Office drabble: we are all fools in love
we are all fools in love
the office, pam/toby, jim/karen, pg, spoilers for traveling salesmen, 626 words
”There was a thing." Four words to cringe by.
I've never seen you when you're smiling
It really gets under my skin
You say it's easy when it's faster
I still can't guess what you're after
Catherine Wheel, Black Metallic
“There was a thing.”
She watches as Pam freezes, in the kitchen, her fingers brushing against the counter. It’s the day after yesterday, after Jim’s brushing of denial, and she isn’t stupid but it does bother her.
Pam’s voice is still. “A thing?”
There’s a thickness in the room, slow, building, and heavy. Karen breathes, steps back, and leans against the table. It’s not high school. This isn’t I’m sorry I stole him. It’s a web. And she’s been placed, without knowledge, in the middle of a large knot.
She pushes again.
“I,” she pauses, taking a slow breath. “He has a thing for you.”
Pam’s lips curl, the smile twisted bitterly. But it’s a shadow and it’s remarkable, Karen thinks, how fast it disappears.
“No,” she says quietly. “No, he doesn’t.”
*
Pam hesitates by Toby’s desk, for a moment, peering at the pictures.
There’s one, not a few- it’s just Sasha. Brilliant smile, eyes lit, pushing past the faded corners of old postcards and ticket subs with gray lettering- she remembers some random article about Feng Shui her mother sent her. But it’s clear about the center of his life.
“Hey Pam.”
She turns, blushing, gnawing on her lip as Toby returns and watches her curiously. She’s never been back here with intention and it’s kind of nice, but she doesn’t know why yet.
“Hey.” She stills, then nods at the picture. “It’s her birthday soon, isn’t it?”
Toby’s smile masks his surprise and she can’t remember why she remembers Sasha’s birthday. But she does.
“Yeah,” he says distantly, quietly. “She wants a clown.”
Pam wrinkles her nose. And Toby laughs, picking up the picture. His fingers brush against the glass.
“I hate clowns.”
She leans against his desk. “Who doesn’t?”
They grin.
*
Toby watches Angela with a mix of pity and amusement, turning the note card number that Pam left earlier.
“I don’t like him.”
He purses his lips together, watching as several strands spill in her face. He can’t remember ever seeing her this way, (not that he wants to) but it’s pretty easy to deduce why.
“Like-” He pauses and Angela’s death glare shifts to Andy across the room. He blinks and nods, murmuring a hold on.
Standing up, he brushes his hands against his legs and detours to the kitchen around Kelly’s desk. He grabs a coffee from the kitchen, moving to Pam’s desk.
“Hey.”
She looks up, lips curling as she stops working for a moment. “Hi.”
*
Jim spins curiously in his chair, blinking as he watches Pam and Toby stand off in the corner.
He cocks his head, nearly jumping when there’s a hand on his shoulder. He dips his head back, blinking and throwing a lop-sided grin at Karen.
“You.”
Her lips curl slightly, her fingers brushing against the back of his neck as she sits next to him.
“Me,” she murmurs.
She follows his gaze to Pam and Toby- he looks away- and gnaws at her lip. He watches Karen shake her head. But then there’s that smile, that tired smile that reminds him of coffee and hesitations. (She doesn’t believe him. And he doesn’t believe himself.)
“We’ll stop at Blockbuster's later,” he offers quietly.
Karen nods, her fingers grazing his wrist. “Sure.”
It’s unsettled.
*
Roy lingers around the truck, looking for his jumper cables- Darryl needs them- and peering up when Pam slides out of the building humming.
He stills, his fingers curling around the wires, and watches. He watches chances and more chances lingering right front of him, right here. It almost mocks him, opportunity, but then it’s always been there to grab.
And he doesn’t do anything about it.
Here’s to habits, all just a bunch of impossible love songs.
done.
the office, pam/toby, jim/karen, pg, spoilers for traveling salesmen, 626 words
”There was a thing." Four words to cringe by.
I've never seen you when you're smiling
It really gets under my skin
You say it's easy when it's faster
I still can't guess what you're after
Catherine Wheel, Black Metallic
“There was a thing.”
She watches as Pam freezes, in the kitchen, her fingers brushing against the counter. It’s the day after yesterday, after Jim’s brushing of denial, and she isn’t stupid but it does bother her.
Pam’s voice is still. “A thing?”
There’s a thickness in the room, slow, building, and heavy. Karen breathes, steps back, and leans against the table. It’s not high school. This isn’t I’m sorry I stole him. It’s a web. And she’s been placed, without knowledge, in the middle of a large knot.
She pushes again.
“I,” she pauses, taking a slow breath. “He has a thing for you.”
Pam’s lips curl, the smile twisted bitterly. But it’s a shadow and it’s remarkable, Karen thinks, how fast it disappears.
“No,” she says quietly. “No, he doesn’t.”
*
Pam hesitates by Toby’s desk, for a moment, peering at the pictures.
There’s one, not a few- it’s just Sasha. Brilliant smile, eyes lit, pushing past the faded corners of old postcards and ticket subs with gray lettering- she remembers some random article about Feng Shui her mother sent her. But it’s clear about the center of his life.
“Hey Pam.”
She turns, blushing, gnawing on her lip as Toby returns and watches her curiously. She’s never been back here with intention and it’s kind of nice, but she doesn’t know why yet.
“Hey.” She stills, then nods at the picture. “It’s her birthday soon, isn’t it?”
Toby’s smile masks his surprise and she can’t remember why she remembers Sasha’s birthday. But she does.
“Yeah,” he says distantly, quietly. “She wants a clown.”
Pam wrinkles her nose. And Toby laughs, picking up the picture. His fingers brush against the glass.
“I hate clowns.”
She leans against his desk. “Who doesn’t?”
They grin.
*
Toby watches Angela with a mix of pity and amusement, turning the note card number that Pam left earlier.
“I don’t like him.”
He purses his lips together, watching as several strands spill in her face. He can’t remember ever seeing her this way, (not that he wants to) but it’s pretty easy to deduce why.
“Like-” He pauses and Angela’s death glare shifts to Andy across the room. He blinks and nods, murmuring a hold on.
Standing up, he brushes his hands against his legs and detours to the kitchen around Kelly’s desk. He grabs a coffee from the kitchen, moving to Pam’s desk.
“Hey.”
She looks up, lips curling as she stops working for a moment. “Hi.”
*
Jim spins curiously in his chair, blinking as he watches Pam and Toby stand off in the corner.
He cocks his head, nearly jumping when there’s a hand on his shoulder. He dips his head back, blinking and throwing a lop-sided grin at Karen.
“You.”
Her lips curl slightly, her fingers brushing against the back of his neck as she sits next to him.
“Me,” she murmurs.
She follows his gaze to Pam and Toby- he looks away- and gnaws at her lip. He watches Karen shake her head. But then there’s that smile, that tired smile that reminds him of coffee and hesitations. (She doesn’t believe him. And he doesn’t believe himself.)
“We’ll stop at Blockbuster's later,” he offers quietly.
Karen nods, her fingers grazing his wrist. “Sure.”
It’s unsettled.
*
Roy lingers around the truck, looking for his jumper cables- Darryl needs them- and peering up when Pam slides out of the building humming.
He stills, his fingers curling around the wires, and watches. He watches chances and more chances lingering right front of him, right here. It almost mocks him, opportunity, but then it’s always been there to grab.
And he doesn’t do anything about it.
Here’s to habits, all just a bunch of impossible love songs.
done.