this chapter was pretty hard to write for some reason. idk. thanks for the continued reviews :D
title taken from: "Flying Horses" by Dispatch
The party - if you could even call it that - was about to begin. Pam had set everything up in the dorm room to make things look somewhat exciting: she had shoved all her course work to one side, and placed her bags and coats and scarf into the closet, and even taken down the study guide she had pinned above her desk. Soft music was playing in the background (she had toyed with the idea of playing Jim's tape, but then she remembered that other people would be coming and she didn't really want anyone else to hear it.)
Kelly complained a lot about Pam's efforts - "Seriously, Pam, this looks like it's for an 8-year-old. Couldn't you at least get some booze in here?" - but had settled down in the past hour, after she apparently realised there was nothing she could do. It was Pam's birthday, after all.
She had asked everyone to arrive at around 7. It was now 5 past, and there was no sign of anyone. Even though she knew rationally that this meant nothing, she couldn't help but worry a little. What if no one showed up? Or, what if people did show up, but took one look at the place and immediately side with Kelly? What if they forgot? What if he-
Nope.
She definitely was not going to allow herself to think like that. At least, not until half 7.
As it turned out, she needn't have waited, because within a couple of minutes there was a sharp knock at the door.
It wasn't Kelly, as she never knocked, and so Pam knew that her first guest had arrived.
"Come in!"
Jim opened the door, dressed in a grey sweatshirt and jeans, the usual. He gave her a goofy grin when they locked eyes. "Hey, 19-year-old!"
"Hey, youngster."
He was carrying a box, with a card taped to the side. After politely asking her whether she preferred the door to be open or closed, (open), he took a seat on her bed. The box was still clutched in his hands.
"So, what's been happening in the past hour since I last saw you?"
"Oh, nothing much. Tidying. Trying to make this place look presentable, and gently refusing Kelly's help."
"I see." He nodded understandingly. "You look great, by the way."
She hadn't tried too hard when getting dressed up. A red dress, with the skirt hanging just above her knees. She kept a black cardigan folded over her desk chair in case she got cold.
"Thanks." She smiled to him, but then realised what she was doing, and promptly directed her gaze to the floor. It was only then that it occurred to her that she should probably give him a compliment back, so she added, lamely, "you too."
"Thanks." He ran a hand through his hair and hummed, low in his throat. After waiting for a little too long for things to feel entirely un-awkward, he asked, with obvious feigned interest: "Um, is Roy coming? Just, Kelly said he was, and it'd be cool to meet him, I guess. I mean, we've technically met before, I know, but that's not in real life, or anything - I mean, it was in real life, it just wasn't-"
"You ramble when you're nervous." Pam noted out loud. She surprised herself; she didn't usually just tell people what she was thinking.
Jim looked almost as awkward as she, now, felt. He stumbled to correct himself - "Sorry, I really didn't mean for that to sound… Like, I seriously do-"
"No, it's fine. Um." She wondered how to phrase the next thing she had to say. He couldn't come, wouldn't come, to her birthday party. It made him seem like a bad person. "He can't make it. He has a huge test tomorrow, so I said he should probably stay back, to study."
"Oh." He seemed shocked, but not unconvinced of her lie. "That's a shame. I'm sorry."
She shook her head. "It's nothing. I'm going home for Thanksgiving, anyway, so I'll be able to see him then."
"Yeah."
Kelly chose that moment to burst through the door, with Ryan on her arm like a trophy wife. Or, like a Beverly Hills chihuahua.
"Oh, hey, Jim!"
"Hey." He greeted her with a warm smile, and an inconspicuous sympathetic glance towards Ryan.
Kelly flopped down onto her own bed, dragging Ryan with her. "Is this it?"
"Huh?"
"Like, is anyone else coming?"
"Oh. Well, I invited Dwight." Pam shared a glance with Jim. He shot her a grin that reminded her of History.
"Cool."
"So, when are we exchanging gifts?" Kelly asked, allowing Ryan to let go of her hand for a second, only to wipe his hand on his thigh. "Because, no offence, but I was kind of hoping this wouldn't go on for too long. Just, me and Ryan sort of have plans, you know?"
"That's fine." Pam answered, twisting a part of her hair around her hand. "I guess Dwight should be here, soon. I invited a couple of other people, too, but I don't think they're coming."
"Really?" Jim sounded interested. "Who?"
"Um, Angela from down the hall, and Oscar, I think." The former had been on an impulse decision, created when Angela overheard her talking about it to Kelly in the hallway and immediately shot her a disapproving glare. "I don't think Angela's coming, though, and Oscar might not, either, so-"
She was interrupted by what sounded like a bull. Dwight threw open the door, carrying nothing but a thin paper package, and sporting an aged pair of Birkenstocks on his feet, complete with what appeared to be tube socks.
"Why did you throw the door open like that?" Jim gestured in his roommate's general direction.
"I always enter rooms quickly, and forcefully." He stated, taking a seat on the wooden end of Pam's bed. "It allows me to catch people in the act. I wanted to make sure you guys' weren't using this room for sex."
"What the Hell, Dwight?" Pam asked, no longer caring whether he took offence to what she said or not. "Who gave you that idea?"
He shifted on his perch, and evasively answered: "There have been some concerns from certain people living on this floor."
"Ugh, whatever." Kelly shook her head, seemingly gripping Ryan's hand even tighter. "Let's just get to gift-swapping."
"Okay."
Kelly reached down the side of her bed to pull out a slim gift bag. She peeked in it once before handing it to Pam.
"Thanks!" She gave her most convincing smile, and opened the gift.
She was surprised to find that it was actually a pretty considerate present. Wrapped in about 3 layers of multicoloured tissue paper was a pink-coloured wooden picture frame, and tucked in beside it, a pale blue beaded bracelet. "Wow, this is beautiful."
"I know." Kelly grinned. "You're so welcome."
Pam was admiring her presents when Ryan cleared his throat, awkwardly.
"We should probably get going."
"Oh! Yeah, sure, no problem."
"Thanks." He managed to stand without Kelly ever letting go of his hand, and together they somehow manoeuvred through the door and into the hall.
Dwight moved over to Kelly's bed, and adjusted the position of his glasses on his nose. "I did not realise you would be expecting gifts." At Jim's eye-roll, he explained: "In the Schrute family, we do not celebrate birthdays."
"O-kay…"
"Hey!" Jim seemed to have picked up on the fact that the 'party' wasn't going so great. "I brought you something."
"Oh?"
"Yep." He leaned down to grab the box, and as he did, the tail of his shirt slid up, exposing a tiny sliver of his skin.
She stared for longer than was entirely necessary, and had to wait a second to compose herself before thanking him for the gift.
(She ignored the fact that she could feel her cheeks burning, and the fact that she was pretty sure Dwight saw everything.)
Gingerly, she lifted the flaps of the box. When she realised what was inside, she let out a small squeal of excitement.
It wasn't anything too extravagant, not really, but it did mean a lot, and she told him so, profusely, whilst turning over and examining the kettle in her hands.
"I just remembered you said you wished you had a kettle for your room to make tea without having to go all the way to the kitchen." Jim said, modestly. He had a permanent smile on his face.
"I love it." She sat in gently on her desk. "Thank you, again."
"No problem, Beesly. I mean, it's your birthday, after all."
She twisted, stiffly, to the side and stretched out an arm to give him a poorly-executed hug.
"No card, though?" She asked when they moved apart. "That's pretty cold, Halpert."
"I thought the kettle would speak for itself." He replied, sheepishly, although there was something unidentifiable in his expression.
"I have a card." Dwight piped up. He held out a slim envelope, printed simply with her name.
"Thank you, Dwight." He hadn't even bothered to seal the envelope shut, so the card slipped out when she grabbed it the wrong way.
"TO PAM,
IT IS YOUR BIRTHDAY.
FROM, DWIGHT."
It made a lot of sense.
The gathering fizzled out soon after that, though Pam wasn't bothered. It had been a pleasant evening, if a little awkward, and she had always preferred personal get-togethers over huge birthday parties, anyway.
Jim was the last to leave, although she guessed it was out of obligation more than anything. He presently was leaning against the door frame, and Pam was mustering up the courage to just say something, to diffuse the awkwardness somehow.
"I guess I'll get going."
"Yeah, sure." She glanced back, quickly, to the kettle. It was sat on her desk, still in the box, as she hadn't wanted to take it out while other people were there, lest it get damaged. "Thanks again, for the birthday present."
"It's no problem." He gave her a lop-sided, tired grin, and tapped the frame sharply. "Um, I'll just-"
"Yeah."
He straightened and jammed both hands into his pockets. "Bye, Beesly. And happy birthday."
"Bye."
When he turned to leave, she could have sworn she saw a white envelope poking out of his sleeve.
NOTE: I'll be on hiatus during all of November, but until then the schedule will remain. (Doing NaNoWriMo again this year!)