PAPER RINGS ━━ Jim Halpert ¹

XLVI. PRETTY GOOD DATE

          "But it didn't happen that way," he concluded. Evelyn shook her head with a small sigh. "Not at all. College was... just more high school. I kept my grades up until I graduated. And I worked as a waitress to get by. And then I found this place."

          He frowned. A part of him wished she had experienced the magic she had been expecting. The other part of him was grateful, because it led her to him. He took the plate from her lap and placed his half eaten sandwich next to hers that remained untouched. "I know heights freak you out," he began, standing from his seat and digging out whatever had been sitting in his pocket.

          Evelyn noticed the MP3 player now in his hands with tangled earbuds. "But I downloaded some new songs..." He began pulling the knots out of the earbuds, smiling down at the brunette. She scoffed, peering up at him with big eyes. "No," she replied with a nervous giggle. "No, no, that's okay."

          He slipped an earbud in his ear before freeing up a hand, stretching it out toward her to take. "Did you ever have a slow dance moment in your movie?" he asked, and she almost denied it. She hated the idea that she was so predictable. Her eyes fell on his hand outstretched toward her, begging to be weighed down by her own hand. "What's there to be afraid of, Takahashi?" he asked, the corner of his lips quirking up into a grin.

          "Falling to my death is one," she replied, but slipped her hand into his. He helped her stand and pulled her close, moving the hand she had given him to his shoulder. His MP3 player was now in his pocket, music already spilling out through the earbuds. Gently, his free hand plugged the remaining earbud into her ear. "Don't... don't let me fall," she whispered, moving in closer to Jim.

          He took her other hand while his other pressed into the small of her back. "Never," he whispered back, leaning into her. Their foreheads touched for a short moment before she nuzzled into his chest. His chin rested on her head as they began to sway with the music.

          Fireworks began to soar into the air behind them, lighting up the sky with radiant colors. Blues, reds, oranges, and greens exploded into the night sky. Jim turned his head to examine the colors. Evelyn pulled back, heart drumming in her chest.

          This was a moment she could have only dreamed of experiencing. Jim sighed, turning back to face the brunette. "Magical enough for you?" he asked, and Evelyn smiled. She pushed up onto her toes and pressed her mouth against his. Just like in real life, she felt those emotional fireworks blast off in the forefront of her mind. The colors danced in beautiful waves behind her eyelids.

          Jim cradled her face, melting into the kiss. He'd have to take that as a yes.

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          Another day, another dollar. Evelyn sat at her desk, a pen between her fingers as she sat back, swiveling in her chair. Her shoes were kicked off beneath her desk, her sweater resting on the back of her chair. Even her glasses were off and set to the side, leaving her to stare up at the blurry light source above her.

          The door to the annex pulled open and Toby didn't even have to look over to know exactly who it was. "Hey, Jim," the older of the two greeted the giant, a big smile crossing Jim's face. "Hey, Toby," he replied, not bothering to stop. Evelyn reached for her glasses, her head already turning toward where she knew Jim would be coming.

           He was beaming, cheeks reddened. Evelyn couldn't fight the smile from her face as he came to sit on the side of her desk. "Jan didn't come back for her car last night," he whispered, leaning back slightly on his hands. Evelyn's jaw fell slack in surprise. "You're kidding," she replied, her voice hardly above a whisper. He shook his head, a light giggle filtering past his smiling lips.

           "Could it be that Agent Michael Scarn has finally met his Catherine Zeta?" he asked, his tone light but full of dramatics. Her hands flew to her lips as she fell back into her chair. "Oh, my gosh," she exhaled, her hands moving to cup her face. "Oh, my God. I don't believe you!" He scoffed, amusement dazzling within his big eyes.

          His head tilted to the side, eyes not once leaving hers. "Would I ever lie to you?" he asked, lifting his eyebrows as if to challenge her. She snorted, crossing her arms over her chest. "Yes," she replied. "To be funny, I do believe you would." He pressed his hand to his chest in mock hurt, his face twisting up. Evelyn laughed, shaking her head at the dramatic man. "I pinky swear. I heard Dwight muttering about it in the bathroom this morning."

          Evelyn suddenly remembered that Dwight had decided to wait up for their boss. She had asked him if he wanted a ride home, or company, but he had turned her down. If Michael hadn't come back to drop Jan off, Dwight wouldn't have left the building. "Oh, my God," she repeated for what felt like the hundredth time. "Dwight spent the night here."

          Jim's nose scrunched up. "I think so," he replied. Evelyn's face fell into her hands. The whole situation was hilarious, but she felt bad for Dwight. Where did he even sleep? Nothing in this building could be comfortable to sleep on. "You think they... you know." She lifted her head slightly to meet Jim's eyes.

          "I don't know," she admitted. "They're both adults, even though it's hard to think Michael isn't just two kids in a trenchcoat sometimes." He snorted at her words, crossing his arms over his chest. "Could you imagine?" he asked. "If he really was just two kids in a woman's suit?"

          She picked up her day planner and used it to hit him in the leg. He barked out a laugh, swiftly hopping off of her desk to avoid the inevitable. "I was joking!" he exclaimed, lowering his voice quickly. "I was joking. Geez." Her day planner returned to her desk, a bright smile lighting up her face. "You're a menace," she told him. "A true menace."

          He grinned. "You know, some would say we..." He glanced over the makeshift wall and toward Kelly before moving closer to the brunette. Her eyes widened at their new proximity, her heart pounding erratically against her chest. "Some might say we had our first date last night," he said, tapping his fingers nervously against the top of her desk.

          "Really?" she replied, her voice strained. She swallowed, fixing her glasses on her nose. "And why's that?" He grinned, sitting on the corner of her desk. Hesitantly, he reached for her hand, thumb rubbing along her pointer finger until her palm met his. "'Cause there was dinner. By candlelight. Dinner and a show if you include Michael's movie. And fireworks. Lots and lots... of fireworks."

          Her head tilted back slightly to peer up at him. "Can't forget the dancing, either," he added. She snorted, lacing their fingers together. Their knuckles rested against Jim's thigh. "Makes sense," she said. "Pretty good date bulletpoints."

          "Pretty good date," he told her. She nodded her head slowly. Her eyes flickered toward their joined hands. "It would have been a pretty good date. If you would have asked me." His smile faltered. She withdrew her hand, pressing her lips together.

          He didn't like this feeling; this feeling of rejection. He stood, slipping his hands into his trouser pockets. "I will remember that," he replied, and he would. Because he knew that she was old school. He knew that she liked to be asked things, and that she liked to be in the know. She didn't want to be left in the dark where she could worry and overthink everything. "Next time," she whispered, her words barely reaching his ears, but he heard her.

          Next time, he repeated over and over in his head, smiling gently at the brunette. Without another word, he left her desk and the annex, his mind already swirling with new ideas. All he had to do was conjure up the courage to ask her.

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EVELYN
Was that too much?

[ SHE FROWNED AT THE CAMERA, HER CHEEK RESTING IN HER PALM. HER EYES WERE FAR AWAY DESPITE LOCKING ONTO SOMETHING IN THE ROOM. ]

EVELYN
Am I asking for too much?