Paper Thin (Jim Halpert/The Office Fanfiction)

Chapter Six

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"This is my kitchen that I hardly ever use. Except to make ham and cheese and popcorn," Jim says, smiling at me. I chuckle. I'm trying to stay calm, I really am. I'm alone with Jim, finally. But now I have to tell him. I don't even know how to bring this up.

Jim leads me upstairs and shows me a bathroom, his roommate's room, and finally, his own bedroom. I walk in slowly, Jim trailing behind me. I look around, touching random knickknacks and smiling to myself. His bed is neatly made and I sit down on it. I see a yearbook laying on his bedside table. I pick it up eagerly, flipping through to the H's.

"Oh my God! Look at little Jim!" I look up at him. He's smiling goofily, but his eyes look me up and down. I guess the appearance of me on his bed is getting him excited. I would be excited too, if it weren't for what I'm about to do.

Jim sits at the small desk in his bedroom.

"So, this is the home office," he says grinning at me. I stand up. Jim turns around, rearranging some papers, pretending he's working. I lay my hands on his shoulders and rest my chin on the top of his head. His breath catches a little. I rub his shoulders gently, feeling his muscles under his thin t-shirt. He sighs quietly, leaning his head back. His eyes close as I trail my fingers down, feeling the muscles of his back. I'm trying to enjoy this while I can. I doubt I will get to touch him again after tonight.

Jim suddenly turns his chair around and grabs me by my waist, pulling me to straddle him. I smirk at him.

He looks at me deeply. The smile falls off of his face, revealing a calm expression. He looks at me in wonder. I gently tilt his head up by his chin and lean slowly into his lips. I kiss Jim very softly, as if I'm afraid to break him. He tastes like cinnamon and smells like cologne.

I soon melt into the kiss, completely forgetting about my story and my worries. He grips my hips with his huge hands, pulling me in closer. I suddenly am aware of how close his crotch is to mine. My breasts are pressed against his chest. I breathe hard as he licks at my lips, asking for entrance. I give in immediately, letting my hands fall to his broad shoulders.

He reaches his hands under my shirt, gently stroking my back. I can't stop kissing him. It feels so good to kiss him.

I have to break off the kiss when I start to worry that I'm going to rip his clothes off his body. I look at him, still inches away. He's smiling at me, eyes hazy from the make out session. I look down and say, "I um, I really need to tell you something. Well, it's a lot of something's. W-We need to talk."

His expression turns very serious. "Is something wrong? Was this too much?" he asks.

I get up off of his lap slowly. "No, trust me. This was perfect. I just think you need to know some...things. About me and why I'm here. In Scranton." I knew bringing this up would be like pulling teeth.

Jim gets up from his chair, looking at me with genuine concern. He looks so cute and worried, I briefly consider saying nevermind and going back to the chair. I sit on the edge of his bed, tracing the blue and green lines of his comforter. He sits down next to me.

"Okay, O'Neal," he sighs, grasping my hand with his. "Lay it on me."

I tell him everything. Everything from when I first met Christian all the way to the brown hair dye. I even tell him about the man in the suit who followed me to my motel. He sits silently, watching me as I continue to tell him about the gun I'm the hospital, driving all the way to New York, finding an ad in the paper, and choosing Scranton at random. I take a deep breath at the end of my story.

"So that's why I don't think we should be doing this. Us. I just think we should stay friends. I mean, technically I'm still married. And I could potentially have random people coming after me. And if Christian ever finds me and sees us together he'll hurt you, Jim," I say, tears in my eyes. I managed to get through the entire story without crying, but I tear up when I say Jim's name.

Jim watches me for a long time after I finish. I start to get up, but his hand still entertained with mine pulls me back down.

"Rachel. I need you to know something," he pauses. I look at him through my wet eyelashes. He catches a tear as it falls down to the tip of my nose. He looks at me so deeply, I want to melt into his bedspread.

"I need you to know that I will never hurt you. I will never ever hurt you," he says, starting to tear up himself. He bites his trembling lip. This only makes me cry more.

"I know that. That's not the point, Jim. I don't want to hurt you," I say, sniffling.

He ignores me and continues. "I will never let anyone hurt you. I will never let him find you. You're safe with me, okay? I know the risks now, I do. I understand. But nothing is going to happen to me. I want to be with you." His eyes widen as he continues to speak. "I. Will. Protect. You."

I let out a horrible choking sound and his arms bring me into his chest. I sob for a long time before I pull away, leaving a mess of mascara, tears, and snot on his shirt. I'll apologize for that later.

"Jim you don't understand how scary he is."

"I do. I promise that I do. I am so sorry that happened to you." He takes my face in his hands. "But it will never happen again. I will do whatever it takes to make sure he doesn't find you and he doesn't hurt either one of us. I'm really smart you know, I bet I could make up a false identity. We could call you Bonnie," he says. He smiles through his tears.

I half sob, half laugh. I look at him, my face still captured in his warm hands. He strokes my cheek with his thumb. "Even while knowing the risks of being with you, I still very much want to," he whispers, coaxing a smile out of me the way only he can.

"I don't know, Jim," I say.

"We'll keep it a secret. From everyone. If no one knows, it's less likely that he'll find out," he says. I think about this for a minute. If Christian showed up at the office, at least Jim would be safe.

"Okay?" he asks.

"Okay," I say back. He immediately pulls me into his arms. We stay that way for a very long time, sitting on the foot of his bed, him holding me tightly. I close my eyes and breathe deeply, inhaling his cologne.

I finally calm down enough for us to talk again.

"You are literally the most brave person I've ever known," he says, tucking my hair behind my ear.

"Not as brave as you. You're willing to potentially face that asshole just to be with me," I say chuckling.

"Any assbeating is worth it," he says with a sigh. He moves to the head of the bed, laying back, his hands behind his head. I lay down with him.

I point up to a crack in the ceiling. "That's the North Star, you know," I say, trying to hide my smile. He props himself up on one elbow, gazing down at me. He leans down swiftly and kisses me. I kiss him back hungrily. He breaks off the kiss and I groan in protest.

"Will you be my super top secret girlfriend?" he asks with a goofy grin.

I pretend to think for a moment before I say, "Fuck yes."

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Reneé