As he sat back on his bed, a cold beer in his hand that he’d picked up from the fridge on his way to bed, Jim reflected on the previous twenty-four hours. It had been one hell of a day, and to that point, quite an evening with Pam. With his Pam. He couldn’t quite believe it.

***

Jim had to be honest with himself, he and Karen had had a fun time the day (and night) before in the city. Tourist Jim had done a lot of things he’d not done since he’d been a boy. Then Evening Jim went to some very cool places that they definitely didn’t have in Scranton, before Bedtime Jim had done some much more grown-up things with Karen, before passing out from exhaustion after a very long day. The fact was though, he knew he’d been evasive with her the night before on the subject of moving to New York, even though consciously he wasn’t quite a hundred percent clear himself on what was holding him back at the time.

That morning he’d woken up in bed without Karen. She was already in the shower when he looked around the room and he could see from the handle that the bathroom door was locked, so there’d been no chance of any pre-interview shenanigans – and so the previous night’s encounter turned out to be the last, and it was absolutely for the best, as it turned out.

Karen had been as affectionate to him as normal in the morning as they got ready, but she was laser-focused on the task at hand. That was clear as they’d eaten breakfast at the hotel with her talk of sales figures and interview strategies.  They’d headed out to corporate early and met Michael at the office. It wasn’t until he reflected on it later that he realised that their last time together the night before had been quite an empty experience. Sure, it had felt good physically, it always did, and he was a gentleman – he hoped that he’d ensured Karen had been left duly satisfied; but he’d not really connected with her. He realised in all the time they’d dated, he’d never actually told Karen he loved her, never looked into her eyes and felt the intangible “thing”, the awe of true love, even in the middle of sex, that he’d felt every day when he’d gazed into Pam’s eyes as he leant across her reception desk for a jelly bean or an excuse to flirt with her. That’s not to say he’d not enjoyed spending time with Karen – she had many great qualities and under normal circumstances she’d have probably been “The One”; but she was lacking in one fundamental way. She wasn’t Pam, and whatever he did to try and ignore it, he couldn’t escape Pam. She was his siren, and he would be lured by her call, whatever destructive end that brought him. He would never be able to truly get over her, even if it meant being miserable for the rest of his sorry life. Pam was his universe and deep down, even in his best times with Karen, he knew it.

Jim had gone into that interview with the best of intent. He knew he was a good candidate. But when that small phone message note with the yoghurt pot lid disguised as an Office Olympics medal appeared in his lap, all bets were off. Every feeling of love and loss he’d had for Pam from the last five years came rushing back to him in High Definition with glorious Dolby Sound and he was blown away. He knew there and then that there was only one possible outcome. He couldn’t deny it any longer. Thank God for that yoghurt lid. Thank God for her. She’d just saved them both and she didn’t even know it yet. But he would tell her as soon as he could.

“Where do you see yourself in ten years’ time?” Jim paused for a moment and smiled as thoughts of beaches, teapots, barrettes and yearbooks bounced around his brain, along with the feel of his arms holding her slim waist and his lips pressed against hers on a May night almost exactly a year ago.

Jim realised that Wallace had clocked his eyes glazing over slightly and that he looked miles away. He’d heard the Siren’s call. There was no going back now. He was hers, absolutely and completely.

“Jim – you OK?”

“David… I’m really sorry to do this, but I have to take myself out of consideration.” Jim’s voice almost drifted along with his thoughts.

“I’m sorry, what?”

“I don’t see myself here in New York in ten years. I’d like to stay with the company, but I feel my future lies in Scranton.” Wallace was a little surprised to say the least.

“Really?” He put his pen down with an inquisitive stare.

“Yes. I know it sounds weird, but at some point in the future it’ll make a lot more sense. I don’t want to waste your time when I know that ultimately, even I got the job, my head…” and my heart… Jim noted to himself, “would be somewhere else.”

“OK.” Wallace was still flabbergasted that his top pick had just turned down a sure thing.  “Thank you, Jim. I appreciate your candour.”

“Thanks for the opportunity, Sir.” With that, the interview was suddenly over, they shook hands warmly, Wallace reminded Jim he was still a great asset to the company wherever he was based, and Jim left the building.

***

After the interview, his head spun a little as he collected his thoughts. He knew he had to end things with Karen as quickly as possible. She’d asked him to text her when he was finished, so after a quick relay of messages, he found her, sipping on a Mimosa with a couple of equally cosmopolitan-looking friends at a café near City Hall Park. Her face lit up as she saw him.

“Jim!”

He’d already schooled his features into something he hoped was neutral.

“Hey Karen… and friends of Karen.” He stopped just short of the table, put his hand up in general greeting, gave them all a slightly tight smile and nodded.

“So… how did yours go?” She looked at him expectantly.

“It was good, thanks. How was yours? We didn’t really get a chance to talk properly in reception between our interviews.”

“Yeah, good I think! Let me get you a drink.” She started to look around for a waiter. “Gimme a second…”

“Um… Karen…?” Jim put his hand up and shook his head slightly. He took a half step back from the table. “Can we talk for a minute? Somewhere a little quieter?”

“Sure.” She got up, telling her friends, “I’ll be back in a minute and I’ll introduce you.” She grinned at them over her shoulder as she walked away with Jim, taking his arm as they headed towards the park fountain.

“Hmmm, I wonder who Wallace will pick?” She started to chatter at him. “What would you like to do this afternoon? We still have the room for another night…” suggestiveness crept into her tone. “…And maybe we can go apartment hunting before we leave tomorrow?”  He pulled away from her slightly, letting her arm drop.

“What? Too soon? We can look online first and come back in a couple of weeks.” She smiled expectantly at him.

“It’s not that.” He paused. “Karen…” This was the point that he realised she’d noticed his body language had changed.  He couldn’t hide it anymore. He knew she could read his expression well enough by now to know something was very wrong.

“I know that face. What is it? Did it actually go really badly? Because you know, that’s OK, Jim. You’ll get something else. I’ll be in corporate-”

“It’s not that,” he interrupted. “I took my name out of consideration.” Jim did the most Jim thing possible under the circumstances, pulling an awfully familiar face of discomfort, before rubbing the back of his neck awkwardly, then looking away to avoid further eye contact with her.

“You did WHAT?” Karen was clearly shocked.

“Took my name out of consideration.”

“I heard that. I mean... was that for me? Because you really didn’t have to-”

“It wasn’t. Look, I’m sorry Karen, there’s really no easy way to say this…” Her face dropped. She knew immediately.

“You bastard…” she spoke quietly but firmly.

“Karen… I’m sor-.”

“-You goddam bastard asshole. You KNEW! You knew before you even came to New York!”

“I didn’t!” Jim found his voice was rising in frustration, so he breathed out before continuing, lowering his voice and his volume again accordingly. “I really didn’t. I woke up this morning genuinely ready for this interview. But… something just clicked when I was sitting with Wallace and it changed everything. I’m sorry. I just don’t see a future for me here in New York.”

Karen just froze. She went to speak but nothing came out. Jim saw his chance to continue.

“You deserve more than this, Karen. You are worthy of someone who loves you like you are everything to them. You are smart and funny and beautiful-”

“It’s her, isn’t it.”  She sounded more tired than anything else.

“It was a lot of things, but yes, she was part of the decision. I tried really hard, I mean… shit, this is coming out wrong. Karen, you are great, but I can’t pretend any more. The things you want are not the things I want.  I can’t be who you want me to be. Maybe I’m too much of a slacker-“

“Yeah, that’s true” she interjected with some resentment.

“The point is… I got very homesick when I was in that interview and realised: it’s one thing to be a tourist in New York, but quite another to live here. I just don’t see myself here with anyone, or even by myself. It’s just too busy and too crazy for me.” Karen rolled her eyes.

“So you want to go back to Sleepy Scranton forever? Have babies with Pam, get a nice little house with a back yard and go to Little League games, be a paper salesman forever? Yeah, sounds like a dream.” Karen’s voice was now dripping with sarcasm.

“You know, that is exactly what I want to do… well, maybe except the long-term career in paper sales, but that’s just fine for now, too.”  There was a long and awkward silence.

“So that’s it then? That’s all you have to say? You dick! I wasted seven months…” Jim sighed.

“No one asked you to come to Scranton, Karen. You made a pretty big deal about wanting to follow me.”

“You LET me! And then YOU asked me out AFTER I got there!” Jim sighed. She had a point. He’d led her on a bit. Actually, he’d led her on a lot. He looked at her sympathetically.

“You know, you are right. And I am genuinely sorry that this became what it did. But I can’t do this anymore. You knew I still had feelings for her. I even admitted that to you when you asked me straight. When I sat in the interview, David asked me some questions about what I wanted, and it triggered some feelings I’d buried way down for a long time. If it hadn’t happened now, they would’ve come out at some stage in the future and we’d have both ended up miserable in the end. I don’t want to do that to you. Better now than later.”

“Better now than later?!” Karen shook her head at him.

“Think about it, I couldn’t even commit to moving here when we talked about it last night.” He thought it better not to mention Pam’s note being the final nail in that particular coffin this morning.

“Screw you, Jim” she sighed, seemingly in defeat. He probably deserved at least some of what she was saying. He’d been unfair to her, stringing her along to his own selfish ends, and he recognised that.

“Look, um… I’m driving back this afternoon. Did you want a lift?”

“Are you kidding me?  Three hours of sitting in a car with someone who, quite frankly, I’d be happy to bludgeon with a blunt instrument right now? So no, thank you. I will take my chances with my friends, drown my sorrows, then get the train back to Scranton and decide my future. So go home, Halpert. Go home to your crappy town and your crappy branch, and your crappy recep-”

“Don’t say it! Karen, you can insult me all you want, but leave Pam out of this. Please. This is not her fault.” Karen’s eyes widened and her shoulders lifted.

“Not her fault? NOT HER FAULT?! Are you kidding me?! This is absolutely her fault, not to mention yours. She bats her eyelids at you a little and you moon over her like a teenager! ‘Ooooh Jim, I’ve just walked over hot coals and found myself! Aw, Jim, you’re not my best friend anymore. I’m sad. Be my friend, Jim.’ You are pathetic. You know, you deserve each other!” She shook her head, seemingly resigned to her their fate.  “Just go.” He went to open his mouth, but Karen put hand up first.

“Go. Please.”

Before he could react any further, Karen held her head up, pulled her shoulders back and started to march back to her friends. Jim stood in shock for a few moments before realising he had no reason to delay any further and returned to the hotel to collect his things and retrieve his car. He actually felt relieved more than anything, maybe a little sad. He recognised that this chapter of his life had come to an end at the expense of someone who hadn’t deserved to get hurt. However, as bad as he felt about the way things had ended with Karen, (not that he expected her to have just hugged him and wish him the best) he felt some apprehension, because actually, there was no absolute guarantee that Pam wanted him. But he also felt incredibly hopeful about a future that had suddenly cleared right in front of him. He was willing to take that gamble.

***

When he looked back on it later, sitting on his bed after his date with Pam, Jim couldn’t honestly remember exactly what had gone through his mind on the journey back to Scranton from New York. It seemed to form a mostly amorphous blob in his brain called “My thoughts of Pam” that had a million elements to it, all swirled together, though this description neither did the intensity of those thoughts nor the depth of his twisting emotions justice. He knew she had some feelings for him, although he wasn’t sure quite how far they went. Enough for her speech at the beach, at least, he figured, but he could hope it was more. Hell, he had enough hope in his heart for an entire army.

He drove back to Scranton quite carefully, especially under the circumstances. Nothing like “driving to his destiny” only to total his car under a truck to kill the vibe. Quite frankly though, it wouldn’t have mattered in any case. Even Karen’s vicious, but ultimately not unreasonable meltdown over the conclusion of their relationship couldn’t do anything to temper his determination. He was going home.

Home to his town.

Home to his girl - the real one, not the fabrication of a relationship he fooled himself was real for the last seven months, with a girl who was perfectly fine - better than fine in fact, but just not for him.

Home to his future.

Hell, he’d been such a fool. He slapped the steering wheel in a moment’s frustration at himself, before composing himself again and allowing himself a smile as he realised that his future was in his own hands.

***

He had a number of opening lines whirling around in his head in the car.

“Hi Pam, I withdrew from consideration from the job and I came back because I can’t stop thinking about you just about every second I’m awake, and sometimes even in my sleep.”

“Hi Pam, I dumped Karen and now I’m back to sweep you off your feet.”

“Hi Pam, I’m back for good and I’m still in love with you.”

“Hi Pam, will you marry me?” OK, maybe the last one was too soon, but it’s not like he hadn’t thought about it multiple times…

***

He scanned the office as he entered – Pam wasn’t at her desk. In fact, it was notably quiet.

“Hey Tuna!”  heard Jim as he looked around the room, eventually seeing Andy emerge from the direction of the break room. “How did the interview go?”

“Hey Andy. Is Pam around?”

“She’s in the conference room with the crew doing a talking-” he wasn’t given the time to finish his sentence.

“Thanks Man!”

Thankfully, as he burst through the door of the conference room, it turned out that the Occam’s Razor approach served him best, although the one second pause between his “Are you free for dinner tonight?” and her “Yes” felt like an eternity. He tapped his fingers against the door frame in relief as he registered her response and left her to finish up her interview. She would surely be out in a few minutes and then plans could be made. For them. For a date. He heard himself say the words and just caught the beginnings of her reaction.

Suddenly, everything felt different. He couldn’t help the “It’s a date” that slipped out of his mouth as he left. Just so she knew there was something different.

Jim’s throat had dried up from the tension of the last few hours, so he took a trip to the break room vending machine, his eyes flicking along the lines of products until he found what he was looking for. He popped a couple of dollars into the machine and twice pressed the button for grape soda.

By the time he returned to the main office, Pam was back at her desk. Time to make those plans. Time to show a little of his hand, at least. He walked up to her reception desk with a broad smile and two cans…

***

After a phone call to Sibio’s, an upmarket Italian restaurant in Dunmore, for an early evening table for two, Jim raced home to prep for his date with Pam.

Holy shit, it really is a date, he realised as he stood in the shower, lathering up the gel before scrubbing his torso to remove the dirt of the city and a general desire to cleanse himself of, well, everything from the last year. He couldn’t get Pam out of his head and he had to be careful not to allow the repressed arousal that was now free to flourish, get the better of him as he allowed the water to cascade down his toned body. He focused on baseball stats, then thought intensely of Dwight, and turned the water colder until the feeling went away enough for him to finish up. There would be time for that. In fact, he hoped, they would have all the time in the world.

Standing in his bedroom in a fresh pair of Jockeys, he decided on a casual shirt, left untucked; a sports jacket with his jeans, and a pair of Vans. He applied a little aftershave and combed his hair. Jim figured that as Pam said she’d liked it the previous morning when he’d appeared, to everyone’s surprise, looking short and tidy, he might as well keep it like that for a little while. He had a fleeting wave of guilt about Karen. That haircut had been her idea and it had probably been a good one, even though in his heart he knew it wasn’t really him. Another reason that he was right to turn down the job in Corporate and finish things with her. The feeling departed as quickly as it had arrived. He wasn’t going to deny himself real happiness any longer.

He took a final look in the mirror. He smiled at himself. He looked ready. He felt ready. More importantly? His smile went all the way to his eyes for the first time in over a year.

Jim locked up his apartment in good time and drove to Pam’s via a supermarket to grab her some decent flowers. As he searched for the right thing, looking at roses (too cheesy for a first date), carnations (he wasn’t a spy), lilies (not going to a funeral) he saw a bunch of jolly-looking tulips in several colours. He knew in that moment that the artist in her would like them. Maybe she might even paint them. So that’s what he bought.

As he pulled into the car park in Pam’s apartment block at 6.27pm, Jim realised that nerves were starting to take hold. He took a moment to steady himself. You’ve got this, Halpert. You love her. And you’re pretty sure she probably loves you too.

A deep breath.

A knock on the door.

A door that opened to carefully mussed hair that was down (oh God, the last time she wore it like that he was ready to die as she ran her fingers through it to loosen it from her barrette; he could imagine running his own fingers though it already), big green eyes gazing at him in expectation, a snug t-shirt that dipped enticingly…  eyes up, James! Cute, tight jeans that seemed to mould to her body in a way that made him involuntarily lick his lips; and finally, bare feet covered by some low heels. She wore just enough makeup to look like she’d made an effort without being over the top. She looked stunning. Short of grabbing her and kissing her senseless, all he could think to do was hold out the flowers to her and compliment her, which was just about the easiest thing requiring the least brain power, as he was too in awe to think of anything witty. He couldn’t help but blush when she reached up to kiss his cheek in appreciation.

After she’d put the flowers in a vase and given him a whirlwind tour (far too quick, in his opinion) of her apartment, she grabbed her purse and a thick sweater, and they left for the restaurant. Then it occurred to him. He should tell her. Make it clear. No more Karen. He hadn’t told her anything much at the office which Jim realised was probably causing her a lot of confusion.

As he walked her to his car, he suddenly stopped dead in his tracks and gently took her arm, turning her toward him. He stared at her intently, the words almost bursting out of him as he relished their importance on their future.

“So you should know, I’m not with Karen anymore. I just thought you should know that before we go out tonight.” There. He’d said it. He felt huge relief because he’d put it out there. No more blocks between them.

“OK.” He noted the broad smile that naturally emerged on Pam’s features and in his head, he punched the air in celebration as his grin matched hers.

***

She’d seemed pleased when he told her they were going to Sibio’s, well known locally as a long-time ‘occasion’ restaurant. He was fascinated, but not that surprised that she knew of it and delighted when she clearly thought it was special. He thought he knew so much about her; but finding out that she’d played piano, this was new to him and he assumed there would be more to learn. And he was eager to find out more and hear her play... and discover what else he didn’t yet know.

They were distracted by other topics that night and it was only weeks later as they lay in bed with her fingers delicately running up and down his arm, he asked her about the piano again. She told him that she’d had lessons for about 4 years as a young teen and reached Trinity grade 3, at which point she’d stopped as other distractions had taken over. Jim was a little disappointed at first, but soon gratified when Pam then put her fingers to use on him in a much more practical way...

They flirted at the bar, Jim gaining the confidence he needed to start to get things moving. They laughed at the beets on the menu, and as Pam pondered what to have, a cute little ‘v’ forming at the bridge of her nose as she tried to work out what she wanted. Holy crap, she was adorable.

“There are some really nice things on this menu” she pondered over the long list of dishes.

“Yes, there are. Some really nice things.” He felt brave, so he put his hand over hers - he'd briefly done that in the car, too; but this time kept his hand there. She didn’t pull away and he noted her eyes lift to his and stay there. “A lot of things I’d like to try…”

“Really?”

“Yeah.” Jim’s tone had drifted an octave lower, his hand now caressing her the soft skin on her palm, his eyes never leaving hers.

“What were you thinking of first?”

“Well, I thought maybe we could start with something light…” he watched her eyes flick between his own and down to his mouth as he spoke.

“And then?”

And then move on to something more substantial…” like marriage and babies and about fifty or sixty years of blissful happiness together. He finished that sentence in his head, wondering if she was thinking the same. He couldn’t help but start to lean in closer and his eyes flicked down to her lips and back again, his heart skipping a beat as Pam leaned in toward him, too.

At which point, of course, the maitre’d announced their table was ready and the moment was lost. Again. They’d had too many of those. They’d both been idiots. She’s been scared and he’d been stubborn. However, this time Jim finally felt like things would end better.

He wanted to tell her everything. How he felt about New York, Scranton, her… and them. But in the meantime, he was content to listen to her enthusiastic recalling of the Day of the Shrute Buck and other associated tales. He was mesmerised, watching her closely as she described each event in eloquent detail, her face lighting up at regular intervals as she remembered certain moments that she needed to tell him. If he thought he’d been in love before, even with Pam herself, he’d totally underestimated the true extent of his feelings once the dam of misunderstanding and heartache had finally broken. He couldn’t hold it in any longer. She seemed to finally catch the look of devotion in his eyes and he had his chance. So he took her hand and he told her what happened in New York. He told her everything.

She watched and listened intently, nodding periodically at some key points, wincing just slightly when Karen’s name inevitably came up. But when he reached the end of his explanation and he noted that as he’d confessed his love for her, she’d pulled in towards him at the same moment he’d done to her. Just when he thought they’d finally get their moment, the waiter bought their food over. However, this brought other opportunities.

Through dinner, he allowed himself to listen - really listen to her as she’d talked about how she’d felt over that past year.

How she’d realised after he’d kissed her that night in the office that she’d had much stronger feelings for him than she’d ever allowed herself to admit, how hard it was to finally face the truth of those feelings and accept just how long she’d had them.

How she’d called it off with Roy within a week of Casino night, but (and he knew they would have to work through this one over the coming weeks) his not giving her any time to work out what she wanted, meant that by the time she’d formulated a plan to leave Roy, he was already out the door to Stamford.

How she’d missed Jim so much whilst he was away, especially after she’d reconciled herself to her true feelings.

The chaos of Diwali, and how she’d longed to tell him all about the craziness of that night, longed for him to be there to share it with her.

The misunderstanding the night that he had called and they’d talked for hours, before she’d said goodnight to Ryan on his way out of the office and Jim thought she was dismissing him. That bought up a few tears but he reached over and wiped her cheek gently with his thumb - she shared a beautiful but watery smile with him.

How hard it was to see him with Karen, but that she’d reconciled herself to having lost him romantically, and she recognised the irony of that after everything that had come to pass at that point.

That she was more than pleased they were here now.

That she wanted more than one dinner with him.

That he was kind of the most important person in her life. She grinned at him through more glistening eyes as she’d said it.

“You get it, right?” He nodded. He did. 

All the time they were having this conversation, he had been holding her hand with his.  She’d not pulled away once.

God, he wanted to kiss her so damn much, but he knew that after multiple interruptions, Sibio’s was not going to be the place to do that. After they’d somehow got themselves through dessert without simultaneously combusting with the underlying tension between them, Jim asked for the cheque.

“Would you like to go on somewhere else?

“Yes, that’d be nice.”

“I know a great dive bar not far from here.”

“Wow, a dive bar. You really know how to treat a girl, Jim.” She chuckled. Her face turning more serious, with a glint in her eye, she added, “Sounds good.”

He noticed Pam had been fiddling with the same coaster all through dinner.

“Are you going to give that coaster a break?”

“Actually I’m contemplating adding it to my teapot items.”

“Oh.”

“I’m just going to put it away.” Jim felt a small frisson of excitement as he recognised that this evening, this moment, was as important to her as it was to him. That simply blew him away. It had been really difficult for so long, knowing he loved this woman, having to watch her without ever being able to really tell her how he felt, just little scraps that fell into his lap for such a long time. And yet there they now were, on the cusp of something huge, and she was right there with him.

***

It was just a short walk to the bar, but they didn’t make it straight there.  One minute they were walking hand-in-hand and the next, Jim found himself stopped in the middle of the sidewalk with Pam holding his arm with intent.

“Jim.”

“Pam?” Jim was definitely confused.

“I wanted to thank you for dinner.” And with no further ceremony, she reached up and kissed him firmly and precisely on the lips for several seconds before pulling back, with a glint in her eye when she addressed him.

“I never said this yet tonight, but I want you to know that I feel exactly the same way.”

“Fancy New Beesly, huh?” Jim chuckled, amused.

“Yep.”

“Not holding back?”

“Nope. I speak as I find, Halpert.”

“OK.”

“OK.”

He took her hand again and they walked, glancing at each other periodically, both involuntarily smiling.

***

The bar was happily fairly quiet for a Thursday, most of the patrons watching the baseball, so they had no trouble finding a table in a dark corner where they could snuggle up without fear of being disturbed. Drinks ordered, Jim had his arm around Pam in a moment, and before long, her hand was resting on his knee, gently caressing it over the fabric of his jeans. Their talk was funny and intimate, until the loaded looks reached a point where the overwhelming tension between them was just too much again and they could no longer hold their attraction for each other at arm’s length.

The first kiss was gentle and chaste. Just a gentle mutual lean in, a brush of lips for a few seconds just like Pam had done to him on the walk over, before they pulled apart, grinning like idiots.  Jim felt like his heart was about to burst out of his chest. Before he knew it, Pam had leaned in again for a repeat performance, but this time, she grabbed for his lapels and ran her fingers through his hair as their tongues met. He bought his hand up to her cheek and as they kissed again, the sheer magnitude of not just the kiss, but everything it represented, was added to it.

“Wow.” Pam looked positively dazed.

“Yeah.” Was all he could come up with in response when they pulled apart once more. All pretence of sophistication flew out of the window and he went in to kiss her again and again.

They spent a long time making out in the bar, until the point where Jim’s exhaustion, from what had been a pretty intense day, finally caught up with him. After both sets of hands had started to roam, Jim couldn’t help but stifle a yawn.

 “Am I boring you?” asked Pam questioningly, but with a definite hint of humour. She pulled back just a little to look at him.

“Sorry.” Jim smiled back apologetically. “It’s just been a long day.” 

Jim didn’t want the night to end. Unfortunately, the long drive and experiences of the day had taken their emotional toll, exhausting them both and no matter how they fought it, fatigue was winning the battle for their attention.

“Probably time to go home.”  Pam responded reassuringly, pleasingly giving him a gentle peck on his lips. He nodded in agreement and put his arm around her as he waved for the drinks bill.

“Thanks.”

***

They drove back to Pam’s apartment in quiet contentment, aside from a typical Jim mixtape washing over the noise of the engine. Jim put his hand on Pam’s knee and smiled gently as he glanced across at her. She didn’t appear to mind and he quietly thrilled as he felt her hand on his. As they got out of the car, he walked around to her door and pulled her, willingly, out of the car, walking her to her doorstep with their hands clasped, where he set her a step up in front of him. He leaned in to kiss her, wrapping his arms around her as he did. She reacted in kind. After a few moments of a passionate embrace, she pulled back, looked deep into his eyes and stroked his temple with one hand whilst the other remained around the back of his neck. Jim still had his hands wrapped around her slim waist.

“You know I really want to ask you in.”

“Yeah.” He gazed at her dreamily. He really wanted to carry on this particular conversation. Preferably on her couch. Or maybe in her bed. That made him sound like a total man-whore in his own head but when it came to her, he just didn’t care. He was already putty in her hands.

“And you know I can’t… yet. It’s just…” Jim could see her struggling to find a diplomatic way to get the words out. She seemed to give up in the end and just say it. “…You were still with Karen twelve hours ago, Jim.”

“I know.” He looked at her regretfully, but he got it. She was right.

“So you know where I’m going with this.” Jim nodded as Pam continued. “We’ve waited this long… another little while won’t hurt. I really want to date you, Jim. Like… seriously date you. Like filling in corporate forms level dating.” He couldn’t help but pull her in just enough to kiss her on the nose at that statement and she grinned at him, still stroking his face. “I want it all with you. I just think we need a little time before we take things further. I really want this, but I want it without any more complications. It doesn’t have to be super-slow, but not a few hours after you were waking up with someone else.” He stopped himself from telling her that technically he’d woken up alone. Details like that weren’t important.

“Me too.” They shared a very intense gaze, still wrapped together. “I get it. I want to get this right. I mean, this is it for me.” He felt completely at ease telling her this.   “And you know, this is going to be EPIC, Beesly.” He grinned at her.

“I know. A love story for our times.”

When they reeled off even increasingly inappropriate lovers, he knew he was entirely gone. And it would be OK to wait for a little while. Their time would come, and soon.

“Oh My God, Beesly!” He chuckled as she tipped their list over the edge into creepy Nazis.  So I’ll see you tomorrow. Maybe we can do this again?”

“I’ll see you tomorrow, Halpert. Yeah, another date.” She grinned at him as he leaned in and pecked her on the lips again. With that, Jim, his own grin still splitting his face, finally walked back to his car.

***

Jim had come full circle with his thoughts. It had been a remarkable day. He picked at the label on his bottle. She wanted to date him. Seriously date him, she’d said. He was going to blow her mind.