#meredith & ryan.

[binabadaboom]

Holy moly is right Nate

[chrishme]

Either Way | Jim Halpert x reader

summary: the office is shocked when you show up to work in a fancy red dress, however, your boyfriend Jim doesn't seem to mind.

warnings: reader is sexualized? michael being michael, kevin being kevin, dwight being dwight.

a/n: i orginally wrote this a long time ago and decided to change some things and post it. not proofread so sorry for any mistakes, enjoy!

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You always wore appropriate attire to work. Your normal attire normally consisted of sweaters or botton up tops with work pants. However, today was going to be different. You lived in a very tiny apartment. The thing was small and cramped, but hey, it was home. The building didn't home a washing machine nor did your apartment. Thankfully though there was a dry cleaners down the block.

The night before, you drove there quickly after work to go wash your clothes. You had a tendency to procrastinate with things like this, one of the many things Jim liked to tease you about. However, when when you showed up, it was closed. Apparently, the place was having lighting problems, which caused the washing machines and dryers to not be able to work. You would’ve drove to another dry cleaners but it was already so late, and everything was closed. So you only had one option. Your red dress.

The dress has stayed in the back of your closet for the past year. You had worn it once, way before you met Jim, back in your single and clubbing days. After that the dress stayed locked away, your normal attire around Jim being work attire or pajamas when he would come over to sleepover. In fact, you don't even think Jim had ever seen you in such attire like this red dress. You can only imagine his shocked dorky face he would display when you walked in. You giggled at the thought.

You take the dress out of your closet and hang it on your door, thankfully there’s no wrinkles. tYou couldn't lie, it was a very nice dress. It was bright red, and the length went slightly below the knee. The front was cute low, showing some cleavage in some angles. It hugged your curves beautifully. You sigh as you stare at yourself in the mirror. This was definitely not work attire.

You sigh and take the dress off, slipping on some pajamas, sending Jim a goodnight text, and drifting off into slumber.

The next morning you woke up late. You quickly scurry out of bed. “Shit shit shit.” Could this get any worse? Dwight will surely be up your ass for being late. You quickly put on the red dress, brushing out your hair and deciding to leave it down, not having any time to style it like you usually would. You quickly brushed your teeth, grabbing your bag and coat, hurrying out the door and to your car.

While on your way, your phone begins to ring. You look at it before grinning. Jim’s name popped up with a picture of the both of you. You answered, putting it on speaker phone and putting it in the cup holder. Safety first.

“Where are you? It’s 9:15. Michael is about to send Dwight out to check on you.” Jim stated anxiously, speaking lowly into the phone. You can now probably suspect that Dwight or Michael was around. You sigh, “Sorry. I woke up late. Don’t let Dwight leave the office. Oh, and please distract Michael when I come in.” You beg.

There is a slight pause from Jim, and you can picture his adorably confused face.

“Why?” He laughs lightly.

You smirk, “You’ll see. Okay love you see you soon.” You state, hanging up the call.

Back at the office, Jim gives his signature look to the camera.

You arrive at the office, walking in. You look at the window and see Jim talking to Michael in his office. You mentally thank him. You had a plan to try to keep your coat on for as long as possible because of your attire, but you soon realized that the office was rather toasty. You sigh, knowing you wouldn’t be comfortable with the coat on.

“Hey Pam.” You greet the receptionist . Pam smiles looking up at you, “Hey [y/n]...” her voice drawls out when you take off your coat. Her eyes widen. Seeing her, you quickly put the coat back on, covering back up. “Oh, is it really that bad? My dry cleaners shut down last night and all the other ones were closed. This is the only clean thing I had in my closet.” You panic.

“No, you look great [y/n] Its just, ya know...” she trails off, glancing to her left. You also look that way to see Kevin and Creed staring at you, well, the different parts of you. You sigh, pinching the bridge of your nose stressfully.

“Don’t stress. Maybe Kelly has extra clothes for you to wear.” Pam suggest. You nod, giving the thought to the idea. “Let’s go check.” She states getting up. You and Pam quickly head to the Annex. Jim see’s you out of the corner of his eye.

Kelly inspects your outfit. “I don’t see what’s wrong with it. It’s super cute.” Kelly says looking you up and down. You sigh, “Kelly, that’s not the point. The dress is cute but you know how the guys in the office can be. Please tell me you have something for me to wear.”

Kelly shakes her head, “Sorry [y/n]. I don’t have anything.”

Meredith speaks up, “Actually I might have a pair of clothes in my van.” Your face lights up, “Really! What kind of clothes?” You ask.

Meredith thinks, “Uh, a mini skirt and a milf t-shirt.”

You sigh, “Yea nevermind.”

Jim comes through the annex and over to Kelly’s desk. “Hey girls, what’s goin on?” You turn around, facing him. His eyes widen. He was definitely curious about the whole debacle on the phone before, but he wasn't expecting this.

“You look...wow.” Jim states. You smile innocently, “Is that a good wow or bad wow?” You smirk, walking towards him. Jim gulps, looking down at you as you look up at him with a innocent smile. Oh, you were so in for it later. “Oh, it’s a good wow. A very good wow.” His voice is breathy.

His hands go to your hips and he looks deeply into your eyes. Suddenly, realizing where he was. He jumps off of you, looking to the other girls of the office. They all stare at you guys with smiles on their faces.

“Uh, you look very good, [y/n]. That is all.” Jim extends his hand for you to shake. You laugh, “Well thank you good sir.” You shake his hand. A moment goes by, and your skin craves his touch, lips craving his. You can tell he felt it too by the look on his face.

“You know what, screw this.” He then grabs you be the face and kisses you passionately. You kiss back, smiling in between kisses. “Awwww.” Kelly drawls out. You and Jim separate, sending her a glance. She pouts, “Sorry.” You laugh and turn back to Jim, who looks at you in adoration. Your eyes widen when realization kicks in.

“Wait, if your here, where the hell is Michael?” You ask. Jim’s eyes widen. You both turn around. You watch in horror as everyone is surrounded at the annex window, watching. Kevin smiles and flashes a thumbs up your way. “Nice goin Jim.” He says, his famous smirk on his lips.

Dwight bursts through the doors, notepad in hand. “[y/n] you are late and wearing a very skippy dress. I’m gonna have to write you up.” Dwight says, doodling nonsense down on the paper. You raise an eyebrow at him, “Oh really? How are you allowed to do that?”

“It’s dress code. No offense [y/n] but those things are really distracting. Toby even said I should write you up.” Dwight says. You turn and glare at Toby, “Really Toby?” You ask with a scoff. Toby backs away, hands in his pockets and eyes to the floor, a sheepish grin on his face. "They are a distraction in the work place. It’s against dress code.”

“It’s literally a dress! I don’t understand the big deal. I’m a woman. I have breast. Deal with it!” You yell. The annex goes silent before the doors open again. Michael strolls in. You roll your eyes. Fantastic.

“What is going on here-“ Michael stops when he see’s you, his eyes immediately scanning you up and down. “Wow nice [y/n]. Is that what you’ve been hiding under those sweaters all the time?” Michael laughs, glancing at the camera. By this point your blood is boiling. “Oh my god!” You exclaim angrily, looking away from everyone, practically trying to hide. Jim catches your embarrassment and turns back to them.

“Ok! Can everyone stop talking about my girlfriends breast please. She’s uncomfortable and it’s honestly making me uncomfortable, alright?” He informs, voice broad but not mean or demanding. Kevin comes in the annex next. “How are you uncomfortable Jim? I bet those thing are nice and comfortable. Like a pillow.” He begins to giggle like a school boy.

That was the last straw for you. You turn and storm out of the annex, practically shoving Angela into the counter. “Hey!” She proclaims, giving you a dirty look before glaring unapprovingly at your outfit. You quickly head for the lobby, storming down the stairs and outside the establishment.

Jim watched you leave with a sigh. “Nice going Kev.” Jim says as he passes Kevin to go look for you. Kevin turns and shrugs. “What? I thought that would be a compliment.” Jim ignores him, following after you quickly, eager to make you feel better.

Pam sighs and crosses her arms, looking to Kevin in disapproval. “That’s not a compliment Kevin. You were basically sexualizing her.” Kevin turns, “Oh Pam, you’re just jealous that your boobs aren’t as big as [y/n]'s.” Pam glances at the camera in disbelief before looking down at her own chest.

Outside you sat on a curb near the doors of the warehouse, shivering against the cold. You were too enraged with anyone to have grabbed your coat. You turn and it’s hard to even let out a smile when Jim comes around the corner with his coat on, in his other hand he holds your coat as well, a sympathetic smile on his face.

When he gets to you he slips it on your shoulders, bringing some sort of warmth to your body. “Thanks.” You say bittersweetly.

“Eh no problem. Don’t want my girlfriend getting hypothermia” He chuckles, but it fades when you don’t do it back.

He sits down on the curb next to you. His body warmth feels good against your own, and you move in closer to him. His hand comes up and rests on your thigh, his thumb drawing circles along the skin. "I didn't mean to cause such a scene." You mumble with a laugh. Jim laughs back at you, wrapping his arm around your lower back, pushing you closer into him. You lean your head on his shoulder.

"I tried my best to keep Michael occupied, but you know how difficult that is." Jim explains to you with a laugh. You giggle, knowing that was true. Jim smiled at the sound of your laugh, pressing a chaste kiss against your forehead. You close your eyes and nuzzle into him. "You really do look beautiful in this dress." He compliments. You smile against him, "I'll try to wear it more, not in an office setting." You joke. Jim turns to face you, and you shiver when the warmth of his body leaves yours. He grabs the side of your face with a palm, hazel eyes boring into yours.

"I love you either way." he states before leaning down and giving you a kiss. Your eyes flutter closed, and your body melts into his. After that the two of you sit in comfortable silence, enjoying eachother’s warmth and company.

“C’mon. Let’s go back inside.” You say. Jim turns to you, an eyebrow raised. “Are you sure?” He asks. He was willing to stay out there all day with you if that’s what you wanted, and you knew that. You give him a warm smile, “Yes. I don’t want my boyfriend getting hypothermia.” You relay the joke he had made before. He chuckles, and you both make your way back inside the building.

The rest of the day at the office was normal. You had guessed your outburst from earlier made everyone want to stay away from you, which you didn’t mind. Kevin and Michael did walk over to your desk to apologize for their actions earlier. You happily accepted their apologies, Jim giving you a grin from across the room. You had guessed he had spoken to them about the displeasure you had with their comments.

After work, Jim came over to your apartment and you two watched some movies together. Although you did like the dress, it took you around five minutes to scramble into some pajamas, cuddling up with Jim on the couch.

“You look just as beautiful in pajamas, you know that?” The man teases you, popping a small peice of popcorn in his mouth. You smile and snuggle into him, “I love you.”

“I love you too.”

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[sleepy-sham]

the office part 4!!!!!!

ngl the fourth one is so perfect I'm so proud of it

more office memes

[s2w0a0g3]

it's the end of my 9 hour shift in the office so I think its perfect time to share some of my doodles of the office ponyfications

[justapotato89]

im on the last episode of the office. im gonna start watching it. im gonna. i will. i promise. just maybe a day later. or two.

[lala-blahblah]

I will never make this because it would be for an audience of one (me) but ever since reading "If we Were Villains" (story about serious drama kids in college who perform shakespeare and deal with a murder) I have been entertaining the thought of a crack fic crossover with High School Musical The Musical The Series where the staff decides they will no longer put on shakespeare after the tragic accident that happened at Thanksgiving, because Shakespeare plays would only increase the tension and drama. So they hire Ms. Jen who decides their spring play will actually be High School Musical (which exists in the 90s in this universe) and it ruins the vibe so much that everyone gives up on being dark and mysterious because they're universally pissed at Ms Jen for making them learn choreoraphed basketball dancing.

[juls-art]

" Let's have some Fun~!!" 🚨Poison and Hugo have entered the stage🚨 -- And so completes my Colour Wheel Challenge!! <8'D

I had a lot of fun with this, f'real~ and hope you enjoyed the progression as much as I did working on it! --   Kofi | Patreon    

[cankersaurus]

What I mean when I say I like the office :

Also tier list i made, exact ordering is shaky:

Im so serious im going to reboot the office..... One day.

Not rlly in order of best to worst person

[noa-nightingale]

"Thank you Dallas, for making us feel seen tonight. Ghost Files tour rolls on!" (via Ryan's twitter)

[loveofstelena]

Multirelationships • Find Your Way

[circuitmouse]

Reuben Milner on Shortland Street (with some of his onscreen partners)

[redemptivexheroics]

Second Chance At Love [Ryan/Meredith] Continued...

@entangledmuses Continued From Here

"Yeah, Holly likes unicorns too; she once told me when she grows up she wants to be a fairy princess and that she wants to own the most beautiful unicorn ever. I can't break her spirit by saying that either of those are real, but you know kids, if they believe something is real, they'll fight tooth and nail to prove you wrong," Ryan said as he chuckled. That was his little girl, though.

"It's a simple fix, definitely not auto shop worthy. I can get that thing out of your belt and tighten that loose part, and it should be good to go. I don't see anything else wrong with the engine besides those two culprits; everything looks to be in working order," he explained.

When it came to how much, Ryan shook his head. "Don't need to pay me; it's really easy to fix; I'll go get my tools, but dinner does sound nice; I can cook here; no need for a restaurant unless that's something you want to do."

[buffyann23]

The Office S07E13 “Ultimatum”

“Lesson learned.”

[thekylemeredith]

My guest on tonight's show is #OneRepublic lead singer #RyanTedder! We'll be talking about their new album and his producing artists such as U2, Taylor Swift, Paul McCartney and more!

I'll also dig my interview with Harry Connick Jr out of the vault.

We begin at 6p ET on 91.9 WFPK

[pupsmailbox]

NEUTRAL LEANING MASC NAMES︰ abner.　 abram.　 adam.　 adrian.　 alex.　 alistair.　 andreas.　 ariel.　 arlen.　 arley.　 arlo.　 ash.　 atlas.　 auden.　 august.　 austin.　 avery.　 bailey.　 baron.　 barrett.　 baylor.　 beauden.　 bee.　 bellamy.　 bennett.　 blair.　 blaise.　 bowen.　 brayden.　 brendan.　 bronson.　 bryce.　 byron.　 caius.　 caleb.　 callahan.　 callan.　 calloway.　 callum.　 camden.　 cameron.　 carlin.　 carson.　 casey.　 cassian.　 chandler.　 chase.　 cody.　 cole.　 connolly.　 corban.　 corwin.　 cyrus.　 dallas.　 damion.　 damon.　 daniel.　 darius.　 davis.　 dawson.　 daylon.　 denver.　 desmond.　 devin.　 doran.　 dorian.　 drew.　 elian.　 elias.　 ellery.　 ellison.　 emery.　 ethan.　 evan.　 ezra.　 fallen.　 farren.　 finley.　 ford.　 foster.　 gabriel.　 gannon.　 garner.　 gavin.　 gentry.　 graham.　 greer.　 griffin.　 guthrie.　 harley.　 harlow.　 hartley.　 hayden.　 henley.　 henry.　 heron.　 hollis.　 hunter.　 ian.　 irving.　 isaiah.　 jace.　 james.　 jameson.　 jared.　 jeremiah.　 joel.　 jonah.　 joran.　 jordan.　 jory.　 josiah.　 jovian.　 jude.　 julian.　 juno.　 justus.　 kalen.　 kamden.　 kay.　 kayden.　 keaton.　 kellan.　 keller.　 kelly.　 kendon.　 kieran.　 kit.　 kylan.　 landry.　 lane.　 lennon.　 leslie.　 levi.　 leyton.　 liam.　 linden.　 lowell.　 luca.　 madden.　 marley.　 marlow.　 marshall.　 martin.　 mason.　 mathias.　 mercer.　 merritt.　 micah.　 miles.　 miller.　 milo.　 morgan.　 morrie.　 morrison.　 nate.　 nevin.　 nick.　 nicky.　 nico.　 nicolas.　 noah.　 noel.　 nolan.　 oren.　 orion.　 owen.　 parker.　 percy.　 perrin.　 peyton.　 pierce.　 porter.　 preston.　 quincy.　 quinn.　 reece.　 reid.　 reign.　 rein.　 remi.　 remington.　 renley.　 riley.　 river.　 robin.　 rollins.　 ronan.　 rory.　 rowan.　 russell.　 ryan.　 rylan.　 sam.　 samuel.　 sawyer.　 saylor.　 seth.　 shiloh.　 soren.　 spencer.　 stellan.　 sterling.　 talon.　 taylor.　 thaddeus.　 thane.　 theo.　 toni.　 tracy.　 tristan.　 tyrus.　 valor.　 warner.　 wells.　 wesley.　 whitten.　 william.　 willis.　 wylie.　

NEUTRAL LEANING FEM NAMES︰ abigaël.　 abilene.　 addison.　 adrian.　 ainsley.　 alexis.　 and.　 andrea.　 arden.　 aria.　 ashley.　 aspen.　 aubrey.　 autumn.　 avery.　 avian.　 ayla.　 bailey.　 beryl.　 blair.　 blaire.　 blake.　 briar.　 brooklyn.　 brooks.　 bryce.　 cameron.　 camille.　 casey.　 celeste.　 channing.　 charlie.　 chase.　 collins.　 cordelia.　 courtney.　 daisy.　 dakota.　 dana.　 darby.　 darcy.　 delaney.　 delilah.　 devin.　 dylan.　 eden.　 eisley.　 elia.　 ellerie.　 ellery.　 ellie.　 elliot.　 elliott.　 ellis.　 ellory.　 ember.　 emelin.　 emerson.　 emery.　 evelyn.　 ezra.　 fallon.　 finley.　 fiore.　 florence.　 floris.　 frances.　 greer.　 gwenaël.　 hadley.　 harley.　 harper.　 haven.　 hayden.　 heike.　 hollis.　 hunter.　 ivy.　 jade.　 jamie.　 jocelyn.　 jordan.　 jude.　 juno.　 kelly.　 kelsey.　 kendall.　 kennedy.　 koda.　 kyrie.　 lacey.　 lane.　 leighton.　 lennon.　 lennox.　 lesley.　 leslie.　 lilian.　 lindsay.　 loden.　 logan.　 lou.　 lyric.　 madison.��� mallory.　 marinell.　 marley.　 mckenzie.　 melody.　 mercede.　 meredith.　 mio.　 misha.　 monroe.　 montana.　 morgan.　 nico.　 nova.　 oakley.　 olympia.　 owen.　 page.　 palmer.　 parker.　 pat.　 paulie.　 perri.　 petyon.　 peyton.　 phoenix.　 piper.　 priscilla.　 quinn.　 raven.　 ray.　 reagan.　 reece.　 reese.　 remi.　 remy.　 riley.　 rio.　 river.　 robin.　 rory.　 rosario.　 rowan.　 ryan.　 rylie.　 sacha.　 sage.　 sam.　 sammy.　 santana.　 sasha.　 sawyer.　 saylor.　 severin.　 shannon.　 shelby.　 shiloh.　 skye.　 skylar.　 sloane.　 sol.　 soleil.　 sterling.　 stevie.　 sutton.　 swan.　 swann.　 sydney.　 tatum.　 taylo.　 taylor.　 tracey.　 valentine.　 vanya.　 vivendel.　 vivian.　 vivien.　 wren.　 wynn.　 yael.

[ameenvie]

Treacherous, Pt. 1 - Jim Halpert x fem!reader

masterlist | ao3 | fic recs

“Out of focus, eye to eye, 'Til the gravity's too much”

Part II

Word count: 2.7k Warnings: nothing in this chapter, nsfw in part 2! Tags: idiots in love, banter, messing around, pining Prompt/Summary: You started working at Dunder Mifflin around 6 months ago, and since then you developed a massive crush on one of your colleagues - Jim Halpert. Things happen. A/N: Will I ever stop titling my fics after songs? NEVER! I have had this in my WIPs for~ f o r e v e r ~ because chapter 2 is still not finished and I wanted to publish them together, but oh well! Maybe posting this will push me to finish that and get back into writing a bit. I have so many Jamie & Viktor WIPs as well, hopefully soon I'll finish those as well, I haven't written anything properly in a year I think so I am a bit rusty. Hope you like it! ❤❤

Your mood matched the Scranton weather in the past few weeks – gloomy. It was raining in the morning when you pulled into the parking lot before you started the day. You shut the engine down and sighed as you looked at the building.

You have been working for Dunder Mifflin for around six months now, since you moved here. Adjusting to the new city, new job and new coworkers wasn’t easy. Especially the new coworkers. As you were walking towards the entrance you accidentally stepped into a puddle which was deeper than it looked, and that caused your shoes to be soaking wet.

"Great, another fantastic day ahead,” you thought, before heading towards the building. When you stepped inside the office, you said hi to the new receptionist and you quickly walked towards the annex where your desk was located. A few people were already in, sitting at their desks – Dwight, of course always the first one to arrive, Meredith and Angela. And Jim.

“Hey you, good morning!” Hearing his voice made you freeze in your tracks, and you turned around to face him. Even if everything else in Scranton was rainy and gloomy, he was sunshine. He leaned back in his chair while he fiddled with a pen, his smile so bright it could light up a whole town. You felt a strange feeling in your chest.

“Hey, good morning.” You replied shortly and absent-mindedly, being lost in your thoughts.

“Are you alright? You seem preoccupied.” His tone switched to a bit more serious one, you could tell he really cared. He was sweet and you two had nice chats from time to time, but you couldn’t really consider what you two had a friendship. He was a nice colleague.

“Oh yeah, I just need to get these shoes dried up asap” you replied, looking down at your soaked feet. “Good thing I keep my granny slippers under my desk.” Jim chuckled as a response.

“You shouldn’t keep your things next to the electricity plugs. Especially polyester slippers, they are a fire hazard.” You heard Dwight say to you without even looking away from his computer screen, clearly fed up with the little small talk you and Jim had going on. You smiled and nodded at Jim as a signal that you’ll be on your way.

“Good luck,” he said, then turned back to his own work as well.

You plopped down into your chair and kicked off your soaked shoes. Luckily there was nobody in the annex yet, as the others usually arrived later than you. You put on your warm slippers and placed the shoes next to the heater. A heavy sigh escaped your lungs as you leaned on your elbows and buried your face into your palms. The strange feeling in your chest started to ease as you focused your mind back on work instead of your coworker.

As the time passed your other colleagues started to arrive and occupy their desks, as chatter filled the air, distracting you from your duties. You decided it was time to get another cup of coffee before you continued. It didn’t take long for Ryan and Kelly to get on your nerves with their constant fighting, but at least you didn’t have to pay for cable if you wanted to watch some crappy daytime drama.

You stepped into the small kitchen smiling about your own little joke when you noticed him. He also smiled when he looked at you.

“Someone’s in a good mood” he said, gesturing towards you with his own coffee mug in his hand.

“I’m just good at entertaining myself it seems.” You stepped closer to him to get a mug out from the cupboard, which was right next to him. He didn’t move when you opened it and stretched your arm to get your favourite mug from the shelf, the move making your shirt untucked and the skin at your hips exposed a little.

“I would say you are pretty entertaining in general. I’m glad you are feeling better.” You poured yourself a cup of coffee while he was slowly drinking his own. He didn’t seem like he was in a rush.

“You can say that, yes” you replied, your voice getting a little shaky at the end of the sentence when you felt the strange feeling in your chest again. A tingling sensation, starting in your chest then spreading through your veins when he stood so close next to you. “I’m a bit nervous about the quarter deadlines.”

“You are?” he asked with surprise in his voice.

“Of course, I still haven’t reached my targets in sales, and I need to by the end of the week. I also have lots of administration that I still need to do, and I’m just not good at this…” Your words came out of your mouth very quickly, and you felt yourself starting to ramble so to avoid that you quickly took a sip out of your coffee. It tasted horrible.

“Hey” he said in the sweetest voice you’ve ever heard as he put his hand on your forearm. It felt like your brain glitched for a second when his skin touched yours, and even though it was an innocent gesture, you felt the tingling sensation turn into straight up fire in your veins. Your heart started to beat rapidly in your chest, and you weren’t sure that he didn’t notice that. “You’ll do amazing, I know. And if you need anything from me, don’t be afraid to ask. I’d be happy to help.”

“Thank you” you said, your voice just a little lower than you wanted it to be. You scratched your throat before you spoke again. “I better get back to work. Complaining here won’t sell that paper.” He chuckled in response, and you took your mug to your table and sat down. You rubbed your eyes and sighed before looking up at your screen. It took you a few minutes to calm your nerves, then you delved back to work.

Probably fifteen minutes after you’ve sat down and the next distraction already arrived. Kelly.

“Soooo…” she started her sentence, sitting on the chair next to you, her eyebrows raised.

“So what?” You asked with genuine curiosity, as you had no idea what she wanted. Have you not sent your customer evaluations yet?

“What is going on with you?”

“With me? Um… nothing?” You cocked your brow at her while searching her face.

“Stop acting like you don’t know what I’m talking about!” She was basically whisper-shouting at you. And you genuinely had no idea what she meant.

“I’m sorry Kelly, I really have a lot of work that I have to finish, so if you don’t mind-” you started, but she interrupted you.

“Are you and Jim together?” The sudden question surprised you so much that you choked on your own spit. “Don’t be so dramatic, I see through you.”

“Why would you even think that? No, we are not together!” You looked around yourself before speaking, and lowering your voice to make sure no one else could hear what you were discussing. Kelly was not so discreet.

“Don’t play dumb on me, I saw you two in the kitchen earlier having a little moment!”

“A moment? No, no we were just talking about work” you replied and shook your head at her.

“With his hands on your arm? Yeah right” she scoffed and crossed her arms in front of her chest.

“Don’t be silly, that’s just a thing he does. He does that all the time.”

“Yeah, with you!” She snapped back and gave you a knowing look. You furrowed your eyebrows at her in confusion. “He never touched my arm. Or Meredith’s. Or anyone’s other than you.”

“You’re making this up.”

“Why would I?” She scoffed, but you gave her a knowing look and she rolled her eyes. “Okay of course I would, but not this time! I’m just saying you can’t fool me!”

“Yeah, you’re onto me Kelly. Now please, I need to get a lot of work done if I don’t want to get fired. How would I continue my top-secret office romance then?” You asked sarcastically and waved with your hands.

“Okay-okay, no need to be mean about it!” She stood up from the chair and waltzed back to her desk, where she could delve into her own office romance.

What she said didn’t leave your mind though. Was that true? You wouldn’t put it past her to stir up some gossip and drama just for entertainment. But would she really lie to you like that? What would she gain from it? And if she didn’t lie, what did that mean? Somehow you couldn’t decide if you’d prefer her lying or telling the truth.

Even if you were the only one Jim touched like that, that didn’t mean anything. It’s not like you wanted him to touch you like that. At least it was easier to convince yourself of that. This whole thing didn’t make any sense. You came to the conclusion that Kelly was just trying to get a reaction out of you with her story and there’s nothing more to it.

You delved back into work to try to keep your mind off this, you had enough stuff to worry about already. You spent the first half of the afternoon calling clients and trying to get new deals from the old leads you got from your predecessor – lots of them were completely useless. Suddenly you saw the others stand up and head towards the door.

“Aren’t you coming?” You heard Kelly’s voice. “Michael expects everyone in the meeting room.”

“Sure, I’ll be there in a second!” You quickly turned back to your computer and typed in a few things about your last deal before you forgot, then headed after the others. When you looked inside the room you saw most people already in there, Jim included. He waved at you from the last row and gestured at the empty seat next to himself. Your heart fluttered and you made your way over to him.

“Thanks, best seat in the house” you said, smiling.

“Absolutely. maybe this way we can get away without getting into a super awkward Michael Scott skit” he said while he crossed his arms and shot you a mischievous smile.

“Maybe we’ll be safe from that today, who knows. Have faith, Halpert!”

“I think you might be too optimistic on this one! How about a bet?”

“What kind of bet?” You raised your eyebrows at him.

“I bet that we won’t get away without an awkward Michael situation.”

“I feel like this is a very risky bet on my part, but oh well. What does the winner get?”

“The loser pays for the others lunch tomorrow.” He answered, smiling.

“Deal” you said and shook his hand. In that second Michael appeared in the meeting room and started talking about the quarter ending soon, and sales. The importance of the relationship with the clients.

Jim was leaning back against the wall with his arms crossed in front of his chest, swinging his legs slightly. Ever so slightly that his thigh would touch yours every time he did it. Your heart was beating so loud it was all you could hear. This is stupid. Jim’s chuckle snapped you out of your thoughts.

“So, what do you say? How about a little improv? Who wants to sell me some paper?” Michael asked, and of course nobody answered. Everyone was either rolling their eyes or tried to look the other way so they don’t get picked. You tried to make yourself as small as you could so he wouldn’t pick you.

That’s when you felt the touch of a warm hand on your wrist, and it immediately flew to the air. You shot a horrified look at Jim, who was raising your hand for you.

“Ah, perfect, perfect!” You heard the voice coming from the front of the room, and you mouthed an “I’ll kill you!” at Jim. He just chuckled at you.

“You’ll do great!” He whispered and let go of your hand. You were so baffled you couldn’t even answer or object to being selected. Of course, let’s mess with the new staff. That’s fine.

You walked and stood next to Michael who was giggling like a little kid, being very excited about his improv exercise. As every improv with him, this ended up having a secret agent scene involved, where he would save you from an unknown threat, and that’s why he was disguised as a customer wanting to buy paper. You actually couldn’t be mad at him, because his joy was contagious. However, you were kind of mad at Jim.

You plopped down onto your seat next to him, crossing your arms, not looking his way. He scooched closer to you, his thigh now completely pressed against yours. His touch and closeness made you dizzy. Then he leaned towards you, but you didn’t turn towards him.

“I won” he whispered into your ear, and you felt a chill run down your spine as his breath warmed your skin. You felt heat rise in your body, and you started to feel lightheaded from him being so close to you. You immediately turned your head towards him. He was grinning like a child.

“No, you cheated!”

“Did I? I don’t know about that.”

“Yes, you did. I thought more of you, Halpert. Just text me what you want to eat tomorrow” you said and got up as the meeting ended, and you bolted towards the restroom, locking yourself in a stall.

You let out a shaky breath and you buried your face into your hands. This is nothing. It’s nothing. Damn it, Kelly. Why did she have to say those things? You felt like a schoolgirl with your silly little crush on your coworker, but all these things didn’t leave your mind. But even if it was true, even if Jim liked you, what then? Would you start dating? Would you just continue this office flirting forever? Would you just eventually fuck after an office party and completely forget it the next day?

That thought poisoned your mind with images that you didn’t want to think about, especially not in your workplace’s bathroom. But you couldn’t help it, and you felt the heat rise in your body again.

“Fucking hell” you breathed, shaking your head as if you could just shake those thoughts out. You stood up and left the restroom, heading straight back to your desk, not looking anywhere. You didn’t want to talk to anyone, you just wanted to finish working, go home, where you could work these frustrations out in peace. Yes, that seemed like a good plan. Somewhat good.

The time went by excruciatingly slowly. And it didn’t help that you couldn’t focus on your work because your head was full of thoughts about him. And you couldn’t shake them off. You had to finish your report by tomorrow morning at the latest, so your plan of quickly finishing the job and going home failed spectacularly. People had already started to leave the office as their day ended.

You were somewhat happy that you could work without Kelly and Ryan bothering you all the time, but you definitely were not happy about the thought of you having to be there for who knows how long. You hated overtime, but you couldn’t afford not to finish these reports. You rubbed your eyes and looked back at the screen of your monitor, at the names, addresses, numbers. It all felt so meaningless.

After about an hour of numbers, formulas and spreadsheets, you were done with the first half. You definitely needed to stretch your legs, so you decided to quickly print this before finishing the rest. You stood up from your chair, stretched your back a little and walked to your printer. You felt like the universe was taunting you when you saw the big “ERROR” message on the screen. You threw your head back and let out a dramatic groan before you made your way to the printer in the front of the office.

And then you felt like the universe was playing some kind of a joke on you when you saw Jim sitting at his desk.

Read Part II here.