Jim’s left leg was bouncing up and down while he fished under the bottom drawer for that tiny piece of yellow paper. This was it. This was the day he’d finally show her the list.

It was a small thing, really. A favor for a friend. But he was always happy to make her happy and today Pam really seemed to need it.

When he entered the break room, she was already there, making herself a cup of tea. She smiled at him, and, not for the first time, he thought how great it was to be the one responsible for one of Pam’s smiles.

“Here’s the thing,” he said without preamble, in an exaggerated conspiratorial voice. “I think your predicament has a simple answer. We need to leave the office, as soon as possible.”

“Oh really?” her eyes opened wide, and she practically whispered. “And how do you plan on doing that, considering it’s barely eleven?”

“Well. That’s why we have… the list.” And with a flourish he produced the yellow piece of paper from his back pocket.

“What’s that?” Pam said, curiously.

“Well, Miss Beesly,” he said importantly, “perhaps you have noticed that, sometimes, my heart is not really focused on the work I am supposed to be doing.”

“Just sometimes?”

“Hush, let me finish. On such rare occasions, I sometimes indulge in pranking a colleague but sometimes I just work on... the list.” He knew she was starting to lose her patience, so he cut to the chase. “This is a list of, so far, 52 bullet proof excuses to leave the office early, with little to no consequences.”

Pam’s eyes were wide open. “I’m listening.”

“While almost 40 are just excuses for one individual, there are a few that a couple could use.”

For a second he panicked. He hadn’t intended to use the word couple in any real sense. Just two individuals, but it might have sound as-

“And you’re willing to use one today, for us?”

“Consider it a Valentine’s day gift from me to you… and me. Because frankly, the smell of so many flowers is giving me a headache.”

Pam chuckled. “Ok, let me see.” She reached towards the paper, but he was quicker and his arm was much longer. A sudden idea had occurred to him.

“You don’t need to see.”

“How am I supposed to do it, then?”

“You’ll just have to follow my lead. Do you trust me?”

“Yeah.” Her answer came easy, and he enjoyed how she meant it, and how her eyes shone with anticipation.

“Ok. We just need- Wait.” Suddenly a horrible thought occurred to him. “Are you having lunch with Roy?”

“Nah,” she waved a hand, dismissively. “He’s got a delivery or something.”

“Oh. All right.” He smiled, and felt suddenly warm on the inside. If this worked, he would not only leave early, but have some time alone outside the office with her. “We’ll say we’ll be having lunch together, outside the office.”

“O… k…” she said slowly. “Where?”

“We’ll think about that later. We just need to be seen walking out together. Let’s say… at noon. Early lunch. So we’ll get more time off.”

She beamed. “Great. So, at noon we go out… and?”

“And I’ll tell you the next step then.”

“What?”

“I told you. You have to trust me.”

She half closed her eyes for a moment, slightly frowning, but Jim could see the side of her mouth twitching, fighting an urge to smile.

Finally, she nodded, and clutching her cup of tea, she walked to her desk.

The next hour seemed to drag, heavy and grey, and Jim tried to make a couple of calls, realizing his head was not on the task when the second potential client had to repeat a question three times. In the meantime, Pam had to carry a large square box, wrapped in bright red paper, to Phyllis’ desk. She didn’t seem so disheartened this time and even managed a small smile as she passed his desk. He winked at her.

At last, it was 12.01, and he stood up and mumbled something about early lunch and going out. Dwight just nodded. He seemed a little bit distracted, but Jim didn’t have time for him, which in a way was a pity, because Dwight was easier to prank on the rare occasions his mind was somewhere else.

He had bigger plans now, though. Much more important and far nicer.

As he grabbed his jacket, Pam stood up slowly. “Is it noon already?” she asked to no-one in particular, and then she grabbed her coat and followed him into the elevator.

“This feels better already,” she announced. “So, what now?”

“Now…” Jim waited for her to step out the elevator. “Now we go for a little ride.”

She laughed. “You trying to kidnap me?”

“You got me. And I must say you’re a great victim. Very cooperative.”

“Thanks, I try my best.”

The moment Jim turned the car on, he gave Pam his iPod. “Here. Find something nice.”

She laughed, and as she searched through his playlists, he couldn’t help but smile to himself. This was not the first time he and Pam went somewhere alone, but something felt different. Maybe because this was not really work related, unless escaping work was to be counted. Maybe because the fact that she trusted him made his heart jump. Maybe it was just because it was Valentine’s.

Finally he parked the car and turned to see her very confused expression.

“Are we having lunch at the arcade?”

“No. Unless you want to.”

“Uhm… not really?” she arched an eyebrow.

“You coming?” he said, opening the door of the car.

“Do I have a choice?”

“You’d miss all the fun if you don’t”

She rolled her eyes and went out, but Jim was sure she was putting up a show for him. As he suspected, the place was almost empty and the music from the games was almost bearable.

“This is going to take 10 minutes. 12 top,” he announced.

“What?”

“I just need to throw some hoops,” he pointed at a machine at the far corner. “Do you mind?”

“I- what? Hoops?”

“Ten minutes,” he approached a change machine and got some quarters. Then he gave her a handful. “Here. Are you good at something here?”

Pam shook her head. “Did you hit your head and became a 12-year-old version of yourself?”

“Such a bad temper. Come on, what are your strengths?”

“I used to be good at Whack-a-mole,” she said doubtfully.

“Great! Go there and make it count.”

Jim walked to the hoops, smiling, sure that Pam would be standing there for a moment or two, making sure he wasn’t joking. Sure enough, as he started with the hoops in rapid succession, he saw her slowly walk to her chosen machine. That made him loose a ball, but he didn’t care.

Almost eleven minutes later, he grabbed the long string of tickets and went to check on Pam. She was hammering the moles, using the mallet and her hand too, and seemed to be lost to the world. At her feet, her own string of tickets looked almost as large as Jim’s.

Her coat was draped on a nearby machine and, for a moment, Jim indulged himself in looking at her moving and biting her lip.

“We’re good to go,” he finally shouted over the noise of her hammering.

“No way! I have a score to beat!”

He laughed. “Come on, we need food!”

She ignored him, until the game was over. “Ha! Did it. See?” She pointed at the flashing numbers in the third place. “That’s me.”

“Niiice! I didn’t know you were a Whack-a-mole prodigy.”

“I’m full of hidden talents.” She took the tickets. “And what are we doing with these? Giving them to a kid?”

“No!” he was outraged. “We need this. Come with me.”

He approached a counter full of cheap toys on display and handed all the tickets to the bored teen standing behind it.

Jim turned to Pam, “what would you like for 20 or less?”

She considered the options. “That.”

It was a tiny box of six color pencils.

He nodded and addressed the teen. “The pencils and two stink bombs, please.”

“Two what?” Pam said at his side.

He just shook his head. He was enjoying this, way too much.

The moment he got the goods, he faced Pam again, his expression solemn.

“This is for you,” he gave her the pencils, and she smiled.

“Thanks… although I earned them.”

“I know.”

Feeling bold, he waited for her to put the little box in her bag and then took her hand. Gently, he opened her palm and placed one of the little stink bombs on it, closing her fingers around it and placing is other hand firmly on top. Her skin was soft, and her smile so full of energy he almost forgot what he was about to say.

“Keep this safe. It is very important for the rest of the plan.”

“The plan I know nothing about.”

“I will tell you,” he said, holding to her hand and guiding her outside. If she found it strange, she didn’t say.

The moment he entered the car, he spoke again.

“Here’s the plan. We’ll get back to the office and, some time later, we will complain about not feeling well. We’ll blame the lunch. We grunt and puff for some 15 minutes and then we go. Free for the rest of the afternoon.”

She was smiling. “Good plan… but what are the stink bombs for?”

“Authenticity. While we complain, we go to the bathroom - not at the same time, obviously - and we use them. Just in case Dwight or someone wants to call on our bluff.”

Pam finally laughs, “that’s genius!”

“Thank you.”

“And what do we do then? Once we leave?”

Jim’s heart stopped for what seemed like a long moment. We? As in we will stay together after leaving?

“Ehm… whatever you want?” he tried hard for his voice not to sound as if his insides were doing a celebratory dance. “We can decide that once we’re out.”

“Then… I should go first. Call a taxi and tell them to drop me some blocks ahead. And then you can come and pick me up.”

“Great plan,” he said, starting the engine again, just to do something with his hands, or they would hug her on their own accord. Jim didn’t want to be too excited about this but, if everything worked, he was about to spend Valentine’s day with Pam, for real. The mere idea made him feel dizzy.

“We still should eat,” he said.

“There’s not much time.”

“We can grab a sandwich and say we had something that can go wrong…” he trailed off.

“Egg salad.”

“Brilliant.”

They made it to the office just 2 minutes late, a fact that Dwight was too happy to point out to Jim. As an answer, he just got a grimace. The act had to start as soon as possible.

Ten minutes later, Pam went to the bathroom and came back a moment later, a hand on her stomach. She stopped by Jim’s desk but then seemed to think better of it and went back to her desk.

He had to admire her for her subtlety. Now it was his turn. He took longer, and, unlike her, by the lack of smell, he did use the little stink bomb. And afterwards he run for it. He had forgotten how intense those things were.

When he sat at his desk, he accompanied the grimace with a grunt. Dwight looked briefly in his direction but made no comment.

A moment later Pam was standing next to him.

“Er… Jim?”

“Yeah?”

She looked at her feet. “This is embarrassing but… are you feeling ok?” So nicely done, Jim thought.

“Not really, now that you mention it,” out of the corner of his eye he saw Dwight looking at them. “Something in my stomach.”

“Me too. I feel kinda- sorry,” and she rushed to the bathroom again.

This time she took longer and Jim decided, between more grunts, that he would not get near those bathrooms in a very long time if he could avoid it.

“Dwight?” he said through clenched teeth.

“Jim.”

“I think I got food poisoned.”

Dwight looked at him with contempt. “That’s not a surprise. Bad complexion.”

“Gee, thanks.”

“Why are you telling me that?”

“Never mind.”

Dwight made a derisive sound and kept on typing.

“Ok, ok, you win,” Jim said. “What should I take?” he touched his stomach as if he was in pain. Dwight gave a little chuckle.

“Since you’re asking, I suggest you boil potatoes and drink the water.”

“What water?”

“The water you boiled the potatoes into,” Dwight said with a roll of his eyes, as is this was the most obvious answer in the world.

“Does it work?” Jim mentally vowed never to try it, no matter how desperate he was.

“Of course. But then again, your complexion is weak.”

Pam walked right past him, and fished for her bag from under the table. Without a word to anybody, she left the office. Dwight was still going on about the supposed benefits of potato water and Jim was glad he didn’t really seem to have paid much attention to Pam’s departure.

“So, how many potatoes are we talking about?” Jim asked, taking a pen and a post-it note.

“I’d say about three pounds.”

“And what do I do with so many potatoes afterwards?”

“That’s a stupid question.”

Jim feigned to be in pain. “Ok. 3 pounds. Potatoes. What else?”

“Water.”

“Yeah, I kinda got that part.”

“Sugar. About 5 spoons.”

“Sugar.” Jim wrote diligently. He couldn’t tell if Dwight was messing with him or not, but it wasn’t important really.

“Boil. Wait until it’s cold. Drink.”

“Drink,” Jim muttered as he wrote. “Got it.” He grabbed his messenger bag and carefully put the note inside it.

“The sooner you do it, the better,” Dwight said, and he seemed to be satisfied with himself.

“I’m on it. Thanks.” And without really believing that Dwight would not stop him, he took the elevator and, his hand firmly on his stomach, in case somebody was watching, he entered his car and drove out of the parking lot as quickly as possible.

As soon as he turned the corner, he dialed Pam’s number.

“Hey! You took your time.”

“Dwight. Long story. Where are you?”

“Walgreens. I thought to get some Pepto Bismol and lay it somewhere around my desk tomorrow.”

“I am a little scared of how your brain works.”

“Details, Jim. You have to pay attention to details.”

“Duly noticed. I’ll be there in 2 minutes.”

When he found her, Pam was browsing the cards stand, a bottle of pink liquid and three packages of chocolate chip cookies sitting on an otherwise empty cart.

“What are you up to?” he asked.

“I’m looking for the cheesiest Valentine’s card,” she announced, seriously checking out one displaying a fat cupid with liberal amounts of glitter. “For you,” she added.

“For me, really? Why?”

She smiled. “It’s the least I can do. You’re my Valentine’s fairy godfather.”

He was sure he was blushing. “Do you want me to leave you to it, or do I have a say on the matter?”

“Of course you don’t have a say on the matter. Go do some shopping and give me 5 more minutes.”

“Ok. Let me borrow your cart.”

“Be my guest.”

When they met back at the front of the store, Jim had already paid for the cookies and the Pepto Bismol, adding some pills for himself and some milk.

“Thanks for paying,” she said. “You didn’t have to.”

“I know. Come on, what are we doing?”

“I was thinking… what about the movies?”

“Great idea. Any movie you’d like to see?

“Not really, let’s see what there is, but I’ll veto any horror movie and some suspense movies too, for good measure.”

“That leave us with what, cartoons?”

“Yup.”

As he drove to the mall, he could see her busying over the car he was not yet allowed to see. Frowning in concentration, her tiny color pencils on her left hand, she was scribbling something, half of the card still in the envelope.

Finally he parked, and both walked to the short line in front of the box office.

“Ok, here you go,” Pam said, giving him a red envelope. “Sorry it’s not a surprise. But there, happy Valentine’s,” she beamed.

For a moment he wanted to pretend this was real. That she really was giving him a Valentine’s card, not because they were such good friends, or because he’d help her get away from work, but because it really meant something to her.

And that’s when the crazy idea invaded his brain. What if he just came out with it? What if he’d take the opportunity of being in a dark movie theater with her and he’d whisper to her ear that, really, he was falling in love with her?

And what if she’d run for it?

Distractedly by that image, he took the card off the red envelope. It was the image of a heart shaped candle, surrounded by bubblegum pink roses and ribbons. It made Jim think about great-aunts and fluffy pillows. Old fashioned cursive letters read “Happy Valentine’s Day”. Inside, the printed letters said “For you are truly special, my love”, only Pam had scratched the last two words and wrote “Halpert” in bold red letters, and then she added, “you literally put butterflies in my stomach”.

Jim gave a bark-like laugh. “It’s perfect.”

“Thanks. For everything,” she placed her hand in his forearm. “I got you another one, I hope you don’t mind.”

“Really?”

She fished inside her bag, her other hand still on him. “Here. I found it and, even though it’s not cheesy enough… well, read it.”

This was completely different. There were two small monsters on a white surface and simple letters said “You and I are more than friends.” Jim gulped, and hastily opened it. “We’re like a really small gang.”

This time his laughter tried desperately to hide the fact that the “more than friends part” had made him feel giddy.

There was something scribbled on this one too, small and near the bottom, “And I love it that we are. Happy Valentine’s. Pam”

This time he didn’t know what to say.

“Shoot,” she exclaimed, and her hand was away. “I almost forgot… give me a moment.”

She took out her phone and walked away a few steps.

“Hey, Roy.” From where he was standing, he could hear it all effortlessly even though he half wished he didn’t. “Yeah. No, I wasn’t feeling very good.”

What? Was Pam lying to her fiancée. Suddenly he was more than interested on eavesdropping.

“Yeah, I left early. I guess- What? Today? No, I mean… sure, go with them. Yeah… No, s’ok. Ok. Bye.”

When she came back, she was shaking her head.

He wanted to look indifferent, but he was too curious. “What?”

“Just…” she sighed. “I don’t get Roy.”

Jim raised his eyebrows.

“I told him I wasn’t feeling that well, and he said that, since I wasn’t up to anything, he was going out with the guys of the warehouse.”

“What? Tonight?”

“Yup. What about 'Pink Panther'?” She said, as they approached the small window.

“Great. I’ll get them” He got the tickets and as they walked to the entrance, he considered if he should keep her talking about Roy. She didn’t seem very eager, but then again, if he wanted to tell her something, he needed her excuse of a fiancée to be out of the picture.

“Why did you tell him you’re sick?” he finally asked.

She shrugged. “I don’t know, really. He’s not good at keeping secrets, so I guess… I don’t know.”

“You could’ve told him you’re not.”

“I could but… you know what? I’m having fun right now. And Roy and I really didn’t have anything planned for tonight.” Except sex, Jim thought, but say nothings. He hadn’t been able to tune out Roy when he did that remark. “Do you mind?” she asked.

“Are you kidding? I’m loving this,” he was quick to say. “I’m here for as long as you want to.”

Her smile reached her eyes and she looked at him for a moment. “I’m glad you are.”

He felt he was smiling like an idiot, so he pointed at the popcorn stand. “Do you think our fake indigestion can stomach some of that?”

“Absolutely, yes.”

She got their order, claiming that he had already paid for the tickets, and, as they waited, he felt as if he needed to say more. That this could be a chance to be honest with her. But then, what if he spoiled this, so early in the afternoon, and missed her company for the rest of the day?

And then he saw she had ordered just one large bucket of popcorn. Not two. It was stupid, but the idea of sharing it made him bold.

“You know,” he said, taking his coke and the bucket, and slowly walking towards the entrance. “I don’t get how Roy isn’t just eager to spend tonight with you, sick or not.”

She stayed silent for a long moment, sipping her own coke. He wondered if she would say something, if she would make excuses for him or if she would tell him to mind her own business, but she just looked to the posters in front of them.

“I mean,” he continued, feeling as if he was jumping off a cliff, and now not daring to look at Pam, walking next to him. “I couldn’t wait to be with you, if I had the choice. No doubts.”

Ok. Shut your mouth now.

And that’s when he felt it. Her free hand slowly reaching up and taking his arm. “Thanks,” she whispered.

Even if he wanted to, he wouldn’t have been able to say another word.

The movie was good, but Jim couldn’t really pay much attention to it. It was not just the fact that, as predicted, their hands would brush inside the bucket of popcorn and what a cliché that was. It wasn’t that she was this near, either, although that was really distracting. It was his mind, playing possible future scenarios, toying with possibilities, things to do after this, ways to tell her what he just needed her to know without scaring her away…

By the time the movie was over, he blinked in surprise. Hopefully she wouldn't be too eager to discuss what they just saw, because he was in no ability to do that. At his side, Pam stretched on her chair, apparently in no hurry to go. Jim was scratching his brain, trying to think what to do next that would be casual and, at the same time, would keep them together for a long time, but he wasn’t coming up with anything and he was starting to panic.

“So…” she finally said. “What’s next on the agenda?”

“Uhm… I don’t know…”

“Come on,” she said, standing up. “Movies was my idea. It’s your turn.”

“Er… what about…” come on, man, say something that takes a lot of time and allows you to speak to her. Next to them, a bow was playing with a small plush octopus. “The aquarium.”

“Really?” Pam smiled. “As in, fish?”

“Yeah, why not?”

“You’re such a dork, Halpert.” Pam put on her coat and threw the empty cokes in a trash can. “I’m in.”

“We’ll have to hurry, or we won’t make it.”

“Lead the way then.”

His desperate idea turned out much better that he would’ve anticipated. Not really interested in the detailed descriptions, the Aquarium gave them the opportunity to slowly walk and talk. They wondered who would deliver Phyllis’ packages now that Pam was gone. Jim discussed Dwight potato water recipe and Pam dared him to try it, which he refused. She mentioned she had seen there was a drawing class at the community college, and he told him she needed to go for it.

“It’s at night, though. After work.”

“Isn’t that better?”

“Yeah…” she sounded doubtful. “Perhaps. Or perhaps I should just forget it…”

“No way. Besides, you just invested in pencils. The best ones you could get for 18 arcade tickets. You need to put those in good use.”

She just laughed, and smacked his arm with such delicacy it felt as a caress.

“Ok,” Jim went on, “if you do it, I promise I’ll get you a real set of pencils. Fancy shmancy, with six different greens and eight different blues.”

“You have no idea how much those costs. You’d be throwing hoops for a year.”

“It’d be worth it.”

She laughed, and stared at a bright yellow fish on a tank in front of them. “You know I’ll take your word for it.”

“Do your part. Sign up for the class, and you get the pencils.”

Pam sighed. “If only…”

Jim didn’t press the matter. Her sudden sadness made him angry. Of course Roy wouldn’t want her to go, and he suspected it was not just about the money, but about her not being there to make him diner. Or he not standing the fact that she could do better. Jim clenched his fists inside his pockets and was glad when Pam changed the subject to old movies and he could go back to pretend Roy didn’t exist.

When they got almost kicked out because of closing time, Jim just asked her if pasta was all right, and she agreed enthusiastically. Again, he couldn’t believe his luck.

It took them some time to get a table. The place was full with couples celebrating the day, and they didn’t have a reservation. When they finally sat at a tiny spot facing the window, he heard her satisfied sigh and decided this was going to be it. If nothing else, he had proven her during the day how great they were together, how much fun they could have. And he knew, right then, he wouldn’t settle for anything less.

Being with Pam was just logical, she had to see it that way, too, surely.

The waiter brought wine, they ordered appetizers, and shared a pizza. The candle was burning low, and Pam kept on talking about her high school years, and asking him about basketball in college, and if he ever thought he’d get a manager position. He enjoyed hearing her talk about her family and he tried to convey the chaos of holidays at his parents’ place. When she said she’d like to see it, he said she would.

By the time they decided to share a chocolate cake, his palms were sweaty. He had to do it now. He really had. Or never.

No. Never was not an option. Now.

Maybe the wine and the chocolate would play to his favor.

“So…” he cleared his throat, and tried to dry his hands on his pants.

“So,” she said, eyes bright and a smile lingering on her lips. Those lips he had been longing to kiss all day.

“I really enjoyed today,” he started. And it sounded lame to his own ears.

“I did too. Honestly, you are a savior. Can you imagine staying there the entire day, being the main participant of Phyllis’ flower parade? I do wonder, though, what else did she get during the afternoon.”

“Yeah,” Jim couldn’t care less. “It was really my pleasure, going out with you.”

Like a date, he wanted to say. Because that’s what this has been.

She just nodded, and seemed to be focused on a crumb of chocolate cake on her fork.

“Pam?” he asked, and she looked up. She was still smiling, but he could read there was something else in her eyes. Was it fear? Or just anticipation? “This… this should happen more often,” he managed.

“I know. We should do this-”

“I mean… this is how we should be. Together, you know?”

“What?” she said softly, but he knew she knew what.

“Us.”

Her eyes looked around the place again, at the candle, and out the window, and he could feel her feet shuffling under the table.

“Pam,” he repeated, and he took her hand. She didn’t take it away and he thought this was a good sign. “I know it’s a lot to ask but… We should be together. I… I am in love with you.”

“Don’t,” she said. “Don’t say that. Don’t… don’t ruin this.” Her eyes were pleading, and she withdrew her hand.

“This doesn’t really exist,” he said. “But it could, and we could be so good together-”

“Stop, Jim, please. I… I’m… I’m engaged.”

“He’s not good enough for you. You have options, other than spending the rest of your life with a man who doesn’t care to be with you on Valentine’s Day.”

“You don’t know that. You don’t know him! I... I… my life is already planned ahead. I can’t-”

And she stood up, snatching her bag and coat, and as Jim called after head, she was almost running through the door.

He stood up, considering running after her, but then he sat back, heavily. No. She needed space. Time. Not being chased, at least.

He had acted like an idiot. He had ruined it all. But what else was there for him to do? Pretend he was ok with being friends? Take her out like this, while knowing there was a fiancée waiting for her at home? Not getting to go home with her?

No. He was in too deep to be ok with that.

Automatically, he paid the waitress and ignored her sympathetic smile.

He couldn’t help being worried for Pam. Did she make it home ok? Home to an empty house or to a half-drunk Roy? Jim couldn’t face any of those scenarios without wanting to punch a wall. Instead he drove, aimlessly through well-lit streets passing couples and advertisements that reminded him cruelly how great his day had been and how lonely he was now.

He considered calling her, but, again, he knew that was a bad idea. If he had any hopes of going back to something normal, he needed to let her go now. Ignore it all the next day. Say ‘hi’ and pretend that it had been just some holiday-induced euphoria.

If he knew Pam, and he was sure he did, she would not bring back the subject, more than willing to sweep it under the rug.

The thought made him grab the wheel harder and drive faster.

He couldn’t tell how much time it passed until he reached his place. Even though it was close to midnight, lights were on and he could hear the music from the parking lot. Of course, poker night for the Valentine’s haters. He had forgotten all about it.

For a moment, he considered getting back inside his car and hitting the road again, and then his eyes stopped at one of the two cards on his back seat. Those cute little monsters seemed to look at him with pity. He was gang-less, and lonely, and he hated Valentine. The perfect mood to get wasted on cheap whiskey and to try to win some money while ranting about women.

The moment he opened the door, he heard that sound and it made him freeze on the spot. He could recognize her laughter anywhere.

Slightly scared, he entered the living room. Around the poker table sat Mark, Peter and Joel. And Pam, happily taking a handful of chips from the center of the table.

“You took your time,” Mark said.

Jim was sure he had hit his head and he was hallucinating. Pam looked up at him, bit her lip and muttered a very soft “hi”.

“What’s going on?” Jim managed to say.

“You need to take her away, bro,” Joel said. “She’s taking all our money.”

“Not my fault you’re too drunk to bluff,” Pam said defensively.

“It’s that women’s sixth sense,” Peter grunted.

“How long have you been here?” Jim asked Pam, cutting across whatever Mark was about to say.

“Dunno. An hour or so?”

“She came looking for you. You weren’t answering your phone, so we invited her over,” Mark said. Of course, out of his three friends, Mark knew exactly who Pam was, and why would it be important to keep her around. Only, Jim thought grimly, he was not up to date with the recent developments.

“We thought she would- I'd never guessed you'd be good at poker,” Joel said, now addressing Pam.

“Cheers to that,” she said, raising a half-drunk bottle of beer and clinking it with Joel’s. “Never try to assume a girl can’t play her poker.”

“Lesson learned.”

“You joining us, Jim?”

He looked around again, waiting for the weird hallucination to dissolve. Finally his eyes met Pam’s again, and she looked down, and then back up. There was a new light in her gaze, and he felt it was almost a challenge.

“In a moment. Pam, can I talk to you for a sec?”

She jumped out of her chair, and followed him outside. There was snow on the ground, shining with the lights coming from inside.

“Sorry I came,” she spoke first.

“Really?”

She chuckled. “Well... not really. I was having a great time back there, which, all things considered, I never thought I would. I guess I am sorry I came without letting you know.”

“Why did you?”

“I was looking for you, dork. Only, I forgot all about your poker night, and next thing I knew, Mark was dealing me in and offering me a beer. And I suspected you would be right behind me. I mean, the taxi took its time coming here. What took you this long?”

“I was… driving around,” he was still feeling as if he’d missed some fundamental part of the night that would make things clear. “I still don’t get why-?”

She sighed, and rubbed her arms.

“I shouldn’t have run away like that. From the restaurant.”

He shrugged. “It was a lot to process, I guess.”

“It was.”

“Was it really news, though?”

“Nope,” she kicked some snow with the tip of her shoe. “I guess I suspected… I… hoped?”

Pam looked up at him, her expression unreadable.

“And now you know.”

She nodded.

“It’s going to be a mess,” she said, and again she rubbed her arms. Jim realized he was still wearing his jacket so he took it off and put it on her shoulders. Pam smiled back at him, and then focused on the small patch of snow at her feet again. “I’ll… I’m not really sure I even know where to start. I need to get myself a new place. I need to talk to Roy, and to our families, and-”

“Wait what?” What? What?!

Pam’s eyes fixed on his, and she hugged the jacket closer to her body. “You really meant what you said. At the restaurant. Right?”

“Every word.”

She nodded, slowly. “You are right. It’s not fair to me, or to you and… I’m just… I kinda need you to be patient.”

Jim couldn’t believe his ears. Or the sight in front of him.

“Pam, what are you saying?”

“Oh gawd,” she looked up at the cloudless sky, and then back at him. “You need me to spell it out and it’s just so weird. I came over to… to tell you that today has been the best day of my life. I’ve never, ever felt so… so cherished, so good with things and… you’re right- we are good together. I want more of this.” Slowly, she reached out and Jim took her cold hand on his.

“You’ll have it.”

“Good.”

Slowly, he bent closer and her lips met his. He thought he heard a whoop somewhere in the distance, but it could be his own heart celebrating how her hand was still clutching his, and how her lips were soft and warm and kissing him.