Jim mindlessly rubbed the fabric of some costumes between his fingers on the stage of the school auditorium.
“I thought Beauty and the Beast was a movie.”
Pam looked up from the backdrop she was painting. “It’s both! I am actually very excited Andy chose it for the school musical because it’s for sure my favorite Disney movie,” she said, turning back to painting.
Andy had asked if Pam would help him paint the sets for their production of Beauty and the Beast, since he was so busy directing and choreographing everyone. She agreed, not fully understanding how much work would need to go into the project, so Jim often joined her in the auditorium after school. He did his best not to distract her but sometimes he couldn’t help but discreetly pull her away from what she was doing and pin her up against the back of the bookshelf props. She didn’t seem to mind.
Ever since they had the pregnancy scare the week earlier, things shifted for them but in the very best way. Suddenly, though he didn’t know how it was possible, they became so much closer. The love between them settled deeper as life became richer. It was now extremely apparent that they wanted to spend their lives together and that realization meant that Jim had a permanent seat on Cloud 9.
He had called Pam’s dad last week to let him know how much he loved her. How to him, she was perfect. How a life without her in it was not one he was interested in living. Jim picked up on the emotion in William’s voice as he extended his blessing, and now all that was left to do was make it official. And that was where he was stuck.
He thought about taking her back to D.C. or spending a weekend in the cabin in the Poconos and asking her there. Those were good ideas but he wanted to take her by surprise and he knew if he suggested they go to those places she would know what was coming immediately. Even though the ring he had picked out was burning a hole in the desk drawer in his classroom, he decided to table the idea for the time being--maybe until school was out. But not before he had a little fun with it.
He put his hands in his pockets and walked over to her on the stage, where she was standing on a step ladder painting a forest scene.
“Pam,” he said tenderly, and she looked down at him. “I want you to know that in this moment, I really look up to you.”
He grabbed her hand as she smirked at his bad pun, then surprise came to her eyes. “Wait…”
“...and it would mean so much to me…”
“WAIT.” She looked around. “Now? Jim, I’m standing on a step stool covered in paint…”
“...if you could take the next step…”
“Really? Andy’s right there. Jim.”
“...because I’m really worried your arm is going to get tired if you keep painting from the step you’re standing on.”
She rolled her eyes.
“What?!” Jim scoffed. “I’m just worried about...ohhhh….did you think I was going to…?”
She attempted to hide her smile, refusing to look at him. “You’re so dumb.”
“You love me.”
“I do,” she smirked. “Now go make yourself useful or something.”
He saluted. “Aye aye, Captain.”
Jim found Andy to ask what he could help with while he waited for Pam to finish painting the props she had planned for today.
“Tuna!”
When Andy first started, he overheard Jim and Oscar talking about Moby Dick and started calling Jim “Tuna” and Oscar “Rainbow Trout”. Jim didn’t have the heart to tell him Moby Dick didn’t involve either of those fish, so now the nickname would haunt him forever.
“Hey Andy. Just here to help out, if you need it. Anything I can do?”
Andy held out his fist. “Awesome, bro-ski. Uh, yeah. Could you move all the costumes from stage right to stage left for me? Doin’ the ol’ switch-a-rooni for dress rehearsals this week.”
“Sure thing,” Jim replied. He especially didn’t mind because the costumes were currently right next to where Pam was painting.
Jim reached the rack of costumes and pointed to the giant Beast costume. “Hey look! It’s Roy.”
Pam chuckled and lightly smacked his arm. “That’s mean.” She looked back to her painting. “Besides, Roy is obviously Gaston.”
Jim laughed. “No, you’re totally right. You’re Belle. And I’m obviously the prince after the Beast transforms.”
Pam was silent.
“Pam. C’mon. I’m the prince!”
She shrugged. “I don’t know...you kind of give me more...Maurice vibes.”
Jim’s mouth flopped open. “Crazy old Maurice?!”
Now Pam’s shoulders were shaking with laughter. “He’s endearing! And sweet. And creative.”
“And old!” He glared at her in mock offense and began pushing the rack of costumes past her, sure to run his hand up her thigh as he did. “I’ll show you crazy old Maurice…”
As the evening went on, the cast and crew of the musical began trickling out, and even Andy mentioned something about needing to rest his vocal chords for a least a few hours. Jim kindly reminded him that he’s not actually in the play, to which Andy replied, “Who knows if I will need to be an understudy the day of the play?! I’m a Cornell-trained vocalist, Tuna. Need I remind you about Here Comes Treble?” No, he definitely did not.
Pam had decided she was going to stay so she could finish painting the backdrop of the stained glass rose. “It’s iconic,” she had told Jim. “It needs to be perfect.” So, he decided to go grab her dinner and keep her company until she finished. He smirked, remembering a scenario much like this very one a month prior.
When he returned, he stopped barely off stage, just to watch her. He loved the way she scrunched her nose when she painted fine lines and how she tilted her head to get a better look at her work. There was a swipe of green paint on her left check which to him, was insanely cute and made him adore her that much more. He smiled. He wanted to see the scrunched noses and the head tilts and the misplaced paint for the rest of his life.
“Here you go, m’lady. A caesar salad bigger than my head,” he said, handing her a bag. “And also this.” He pulled a single rose out from behind his back and gave it to her. “For inspiration.”
She grinned and took it from it, bringing it to her nose to take in the smell. “Thank you! Where did you get this?”
He frowned. “Didn’t I tell you that Michael has been teaching me magic? I conjured that.”
“Oooo, can you conjure a bunny?”
“We haven’t gotten to that lesson yet,” he winked and kissed her quickly.
They sat next to each other against the back wall of the stage to eat their dinner and Pam looked up at Jim slyly.
“Hey. Remember the last time you brought me food while I painted something at this school?”
Jim squinted up at the ceiling. “Hmm…nope…” He ran his hand to her inner thigh. “Don’t remember that at all.”
“That mind blowing, huh?” she winked.
He laughed. “I mean, you’re not wrong.”
She rested her head on his shoulder and sighed happily. “I would say let’s remind you, but Andy said he might come back later to work on a couple costumes. And he doesn’t need to see my Beauty or your Beast, if you know what I mean…”
Jim chortled. “Fair enough.” He took the salad from Pam’s hands and set it down next to them and twisted his body so he was facing her and scooted closer. He put his fingers under her chin and tilted her face toward his. “Doesn’t mean I can’t enjoy your beauty anyway...the non-innuendo kind,” he smiled. “Pam, you are so pretty.”
She closed her eyes with a blissful smile and kissed him gently at first, but suddenly her hands were in his hair and her tongue in his mouth. He groaned into her before reluctantly pulling away, breathless.
“Easy there, Beesly. We’re, uh, awakening the beast.”
She bit her bottom lip. “Sorry. Sort of.” She brought her lips to his again, this time with a little more attempted restraint.
After a while they broke apart and Jim put his head against Pam’s. His hand rested on the side of her face and he stroked her cheek with his thumb. Her green eyes sparkled under the colored stage lights and he nearly lost himself in them.
“I’m going to marry you, Pamela Beesly.”
“Oh yeah?” She said softly. “Was that the proposal?”
He chuckled softly. “No. That would be rather lame. But it’s coming” He raised his eyebrows. “Hope you’re ready.”
She sat back to smile back at him, her expression filled with nothing but love for him. “Been ready for a long time, Halpert.”
He grinned and kissed her again. “Now can you please finish up so we can explore this ‘Beauty and the Beast’ idea somewhere a little less...stagey?”
She laughed, walked over to the painting, and applied one tiny dot of paint to it. “Look at that! Done.”
“Perfect!” He came up from behind her and wrapped his arms around her. “Belle was always my favorite you know…”
She laughed. “I think I have something yellow at home…”
“Mmmmhmmm…” he mumbled against the skin right under her ear.
“It’s a little more...revealing...than Belle’s dress, though…”
“MmmHMMM…”
“It’s less like a dress and more like...something you wear under a dress…”
“And we’re going!” Jim proclaimed quickly, grabbing her hand.
They walked out together and he looked down at her. “I’m serious about that proposal, Beesly.”
“Okay…” she said sarcastically.
“You’ve got to stay sharp!”
She chuckled. “I’ve been warned.”
But the thing was, Jim was definitely serious.
“Hey,” he said quickly. “I have to grab that stack of essays from my desk in my classroom. Can I meet you at your place?”
“Sure!” She leaned up and kissed him. “I mean, you have a key,” she said happily and made her way to the parking lot.
Jim walked into his classroom, grabbed the stack of papers from his desk, and put them in his bag. His eyes lingered on the handle of the desk drawer for several seconds. Finally, he threw it open and picked up the velvet ring box, putting it in his pocket.
Probably not tonight.
But just in case.
Author's Chapter Notes:
We’re nearing the end, friends. Just a couple more chapters to go. *sniff*
