Jim slouched over his desk in the corner of his room, staring at the sheet of paper in front of him. He brought the top of the pen to his lips before lowering the tip back. The ink almost made contact with the paper, but some unseen force stopped him from writing.
Sighing, he lifted the page from the battlefield of crinkled papers that was his desk. He held it at eye level. His desk lamp no longer shone on the note, so the two words melted into the shadows:
Dear Pam,
He shook his head and crumpled the paper. He tossed it amidst all the other failed attempts.
Jim ran his hand through his hair and leaned back in his chair. His eyebrows scrunched ruggedly. He opened the door to the cabinet under his desk and pulled out a fresh sheet of paper.
Jim
He stood in the hallway outside the office. "So... yes, I did give Pam that letter, and yes, I did take it back. Why? I just– She wouldn't have understood it." He gulped, his eyes a bit wider than normal, looking right into the camera. "You know, because of the bad penmanship." He cracked a half smile.
Jim pressed the down button, and it glowed yellow. A soft ding proclaimed the opening of the elevator doors and he stepped in. He pulled the note out of his pocket as the doors slid shut. He tore the envelope and opened the letter. His eyes darted back and forth, as if each word was too painful to linger on for more than a moment.
Dear Pam,
Merry Christmas! Sorry, I'm not really good at making letters, so this might be a little awkward. Everyday I come home from work, and I have all these stories to tell, and my roommate always asks me why I don't just quit. The reason is you. You're the best friend I've ever had.
Remember that one time Dwight left his glasses on his desk for some reason, and we glued the arms of the glasses, so when he put them back on they stuck to his face? Well, afterward, you said that doing stuff like that with me was the only thing that could possibly inspire you to keep working here. I really hope you meant it, because that's definitely how I feel. Whenever I spend time with you, it always makes my day.
So, here's a teapot, so you can make tea at your desk, but also a lot of other bonus gifts to remind you of some of the great times we've had together. Hope you enjoy. You mean the world to me.
Love, Jim
The elevator doors opened to the lobby. Jim ripped up the letter as he stepped out. He didn't look at the trashcan as he dropped the scraps in. He nodded numbly to Hank before stepping into the parking lot.
A single tear fell from his right eye as he walked toward his car. He wiped it away.
Next Story:
Snowed In: The Dunder Mifflin crew is stuck at the office overnight due to a blizzard. With food supplies running low, they divide into two groups to compete for the dwindling resources. S3