He must have been way more tired than he had realized, because when he wakes it’s almost 11:30AM. Shit. He had all these plans to get up early and make breakfast for Pam. He takes the quickest shower in the history of the world, throwing on his clothes and running downstairs, expecting the worst case scenario: that Pam has already left. She did say her parents were coming into Scranton today. But when he makes it down the hallway he can see Pam clearing away their mess from the night before and placing the dirty bowl, spoons, and cups in the sink. Pam. “Oh my God, Beesly, please, please stop cleaning. You’re making me feel like a horrible host.”

She spins around to face him, looking embarrassed. “It’s fine, you know, I want to, especially after you’ve been so great.”

Jim has to smile. “Very, very not necessary. In fact, I forbid it, and so you’re just gonna have to sit there while I tidy up and make us breakfast.” She opens her mouth to say something and he cuts her off. “Sorry, it’s my house. Them’s the rules.” He gestures for her to sit at the bar by his kitchen, before wiping down the coffee table with a damp paper towel. Pam has really done most of the work. He runs the faucet in the kitchen sink for a little bit before squirting in some dishwashing liquid, leaving everything to soak.

“Okay, Beesly.” He claps his hands together. “What’re you in the mood for?”

“Oh, just whatever you have is fine. Tea would be nice, actually.”

“Yes, absolutely!” He flings open a few cabinets at random, praying he has at least one goddamn teabag. He curses under his breath.

“It’s okay, I only meant if you had tea.”

He tries to recover. “Could I interest you in any coffee?”

“Um, no thanks.”

“Okay, here’s an idea. How about we order delivery from the diner? That way, everybody gets what they want, plus, we don’t have to actually do any work.” He flashes his signature grin.

“No, I feel bad. You don’t have to order anything for me. I don’t even have my wallet.”

“Pam, you’re my guest, I’m not gonna make you pay for breakfast.” He looks at her like she’s grown an extra head. Before she can respond, he continues. “So, come on, lemme know what you want, besides tea. I’m gonna do Eggs Benny and coffee, obviously.”

“Um, scrambled eggs?”

“Done. Now, I’m assuming you want bacon with that.”

“Absolutely, I do.”

“There we go. I’ll place the order now. When are your parents coming in, by the way?”

“A little after 2:00PM, if there’s no traffic.”

“Awesome. I’m looking forward to meeting them. I don’t think I actually got a chance to meet your mom properly when she was in the office.”

“Jim – They’re both gonna love you.” He can see their future in her smile. If he’s being honest, he’s more than a little nervous about meeting Pam’s parents. Because after all, if everything goes as planned, those are his future in-laws. He wants them to know that he can take care of Pam, that he’s not going to take advantage of her, that he loves her.