That was it. There was nothing more he could do. He told her how he felt. Although he wasn't planning on telling her he loved her, right there and then in the parking lot, it wasn't something he could control. It was almost like he wasn't there. He had planned on telling her about the transfer to Stamford, but there she was, standing in front of him, looking more beautiful than he had ever seen her, and the words just came out. And once it was out there he couldn't take it back.

He told her that he loved her. She wasn't even sure she heard him the first time. With each word he spoke, she grew more lightheaded. What was he doing? He can't do this to her. Not now. Not after she waited all these years to get her life with Roy started. Why? Why now?

He said that he needed her to know…once. Once. With that one word her head started spinning. She tried to get a hold of herself but it felt almost impossible. He looked at her with those eyes. The same ones she had looked into everyday for the past three years. Now she would do anything for him to take his eyes off her. She was convinced that his eyes could see directly into her heart, and although she knew it wasn't true, she felt too vulnerable. She was the one who had to look away first.

She took a deep breath, and lifted her head to tell him that she was sorry, but she didn't love him. But as she looked up at him, she was without words. "I, um, I…..I can't?" was all she could manage to say. His eyes dropped to the ground, and she had to say something, anything to make this better. "You have no idea…what your friendship means to me." He tried to stop her from saying it, but she did. It was clichéd and hurtful, she knew that, but that's all she could manage to say.

He never thought two words could hurt so much – I can't. Two words and his world shattered around him. She had said that he had misinterpreted their friendship. He knew better. But she said her peace, and he could do nothing but accept it. He managed a small smile, and walked away from her. He wasn't sure how he got from the parking lot to the small pond behind the building. He doesn't remember walking there. The only thing he can seem to remember was the blank look on her face when he walked.

It wasn't until he was sitting by the pond a few minutes that he realized that when she said, "I can't", it was more of a question than an answer.

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Needing to get away, she went to the one place where she knew no one would be. The office. She had been in that office thousands of times before, but now everything seemed different. Jim was everywhere. He was at her reception desk eating jellybeans and making her laugh. He was in the break room eating his ham and cheese sandwich. He was in the hall waiting to walk her to her car. She was staring at his desk, when she picked up the phone and called the one person who could help her make sense of all this. Her mother.

The phone seemed to ring forever before her mother finally picked up. Hello?

"Hi Mom. I need to talk to you"

"Pam, honey, are you ok?"

"No, I don't know. Jim just told he is in love with me."

"What? When did this happen?"

"About ten minutes ago."

"Did you tell him how you feel about all this?"

"No, I didn't know what to say"

"Pam, you are getting married in a few weeks."

"Yes, I know."

"Well how do you feel about Jim?"

"Um, I don't know, Mom, he's my best friend."

"Well what about Roy? Isn't he your best friend?".

"Yeah, he's great."

"Pam, do you think you might be in love with Jim?"

"Yeah, I think I am"

Just as she was saying those life altering words, he walked in. She quickly got off the phone with her mother. She knew if she was going to make things right with her best friend, she had to say something right now.

"Listen, Jim". That's all she could manage to say before he leaned down and kissed her.

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What was he doing? He had never been so impulsive in his whole life. He had only gone back up the office to get his keys so he could go home and end this horrible night. But as he opened the door he could hear her voice. "Yeah, I think I am". He wasn't sure who she was talking to, or what "yeah, I think I am" meant…or even if it had anything to do with him. But her voice sounded so weak, and scared, and all he wanted to do was tell her everything was going to be ok. But for the second time that night, something in Jim pushed him to step outside himself. As she quickly hung up the phone and started walking toward him, the only thought in his mind was, "she was wrong". There was no way he had misinterpreted their friendship. It wasn't possible. He knew Pam better than she knew herself. She wasn't someone that took risks. She liked to stay in a place where things were comfortable, familiar and predictable. This night was anything but predictable, and he knew that this was it…his very last shot to make her understand how deeply he felt for her. As she said "listen, Jim" he knew he had to kiss her. He couldn't let her fear of the unknown get in the way of this moment. He knew she had feelings for him, but she was just too afraid to admit it. This was his last chance. So he leaned down and kissed her.

For the first few seconds neither one of the really moved. His lips were on her mouth, his hands on the small of her back, but since the moment he kissed her it was as if he were waiting for her to push him away. But she didn't. The minute she felt him pull back a little she knew she couldn't let him go. Her hands moved through his hair and she pulled him back to her. Breathing deeply, taking it all in, they kissed. Their mouths, their bodies, their hands…it's as if they couldn't tell where one of the ended and the other began. It was the most intense kiss either of then had ever shared.

But she knew it was wrong. She had promised herself to Roy. She said that she would spend the rest of her life as his wife. And now here she was kissing Jim.

She pulled back from him despite the magnetic force that seemed to draw them together in that moment. Her hand lingered on his chest for just a moment. She had never really touched him before, and it scared her how right it felt.

They just stared at each other, not knowing what to say. It seemed like forever before one of the spoke, but one of them had to so she found enough breath to say…