Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.


May 11, 2006
She opened the taxi door in tears. She couldn’t believe what she had just done.

Once again, she listened to the practical side of her. Instead of doing the right thing. Instead of following her heart. She clutched the metal, and heard faint shuffling of feet as she walked up the stairs. Roy, using the bathroom. That’s what she thought. She hadn’t wondered why Roy was in such a rush to leave casino night. It was never a question of intentions. He just wasn’t big on corporate hoopla. In her mind, he went home, watched TiVoed episodes of Orange County Choppers, and fell asleep.

After paying the driver and getting home, she realized that she had forgotten her key. Rather than ringing the doorbell, she pulled out her cell phone, and dialed the number. Two rings. Finally, he picked up the phone.

“Hello?” He groaned. She probably woke him up. She wiped another tear from her cheek, and tried to contain herself.

“I’m locked out. Can you let me in?” She said, trying to contain all the emotions in her voice. He mumbled something, and the door swung open. Roy was there, putting on a shirt. He looked nervous.

“Hey babe.” He said as if he were trying to hide something. Pam was too distracted to notice anything. “Have a good time?”

“Sort of.” She said, and felt terrible for lying. She took off her coat, and slipped out of those uncomfortable heels. She put them by the door, but noticed another pair of shoes she’d never seen before. They weren’t guys shoes, which she could chalk up to Darryl. Then she realized Kelly must have left her heels at the house yesterday when she stopped by for hours of conversation and to see the wedding dress. She walked into the living room, with Roy right on her tail.

“Are you okay?” She asked, noting how weird he was acting. He nodded rapidly, and stood in front of the couch.

“Do you want to, like, watch a movie or something?” He asked, as if trying to cover something. “We could watch that Edward Scissorhands movie you love so much.”

She wanted to tell him no, because Jim had given her that DVD for Christmas a couple years ago. She sat down on the couch and sighed heavily. Two empty wine glasses were on the table. The table was clear when she left.

“What?” Roy asked when he saw Pam staring at the wine glasses. Instinctively, he pulled her in for a kiss. All she could think about was Jim the second he pulled her onto him. Not to raise suspicions, she let the kiss last for another twenty seconds, and she looked up at him with tired eyes.

“I think I’m just going to go to bed.” She said with a defeated sigh. He wasn’t Jim. She took a few steps towards the staircase. Roy stood in front of her.

“Come on, let’s stay up and talk or something.” He said, further raising suspicions. Roy never wanted to talk. And when he left the warehouse, he said he was beat. What changed? Pam just shook her head, and walked around her barricade. She walked up the stairs, and heard frantic footsteps both behind her, and ahead of her.

“What was that?” She asked, confused at hearing more than one set of footsteps.

“What was what?” He asked, trying to pull her closer. She pushed him away, and silently continued up the last two stairs.

“Pam, what’s going on? You’re acting crazy.” He asked, but she quickly silenced him. She walked into the bedroom, and saw a silhouette.

“Oh my God.” A voice said. A female voice. She was slipping on a shirt when Pam walked in, and she immediately recognized who it was.

“Katy?” Pam turned to look at Roy, who was red with embarrassment. She put the two together. It was a puzzle that she didn’t want to put together.

She ran down the stairs, and Roy quickly followed her. “Pammy, stop!” He called, but she ignored him. “Stop, okay? I’m sorry.”

“Sorry for what?” She shrieked, turning around. She could feel the tears welling in her eyes. “Sorry for cheating on me, or sorry you got caught?”

“Both.” He whispered, and put his hands on her shoulder. “You know I love…”

“Stop it!” She said, breaking free from his grasp. “Just stop it, okay? Three years. You strung me along for three years, and suddenly you decide you want to get married. How long has this been going on?” Pam had stunned him with her sudden aggression. He couldn’t answer. “How long have you been cheating on me?”

“Like a week after Halpert dumped her… she came on to me, I swear.” He tried rationalizing it. “I tried to break it off a couple times…”

“Oh look at you, the hero.” She said, trying not to cry, but failing miserably. “Roy, this …. It’s over.”

“What do you mean, it’s over?” He asked, but he knew full on what was going on. She held up her hand, slipped the shiny diamond ring on her finger, and put in his hand.

“I’m sure you and Katy will be very happy together.” She said, turning away from him. “I’ll be back tomorrow to get my stuff.” She stormed out of the house, and broke down at the end of the driveway. Two hours ago, she had a best friend and a fiancée that loved her. Now she was all alone. And it was all her fault.

***

She thought about calling Roy once, but knew immediately that was the wrong choice. He’d hurt her before, but nothing like this. Then the nagging thought of calling Jim came into her head. But she saw the way he looked when she told him her intentions to still marry Roy. Now she was single, and he would for sure think he was second choice.

But he wasn’t. She didn’t realize until that very moment Jim was filling in the blanks for all the things Roy was missing. Jim didn’t tickle her to resolve major conflicts. He didn’t discourage her art, calling it “impractical.” He talked, and more importantly listened

She knew there was only one thing she could do.

She spent an hour walking to his house. After the first three blocks, her feet were killing her, and she slipped off the heels she had put back on before storming out of the house. After another block, it began to rain.

“Great.” she said under her breath. Not only would she freeze, but she’d be soaking wet, and her dress would be ruined. She persevered, and walked the final two blocks to his house. After a few minutes of standing in his driveway, she finally mustered the strength to fight for what she wanted. And what she wanted was Jim.

She knocked on the door. There was nothing. She knocked again, even louder. She felt the breath pour out of her once she saw the lights come on in the distance. Jim answered the door in his pajamas. His eyes weren’t completely open once he answered the door, and it was clear she had woken it up. Once he woke up, he was stunned to see her there.

“Pam?” He said, unsure of the reality of all this. She pulled him in for one long kiss. Her lips were cold and wet, but somehow that didn‘t seem to matter. “Are you real, or am I dreaming?” She promptly reached out with her trembling arms, and pinched him.

“It’s raining, Jim. Can I come in?” Feeling stupid, he immediately let her in.

“What are you doing here?” He asked the obvious question as he went into a closet and pulled out a fresh, white towel. She was still in the blue dress she’d worn when she broke his heart. She wrapped the towel around her, and fidgeted nervously.

“I think I made a huge mistake tonight.” She said, talking herself through the upcoming monologue. “When I said that I can’t...”

“Don’t.” Jim said, bracing himself from the pain.

“It was out of sense of obligation.” She continued, not caring if it hurt him to think about right now. There was a serious payoff. “I mean, I had been with Roy for almost ten years….” Her voice trailed off as she felt weak and afraid. But she stopped herself, and took a whiff of confidence. “It wasn’t that I didn’t want to.” She took another step towards him. “Because I do, Jim. I really do want to be with you.”

“Are you sure I’m not dreaming?” Jim returned with a cheesy joke and a trademark smile. Pam held up her cold, trembling hand. The hand that once held her engagement ring. The hand that was now blank like a canvas. “You broke up with him?”

“I should’ve done it a long time ago.” Pam said, putting her hand back at her side. “He’s been cheating on me.” Her voice began to crack. She felt stupid that she hadn’t realized it before, and now it was all unraveling. Tears began to form in her eyes.

“Oh, Pam.” Jim shook his head consolingly. He pulled her into his arms. Somehow, it didn’t matter that she was soaking wet, and now his pajamas were matching it. It didn’t matter that she had just broken up with her fiancée. It just didn’t matter. Because she was there.

“And I don’t want you to think that I’m here just because Roy was cheating on me.” Pam began, looking up at Jim in the middle of his arms. “It just… made me realize that it has always been you, Jim.” She buried her face in his chest, embracing his warmth. “It’s always been you.” They stood with each other, for just a second. Because it was something that both of them had been hoping for, for a long time.

They wanted to just take in the moment. She looked up at him, and placed her lips on top of his. It fit. The shape of their mouths fit perfectly together, and they knew that this wasn’t wrong at all. Broken engagements, broken hearts. All of it was mended when they were with each other.

“Come on Beesley.” He said with a grin. “Let’s get you out of those wet clothes.” Pam looked apprehensive, for the first time in a while. “I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have…”

“It’s not that I don’t want to…” Pam began, but suddenly found the words hard to say. “I just think it’d be too soon. I just broke up with my fiancée.” She reasoned, and Jim understood. “Plus, I don’t want to give Angela any more reasons to call me a hussy.” She broke the tension, and for that Jim was very grateful. He just sighed.

“I’m tired.” Pam said, going for the couch. “Should I just… sleep here?”

“Don’t be silly.” Jim said, nudging her off. “My bedroom’s down the hall. I’ll sleep here.”

“No, I couldn’t.” Pam said modestly. “I can’t just kick you out of your bed.”

“We’ll share?” He asked, hoping not to receive a no. She looked a little calmer.
“I don’t have any pajamas.”

“Mark’s girlfriend has some spares, I think.” Jim said, and Pam reluctantly agreed.
“Get fresh with me, Jim, and I’ll tell everybody you listen to New Kids on the Block.” She said, jokingly. Jim just looked at her as he lead her into the bedroom.

“Well played, Beesley. I’ll keep my hands to myself.” He said, unable to believe that all of this was really happening. It really was happening.