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Paper Rings
chapter seventy four
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IT WAS EVELYN'S TURN TO TAKE HER PICTURE. She sat down in the chair, raking through her hair. "Glasses on or off?" she asked. Dwight and Jim sat next to each other, scarily quiet. The photographer looked through the lens before clicking his tongue against the roof of his mouth. "Off," he answered. She took off her glasses and folded the ears. With them gone, she could barely see the camera lens. Nervously, she began toying with her hair again. "You look perfect," Jim informed her. A red tint painted her cheeks.
She replied with a soft, shy smile. The photographer cleared his throat. "Ready?" Her head nodded. She sat up straighter, shoulders squared. He began to count down and she put on her best smile. The flash of the camera blinded her only slightly. "Beautiful. Thank you." Her glasses returned to her face, her vision getting clearer. "Thank you," she replied, standing from her seat.
Dwight was going next. "It's a good picture," he told her with a curt nod. She smiled wider, pleased. Dwight would never lie to her, that much she knew for certain. The two moved past one another. Evelyn took his previous seat, reaching for the ham sandwich she and Jim were splitting. "He's right. It's a great picture," Jim hummed, smiling over at his girlfriend. "But, you know, there's no way any picture of you could be ugly." She took a bite of the food, humming in delight. It had been too long since she last ate.
"You have to say that," she teased, hand covering her lips. Her brows furrowed ever so slightly as her eyes met his. "As a boyfriend, you're supposed to think I look pretty all of the time." Jim grinned. His head cocked to the side, eyes taking in her face. The hand that covered her mouth as she chewed. He felt his heart leap a bit inside of his chest. "Yeah, well, it just comes naturally with you. Boyfriend or not, I always thought you were beautiful."
"You're being annoying," Dwight commented. Their heads turned toward their bespectacled friend as he sat in front of the photographer. Evelyn couldn't help but smile at his words. Maybe they were being a bit annoying, a bit too lovey dovey. But she wasn't going to put a lid on it. She enjoyed Jim's sweet words too much to silence him. "Michael says so much worse," she said before taking another bite out of the sandwich. Jim pointed a finger in her direction, his eyes pointed at Dwight. "She has a point," he added with a smile.
Dwight cleared his throat. He whipped out his comb and began combing through his hair. Evelyn bit back a grin, focusing on the sandwich she was eating. There was a pause between the three of them. Until Jim smiled to himself. "Hey, you know what, Dwight? Maybe we should get our photo I.D. done together," Jim suggested.
"That doesn't make any sense," Dwight replied. Evelyn sat back in her seat, curious to find out Jim's reasoning. "Yeah. If you should be doing a duo I.D., shouldn't it be with your girlfriend?" she asked, her tone laced with humor. Jim cast her a glance. "It saves time," he said. "'Cause we could meet in the parking lot together, every morning. Walk in together. Perfect. You know?" Dwight didn't seem amused with his suggestion. He seemed a bit put off by it. His eyes flickered toward Evelyn, who only shrugged in response.
Then he finally turned to the camera. "Smile," the photographer said, but Dwight was quick to shut him down. Barking out a no and remaining stoic in his shot. The flash reflected off of his glasses. His head turned toward the camera crew filming them, and he motioned for one to exit. Apparently now was the perfect time to host an interview. Evelyn offered him a thumbs up. For his picture, for being assertive, who knew really. But with the same flat face, he reciprocated her action. It came off a bit more sarcastic than kind, but she took it with a smile.
"I'm going to mess with his I.D.," Jim whispered once Dwight exited the room. Her brows furrowed as she turned to look at him. He was already out of his seat and moving toward the laminator. A smile crawled across his face as he picked up Evelyn's badge, wielding it toward her. "See? Perfect," he stated nonchalantly. Instead of passing it to her, he pocketed it. She'd get it later. He just wanted to hold onto it for a bit. Maybe look at it again a few more times.
Her eyes followed his hands curiously. "Are you sure you want to mess with him today? With Michael going through Toby's complaint box, Dwight might take it to him." Jim's shoulders shrugged. He didn't really care. Not right now, anyway. His mind was solely focused on messing with Dwight and hopefully making Evelyn laugh in the process. "It'll be fine. I'm not worried."
She sighed. "Okay..."
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[ JIM IS SITTING IN THE INTERVIEW
CHAIR WITH A SMILE. HE SHIFTS TO
THE SIDE AS HE PULLS OUT EVELYN'S
PHOTO IDENTIFICATION BADGE. ]
JIM
Look at her. She really can't take a bad
picture, can she?
[ HE TURNS IT TO HIMSELF AND HIS
SMILE DOUBLES IN SIZE. ]
JIM
Wow...
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She warned him. She told him that Dwight would report it to Michael. And now she has Dwight asking her to choose a side. Him or Jim, and how was she supposed to do that? Dwight is her friend, Jim is her friend — and boyfriend, but that's beside the point. She sat at Dwight's desk, chewing on her pinky nail while Dwight was in Michael's office. Jim sitting next to her at his own desk.
"He's bluffing," Jim tried to reassure her, but she wasn't thinking about Dwight. She was thinking about him. About his job, about his life. Dwight could do well somewhere else, but would he thrive? He doesn't have the social skills that Jim does. He doesn't work well with others the way Jim can. She shook her head, her hand dropping to her lap. "I know," she sighed. "I know he's bluffing.."
Dwight stormed out of Michael's office, startling several people in the bullpen. Evelyn was quick to her feet. Jim's hand immediately went to hers, tugging her away from Dwight's desk to avoid his wrath. Though, he wasn't sure Dwight could hurt Evelyn. At least, he wouldn't want to. Dwight plopped down in his seat, turning to his computer. Completely ignoring the two. She swallowed. A sour taste filled her mouth as Dwight ignored her. They were really starting to bond and now they've come across a fork in the road.
"Dwight... don't leave," she blurted out before she could stop herself. He didn't even bat an eye her way. Instead, he continued to scroll through his browser. Searching for something. Another job maybe? She didn't know. "He'll apologize if that will help. I'll make him," she continued. Her voice grew small with worry. She knew he was bluffing. He had to be. She needed him to be. "Evie," Jim whispered in disbelief. He didn't want to apologize. It was a prank. A harmless one at that. Dwight was blowing things out of proportion. She shushed him with her eyes.
He sat back in his seat, startled by the intensity behind her stare. He'd only ever seen that look a few times. Each time, it seemed to get scarier. "Oh, look, Jim. There's a sales manager position open in Stamford," Dwight said, finally acknowledging their existence. He cast a glance toward Jim. "Want me to call Jan and tell her you're interested? I could put in a good word for you. 'Cause I'll still be working here."
Stamford?, she thought in surprise. New York? Jim stared back at Dwight silently. Dwight smirked to himself. "Trans-fer, trans-fer," he began to chant and Evelyn rolled her eyes. "C'mon everybody! Trans-fer! Trans-fer! Trans-fer!"
"Dwight," Evelyn exhaled. Before she could continue, Michael exited his office. He looked just as over it as she did. "Okay, you two, in the conference room. With me. Nobody leaves until we work this out." Evelyn's eyes met Pam's. The redhead frowned. "Cage match," Michael stated. God, she thought. This isn't going to go over well.
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Stamford. They're hiring at Stamford. It's a better market. There's no Michael. Jim would thrive there. He could really grow instead of being stuck in Scranton for the rest of his life. Maybe he should take the job. They could see each other on weekends. Take vacations together. Video chat. She'd do anything if it meant they could stay together. If he could be happier than he is at the Scranton branch.
She chewed on her fingernails. Staring blankly at the wall from beside Pam's desk chair. The receptionist's bowl of candy in her lap and half eaten. "Dwight will forget all of this happened in, like, a week," Pam said from beside her. Her eyes were focused on the brunette. She felt a bit worried for Evelyn. It's been a while since she's seen her so nervous. "I know that," Evelyn replied. Cracking a watermelon lifesaver between her teeth. "It's not that... I just.. Stamford pays well. It's in New York, away from this place."
"So?" Pam replied curiously. She wasn't exactly following her. Did she want a crack at the job? Evelyn sighed. The back of her head bumped against one of Pam's drawers with a soft thud. "Do you think Jim's happy here?" she asked, head turning to gauge the redhead's reaction. Pam looked confused. "Of course I do," she replied. "I mean, you're here. And he's one of the top salesmen here."
"And what if I wasn't here? Would you think he was happy?" She didn't know why she was pressing this. Something inside of her told her to ask. To make sure. Almost like she worried he wasn't happy. Wasn't happy in Scranton. Wasn't happy with her. Could that be why he pranked Dwight so much? To fill some kind of void in his life? "You're thinking too hard about this," Pam tried to reassure her friend. Her hand grabbed Evelyn's and gave it a tight squeeze. "Jim's happy. It's so obvious that he's happy."
And yet her heart can't seem to accept that. She nodded her head, returning Pam's squeeze. Before she could delve deeper in her sabotaging thoughts, Michael cleared his throat. "Everybody? Come on. Group photo for the newsletter." Evelyn almost scoffed. She didn't want to be in a group photo. She was still pretty peeved at Ryan, and was feeling a bit awkward about Dwight. "You've gotta be kidding," Stanley said. Pam glanced toward Evelyn, almost as if she were asking permission. The brunette only shrugged. Did they ever really have a choice?
Pam helped her to her feet. She straightened out her hair and her clothes. Dwight made it his job to get everyone up and going. Calling out their names like Michael's personal errand boy. Maybe Dwight did deserve better. Maybe he could thrive in a new environment, and then she wouldn't have to do long distance with Jim. She bit her lip, shaking the thought from her head. Worst case scenario, she loses one of them. Best case, they solve their differences and agree to work together. Even worse case scenario... everyone is unhappy, and Evelyn isn't sure she can handle that.
"Hey, you okay?" Jim asked, his hand moving to run along Evelyn's shoulder. She glanced toward Jim. A small bit of that tension dissipated the moment their eyes met. "Yeah," she replied, her voice soft. "Yeah, I'm okay. Just thinking." He fought the urge to tuck her hair behind her ears. Even rub his thumb between her tense brows. Instead, he nodded. A small smile replacing his worried frown, a classic Jim smile. "Okay."
Everyone began to pile in one large group. No one looked happy. Not even the couple. Today had been torn apart, and every little, ugly thing brought forward. The anger, the annoyance, the grievance. Everything was brought to light, and forced to witness like a bad execution. Evelyn swallowed. Her hand met Jim's and she linked their fingers. Maybe they aren't so happy after all.
rumi says . . .
one more episode to go people.
we are finally getting to the end of
this book & the end of season 2 !!
i love the casino episode sm. i can't
wait to get to it.
any predictions ? what do you guys
think is going to happen ?
what are your thoughts on the chapter ?
thank you for reading!
feedback is greatly appreciated!