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Paper Rings
chapter twenty two
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EVELYN DIDN'T HATE MANY THINGS. She hated traffic, lumpy mashed potatoes, Michael's jokes (not all of them), and Mondays. She'd do anything to cancel Mondays, but she knew that doing that wouldn't help. The hatred would only slide over to Tuesday and so forth. So she hated Mondays silently.
Evelyn slipped behind Pam's desk as soon as she got to work. She grabbed her pillow and parked it right there. Jim had barely seen her come in. Amused, Pam spun around to face the hiding brunette. "Good morning," she greeted her friend.
"I went on a date," Evelyn blurted out. Pam's eyes immediately widened. Every slither of amusement she had manifested disappeared. "When?" she asked. She leaned forward, her hands covering her mouth. Evelyn tucked some of her hair behind her ear to prepare herself. "It's a long story," she warned her.
Pam spun around and took out a small plate she had made. On the front was the words "be back later". Once it was placed, she slipped out of her seat and sat on the floor right next to Evelyn. "Spill," she whispered. Something about the secrecy of it all made Evelyn's body tingle. She grabbed one of Pam's hands, excitement twinkling in her eyes.
"So, Friday night, he texted me and asked me to meet him for coffee at ten. There was no question. He told me," she began. Pam's stomach fluttered. "So, obviously, I did. But there were so many people and smells, and it got so hot so fast that I ended up having a panic attack right then and there. So, I ditched him to get outside."
"No," Pam gasped. Evelyn's cheeks were turning pink now. "It was humiliating, Pam. I just ran out of there like a crazy person. But he followed me out, and I started crying. Not full on crying, but it really seemed to freak him out."
Jim turned toward the reception desk curiously. He was surprised to find the girls gone. "What happened next?" Pam asked. He stood from his seat and approached the desk. "He offered to take me somewhere else, so we went to Norman's. Apparently his brother runs the place," Evelyn continued, her soft voice falling on Jim's ears. His movements stopped abruptly.
"He paid for breakfast and he walked me back to my building. It wasn't... great, but the date wasn't awful, either. He was nice enough."
"Would you go out with him again?" Pam asked. Evelyn had been thinking about that, as well. Calum was nice. He was open and honest, and he made up for the first mishap with grace. But there wasn't anything there. No spark, or butterflies. It was nerve wracking, sure, but who wouldn't get nervous going on a first date with a stranger?
Just as she was going to answer, the door opened. Pam sat onto her knees curiously to get a glance at the newcomer. A fellow redhead entered, carrying a few handbags on her arms. "Hold that thought," Pam told Evelyn, climbing back onto her seat to greet the woman. "Hi! Can I help you?"
She looked like a supermodel. Her hair was luscious. "Hi, I was just wondering if anyone would be interested in buying a handbag? I sell handbags." She showed off the one on her arm with a bright, white toothed smile. Evelyn's interest peaked. She pulled herself off of the floor. "Wow," she blurted out. "That's gorgeous."
It was a teal bag. The woman smiled over at Evelyn. "It's very spacious. Plus it comes with a coin purse." She flipped open the lid and pulled out the matching coin purse. It had a keyring that connected it to the inside of the bag. Pam glanced toward Evelyn with an amused smile. "I will be right back," she said. She rounded the counter, excusing herself, and made a beeline toward Michael's office.
"I have one similar but in a lavender color," she explained. Evelyn's eyes widened. "Really?" she asked. The redhead nodded with a light giggle. She set the bag onto the counter, pulling off her coat. "My name is Katy. What's yours?"
"Evelyn," the brunette replied. Her fingers instantly went to the chain dangling from the purse in interest. Katy nodded her head. "Would you want to check out the bag? I can tell purple might suit you a lot better."
Evelyn glanced down at her lilac slacks and matching blazer. Purple had always been her best color. She nodded her head after a moment. "Definitely. How much do you typically sell for?" Katy flashed her a beaming smile. It resembled the moment the sun hit the rearview mirror just right to blind you. "Well, since I believe we might have so much in common, I think I could throw in a little discount—"
Out of the corner of her eye, Evelyn spotted Pam returning. The enthusiasm from earlier had dissipated into annoyance. A grimace made its way across the brunette's face, the change confusing Katy. She turned to see Pam. "I'm so sorry," Pam sighed. "My boss said that you can't be here, or sell here."
That beaming smile vanished. "Oh," Katy replied. "Oh, no, okay. That's fine!" Evelyn's grimace turned to a small frown. She reached across the counter to give her hand a squeeze. "I'd still love to see that bag," she said. "I've been in the market for one anyway. I look weird carrying my work bag everywhere."
Pam laughed. Evelyn definitely didn't need a bag. Hers was perfectly fine, but she wasn't going to say anything. "Sure," Katy hummed. "Do you have time now? It won't take long at all."
"Girls, you're being infiltrated," came Michael Scott's voice. They all turned to face the older man with pained and confused expressions. "Cock in the henhouse." he exclaimed jokingly. "Cocks in the henhouse," Dwight jumped in. Evelyn fake gagged, her tongue pushing past her lips as she pretended to shove her finger in her throat. "Don't say cock," Pam whispered, clearly humiliated by the two.
Jim watched silently, his eyes glued on Evelyn. "What is your name, my fair lass?" Michael asked Katy with a faux Irish accent. Evelyn's eyes immediately searched for Jim. She needed to know if he heard this too. If he thought this was extremely ridiculous. And he did, because she met his eyes and he gave her that smirk. Her eyes widened, emphasizing her disbelief.
He held onto Katy's hand with a smile. The redhead introduced herself with an uncomfortable laugh. "Wow," Michael sighed. "Look at you. You are like the new and improved Pam." Evelyn's hand moved to cover the slackness of her jaw. "Pam, six point oh."
Katy glanced toward her fellow redhead. Pam only shook her head. There was no point questioning it. "Oh, look! No cat fights, you two. I'm against violence in the workplace."
"So am I," said Dwight, once again butting into a conversation he was not invited in. Michael scowled toward the bespectacled man. "Nobody cares what you think," their boss commented before turning his attention back onto the newcomer. Katy's smile had turned to an awkward grimace. "Doesn't matter. I usually don't allow solicitors in the office, but today I am going to break some rules."
Uh oh, Evelyn thought. Her eyes flickered over toward Jim. He sat back in his chair, chin resting in his palm. His fingers tapped patiently at his lips. He watched the scene, unblinking. "You can have the conference room." Michael clasped his hands before him, smiling at Katy as if he had just offered her a kidney to save her life. "It's yours. All day."
Pam almost scoffed. She stared at Michael for a moment as Katy thanked him. He didn't have to be so hospitable after all, even if it was a bit creepy. "There's an HR meeting in there at eleven thirty," Pam reminded their boss. Evelyn moved her hand over her mouth to hide the amusement she was getting from this whole ordeal. "Well, let's put 'em in the hallway. We'll give 'em some chairs."
Michael glanced at the cameras with a funny smile. "Right? Decisiveness! One of the keys to success, according to Small Businessman." Michael snatched a piece of candy from the dish on Pam's desk and popped it into his mouth. "Follow me."
Katy glanced toward both Pam and Evelyn curiously. Evelyn waved with an apologetic smile. "Good luck," she whispered, and the look on Katy's face almost made her laugh out loud. Once she was out of ear shot, Pam nudged her side. "Mean," she whispered, but the smile she wore said otherwise.
"There's no Pam two-point-oh, or three-point-oh, or whatever. You're the one and only," Evelyn reminded her. The redhead nodded her head with an appreciative sigh. "I should get to work. Want to do lunch?"
"Always," said Jim, now hovering behind her. She spun around to face the giant in surprise. "Jesus!" she blurted out, blinking furiously to calm her beating heart. Jim couldn't help but grin from ear to ear. "Uh, nope. Close guess, though." She whacked his arm with her hand, a short laugh escaping her lips. "Very funny. I'll see you two at lunch. 'Kay?"
The duo nodded and, with that, Evelyn escaped back to the annex. The camera panned back to Jim and Pam at the reception desk. She rounded it and took a seat in her chair while he leaned against the surface, picking out the green candies from the dish. "So... she went on a date?" he asked, grimacing at himself. Pam shot him a look of confusion. "Were you eavesdropping?"
"No, no, no," he hurriedly denied the accusation with quick hand movements. "No, I was walking up to your desk when I heard it. Honest." He popped another candy in his mouth as he glanced over his shoulder back to the annex. "Well, then, yeah. She went on a date." Pam sighed, tapping the end of the pen against her notepad. Jim nodded awkwardly.
He hated the fact he asked. He wasn't even sure why the fact bothered him. It wasn't like they were dating, or had ever dated before. And yet, he can't stop the interrogation taking over his brain. "Was it a good date? Did she have a good time?"
"Why are you asking me?" Pam asked, confusion puckering between her brows. Jim ran a hand over his face. She examined his face closely, silently. From the frown anchoring his mouth to the stressed frown between his brows, she had come to the conclusion that perhaps he was jealous. Feeling sympathetic, Pam decided to humor him. "She said it wasn't great, but it wasn't awful either. She never got to tell me if she'd go out with him again."
That seemed to tear off a sizable chunk of emotion. Jim nodded, drumming his fingers over the table top before pulling away. "Thanks, Pam." She nodded. And then he sauntered away back to his desk to get back to work.
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EVELYN
I feel bad for Katy. But... it's also nice to be invisible every once in a while, you know?
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When they talked about doing lunch, Evelyn didn't expect Roy to actually join them. Pam and Evelyn were squished between Jim and Roy, quietly eating their food. Ever since the basketball game, there's been a bit of tension.
"Hey, Jimmy," Roy said around the food in his mouth. "What do you think about that little purse girl, huh?" Evelyn grimaced from behind her sandwich. Jim glanced toward him curiously. "Cute, sure, yeah," he replied. Roy grinned. "Why don't you get on that?"
Pam's eyes flickered silently toward Jim, then Evelyn. Her lips pressed together. Jim shook his head with a small chuckle. "She's not really my type." Evelyn took a giant bite of her sandwich, obviously unnerved by the conversation. It wasn't that she had ever really thought of Jim having a love life. He had always been so focused on his platonic relationships. "What, are you gay?"
A piece of turkey was sucked down her throat, sticking there. Evelyn coughed, eyes wide, hands hovering to hide her face. Pam and Jim both jumped into action. Jim's water was passed toward her, Pam's hand patting her back. "Are you?" Roy pressed, unfazed by the choking girl guzzling back Jim's water. "I don't think so," he replied sarcastically. "No."
"Well, what is your type?" Kevin asked, inserting himself into the already awkward conversation. She looked through blurred vision toward Jim, switching out their drinks. She had taken a majority of his water, anyway. Jim snorted, his cheeks flushing. "Moms... primarily. Yep, soccer moms, single moms, NASCAR moms. Any types of moms really."
"That's disgusting," Roy said.
"Stay away from my mom," muttered Kevin. Jim's mouth curled into a playful smirk. "Too late, Kev." Evelyn laughed, using a paper towel to wipe at her mouth. Jim seemed pleased with her reaction. Heels clicked through the room and gathered all of their attention. Katy passed by to get to the bathroom.
It made sense why they found her attractive. Evelyn could appreciate a beautiful woman. "Man, I would be all over that if I wasn't dating Pam," Roy said. Pam stared at her fiancé in disbelief. Evelyn and Jim shared a similar look. "We're not dating, we're engaged."
"Engaged, yeah." Silently, Pam packed up her things and got up from the table. Jim and Evelyn both focused on their lunches sitting in front of them. "Little messed up, Roy," the brunette commented. He turned toward her with furrowed brows. "Would you like it if Pam went around saying the would hook up with some guy if she wasn't engaged to you?"
She started packing up her own lunch. Roy had never been one of her favorite people. If anything, he'd be on the bottom of her people-she-could-tolerate list. Even lower than her boss. "It's not that big of a deal," Roy argued, but she wasn't hearing it. She stood up without another word, grabbed her lunch, and left the room.
Jim's face fell. Now he's stuck with this idiot for the rest of lunch. "Women," Roy sighed, shaking his head as he finished off his own sandwich. Jim remained quiet. Oh, boy.
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EVELYN
He's a tool.
[ THE CAMERA CAPTURES AN OBVIOUSLY INFURIATED EVELYN SITTING NEXT TO A CALMER LOOKING JIM. ]
JIM
No, she's right. He's a total tool.
EVELYN
Three years. They've been engaged for three years and he forgets that that happened?
JIM
Pft. Loser.