Hello dearies! I'd like to let you know that I changed my mind; I'm a far too anxious person with rather conservative people in my life... I'd hate for them to find a lemon on my computer. So, I've kept it T. If you'd like something else, let me know. I might be convinced to do otherwise.

I hope you like this! Please review? :}

Pam sat on the stairs outside her favorite tea shop. She had tried coffee at one point, but it was hard on her stomach and she stuck to tea from then on. Today, she wished she drank coffee. She needed something to wake her up. She was tired and a little irritated. She had not slept well, tossing and turning as Roy kicked out in the middle of the night. Then he woke her up at an ungodly hour, expecting breakfast! Pam seethed silently, turning her paper cup in her hands, warming them.

Roy had been a part of her life for so long. Maybe she was just overreacting.

No, Pam thought determinedly. She deserved… something.

And with that, she stood.

Pam marched into the office. She didn't know what she was doing; she was a half hour early and she knew exactly who would be here already when she went to her desk. She shouldn't put herself in this situation; she shouldn't be doing this. The elevator came when she called, and she felt her stomach drop as the elevator trudged upward.

The feeling in her stomach had nothing to do with the elevator.

The elevator pinged, opening to her floor. She strengthened her resolve. She knew exactly what she was going to do. It was a bad idea. She knew it was. But she couldn't stop herself. She needed something.

She pulled open the door and her eyes landed on Jim. He didn't glance up—she had come in rather quietly. The rest of the office was empty; Jim always came early. She took off her long coat and tossed her nearly empty paper cup into the trash. She walked to her desk and set her bag down. Jim looked up, giving her a lopsided smile. She smiled back, and her heart raced.

And her confidence faltered. She quickly walked around her desk to the little kitchenette the office shared. The door closed, and she busied herself making a pot of tea. Unbidden, tears began rolling down her cheeks. What had she been thinking? What would she even do? Seduce Jim? She was engaged to Roy. Her life was planned already; there would be no disrupting it. She just wanted to be treated like someone loved her. She hid her face in one of her hands, small, choking whimpers falling out of her open mouth as she began to cry. She felt angry at herself; she was not one for crying. She was stronger than that.

She needed to get over it. She loved Roy. She… she did.

But she didn't.

She heard the door open and she groaned internally. She had gotten fairly loud in her misery.

Jim walked to her, and she kept her eyes closed, her brow furrowed. She was going to get premature wrinkles, she knew. Another thing for Roy to insult her about. She waited for Jim to say something. If she wouldn't be loved, she at least wanted kind words.

But they didn't come. She was about to open her eyes when—

Yes. There it was. His arms, long and warm, wrapped around her, and she fell into him. She could picture his face, as his chin perched on her head, eyebrows raised and mouth in a concerned line.

But his arms—his arms—were all she could focus on. This was the hug she had needed for so long. And she could feel him breathing, in and out, and it was so comforting.

She could live in his arms.

His hands were rubbing her back, and she was hiccupping into his perfect white shirt, getting her tears on his tie. He leaned back and his thumbs rubbed the tears from her cheeks. He bent forward, bringing his eyes level with hers.

"What happened?" he asked softly. Ever so softly.

Her jaw dropped, forming the beginning of her words, but she found her words stuck in her throat. How could she tell him? That she was marrying someone she didn't love, that she was an idiot, that she was tired of feeling used, that she was going to marry Roy anyway, and she hated it…

And Jim was here. He was holding her. He cared.

She just wanted someone to care.

So she leaned into his lips that were already so close.

He shied away at first, but she leaned into him and he kissed back. She knew he wanted to. She was mean for doing this, causing him to tear back down his walls that he built after she rejected him. But she needed him, and he needed her. His lips moved against hers gently, her head tipping so they fit together better. Her hands reached up and brushed his jaw. His cheeks were smooth and cleanly shaven. His hand had snaked around and cradled the back of her neck, and she tangled her fingers in the hair at the base of his neck. He sighed into the kiss, his eyes falling closed. They broke apart, and their noses rested together as they shared a breath.

She dared not open her eyes.

Her nose brushed soft fabric, and she opened her eyes to find her face pressed back into Jim's white button-up. She wrapped her arms around him tightly, his arms encircling her in return. She felt like crying again. She had never felt that much love from Roy. Not once.

But she felt love from Jim.

And even though she was undeniably not engaged to Jim, she loved him. And he didn't make her feel dirty. Not one bit.

Pam was engaged to the wrong man.

And she was going to fix that.