Pam opened her eyes to a scene that was both familiar and new, a guitar in the corner, a framed watercolor on the wall. She struggled to remember when she painted the watercolor, and definitely couldn't recall when he got a guitar.

A pair of lips kissed her shoulder and she looked up. She didn’t see the face she expected, eyes were a warm green instead of blue, hair dark and floppy instead of closely cut. But it felt totally normal, right even.

“Hi,” Jim uttered, his voice low and husky and his smile wide.

She smiled and reached up to his cheek, “Hey.” Without much prompting he leaned forward and their lips met. Her fingers traced his jaw then neck then chest and only then did she realize he was naked and she was as well. He rolled her gently towards him and started his own exploration with his fingers, tracing her dips and curves until they were circling her navel, inching closer to where she most needed and wanted them to be.

Pam’s eyes popped open and she nearly sat up straight. She was disoriented for a moment before remembering where she was; in Jim’s bedroom. A guitar sat in the corner and seeing that made the images of her dream rush back: the strange yet familiar bedroom, the kiss on her shoulder, the face above her that was definitely not her fiance, his fingers making their way to her...

Just as she was processing the fact that she had an almost-sex dream about Jim, a different set of images returned to her mind. Only these were most definitely real, memories of Jim kissing her and her kissing back, not just kissing back but crawling onto his lap and full on making out with him. Stopping only when Jim hesitated. 

“Oh God,” she muttered, burying her head in the pillow. It smelled like Jim and the fact that she knew what Jim smelled like made her feel even worse and she threw the covers off and got out of the bed. She was still in her sweater and blue jeans and before she could wonder where her coat and purse was, her eyes fell on Jim's desk chair where her coat was folded and draped over the arm and her purse, scarf and mittens were neatly arranged on the seat. Her cheeks warmed at the thought of Jim quietly coming in with her things and placing them nicely. Roy would, at best, have just thrown everything in a pile.

Pam's eyes then widened and she fumbled to find her phone in her purse. But when she saw no calls or messages, she figured Roy was still at Darryl’s. He certainly wasn’t concerned about where she was. Putting the phone back in her purse, a glint caught her eye and she let out a gasp, her ring. She took it off at the party because she thought it would be easier, make it so she didn’t have to answer awkward questions about why she was alone on Valentine’s Day and attending a party with a male coworker, make it so Jim didn’t have to answer equally awkward questions about why he brought an engaged woman. But it only made everything complicated. Pam put the ring back on but not before she held it in her hand for a moment.

After a visit to the bathroom where she straightened out her hair and swished some mouthwash to get rid of the taste of sleep and a few too many beers, she made her way down the stairs. A small part of her considered heading straight for the door, just go home and pretend last night didn’t happen. Work would be awkward for a week, maybe two, but eventually she and Jim would be friendly again and they could maybe avoid any talk about the kiss and her dream and what Amy said about Jim “pining over her for years” and all that.

But at the base of the stairs, she was greeted with the smell of cooking that almost involuntarily drew her to the kitchen. She stood watching Jim for a moment, dressed in flannel pajama pants and a faded Eagles tee-shirt. He gently pushed eggs around a skillet, whistling some song Pam didn't recognize until he noticed her. “Hey” he said warmly. “Take a seat on the stool there, I'll serve you some of my guaranteed hangover cure.”

“Guaranteed cure huh?” Pam teased, pulling up the stool to the counter,

“You will get relief from your hangover or your money back.” Jim spooned some eggs onto a plate with a piece of toast and then handed it to her. “Scrambled eggs, buttered toast, and the secret ingredient,” he pulled a small plastic bottle out of his pocket, “aspirin.”

Pam laughed and took the two small white tablets he handed her before digging into the eggs, which were perfectly fluffy and delicious, and chewing on the toast, which was just the right amount of crispy and generously buttered. “This is so good,” she said with a mouthful and Jim smiled back at her and nodded. After scarfing down most of the food, Pam looked to Jim, standing on the other side of the counter with his eyes on his own plate. “Thanks for bringing up my stuff, by the way.”

Jim swallowed his bite of food, “I figured you might want your purse and everything.”

Chewing the inside of her cheek, Pam debated bringing up the kiss or not, before deciding she needed to say something to clear the air. She kept her eyes on her plate and took a deep breath. “Um, so last night -”

“Pam, about last night -” Jim started at the same time. They both jerked their heads up and laughed nervously.

“Sorry,” Pam said. “What were you-”

Jim motioned towards her. “No, please, go ahead.”

“Okay,” Pam took another breath. “Last night, when we … it shouldn't have happened and I’m sorry. I just, your friendship means a lot to me and I really hope that doesn’t affect it.”

Jim looked back at her silently with an expression she couldn’t make out. He shook his head, “Yeah, no, I agree.”

“Can we just forget it?” Pam pleaded. He still had that expression she couldn’t quite discern, his eyes looked worried? Hurt, almost? But then he gave her a half smile and a shrug and Pam let out a relieved sigh. “Okay, good.” She picked up her fork and scooped up some more eggs then let out a small gasp, “Oh my gosh, I’m so rude, you were gonna say something.”

He shook his head, “No it’s fine, it was pretty much the same thing you said.”

“Okay,” Pam replied, not quite believing him but also not wanting to push the issue anymore.

They went back to eating and soon Pam’s plate was clear. Jim pointed at it with his fork, “So what’s the verdict?”

Pam patted her stomach, “It totally hit the spot and my head is no longer pounding so I say you have a new believer in the Halpert Hangover Cure.”

“Can I add that to my testimonials?” Pam giggled and nodded and Jim grinned. “Awesome.”

Once her laughter faded, Pam chewed her lip and looked to her purse and coat on the stool next to her. “I should, um, I should probably get going.”

“Yeah, of course.” Jim reached across the counter, took Pam’s empty plate and put it in the sink. “Let me walk you out.”

She slipped on her coat and followed Jim down the entrance hallway. When they reached the door, Pam turned to face him, “Thanks again, for breakfast and letting me crash here.”

He looked at her with his lips parted, and Pam felt her a nervousness in her stomach as he took a couple deep breaths. “No problem,” he finally said, putting on a smile.

Pam let out a breath she didn’t know she was holding and smiled back. “Okay, see you Monday.” Her hand only started turning the doorknob when Jim spoke.

“Actually, I do wanna say something about last night.” 

Now Pam’s stomach was in knots, and she slowly faced him hoping her expression wasn’t as nervous looking as she felt. “Yeah?”

Jim’s eyes were on the floor and he breathed deep again. “You said last night you’re just some frumpy girl that I work with, and I wanted you to know you’re so much more than that.” He met her eyes, which she was sure were as big as saucers. “You’re really funny and sweet and talented. You make me actually wanna come to work and I...” his breath grew shaky and he looked away for a second. “I want you to be happy.”

Pam was frozen in place, part of her wanting to ask what he was really going to say at the end there and part of her already knowing (plus a not-small part of her that saw those parted lips and wanted them to be on hers again). “Thank you, Jim,” she stammered as she turned the doorknob. She mumbled good-bye and wasn’t sure if she actually heard him say good-bye back as she quickly shuffled down the walkway to her car.

She was lucky she didn’t get into some kind of accident, as distracted as she was driving home. Turning onto her street, Pam exhaled in relief when she saw there was no pick-up truck in the driveway. Inside, she quickly changed into some sweats and a tee-shirt, and started a load of laundry that she threw the blue sweater and jeans into. There was still no sign of Roy so Pam walked to her purse on the kitchen table, pulled out her cell and sent a quick “how’s it going?” text. She slipped her cell back into her purse and walked over to the sink still full of last night’s dishes. Drying off the final plate, her cell dinged with a message.

“OMW” was all it said and Pam felt her eyes roll a little. She set the phone back down and something in her purse caught her eye. She had grabbed some of her favorite telephone pictionary drawings from the party last night and she pulled out the small stack of note paper filled with doodles, smiling at Jim’s stick figure attempt at Dorothy and Toto on the Yellow Brick Road. She blinked and her mind was back in Amy’s kitchen, or rather around the corner from the kitchen overhearing Jim and Amy talk about her.

“You’re gonna ask her out, right?”

“Um, I’m not sure if I should.”

”You don’t have to be scared, she’ll say yes. She clearly likes you too.”

“You don’t know that.”

She blinked again and was back in Jim’s doorway, him telling her he thought she was sweet and talented and made him wanna go to work. And then there was that pause, before he said he wanted her to be happy where he so clearly was going to say something else. 

The front door creaked open and Pam stuffed the papers back into her purse and crossed the kitchen to where the dishes she dried were still sitting on the counter. “Hey Babe,” she called to Roy in the doorway.

“Hey,” he muttered back, kicking off his shoes and hanging up his coat.

She looked to the crumpled fast food bag in his hand, “Breakfast?”

“Yeah, I hit the drive thru on the way back.” He paused and stared at the bag for a moment, “I didn’t get you anything, sorry.”

Of course he didn’t. “That’s okay, I ate already,” she said with a smile. She turned to the cupboard to put the dishes away, the smile falling from her face immediately. “How’s Darryl?”

“Not too bad, we played Xbox until late, then shot the shit for a while.” A yawn came over him, and he looked at her with heavy-lidded eyes. “How was your thing?”

“Good, played some games, watched movies, had beer.” Heard my coworker has a crush on me, made out with him, slept in his bed and had a near-sex dream about him. “It was a good party.”

Roy nodded, hardly listening to her. “Cool, cool. I’m glad you had something to do,” he said with another yawn.

Pam arched an eyebrow, “Did you sleep at all?” 

Roy chuckled, “Not much, in fact I’m thinking of just heading back to bed for a while. Still got a pounding headache too.”

“Yeah see if you can’t sleep some more.” Roy nodded and started down the hall to their bedroom. “And take a couple aspirin,” she called after him. She pushed the images of scrambled eyes and a faded Eagles tee-shirt and Jim’s face so clearly desperate to say something out of her mind.

After doing every quiet chore she could think of, Pam peeked in on Roy to find him still passed out, and made her way to the coach. She turned on the television, put it on a low volume and started clicking through the channels. She got to a familiar scene with Meg Ryan and Billy Crystal at a New Year’s party and chuckled at the fact they seemed to be playing When Harry Met Sally on a loop.

Her phone dinged in her pocket and her breath caught when she saw it was a text from Jim. She opened the message finding a friendly “Hope you got home okay and everything’s good.” She started typing a reply saying everything’s fine, thanks, then saying When Harry Met Sally was on again. But then she remembered him leaning into her, how soft his hair was when ran her fingers through it, and she deleted the 2nd part before sending.

He was so sweet to her, too sweet even, getting her a beer before she asked for it at the party, bringing up her things while she was asleep, checking on her after she got home. Roy couldn’t even be bothered to order a second egg mcmuffin, because she probably honestly never crossed his mind.

I want you to be happy, she heard in her head. Maybe it wasn’t what Jim really wanted to say but she believed he meant it. She looked to her left hand and studied her ring, she was so happy the day she got this ring, but there had been many unhappy days since then. With her right thumb and index finger, she started twisting the gold band.

The bedroom door opened Pam heard Roy start to lumber down the hall, “Oh man,” he groggily said. “Ol’ Jack Daniels sure makes you pay the next day.” 

She didn’t look up when he passed behind her and headed into the kitchen, just kept her eyes on her hands. She pinched the ring with her fingers to pull it off. It slipped off so easily. Three deep breaths later, she stood and rounded the couch.

“You wanna make some lunch?” Roy called to her, head in the refrigerator. “I would but my head is still kinda killing me, and you make better lunch anyway.” 

She was standing at the kitchen table, nervously fussing with the ring at her fingertips. When he shut the fridge door and turned to her, his brows met.

“Pammy?”

She took a shaky breath. “We need to talk.”