window was that the cameramen were not present. This would be a private meeting. As Jen shut the door, he took the chance to throw Pam a helpless look. He saw Pam crane her neck from reception but the door was closed before their eyes met. Jen turned around and leaned against the table.
“Well?” she asked impatiently.
“Well what?” Jim gave back.
“Have you made your decision?” she snarled. She didn’t like playing around.
“I thought I had until after the casino thing,” Jim said slowly. “Midnight or something like that?”
“Technically, you do, but I thought we’d just get this thing over with now,” Jen said.
Jim let out a sigh. His eyes wondered past Jen and to the window facing the office where he could see Pam walking across the room, handing Stanley a memo. In that moment, he couldn’t imagine not being in the same place as her every day. He couldn’t do it. “I, uh, don’t think I am going to take the job,” he replied softly.
Jen pursed her lips. “You do realize that if you stay, nothing changes. The contract we give you will be exactly the same. Despite whatever happens tonight, the status quo won’t be pushed any further forward. True, Roy would be out of the picture but that doesn’t mean that we would let you be together on screen. I know the two of you have been struggling with this for the past eight months. Do you really want to try to put your marriage through that?”
Jim’s eyes widened. Jen never had looked out for their best interest and was confused as to why she was so anxious for him to leave. “You want me to take the job?” he asked.
“Yes,” Jen said plainly.
“Why?” he asked hesitantly. “From what you told me earlier, I was under the belief that if I left for Stamford, the camera crew would only be around for a few months. Then Pam and I would be free of any contract. I thought you people were looking for some great story.”
“The benefactor does,” Jen answered seriously. “I don’t. I’m not going to lie I think when this documentary comes out it will work just fine without any romance angle. Truth is, the two of you have been just as much of a pain in my side as I have been in yours. I’m not supposed to be swaying you one way or the other, but if I can get you to leave Scranton, it’ll give me less of a headache to deal with. I can go back to making an actual documentary.”
“So, you want me to do this so I can make your life easier?” Jim asked, not believing that after all the crap they had gone through, him leaving would be a benefit to Jen. “Well, that certainly changes my mind,” he added sarcastically.
“It’ll be better for you in the long run,” Jen gave. He could tell she was irritated, as she often was with him, but he could tell there was a little bit of concern in her eyes. “You go, the cameras will only be there for a few months, we can wrap up this absurd love story and you will end up with a better job in a better place than this dying town. Besides, this branch isn’t going to be around that much longer anyway, I’d get out while you still can.”
“What are you talking about?” He didn’t like how she was being cryptic about the closing of the branch. “How could you possibly know when or even if Scranton is closing?”
“Oh, come on, Jim,” Jen let out. “Anyone can see it from a mile away. The way this branch is run? Dunder-Mifflin can’t afford to keep this branch going.” She gave him an evil smile. “Not for long anyway. So, do you still want to stay?”
Jim sunk low in his chair. So much for the decision, he thought. “I’ll give you my answer tonight,” he replied.
11:47am
Kevin was in a rock band. He wasn’t sure how he never knew this but he supposed he didn’t know everything about his coworkers. But man he wished he could actually book Scrantonicity for their wedding. He would never really consider it; he took the wedding preparations as seriously as Pam did but even though Scrantonicity sounded as horrible as the rest of the bands they had been watching, Kevin playing the drums in that hat was one of the best things he had seen all day.
He smiled as they popped in the next tape, the one with the Kiss cover band. He didn’t think anyone would ever want to use Kiss covers at their wedding but who knew? Pam looked happy though as she swayed back and forth while listening to music that made Scrantonicity look like a professional rock group. She had seemed happier these days. Maybe it was planning the wedding, which he knew she loved doing, or maybe it was the fact that the cameras were going to be gone for the summer. He wasn’t sure why exactly, but coming to work didn’t seem so bad anymore, for her at least.
“Hey, can we talk a sec?” he asked when the cameraman decided to go on break. The tape of the Kiss cover band was over and she got up to replace it with another. He could tell the seriousness in his voice startled her so she didn’t turn on the tape and turned her attention to him.
“What’s up Jim? Don’t want to go with a band at all?” She tried to joke but it didn’t stop the worry line from forming on her brow.
“No,” he let out a forced laugh. “How would you feel if I got a new job?”
She eyed him suspiciously. “Jim, we’ve talked about this plenty of times. Of course I would love it if you got a new job. And you’d be thrilled if I got a new job. Do you want to start looking after the wedding? I mean, if we are to find some over the summer, then we don’t have to deal with this stupid documentary anymore.”
“Right,” Jim replied distractedly. “But what would you say if I got a job that required us to be apart?”
“Apart?” she asked, unsure. “As in not working together? Plenty of couples don’t work together and they function just fine.” She gave him a hopeful smile.
He shifted uneasily in his seat. “No, I’m sure we’d be fine if we worked in separate places but… what if we had to live apart for awhile. I mean, what if I got this really good job opportunity, and it would be only for a short while, but we had to live in different places?”
He could tell she wasn’t quite understanding what he was saying. “I don’t want to be away from you,” she responded after a moment of thinking it over. “In fact, I hate the idea of ever having to be away from you but Jim, if you’ve found something and it really is that good of an opportunity. I would really like to discuss it because if it really was better then I think we could manage.”
Jim nodded. “Okay…”
“Does this have to do with what Jen talked to you about earlier?” she questioned.
“Kind of,” Jim replied. He had been holding off from telling her about anything for a long time. In truth, he had never anticipated wanting to go and while he contemplated it, there was never a doubt in his mind that he would stay. But now that he knew she would be on board and the more he thought of what a better opportunity it would be, it was time to discuss the real possibility of leaving Scranton.
But before he could actually say anything about the transfer, the cameramen return from their break. Jim let out a sigh as they entered the conference room. The conversation would have to wait until later.
“We can talk about it later, alright?” he asked.
She nodded but he noticed that he had worried her.
“You are amazing, you know that?” he offered in the charming voice that he knew usually made her feel better.
“I know,” she said with a half smile. “You know what else is amazing?” she asked pointing the remote at the TV. “Forty year old guys singing Backstreet Boys songs.”
Jim’s eyes grew wide. “Really? That’s what’s on this tape?” She nodded. “I hope they dance.”
Pam giggled as she pushed play.
3:28pm
Jim had already eaten his bag of pretzels by the time Pam made it back to the break room.
“Sorry, I’m late,” she said, going directly for the vending machine. “Michael had me make him a list of all the non-profit organizations he could possibly use for a charity. After about fifty pages I decided he was never going to go through all of them so I just gave him what I had.” She placed the quarters she held into the slot and picked out a bag of M&Ms. The bag fell with a plunk.
“You mean you’ve finally convinced him that ‘Afghanistans with AIDS’ isn’t real?” Jim said with mock disbelief as he slowly folded the empty pretzel bag.
Pam rolled her eyes as she bent down to retrieve her candy. “At this point, I don’t really care what he picks. It’s not my problem.” She grabbed the chair next to him and sat down. “Oh, and by the way, Michael inadvertently has two dates to tonight’s event.”
“Wow,” Jim said rubbing his chin. “That’s rather impressive. How’d he manage that?”
“Well, one is Jan, of course,” Pam said as she opened the bag.
“Of course,” Jim replied. “Because that woman loves making her life miserable.”
“And the other is Carol.”
“Who’s Carol?”
Pam couldn’t contain a giggle. “His real estate agent.”
“I don’t know how he does it,” Jim said in wonderment. “I mean, are these women that lonely? Or what?” He shook his head.
“I have no idea,” Pam said popping a few cadies in her mouth. “Hey, guess what,” she said, her eyes wide with excitement. “You talking about jobs this morning got me thinking and I figured if you were going to start looking for jobs, maybe I should try again with art school. So, I did some research and looks like the community college is going to be offering some cheap beginning classes in the fall.”
“That’s great,” Jim said happy for her. He knew she had wanted to do art school for a long time but had been held back between not getting in anywhere and finances for the wedding. But because of the extra money from the documentary crew it would be possible. And if nothing else, Jim thought, it would give her something to do while he was in Connecticut, that is, if he took the job.
“So, I think we should sit down and talk over what we want to do,” she continued with a little bit of hesitance.
“Yeah, definitely,” Jim added. It would have been the perfect time to talk to her about the job situation, but since there was a camera man pacing just outside he again avoided the subject. “But, uh, can we talk about it when we get home?” He nodded towards the window to where the cameraman’s back was to them.
She didn’t seem convinced of Jim’s reason and she again looked at him, worried. She could tell something was up. “Yeah, let’s do that,” she replied. She decided to change the subject but Jim knew the conversation about the future was far from off the table. “So, Roy came up to speak with me a few minutes ago.”
“Yeah, I noticed that,” Jim replied, not hiding his disregard for the guy. He had been nothing but pleasant to work with but it still didn’t stop him from not caring for Roy too much.
“Said he’ll be at our place around six to pick me up,” she explained.
Jim grimaced. “That’s nice.”
“Hey, this is the last time,” Pam assured him. “You have no idea how glad I am to not have to spend any more time with Roy Anderson. If I have to hear any more stories about the number of women he and Darryl have done things with and the things that they’ve done… I’m not sure why they act as if I’m just another one of the guys.”
“Yeah, that’s not gross,” Jim commented. “Sounds like Samantha dumping him after that ten year relationship really did a number on him.”
Pam shook her head. “That was over a year ago. I don’t feel sorry for him. In fact, I think I almost understand her reasoning. You know what I thought of the other day? If he was my real fiancé and if we were going to get married, my name would be Pamela Anderson.”
Jim let out a chuckle. “Okay, let’s not even joke about that.”
Pam shuddered then studied her real fiancé carefully. “Are you sure you’re alright about tonight?”
With all the real decision making that weighed on his mind he had nearly forgotten about the scene they were supposed to do that evening. Because it wasn’t real and he had always been confident in how Pam felt about him, it barely seemed to register. “Yeah, really, Pam, it’s fine,” he assured her. “It’ll be more fun than the Dundies.”
“At the Dundies, I didn’t have to tell you I didn’t love you,” she reminded him.
“But you do love me,” he came back.
“I do,” she eyed him curiously. “It’s just that, well, you’ve been kinda acting strange lately?”
“Have I?” he asked, trying to play it cool. “Look, we’ve been over it a thousand times since Jen asked us to do it. We’ve made up our little script, we know what’s happening. I think I’m going to be just fine because I know everything that’s going to come out of your mouth is a lie. And,” he leaned in closer so he could whisper. “Later tonight, you can prove to me that you were lying.”
Pam playfully rolled her eyes at him. “Just know that whatever happens tonight,” she said seriously, resting one of her hands over his, “that none of it’s real.”
He smiled at her. “I know,” he replied. He suddenly felt very guilty about not telling her about the transfer. He was just about to say something when the documentary crew once again interrupted them.
This time Jen bustled in. “Great, you are both in the same place,” she said in a huff. “I want to go over tonight again with you.”
Pam and Jim exchanged looks. “Alright,” Jim gave in.
“I have to get my notes,” Jen replied in a hurry. “I’ll be right back.” She exited just as quickly as she came but the two cameramen came in and took seats near them.
“You’d think they’d get tired of this,” Pam complained under her breath. “There’s got to be something more interesting going in the rest of the office, especially with everyone getting ready for the event tonight.”
“Well, it’s the last day,” Jim said. It was a tiny consolation for everything they’ve been through. “And we won’t have to see them for months. Months, Pam.”
“I wish it were forever,” Pam complained. “I’m so sick of this documentary. I hate that they’re coming back.”
“Let’s not think about that,” Jim said with an encouraging smile. “Let’s just think about a month from now when it’s just you and I on some secluded beach.”
Pam let out a sigh. “Let’s just fast forward to then and forget about tonight?”
“I’m all for that,” Jim agreed happily. “So, is it settled?” She looked at him oddly. “We’re having Scrantonicity for our wedding band.”
He loved seeing her smile stretch across her lips. “I told you, I am not having a band that has Kevin as a singer at my wedding…”
5:52pm
Jim adjusted the sweater so it was straight, rolled the sleeves up, and ran a hand through his hair instead of a comb. The reflection in the bedroom mirror was satisfactory enough. He was never sure what to wear to these things, but Pam had assured him his outfit was fine and he wasn’t one to argue when it came to fashion.
He was slightly nervous about that night and still wanted to talk to Pam about Stamford but with so much going on he hadn’t had a chance. Michael decided to give another inspirational speech before letting everyone go that evening, traffic was rougher than usual, and they had just enough time to grab some fast food before coming home and showering. Not any time to sit down and have a serious conversation about their future.
Pam was still in the bathroom finishing up her hair and make-up. Jim sat down on the edge of the bed and patted his leg lightly as he waited. In his head, he went over how he would tell her but there didn’t seem to be an easy way to mention that he was seriously contemplating, only few months into their marriage, taking a job that would relocate him two states away.
“Jim, have you seen my shoes?” Pam yelled from the other room.
“They’re out by the door,” he informed her.
“So, I’m totally going to win all your money tonight,” Pam said playfully as she came out of the bathroom putting on an earring.
“Yeah, you’re not going to…” His eyes widened when he saw her and his mouth hung open mid-sentence. He couldn’t believe how beautiful she looked, her hair done so up nicely, gentle curls flowing her over her shoulders, her light blue shimmering dress hugging her in all the right places. “I, uh, wow,” he finally managed to get out.
“And that is how you’re going to lose,” Pam said with a grin, bending over to give him a tender kiss.
“You think you’re so clever, huh?” he teased before pulling her closer to kiss her back.
“I do,” she responded as she pulled away. Her eyes remained lovingly on him. “You’re gonna want to wipe that lipstick off before you leave,” she said, gently cupping his chin and running her thumb over his bottom lip.
“You sure you don’t want to just skip this thing?” he asked seriously, pulling her down onto his lap. Before she could respond, there was a knock at the door.
Pam pressed her forehead to his. “Probably Roy.”
“The one time he’s actually on time,” Jim lamented.
Roy was at the door, excited like an eager puppy. “Hey, man,” he said stepping into the townhouse. “You guys looking forward to…” he stopped mid-sentence when he saw Pam. Jim was used to Roy’s stares at Pam but this time it made him a little uncomfortable. “Whoa, you can clean up nice,” he complimented.
Pam wasn’t sure how to respond to that. “Uh, yeah, you too,” she said, though Roy looked as though he had picked out some old sweater and pants that his mom chosen for him years ago.
Roy’s eyes lingered longer than Jim would have liked. “Yeah, so I’ll be taking her home tonight,” he informed Roy to get his attention away from Pam.
“Oh, yeah, I figured since you guys are doing that thing tonight,” Roy said in an oddly eager tone. “So, what’s going on with that anyway? They didn’t really tell me anything. I’m out of the picture now, right? That’s what they told me. I mean, it’s been fun, but I know this whole gig has been slowing up my chances to get girls.”
Jim shook his head. He didn’t even want to know what Roy was talking about. “Yeah, it’ll be all taken care of tonight.”
Roy’s eyes grew wide. “Aw, Pam, do we get to do a big break up scene or something? Wouldn’t that be cool? Too bad they never had me fight Halpert. That would have been fun to get on film.”
Jim couldn’t believe how disappointed Roy looked. Personally, he was grateful a fight was never staged. Even rigged he didn’t think he would come out of it that well since Roy seemed to be overzealous in nearly everything he did. “Yeah, real fun,” Jim said sarcastically. Roy didn’t catch on.
Pam had gotten her shoes on, grabbed her purse, and was ready to go. “Alright, let’s do this,” she said. He could tell that now that it was time, she was a little nervous about how the night was going to play out. He’d be lying if he said he was just fine.
“Okay, I’ll see you there,” he said. He bent down to give Pam a quick kiss on the lips. “Love you.”
“Love you too,” she responded.
“Man, I can’t believe this is the last time,” Roy said with a tiny bit of regret in his voice that Jim didn’t understand. He glanced back at Jim and gave him an odd look. “Dude, I think you have lipstick on.”
“Thanks Roy,” Jim responded wiping his mouth as Pam gave him a smile. “I’ll see you guys there.”
Pam waved then was ushered out the door by Roy, who began animatedly talking about ways to win at Black Jack and how he knew he would take everyone out.
Jim leaned on the doorframe and folded his arms as he watched the two walk down the pavement to Roy’s truck. He let out a little sigh, thankful that tonight there were a few things that he was glad to see change.
6:25pm
Jim wasn’t sure how it was possible, because he left about ten minutes after they did, but he showed up before Pam and Roy arrived at the business park. He took a seat at one of the poker tables and proceeded to start messing with Dwight off the bat. He didn’t care how unsure he was about how the night would turn out; every opportunity he had to screw with Dwight he took. Within ten minutes of being there, he already had Dwight convinced that when he coughed, he held a good hand and got a great deal of humor out of Dwight basing his betting solely on that.
Pam finally arrived and when he saw Roy enter with Darryl he understood where she had been. She looked happy though and for that he was grateful. All too often he would hear stories about how Roy would be an endless pain, especially when Darryl was involved. She waved to him with a smile from across the warehouse and he waved back but because the cameras were right there, she took a turn over to the roulette table. He settled back into his seat and played another hand, making sure Dwight would go out based on his actions.
Not long after, Jim headed up to the bar to get a drink, hopefully to calm his nerves a little. Ryan was there, on Kelly’s orders, getting an elaborate mixed drink. Jim laughed to himself, thinking how upset Kelly would be if Ryan got any of it wrong.
“So, that’s still going on, huh?” Jim asked as he tapped the bar, waiting for the bartender to get back with the beer.
Ryan shrugged, looking almost defeated. “Yeah.”
There was an awkward silence, he didn’t know Ryan at all and wasn’t sure what to say to the guy. “So, uh, I take it Kelly does all the talking?”
“Mostly,” Ryan replied. He looked around, avoiding eye contact with Jim.
“How do you deal with it?” Jim asked, thinking he wouldn’t be able to stand dating Kelly for twenty minutes. “I mean, doesn’t she just drive you nuts?”
“Sometimes,” Ryan replied nonchalantly, though based on past experiences, Jim supposed Ryan was more annoyed with Kelly more often than he let on. “But I guess it works. At least we don’t have to pretend our relationship doesn’t exist.” Ryan had a bit of a smirk on his face. “If I were you, I wouldn’t let those producers push you around so much. Grow some balls, man. Tell them off, that’s what I would do.” The bartender set down Kelly’s drink and with that, Ryan was gone.
Jim slumped down in the stool and began to sip out of the bottle the bartender had placed in front of him.
“Hey,” Pam came up beside him and nudged him the arm. “What’s up?”
Jim shrugged. “Ryan just told me to grow a pair,” he replied.
Pam let out a laugh. “Well, maybe I should go tell him that I know you have a rather nice pair.”
Jim blushed and took a sip of his beer to disguise it. “Thanks, you’re so sweet.”
“So, what’s his deal?” she asked sitting on the stool next to him. “Just being an ass again?”
“He thinks I should go tell off the producers for making us sign that contract. Said I shouldn’t let them control me.”
“Are you kidding?” Pam asked in disbelief. “The guy who can’t even tell Kelly to get her own drink? Don’t listen to him, he’s just trying to make himself feel better for being such a loser.”
Jim let out a laugh. “So what have you been up to?”
Pam’s eyes grew wide in excitement. “I won twenty dollars at the roulette table,” she replied with a grin. “Totally played the pants off Roy and took all his money.”
“Oh, sure,” Jim said shaking his head. “Because it takes such skill to play that.”
“I told you earlier that I was a roulette expert. Are you going to take me on?” she challenged. “Or are you too scared?”
“Yeah, you want a challenge? I’ll play you in poker,” Jim returned. “Then we’ll see who can have bragging rights.”
“Yes, we will play, then I will take all your money,” she taunted.
“Ha!” Jim said with a grin. “I always knew you only wanted me for my money.”
“What money?” Pam came back, slapping her hand on the bar. “You don’t have any money.”
“Yeah, because you keep taking it all,” Jim said with a laugh.
“Cheapskate.”
“Gold-digger.”
“Well, it’s a good thing you’re so darn cute then,” Pam said smiling, and giving him a playful nudge in the arm. “We should play Ryan and take all of his money.” She let out an evil laugh.
“Oh, Beesly,” Jim said proudly. “I’m glad I’m marrying you.”
“Can I get you anything miss?” the bartender asked.
“Yeah, rum and Coke,” Pam said without hesitance.
“No margaritas today?” Jim teased. “And you said this would be as fun as the Dundies.” He gave her a fake pout.
Pam scrunched her nose. “You bug me.”
“You love me.”
9:51pm
“Looks like it’s just you and me Beesly.”
“It’s always just you and me.”
“You think you can handle it?”
“Bring it, Halpert.”
He didn’t get to see her competitive side very often, but he was well aware that she had one. And he loved seeing her all riled up. He sent her a flirty smile as the dealer laid down cards.
Kevin had lost the previous round to Pam and he was the only one sitting at the table with them, watching closely as the hand unfolded. Jim had two nines and a third one sat on the table waiting. He tried hard to conceal a grin, not wanting to give himself away. Instead, he watched Pam as she studied her own cards.
He tapped his cards on the table. Pam had a large pile of chips in front of her and he knew he didn’t have much of a chance but he thought he’d go for it anyway. “Fifty,” he placed his bet.
“I’ll call,” she replied with a devilish smile. She pushed her chips forward, purposely leaning over the table to show off more cleavage. Jim’s eyes wandered lower and a grin formed on his lips. She wasn’t often a tease but tonight she was something else. He enjoyed the show and he knew she knew that.
The dealer set a seven on the table and Jim watched Pam’s lips twitch, trying hard not to give herself away. But Jim didn’t think she looked as nearly as confident as she had before, so he pushed further. “Fifty,” he said again, putting out his chips.
The grin immerged on her lips and she eyed him intently. “One-hundred,” she came back. She bit her lip as she placed her bet.
Jim placed a few more chips on in the middle. “I’ll call,” he said with a smirk.
“You think you’re going to get me by letting me call the shots?” Pam challenged, giving him a flirty laugh.
“Oh, I know how to get you,” Jim returned low voice giving her a dark and lustful gaze. Jim immediately thought of those daring times, usually in the conference room when they would sit next to each other and he would slowly graze her thigh but their proximity prevented that now. Instead, He nodded slowly, staring at her intensely, letting her know exactly what he was thinking.
She blushed slightly but stared at him back just as intensely and soon, there was no one in the room but the two of them, each of them going back to a private moment only they shared. Jim’s heart began to race as he looked deep in her eyes, thinking she had the same beautiful, sensual look on her face when she was under him just last night.
“Hey, uh, guys,” it was Kevin’s voice that caused them to come crashing back to the reality. At first, Jim thought he was just uncomfortable being between the two of them, but Kevin was never known for his modesty and then Jim realized that cameraman had come over.
They finished out the hand, as flirty and playful as ever but toned down a notch with the camera present. He went all in, thinking she was completely bluffing, but in fact, when the last card turned, she had a straight and he only had three nines. He may have been out of the game but it had been worth playing.
Not a moment after the game had ended he saw Jen’s face in the distance. The fun and games were over and now they had to do what they had been dreading all evening.
As Pam happily raked in her chips, Jim came to her side and leaned in close to her ear. “We need to meet in about twenty minutes,” he started.
“In the bathroom?” she whispered in a sultry voice that made his knees go weak.
He lamented that they couldn’t do that. “The parking lot,” he responded.
Her face dropped. “It’s time?”
He nodded over at Jen who was still staring. “Yeah…”
10:33pm
“Well, have you told anyone about the transfer?” Jan asked.
“No, I…”
“Well, you should.” Jan took a long drag on her cigarette as Jim contemplated her statement.
He hadn’t talked with Pam about it yet and as much as he hated to even think of it, he was seriously leaning towards taking the Stamford job. Jan was oblivious to his deep thought and rocked back and forth, lost in her own troubles while slowly taking drags on the cigarette. While she was here, and somewhat in a distracted state, he thought he’d take advantage and get some advice from her as a friend and not as his employer.
“Jan, do you, um, think the cameras are doing the company any good?” he asked slowly.
She let out a forced laugh. “Honestly, as much as I think they’re a pain in the ass, the guy that runs the whole thing is ungodly rich.” She paused to take another smoke. “We need all the help we can get. Dunder-Mifflin is bleeding Jim. The whole paper business is one giant shit hole and I’m sitting in the middle of it. We’re sitting in the middle of it. Get out while you still can.”
“So, you think this transfer is a good thing?” he asked, hoping that she would be able to give some sort of valuable insight. Though asking the woman who thought hooking up with Michael was a good idea made her judgment questionable.
“Does it matter if you’re sinking in a wooden boat or a cruise liner?” she gave him. Her face softened a little when Jim sighed and leaned against the car himself. “I’m sorry, Jim, I’m just- You know what- Get out of Scranton. Get the hell out of Scranton, this place is just-” she let out a sigh and flicked her cigarette across the parking lot. “Listen, this stays between you and me. If I hear any wind of it from Michael or anyone…”
“No, I won’t say anything,” Jim assured her.
Jan rubbed her forehead worriedly. “There have been serious talks about shutting down the Scranton branch. Even with what the documentary helps out with, it’s still not enough to keep all the branches going. Sometimes I think they want Scranton to fail. Anyway… I don’t think it will last another year, not with Michael’s-” she paused on his name and winced. “Take the job in Stamford. If the documentary crew cut you a deal, I’d say take it. It’s either that or I suggest you and Pam start putting your resumes together.”
Hearing it from Jan made it seem so much more real. “Alright,” Jim replied softly.
“I’m not staying much longer,” Jan shuddered as a cold breeze swept by. “Let me know what you plan to do,” she said before pushing herself away from the car and heading back inside.
As Jan left, Jen exited the building and came straight forward, looking far too eager for his taste. “You all set?” she asked.
“Yeah, um, Jen, I need to say something,” Jim let out.
Jen looked at him, unsure. “You haven’t made up your mind yet, have you?”
“No, no,” he said waving his hands. “It’s just- I’m going to take the job in Stamford.”
“That’s great, we…”
Jim cut her off. “But only under a few conditions.”
“Okay,” Jen said, not liking the new assertiveness that had come over him.
“If I go, then it’s only three months and you wrap up the storyline,” Jim started. “When Pam moves with me, I don’t want you guys to follow. And I want limited time while I’m at Stamford. I realize I can’t stop you from shooting at Scranton, but I know you’ll be following me and I don’t want the cameras in my face all the time there. And under absolutely no circumstance will there be any cameras at my wedding or on my honeymoon.”
“Those seem like reasonable requests…”
“And if Scranton does close,” Jim continued, not letting Jen get another word in, “And for whatever reason you guys pick up and move to Stamford, the contract ends and your documentary will have to deal with a happily married couple.”
Jen looked angry. “Jim, we can’t promise you that.”
“Then no deal,” Jim said firmly.
Jen stared at him hard and clenched her jaw. “Fine,” she said through gritted teeth. “Now, are you ready for this?”
Jim nodded and followed Jen around the corner to where Roy’s car was parked. He could hear Pam’s laughter as she said goodbye to Roy. Jim’s stomach turned.
10:49pm
He couldn’t believe he had gotten that emotional. Jim leaned his back against the side of the building and looked out into the darkness as he thought about what had just happened. He was embarrassed by his own vulnerability. True, the whole thing had been fake. True, he knew Pam hadn’t meant a word she said but still it had affected him more than he had anticipated. It still sent a very cold shiver down his spine. He had come around the side of the building just to have a moment alone, to put himself together before heading back.
He could only imagine Pam really rejecting would hurt ten times more than her pretending to. He couldn’t imagine what life would be like if he lived in a world where that moment had actually happened. He didn’t know if he would be able function if he had to endure the pain of that. Interestingly though, if the situation had been real, he’d have a solid reason for taking the transfer to Stamford. He laughed at the irony.
In the shadowy distance, he saw a figure approach him. He could hear laughter and chattering, the evening was winding to a close and people were slowly leaving. But he knew it was her and he smiled taking comfort that she would come back. The soft footsteps came forward and the orange glow of the security light illuminated her face. She looked upset and worried and he wondered if the whole thing toyed with her emotions as well.
“Jim,” she said hesitantly as she came closer. “Are you okay?”
He nodded but wasn’t sure if she could see him the dark. “Yeah, I’ll be fine,” he tried to assure her but she didn’t look satisfied. “It just got… intense. No big deal.”
“Jim, I’ve known you for four years now,” she said seriously. “I have never seen you tear up.”
“You didn’t know I can cry on cue?” Jim tried to joke. “Well, all you needed to do was ask.”
“Stop,” she said with concern. She grabbed on to his hand and he knew that she didn’t want to play around anymore. “They shouldn’t have made us do that. It was cruel, it was dark, it was…” her voice trailed off but he understood what she was getting at. “I can’t believe I said those things to you, I-” she swallowed hard and looked up at him with the most loving gaze she had ever given him. “I love you, Jim. I am in love with you so much that sometimes it hurts because I worry that one day you won’t be there and I don’t know if I could ever handle that. And I know that is crazy and irrational but these past few months, whenever I had to spent time with Roy, I would always think about how lucky I am to have found you. I just want you to know that I would never hurt you like back there. Ever! So, I’m sorry they made me do that. I’m so sorry I had to say that to you.”
If he had ever had any insecurities about her feelings, they were completely erased. He felt nothing but love and gratitude for her but he felt a twinge of guilt at the pit of his stomach as well. It was only fair that he tell her the truth. He took deep breath in. “I love you too. And I’d be lying if I said that I didn’t feel anything back there,” he admitted. “I know you didn’t mean those words. It was just a script, I just…” he trailed off, licked his lips and started again. “The reason I’ve been acting so strange lately is because I got offered a job in Stamford.”
She looked at him curiously. “Is this a good thing?”
He tilted his head, giving her a lop-sided smile. “I don’t know. Two weeks ago, Jen came up to me with an offer. I transfer to Stamford, the cameras would be only around for a few months and then you would be able to come with me and we would be done with it.” He took another deep breath. “Or, we stay here and… endure another year of this misery.”
Anger slipped onto Pam’s face. “Is this why you were asking me about living apart earlier, Jim? Well my answer is no, I don’t want to do it. I don’t want a part of it…” she stopped when she saw Jim swallow hard and look at the ground. “You already agreed to this, didn’t you?” Pam asked reading his expression clearly.
“They wanted an answer tonight,” Jim said after a long pause. “And I had never intended to take the job but Jan told me the branch was going to close down, and Stamford would be job security and a pay raise…”
“And you didn’t come talk to me about this?” she asked. “Jim, we’re supposed to be a team, we’re supposed to…”
“I know,” Jim said keep his head low, not wanting to see the disappointment in her eyes. “And I wanted to, I didn’t decide until tonight. But Pam, after tonight, I want nothing to do with those cameras. Nothing. So if it means we have to go to Connecticut to get the hell away from them, then I’ll do it.”
“Jim…” she said softly. She was still very upset, he could tell, but she put a comforting hand on his arm. “I understand that these people are monsters, contorting this screwed up documentary into some twisted reality show. And after tonight, if presented with the same situation, I would do the same thing… but Jim, I would follow you to the ends of the Earth if you asked me. But you have to ask. I just wish… I just wish you would have come to me sooner.”
Jim nodded. “I know…” he said, letting his voice trail off into the night. He wasn’t sure if he had any other words for her.
“Let me get my stuff from upstairs,” she said. “We can talk about it more when we get home.” With that, she headed back in the direction she had come, leaving him to once again in deep contemplation.
11:10pm
Jim paced in front of the doors to the business park while he waited for Pam to come back downstairs. It had been nearly ten minutes and he wasn’t sure why it was taking her so long. It only worried him that she was more upset then she had let on. He stared at the ground as he walked, wondering why he hadn’t just told her in the first place.
The door to the lobby opened and Jim’s head perked up in hopes that it was Pam. It wasn’t. It was only Creed, who looked like he had stuffed too many things into his pockets. He smiled brightly when he saw Jim. “Hey, there, man, great night, huh?”
“Uh, yeah,” Jim replied, never knowing quite how to talk to Creed.
“You looked bummed. What is it, girl trouble? That girl that sits up at reception is mad at you.”
Jim looked at him oddly. “How did you know?”
“Two ways mirrors. Look, I’m sure if you just tell her you like her, you’ll have a shot, man.”
“No,” Jim started confused. “We’re already…”
Creed cut him off. “Just go up in there and kiss her. No nonsense. It’s what the girls want. It’s how I got Squeaky Fromme.” He was unusually cheerful about the whole thing.
Jim’s jaw dropped in disbelief. “I’ll just go up there,” he said thinking it would be better to get away from Creed. There was no use sulking anyway, what was done was done.
Jim made his way up to the office and opened the door to see Pam sitting at reception talking on the phone. Her voice was low, but he figured she was talking to her mother, something she always did when she was frustrated and he wasn’t around. Only this time, he supposed, she was talking about him.
She hadn’t heard him come in and he stopped in the entryway taking a moment to look her over. For a second, he was reminded of the first time he had seen her, his first day of work four years ago. She had been sitting there just like that, talking on the phone with the same tired look on her face. He had found her stunning even then and couldn’t believe his luck when she had agreed to go on a date just a week after meeting. He wasn’t sure how it was possible, but he found her even more beautiful now and thought it was unfortunate that she was frowning when her smile was able to light up a room.
He came towards her slowly and when she finally noticed him approaching, she said a hurried goodbye to her mother and hung up the phone. She stood up, beginning to speak but Jim didn’t listen. Instead, he wrapped his arms around her waist and kissed her.
He kissed her to tell her how sorry he was and how he regretted he didn’t talk to her earlier. He kissed her to show her how much he loved her and how he wasn’t going to let any documentary producer try to manipulate that. But most of all, he kissed her because he could and after eight months of trying to pretend to be someone else in that office, he was finally relieved that he could just be him.
And she kissed him back just as passionately, understanding his actions completely. She kissed him back because she knew how he felt, she had been there, and she knew what he had been through.
Finally, they broke apart and stared into each other’s eyes. She looked as though she were about to speak but he got their first. “I love you,” he said earnestly. “And I’m sorry. I’m so sorry.”
She have him a half-smile and he knew he would be forgiven. “That’s not always going to work,” she told him lightly.
“I know,” Jim replied, gently brushing his lips against hers.
“And I’m still a little annoyed that you didn’t talk to me first,” she continued. “You’re not off the hook for that.”
Jim grinned. “I know,” he said holding her tighter in her arms, giving her another gentle kiss.
Pam wrapped her arms around Jim’s neck to pull him closer. “I love you so much,” she said adoringly. “To hell with the camera crew, Jim. Let’s just do what’s right for us.”
They were just about to dip into another kiss when the break room door opened and a camera guy, his camera on his shoulder, came stumbling out. Pam and Jim both looked at him shocked, neither had realized they had company and they both blushed because they knew the cameraman had seen everything.
The cameraman, however, was unfazed. “Hey guys, that was great, do you think we could do it again? The kiss I mean? In front of the reception desk? We could get a better angle that way. It’d be great for the documentary.”
Jim and Pam looked at each other confused for a moment before they both started laughing.
12:06am
“It’s after midnight,” Jim noted, glancing over Pam’s shoulder to look at the clock on the nightstand. After they returned home, they spent a good deal of time talking about the future, finally coming to a conclusion that they both could handle. Talking soon led to love making and eventually they settled into bed together both worn out from such a highly emotional day. They were cuddled close, Jim’s arms lazily around her. “You know what that means?”
“You’re going to turn back into a pumpkin?” she teased, tapping him on the nose.
He gave her a smirk. “No, it means our contract is finally up. We can go into work tomorrow and not have to worry about the cameras anymore.”
“Until September,” Pam lamented. She began to trace circles on Jim’s bare chest. “So, are you really sure this is what you want to do? Be apart for three months?”
Jim had explained everything to her and they both felt that Stamford was the best plan of action. And although he still had his doubts about the whole thing, he was sure it was the right choice to take. “It’s gonna suck,” he said honestly. “But it’ll be alright. We’ll find a nice little place in Stamford and you’ll find another job, maybe one better than answering phones all day. I don’t ever want to be away from you but in the long run, I think we can do it.”
“So, what happens if, but some bizarre chance, Stamford closes?” she asked looking up at him.
“It won’t,” he assured her. “I promise.”
“Yeah, and you promised me last time that the cameras were around that they wouldn’t be back at all,” she said, playfully poking at him.
He let out a laugh. “Alright, you win that one. I guess, though, if Stamford closes, we’ll be right back here where we started. And it’ll be fine because we’ve decided not to let those cameras control us, right? But let’s not think about it now. Let’s think about where we’ll be next month at this time, you and me on some beach on the Pacific Ocean, away from all this insanity.”
Pam had closed her eyes. “Yeah,” she breathed snuggling closer to him.
“And we’ll be together just like we are now. Sleeping in late and having sex all day, not worring about a thing. We could find a couple of chairs on the beach and watch the waves while…” His voice trailed off when he glanced down to see that she had already fallen asleep. A grin formed on his lips. “I love you,” he whispered, giving her a kiss on the forehead. He nuzzled his head next to hers and a few minutes later, he was fast asleep.
June 11th 2:18pm
Jim sat on a stool next to the bar, too preoccupied by the shiny new gold ring on his finger to be aware of the hustle and bustle of the airport. As he examined it, he thought in amazement as to how such a small thing would represent so much and even after twenty-four hours of having it, he still had to pinch himself to believe it was real.
“Hey, is this seat taken?” He turned around to see the most beautiful woman in the world take the stool next to him. “You’re pretty cute,” she said playfully. “Can I buy you a drink?”
“Oh, no, I’m good,” he replied with a laugh. “I’m just waiting for my wife to get back from the bathroom. She gets nervous before long flights so I buy her a drink before the flight to calm her down.” A grin formed across his lips.
“Really?” she played along. “And what kind of drink would you buy your wife?”
“Oh, a margarita. Her favorite,” he replied jokingly. “She loves them.”
“Hmm…” she responded nodding. “You know, personally, I can’t stand margaritas. Some incident a while back turned me off completely. But my husband loves to buy them for me because he thinks he’s funny.”
“Well, I’ll bet he is a funny guy.”
She shook her head. “No, not really. What he doesn’t realize is that if he ever did buy me a margarita before a flight he would be thrown up on ten minutes in.”
Jim let out a laugh.
Just then, a voice came over the speakers. Now boarding Australian Airlines Flight 815 in terminal 23.
Jim looked back at her with a smile. “Do you want me to get you something to calm your nerves before we go?”
“I’ve got everything I need already,” Pam replied warmly, reaching out to grab his hand. “Come on, let’s go on this honeymoon thing. I hear it’s supposed to be great.”
Jim gave her hand a squeeze before they headed off towards the plane.
Author's Chapter Notes:
Sorry for the long delay on the last chapter. I hope you guys enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it! :)
I want to thank Fallon helping me pound out the plot holes and Jessica for catching the details. I appreciate so much for helping me out.
Disclaimer: Do not own!
I want to thank Fallon helping me pound out the plot holes and Jessica for catching the details. I appreciate so much for helping me out.
Disclaimer: Do not own!
Chapter End Notes:
Alright, guys, that's the end. I always intended this this series to be a trilogy so please let me know if you guys are interested in seeing a third story where Jim and Pam deal with Stamford, Karen, and everything season 3 related.
Thank you all for reading and those of you who commented. I really appreciate it so much!
Thank you all for reading and those of you who commented. I really appreciate it so much!
iamapam1883 is the author of 7 other stories.
This story is a favorite of 6 members. Members who liked 236 Days also liked 1729 other stories.
This story is part of the series, What the cameras don’t show. The previous story in the series is What the Cameras Don't Show.
