Chapter Twenty-Nine: Sunday Night
Pam had just finished a massive amount of washing up after cooking her parents a meal in her new home. Even something as simple as a shepherd's pie had been tricky in such a small space but it was still a wonderful landmark. Her first official meal. Hopefully she'd have a chance to pick out some paint and really make the kitchen her own this week.
She collapsed in a huge, old squishy arm chair that her dad insisted she had until her new couch and armchair arrived. It smelled like her childhood home and that was strangely comforting, she'd grown up with this chair, she pushed Penny off it when they were little and broken one of her fingers too. It was nice to have warm memories of the past in a new space, something that tied her to a time before Roy. It was also nice to finally have the place to herself. Apart from sleeping alone last night, she hadn't had much alone time.
She played with her new butterfly necklace as she mulled things over. Jim's phone call from earlier had troubled her. She was convinced his parents disapproved of her; it was the only logical explanation as to why his parents wouldn't be thrilled Jim had found someone worth telling them about. It had to be her. Jim had called again, just to confirm it would be ok to come over and whether he should bring anything but he hadn't mentioned his parents again. She could only hope that in time she could settle their misgivings, prove herself to them, but she had no idea how Jim was going to handle it. He seemed as surprised as she was over their reaction, maybe more so considering they were his parents. She'd win them over; she wasn't going to be defeated by this, she had to make them like her.
She felt her eyes close, it had been a long week of packing, moving and settling in. And dating, she couldn't forget that. She wasn't sure how long she'd dozed off for but a sharp knock woke her and she stumbled sleepily to the door. She was still dozy when Jim swept her up into his arms lifting her clear off the floor and kissed her.
"I have never been happier to see you."
"Mmm, do you greet everyone like this?"
"Just the mailman when he brings me stuff from Amazon."
"Is he cuter than me?"
"You're way cuter but he does wear those nice shorts to work."
"I can live with that."
Jim was still holding her up as he strode across the living room. He stopped abruptly. "What's that?"
Pam turned to see what he was staring at. "That would be a chair, Jim. You sit on them at work? You duct taped Dwight's upside down to the ceiling?"
"It looks older than you."
"It may well be, but it's really comfy."
Jim approached it carefully, "You sure I won't catch lice from it?"
She swatted him on the shoulder. "My dad leant it to me until my couch arrives so be nice."
"I apologise to the chair." Jim said before settling himself in it and making Pam comfortable on his lap. "Oh my god, it really is comfortable."
"How's your back?" She settled in and rested her head on one of the plush cushions at head height; she was more than comfortable laid across Jim, he felt gorgeously warm too.
"Tight but ok, I had an hour long shower when I got home which helped. I think I'll feel it tomorrow though, hopefully Michael hasn't got any surprises in store, paper box relay or
something."
"I was going to offer a massage but as you're feeling ok..."
"Did I mention the indescribable pain I'm in? I didn't mention it before because it's, you know, indescribable. No words."
"Yeah, yeah Halpert." She ruffled his hair; she loved playing with it whenever she could, something so tactile and intimate about running her fingers through that shaggy style. Despite the light conversation her curiosity was getting the better of her so she said what was on her mind. "So do you wanna talk about what happened at your folks?"
Jim sighed and his face fell. "Yeah, if you don't mind." Pam gestured for him to continue. "My dad is fine now; we had a really long talk, about a lot of stuff, not just this, and it was really good. We don't usually talk about life stuff, we've always stuck to sports, work, jokes, his latest project but it was different today."
"That sounds great, honey."
"You just called me honey." He grinned.
"Thought I'd try it out."
"I like it."
"Good. So tell me more about your dad."
"Not much else to say, I told him loads more about you and what's been going on, I didn't say too much, more about me and the last few years since I got back from college. We talked about what I look for in someone I like which basically described you." He smiled. Wow, she thought, even when he was trying to be deep he couldn't help but flirt with her. "He told me about when he met mom and how he couldn't stand her."
"Seriously?"
"Yep, apparently she was officious and would never back down and that ended up being what brought them together, he wouldn't back down either. I think me and my dad know each other better now, I've only mentioned two women to my parents before you and they never met them, all they knew about you was that you were engaged and we were usually up to no good. Mom used to worry about me getting fired and blamed my brothers for being bad influences."
"I'm sure I've been a worse influence on you." Pam was taking in each detail. She figured one of the women he mentioned would have been that Dutch girl but the other was a mystery, he hadn't been remotely serious about anyone since she'd known him, surely wasn't Katy the purse girl.
"Probably. But I think I know where my dad was coming from, I mean, if I ever wanted to talk about girl problems I went to Mark pretty much from the day I realised that they weren't a cootie infested menace. Also, with my brothers, it wasn't a good idea to share anything you didn't want written on your face." Somehow Pam didn't think Jim was saying that for effect.
"Nice, I see why you kept your secrets out the house."
"Yeah, mom wasn't that much better, especially when it came to me."
"Why especially?" His expression had changed now he was talking about his mom, more distant and dim. She stroked her hand through his hair comfortingly and kissed his temple.
"I'm the youngest, I was always having to fight off Pete and Tom and I was bit bookish when I was little and kinda skinny too, not that you can tell now with me being all buff and ripped."
"I saw your yearbook photo, you were skinny."
"Thanks." He frowned sarcastically.
"But you're all grown up now; you build potting sheds and hold down a job, you're not a skinny kid anymore."
"She says it's a tough habit to break." He sighed deeply, obviously unconvinced and down.
"So did you make any headway like you did with your dad?"
"No." He said flatly. "She's stubborn, when she thinks she's right about something she doesn't let go. Apparently I'm a "sensitive boy" and always have been." Being this close she could see the tension in his jaw. "I tried to talk to her; she says I need to make my own mistakes. Then I snapped at her and said you weren't a mistake and I might have stormed out." He bit at his lips hard. "Ok, I definitely stormed out."
Pam had never known Jim to lose his temper; he was a 'take-a-deep-breath-and-find-reason' kind of guy. It would take a lot to make him snap like that. His brow was furrowed deeply and he was looking down, this had really upset him.
"God, Jim, I'm really sorry, you deserve better than that. You know we'll prove her wrong, right?" She tried for comforting words but she couldn't make this better by herself. She was starting to dread meeting his mother a little.
"Yeah I do." He nuzzled into her warmth as much as he could. "Dad called on the way home, he overheard us shouting and he said he'd talk to her. Maybe things will cool down in a couple of weeks and we can talk but right now I'm just really frustrated with her." He rubbed his face with his free palm. "Actually, it's more than frustration, I am so pissed." Jim balled up his fists as he continued. "I've never lost it like that with my mom, I shouted, really shouted before I left I was so angry and I really didn't care if she had my best interests at heart because she wouldn't listen to a damn thing I said." Jim was speaking rapidly and getting riled again but Pam let it be, he needed to let it out. "Sorry." He finished quietly.
"Don't be. Talking helps and I'm always here for you, I should have kept my durosport so you could throw it out the window, it feels really good when you're wound up."
"Oh, you've just inspired a prank; we've got to get Dwight to challenge us to break it."
"I wonder if it could survive a fall from the roof?"
"As long as you miss my car it is so on, Bees." He chuckled evilly. "How do you make me smile so easily? I've had a day to drive me to drink and here I am laughing." He rested his head on her shoulder but Pam noticed he winced a little at the action.
"By being devious. Come on, sit on the floor and I'll rub your neck and shoulders, I can see they're hurting you."
Pam got off Jim's lap and grabbed a cushion that was sitting in a box yet to be unpacked and placed it on the floor in front of the chair. "Sit." Jim slipped to the floor and Pam sat on the armchair behind him with crossed legs. She quietly started to gently knead his muscles through his t-shirt, they were tight and hard but she'd always known he carried tension there from the way he sat at work. She increased the pressure slightly until it felt right.
"Mmm, that feels good." He groaned happily.
She moved her thumbs in small circles up the nape of his neck where it felt hardest, he was always rubbing there when he felt tense. He continued to make pleasurable humming noises which made her prideful of her work. She worked back to his shoulders and felt his head start to loll about slightly, the tightness releasing. If only she was brave enough to massage all of his back but they'd technically only been together a day and it felt too soon.
"Hey, I just realised we've officially been a couple for a whole day now."
"So this massage is my one day anniversary present?"
"I've got some left over shepherd's pie if you're hungry too."
"Sounds nice. Oh, oh right there." She worked at a particular unrelenting knot above his shoulder blade while he grit his teeth with that kind of hurt that felt good. "What do you want to do about work tomorrow?"
"You mean whether or not to tell them about us?"
"Yeah, I'm thinking we should probably keep things quiet for a bit."
"I was thinking forever." Pam was pretty sure very little good would come of telling everyone so it was best to put it off for as long as possible. It's not like they didn't eat lunch alone on the roof sometimes anyway and now the weather was nice they had the whole summer to sneak away.
"Fine with me. Can Kelly keep a secret?"
"Yeah, believe me I know enough about her to keep her quiet."
"Mmm, mutual blackmail, nice."
"The foundation of every friendship." She quirked an eyebrow and went back to kneading the breath of his broad shoulders. They felt strong beneath her fingers, taut like an athlete. "I like your shoulders."
"I don't think they've ever been complimented before so thank you."
"Well they deserve it; I noticed them that time you played basketball down in the warehouse. You have really nice arms too, that's one thing I notice about guys."
"Really now? You know I was trying to impress you that day."
"You kinda did." She blushed remembering a dream she'd had that evening that she promised herself was a one off. Now it felt like it was going to become real in due course.
"That was ages ago now, you should come watch me, Mark, Ollie and some other guys play one evening after work, maybe bring Isobel along so we can both showboat for you."
"I'd like that."
She slipped her hands forward so they ran down the front of his chest. Jim's head fell back slightly against her lap giving her more reach as she moved her hands in slow circles. They weren't talking anymore. Pam could feel his heart beating faster, this time it was she who hummed a little noise of approval. He felt firm beneath her touch, more than she was expecting but she'd never seen him without a shirt on, just that little glimpse he'd shown he after paintball but she'd been much more concerned about the bruise than his body.
She'd leant over, breathing that scent that was now so familiar up close only to hear Jim's breathing had become heavier. Not only that, but so had hers. She continued her long strokes, feeling the outline of his pectoral muscles and letting her hands sweep up and down the tops of his arms. Jim's hands found their way to her knees, it was awkward but he returned her touches as he stroked her thighs as far as he could comfortably reach.
"This o-ok?" He asked quietly, an almost undetectable stammer to his words.
She answered him with a kiss, practically upside down but that only made her appreciate the feel of his full bottom lip as she captured it between hers, kissing him softly. They stayed like that for a moment until Jim pulled her down on to his knee, not even breaking the kiss for a second. Pam hadn't made out like this since she was a teenager, no rush, no pressure, just enjoying each other. She could appreciate it more now, especially since she'd fallen in love with the man who was running his hand up and down her thigh. It was nothing short of delicious; it was the best word she could think to describe being in Jim arms and kissing. Delicious.
I know you all wanted more than just kisses!
Christmas time is upon me now so little time for writing the way I like to write (intense sessions on my lonesome, just me, my laptop and my imagination.) but I'll be writing regularly again before New Year. I'm not sure where the story will pick up next, I'm going to play around with a few ideas but I know where I'm headed. I've also got their first time all thought out and I'm really happy with how that's going to go! It will happen, I promise! It's going to be a summer of love.
