so...its been a while, i guess? *waves*

i'm guessing there'll only be about 3 chapters after this, including the epilogue, though i can't really commit to that plan yet. thanks to everyone who continues to read/review!

title taken from: "Many The Miles" by Sara Bareilles

It was over.

It didn't really hit Jim until much later, squeezed into a cramped cafeteria booth with Pam, Kelly, Ryan, and Dwight - it was over, finally.

The old group (plus Dwight - or was he a part of the old group, really, originally? Jim couldn't remember) had arranged weeks ago to meet up for a celebratory lunch as soon as everyone's finals were over and done with. The get-together was intense and awkward at first. No one really knew what to say, and this was the first time they had really spent time together as a group since the previous year, but after 20 minutes or so of picking at sandwiches and casual - if strained - small talk, they seemed to settle back into their old routine easily enough.

At present, they were going over the classes they had chosen for next year. Kelly had definitively chosen her major - Fashion Retail. Ryan, Dwight, and Jim were in a couple of the same Business Management classes. Pam decided to pick up a French class for a couple of semesters, at least ("I just think it'd be nice to learn") and was pleased to discover that Ryan, also, had chosen it.

There was only one problem.

It appeared that he and Pam had no classes together for the following year.

Pam was taking History 201 (thankfully not with Mr. Scott, this time) and mostly continuing with the Art classes relevant to her degree. It wasn't likely that their schedules would be as closely linked as they were for the first year.

Jim had worried it might turn into a fight, at first. And even if it didn't, it would be strange, next year, not being able to see her as much.

Pam had assured him that their scheduling differences shouldn't change a thing, really; it just meant that they would have to work a little harder to fit each other into their lives. (Plus, she reminded him, they had all summer to talk over the phone and visit each other and plan for the following school year.)

It was still a little strange, a little surreal.

The results for most of his classes were to be given out next week. Jim hadn't told Pam, yet, (she believed in him too much and would probably just say he was being pessimistic) but he was pretty sure he had failed History. That didn't really matter all that much, not to him at least, but he didn't wan this friends to lower their opinion of him. He especially didn't want Pam to lower her opinion of him.

The aforementioned presently was sitting across from him, chatting to Kelly and sipping from an iced coffee. She was excited for the new year, he knew.

Whilst Kelly monologued, Pam caught his eye and smiled brightly at him. Jim felt a dopey grin of his own stretch across his face.

Later that night, Jim had just arrived back at the door to his room. It had become sort of a thing, every evening, for he and Pam to hang out in her own room (if Kelly was absent, which she very frequently was) or even just in the library or cafeteria. Dwight complained at first that his roommate was breaking school policy, but after a while seemed to get sued to the idea. Jim guessed it was because Dwight enjoyed having time alone in their room.

This particular night, however, Dwight was not alone. At all.

Jim pushed open the door to his room uncaringly, as he had done a thousand times before. However, instead of being greeted by the sight of Dwight, hunched over a textbook at his desk, he was greeted by the sight of a small blonde girl, eyes comically wide, frozen in place and rooted to the spot.

"Can I help you?" Jim managed to force out, after no one in the room moved for several tense seconds.

"Um," Dwight began loudly, hands twitching at his sides. "This is. She - I mean."

"Got to go!" The blonde girl yelped, having found her voice finally, dashing past Jim out of the room.

Dwight, meanwhile, was attempting to slink away from his roommate's stare.

"So, uh…" Jim shuffled his feet. "Who was that?"

"No one." Dwight replied quickly, moving to sit at his desk. He swivelled the chair around so that all Jim could see was his back.

"Are you sure?" Jim prodded. "Because it sort of looked like-"

"Please don't tell the RA."

"What?"

"Please don't tell the RA I had a girl in my room."

Jim wanted so badly to mess with him, but Dwight was practically begging. He seemed seriously scared about the whole thing. "I… Won't. Don't worry about it." He sat down heavily on his bed, trying to get a good look at his roommate.

"Thank you." Dwight finally spoke up.

"Don't mention it." Jim replied, staring at his feet. Being nice to Dwight wasn't something he was used to. "So, is she your girlfriend?"

"No. Maybe. No. Pffft. Girlfriend? What are you talking about? I don't - I have never had a girlfriend."

"Really? 'Cause I seem to remember you mentioning that you were dating someone once."

Dwight shot him a somewhat sheepish look. "Her name is Angela."

"Angela." The name sounded familiar… Possibly Jim had passed her room a couple times. "Huh."

"Let's never talk about this again."

"Sure thing."

The two were silent for a couple of minutes, Jim settling more comfortably on his bed and Dwight retrieving his laptop from its case.

"Do you wanna double-date? Me and Pam, you and Angela?"

"Never."