There was an odd feeling in the pit of Ryan Howard's stomach.

He felt a small twinge of it as he sat in the conference room, watching Michael and Oscar pertain in awkward activities that left them all in a state of uncomfortable shock. He felt it pull slightly as he watched things get out of control, with Dwight insisting that it was natural for a middle-aged man to kiss another man after watching his best friend do it first. Michael was yelling at him and everyone was shouting over the chaos going on around them. He stayed out of it; merely looking around the room with his wide, blue eyes like a deer in the headlights. He wanted to get out of this insane (yet predictable) meeting so he could go back to his desk and get some work done.

And yet he couldn't place this uncomfortable, fluttery feeling in the pit of his stomach.

Ryan didn't know exactly when it started, or what had caused it, but throughout the meeting he had been feeling weird. Usually, he would ignore something so trivial, passing it off as bad food he had eaten that day. He had more important things to worry about, like actually closing that account with with Mr. Kent from Henderson Inc., or how he could avoid Kelly in a whole new and completely innocent way. Life was strange enough at Dunder-Mifflin without having to worry about indefinable flutters that he wasn't even sure were real.

Ryan felt someone move beside him. Pam was getting out of her seat next to him, making her way to the front desk. Ryan could hear over the hectic arguing that the phone there was ringing. He watched her leave, feeling a little jealous that she had an excuse to get out of the stuffy, over-crowded conference room. He would have left too, but he knew Michael would probably corner him and make some crude, sexual joke involving him that would make them all feel more than a little uncomfortable.

"Dunder-Mifflin, this is Pam," he heard faintly in the background. His flutters got a little faster.

"Everyone! SHUT UP!!" Michael screamed at the room at large, and they quieted immediately. "Look, we aren't getting anywhere with this argument. And I'm not even sure what we were arguing about in the first place," Michael added, shaking his head. "But I'm sure Oscar has gotten it all out there, and, well, we might as well quit while we're ahead; call it a day. Goodnight, everybody!" Michael called out, before practically sprinting out the room and towards his office, obviously leaving and hiding before everyone started yelling at him again. The rest left at a much slower pace, muttering amongst themselves. Ryan was walking with the crowd, feeling relieved at getting out Scott-free, pun intended. That was, until, someone grabbed his elbow in a vice-like grip and yanked him back into the room.

"What, Kelly?" Ryan asked wearily to the grinning Indian woman standing next to him and clutching his arm for dear life. He really wasn't in the mood to talk to his unbearable girlfriend right now, especially alone. He glanced at the last people filing out, and felt another small twinge of jealousy go along with his flutters. He so wanted to be one of those people getting to leave right then.

Kelly was positvely glowing, and her hands finally let go of his arm, clasping under her chin, "Omigod, Ryan, wasn't that like the sweetest thing you ever saw?" she glanced at a spot near the television set and sighed dreamily. Ryan looked at that spot too, and almost dry-heaved. He couldn't have disagreed more with Kelly right then. The memory of Michael kissing Oscar at that spot would forever be burned into his memory, and not in a good way.

"Um, yeah, sure. Kelly, was there anything you needed? I still have to, uh..." he trailed off, pointing back to his desk. He wasn't sure exactly what he was going to say, he just knew he wanted to get out of this room Kapoor-free.

"Yeah, uh, some of us were going out to Poor Richards tonight, and I was going to go too." Kelly looked into his eyes with a doe-eyed expression, silently telling him to come with her.

Ryan sighed, "I can't tonight. I have to study for my big Economics test tomorrow. Plus I've been feeling kind've sick lately." It was true he had to study for a test tonight, and he knew that Kelly would've blown off drinks for them to have a 'study party' at her house if he didn't say he had been feeling sick. Dating this woman for almost a whole year had taught him a few tricks.

"Oh," Kelly looked at him, a little sad, and his weird flutters got worse. He considered saying he could come with her and just study at the bar, but thought better of it. He would've regretted doing that in a heartbeat. So instead, he pecked her on the cheek (which perked her up almost immediately) and tried to head out the door to his desk that was sitting about 4 feet away. Kelly stopped him and hugged him around the middle before he got a chance to get there.

"I'll see you tomorrow then. Feel better, baby." Kelly cooed before letting him go and making her way towards the coat rack by Pam's desk. She grabbed her jacket and purse, blew a kiss in his direction, and sauntered out the door to the hallway. When she finally left, Ryan breathed a sigh of relief. At least that was over with.

Ryan desperately wanted to call one of his clients and close an account with them, but he checked his watch, 5:25 pm, and thought better of it. Their offices wouldn't be open, and he would have to leave a voicemail, which Dwight said was the 'weak man's sale'. Not wanting to get Dwight riled up, Ryan merely walked to his desk and packed up his things along with everyone else and begin to head out for the day.

He stopped suddenly, slapping a hand to his forehead, when he remembered that report he had to make 25 copies of for tomorrow's meeting. He had completly forgotten.

Grumbling to himself, he reopened his suitcase and pulled out the folder that held the report. He cursed himself for losing precious study time by wasting it on a stupid mandatory report that was most likely going to end up being a formality. Everyone filed past him and out the door while he got the correct papers in order.

He thought he was alone in the office when he got up to go to the copy machine, but was surprised to see Pam still sitting at her desk. And still talking on the phone.

Ryan's flutters got much faster as he made his way to the copy machine by her desk and put the paper inside to be copied. He watched out of the corner of his eye the way Pam mumbled indistinct words into the phone while looking down and twisting a piece of hair around her finger. He occasionally caught her glancing up at Michael's office with a worried expression on her face.

Ryan heard some words she was saying. And once he heard the words 'banana', 'drywall', and 'webster's dictionary', he snorted with laughter.

Pam looked up at him, "Something funny?" she asked him conversationally, the phone still tucked under her ear.

He looked at her, still chuckling under his breath, "Mind if I ask why you're talking to yourself on the phone?"

Pam turned red, but grinned all the same, "Oh, yeah. I had to leave the meeting before to answer the phone, but it was a wrong number and they hung up. Michael asked me this morning to stay late and do a special project for him," she rolled her eyes. "So I'm stalling with this phone call for as long as possible."

Ryan grinned, his flutters practically dominating his entire midsection, "What project exactly?"

Pam shrugged, "He wouldn't say, but I'm guessing it has something to do with Jan and magic wands."

Ryan laughed, turning back to the copier "Yeah, been there." He silently cursed himself for sounding so lame.

They were silent as Ryan kept making copies, and he would smile each time he heard Pam mumble something random in the phone. His flutters were flitting around, getting more aggressive with every passing second. But he didn't notice, because he was too focused on listening to Pam talk quietly into the phone. He realized he kind've liked the sound of her voice.

Finally, after about ten minutes, Ryan finished copying the reports. He was stapling the sheets together at his desk when Michael's door burst open, and he walked out with his tie undone and coat thrown over his shoulder. He didn't acknowledge either of them as he strode out the door, slamming it behind him.

"Thank God!" Pam said, dropping the phone back in it's cradle. "I didn't know how much longer I could've kept that going. I was hoping he would forget."

Ryan laughed; a happy, relaxed laugh that made Pam smile, and make his flutters go crazy.

"Hey, mind if I ask you something?"

Ryan looked at her, a little surprised, but grinned all the same, "Sure. What do you want to know?"

Pam propped up her elbow on her desk and cupped her face with her left hand. She looked at him curiously, "How come you laughed at this and not at what Michael said earlier in the conference room?"

Ryan, who was packing up his things, looked at her like she was crazy, "Since when did you think any of Michael's jokes were funny? I'dve thought you'd learn by now..."

Pam giggled, "True, but I mean like, when he said that we were all 'Homos', I looked at you and laughed, but you just kinda stared at me, like I was crazy or something." Pam's light tone wasn't accusatory, but Ryan felt ashamed all the same.

"Oh, yeah, that. Well, if I would've laughed with you, I'd bet you anything Kelly would have been jumping down yours and my throats." Pam smiled understandingly, and Ryan felt his flutters spread to the soles of his feet, "Trust me, it would be better for both of us if we didn't joke around Kelly."

"Aw, too bad," Pam fake-pouted, tilting her head so that her sideswept bangs fell over her face. Ryan noticed this.

"Hey, it's not all bad," he assured her, walking over to the coat rack to grab his things. "We can still laugh, but just not around Kelly. Like we're doing now." he added with a small half-smile in her direction.

She smiled shyly, "Okay, it's a deal." Pam stood up, arranging the strap of her purse on her shoulder, then held out her hand to shake.

Ryan merely stared at it.

"C'mon," Pam teased, wiggling her fingers slightly, "We agree we can laugh together as much as we want as long as Kelly doesn't notice, right?"

Ryan looked into her eyes and smiled. He took her small, soft hand in his and shook, feeling goosebumps tingle on his arm.

"Right."

He and Pam made their way to the parking lot, making pleasant small talk, and finally going their separate ways. Ryan smiled to himself as he walked to his car, watching Pam pull out of the parking lot in her little blue Yaris. His flutters were suddenly matched with his heart thumping at a wild and erratic pace.

He thought he could really grow to like these flutters.