Chapter - 3 The Promised Lies

Karen could tell that the little sandcastle she built has started crumbling under the weight of his lies. He said it was just a crush but Phyllis said “he was hung over Pam for a very long time”

But he promised that he is happy that she is there and how things are going with them.

He said  it was just a kiss and didn’t mean anything but she saw how Pam’s face drained when she recounted the same to her. She didn’t give away any more than reaffirming that it's Karen who is going out with Jim and not her but why it sounded like she was ..confirming?

He never talked to her except the perfunctory greetings, kept his distance and went home with Karen on most nights. And yet the laughter he shared with her after Andy’s explosion felt so much more intimate than all those moments spent waking up beside each other at her apartment. 

But he did seek Karen out first for the prank and then Ryan, only to be left with Pam to execute the master joke. Well, in his defense Andy definitely was being a total pain in the A**.  She was his third choice, the afterthought and the only option after the professionals in the office had better business to attend. She is a receptionist, obviously she would have relatively more time to spare. Yet the glances and brief grazing of their hands felt much more sensuous than caress they shared on those nights.

Karen may confess, after a drink or two perhaps, that his admission of having feelings for Pam somehow was hurtful but not a... shock. She may even spill that she was not as blind to his faraway looks and reserved smiles and the reluctance to let things be more.. Intense. 

But clearly, he had been burned badly, and they talked about what it really was and he did say that nothing ever happened. There was clearly nothing to feel “threatened” about, like he said. 

He gave her enough reassurances after she wanted to talk about everything in detail. He stayed up with her, going over every little thing in his ‘past” which was barely much and about their ‘present” which still has so much potential. He was with her night after night, discussing how he didn’t particularly lie to her, he just didn't tell her something so small.. So insignificant, right ?

So this time, Karen promised him that it’s just a rough patch and they have to ride it through together. She believes in this as much as he does and they can work on this and they can make this work. They went together as each other’s date for their co-worker’s wedding, danced together, sang karaoke and had a blast. He is onboard obviously because he is now even extra cautious to avoid Pam and of course it has nothing to do with the warehouse guy she went home with that night. 

The night of that stupid Art show, they ordered Pizza for a stay in because apparently that’s the only Italian (food) he can tolerate. He didn’t seem to be at all interested in going anywhere, much less that silly exhibit, didn’t even mention it once and it has nothing to do with her tearing down flyers around the office. She doesn’t think he didn’t know considering Pam spoke to everyone in the office about it, and yet when she for dinner together- her treat, he was game like always.

And now Pam is dating that guy and looks happy and Jim seems to act like the receptionist doesn’t exist . Everyone has moved on, everyone is happy and we all could be adults about it. Just sometimes, she wants to believe that his smile is real and her words are too.