"Oh."

He released her hand where it dropped to the desktop with a dull thud. He pulled back his hands and drummed them idly on the edge of the plastic coated wood.

"So, I'm supposed to meet Michael?" He seemed to have given up on the fact that she would introduce herself.

"Oh." She winced in embarrassment again. "Right, of course." She forced a small smile. "I'll just call in and let him know you are here. Could you hold on for one second?"

"Sure thing." He gave her another smile as she dialed the extension to Michael's office. She picked at her thumbnail.

"Michael? Jim Halpert is here to see you." Jim looked down at the receptionist with slight curiosity. Her eyes were still slightly swollen from hours of crying and he noticed. He wanted to ask her if she was okay, if he could help her. There was a broken look in her eyes that couldn't be ignored.

But he had just met here, didn't even know her name. She would probably think he was absolutely insane.

He shook himself out of his inner thoughts as she hung up the phone and looked up. "He's ready for you."

He was about to turn around and walk into the office she pointed to when she reached out a grabbed his forearm lightly. He couldn't help but notice how his skin tingled when she didn't release it right away.

He leaned back on the desk. She folded her hands in her lap and leaned forward slightly so he could hear her whispered voice.

"Listen, it seems unfair if you go in there, unprepared."

"Unprepared?"

"Just listen. Michael isn't a conventional boss. He's not like other people."

"But that's good right? It's good he isn't like all the other company guys?"

Pam just looked up at him blankly. She shook her head slightly from side to side. Jim was just beginning to wonder what he was getting himself into. But he needed this job.

He bit his lip and looked over his shoulder at the closed office door. He whipped his head back to Pam who was apparently looking at the office along with him. "So what do I do?"

"What do you do?"

"Yeah, how do I handle this Michael guy?"

Pam looked at him carefully and then leaned forward again. "Okay, I bet we only have about thirty seconds before he comes bounding out of his office so listen carefully. Michael likes to tell jokes. A lot of them. Mostly inappropriate. Force a laugh or two because, trust me, it's worse if you don't. He will most likely rhyme you name with something because he is incapable of just saying anyone's name normally. Don't be thrown off if he asks you some random question like what's your favorite color, or what was your childhood fear. Just answer like it's nothing. Oh, and do not mention anything about his skin. I know it's weird, but he is really sensitive about it."

Jim was regarding her with wide eyes. "Are you being serious? Or is this just new guy hazing?"

The office door behind them burst open causing both to jump. Jim turned, leaning his forearms on the top of the desk.

Michael emerged from his office, arms spread wide, and a huge grin on his face. "Jimbo, welcome to our happy family."

But Jim wasn't focusing on the fact that Michael has already made up a truly annoying name for him. He wasn't focused on the fake smile plastered on his face or the fact that he had just called his company his family. He was focused on the orange tint that covered Michael's entire body, or that which he could see.

"Come on in, don't be shy." Michael walked back into his office, leaving the door wide open.

Jim turned back to Pam with a horrified look. She smiled slightly.

"Just be glad today isn't casual Friday."

-

Jim came shuffling out of Michael's office roughly forty minutes later, his face blank and hair slightly tousled. He looked over at Pam with wide eyes and an open mouth and she stifled a laugh before Michael came bounding out behind him, clapping him on the back. He visibly winced.

"Everyone, everyone, listen up." Few heads turned towards them. Dwight looked up attentively. Angela poked her head up behind her cubicle. Stanley went on with his crosswords. "This is Jimmy Halpert, our newest salesman." Jim winced again at Jimmy. "I'm sure you will welcome into our family with open arms."

Jim put his things on the empty desk in front of him and sat down quickly before Michael could say any more. Michael looked around the silent office as everyone went back to what they were supposed to doing it. His smile faltered slightly as he was no longer the center of attention.

He walked over to reception where Pam looked up quickly and then went back to what she was doing. "Hello Michael. What do you need?"

"Hello Michael. What do you need?" He said it in a high-pitched voice with his face scrunched together. She but the inside of her cheek and closed her eyes for a moment. "Why are you so cold Pam? Why can't you genuinely care about anyone by yourself? Why are you so rude? Why-" He turned and faced the entire office. "Are you all so rude?!"

"We aren't rude Michael, we love you." Dwight offered from his desk.

Michael looked at him for a moment, his face stoic, then walked defeated back into his office where he slammed the door shut and drew the blinds. Jim gave Pam another look of horror before turning on his computer and starting work.

-

Pam walked into the breakroom, stomach growling in discontent. She looked down at it and sighed.

"Shut up, you."

"Do you frequently talk to your internal organs, or is this like a one time thing?"

Pam jumped slightly and turned, seeing Jim set up at a table in the corner, his fingers intertwined behind his head. He gave her a soft smile as she blushed.

"One time thing. I didn't pack a lunch this morning. I was a little preoccupied."

She walked over to the snack machine, chewing on the inside of her cheek, looking at the assortment of food.

"Preoccupied?"

She looked at Jim over her shoulder who was chewing on a carrot stick thoughtfully.

She paused a moment, then sighed, smiling slightly. "Actually, hung over."

He choked slightly on his carrot stick. "Wow, didn't peg you as the type to get rip roaring drunk on a week day."

She blushed as she turned back to the snack machine. "Not usually."

"Special occasion?"

She pressed in the numbers of her selection. "Something like that."

Jim had barely heard her say it; it was barely a whisper. His smile faltered and he studied the tabletop in silence.

He heard the chair across from him move back against the flooring and he looked up. Pam gave him a small smile.

"You know, I realized I didn't introduce myself this morning. I'm Pam Beesly. Reception." She stuck out her hand and he took it carefully, smiling with a twinkle in his eye.

"Nice to meet you Pam Beesly, reception."

She pulled back her hand and poked at her snack. She popped a couple in her mouth than held out the box so it was in his reach.

"Jellybean?"

-

It had been four weeks since Roy had moved out. He had come by a week after he had initially left to pick up the rest of his things from their apartment. Pam had watched him silently as he picked up the hefty bags and took them out to his car.

With the last bag he had stopped and looked at her, his eyes sad.

She took a sip of her wine.

"Pam, I-"

"Don't." She said quietly as her voice shook. "Just go."

The door shut behind him with a soft click.

She took another sip of wine.

They had bought their apartment together after they had first moved to Scranton and been together for at least five years. It was in celebration of his new job as a warehouse worker at some company called Dunder Mifflin.

She remembered how excited she had been when they first purchased it. She had gone through every room in the spacious apartment, making plans on how to decorate. It had two master bedrooms, one would obviously be used for her and Roy and the other for guests. The kitchen and family room were in a large space in the center. The two rooms merged together seamlessly with a slightly modern feel. She loved it.

She had tried including Roy in the redecorating, but he seemed not to care much. He just smiled and nodded whenever she brought home fabrics, not even turning away from the television.

So she basically designed it in a mirror image of her own tastes. Colorful lights hung over the island counter top in the middle of the kitchen and she put up art she had collected over the years periodically along the wall.

She loved her home and when Roy left she felt a pain of uncertainty as to how she would afford it by herself. Roy's income had helped a lot with paying for most of their necessities. There was no way she could make the rent each month by herself.

Just another thing Roy had left her to deal with.

By herself.

She sat on the counter, something she had taken to doing recently, and poured over a blank sheet of paper. A roommate. That seemed to be the easiest answer. She would put an ad in the paper, and a roommate could help with the monthly payment.

But a roommate, seriously? She wasn't exactly a people person. But the other room in the apartment was entirely separate from her own. Across the spacious kitchen and family room. She wouldn't have to interact beyond meals and television time.

It still weirded her out. Someone else, living in her home with her, the one she had shared with Roy.

She drummed her fingers on the countertop, chewing on the pencil that lingered in her mouth. If she did have a roommate, maybe she wouldn't be as lonely as she constantly felt. Someone always being within ten feet of her could be nice.

Maybe she could even meet a gu-

She shook the thought from her head as soon as it entered. It was too soon for that. She felt the tears well in her eyes and shook that away too. No more crying. She was sick of crying.

She wrote the ad and called the local paper, making sure it would be in the next couple issues. As she hung up the phone, she felt a wave of sadness overcome her. That was it. She had let it go. Roy wasn't coming back.

She took a sip of her wine.

-

Pam sat at the table, twirling her spoon around in her yogurt container, a laugh bubbling in her throat.

Jim was telling her some completely ridiculous story about his brother Jonathan and she couldn't help but laugh at his animated hand motions. They had settled into a comfortable friendship. He made her laugh. And she needed that.

"So he tripped and fell right over the mailbox as he was trying to jump over it and landed in the middle of the street."

She looked up with wide eyes. "The street where the funeral procession was going on?"

He let out a chuckle. "Yeah, they didn't take too kindly to the interruption."

"Jim Halpert, I am disappointed in your influences as a brother."

"He's the older brother, if anything, I am influenced by him."

"Whatever, demon child."

Jim looked at her with shocked eyes. "I'll have you know, Beesly, I was a very polite and well-mannered child."

"What happened?"

He laughed as her straight face crumbled and she erupted into a fit of giggles. He could listen to her laugh like that forever. She didn't seem to do it enough.

"Hey, I wouldn't be complaining. Let's think here. If I never took this job, you would be alone with Micahel. And Dwight. Let's face it. You love me right now."

She let out another burst of laughter and he looked down at his carrot sticks, smiling. He was going to like it here.

-

It had been four weeks since Jim had moved to Scranton and the apartment hunting was a complete and total disaster. He had gone to countless apartment complexes, some with roommates and some without. He would definitely prefer the without option judging by the mentality of most of the people in this town.

He sighed as he pulled into the parking lot of his last visit of the day. The sun was setting and he still had some paperwork to finish for work. He reached across to the passenger seat of his car and picked up the paper where he had circle several addresses earlier in the week. He double-checked the address he was currently at and climbed out of his car.

The cold winter air blasted him as he shut the door behind him. He squinted up at the building in the setting light. He seemed to be nice. But he had been to enough buildings to know that didn't mean a heck of a lot.

The apartment was on the third floor, at the end of a long hallway. Jim stood in front of the designated door and let out a deep breath, his shoulders slumping slightly. He knocked.

He could hear shuffling behind the door and then it swung open, the tenant brushing her hair out of her eyes as she did so.

There was a moment of silence.

"Jim?"

He blinked down at the familiar curly head. "Pam?"