Behind Closed Doors

Chapter 9: Jim Halpert and Pam Beesly

"Did someone say board games!" Mickey exclaimed as he joined everyone. He looked a little better than he had earlier, but he still had dark under-eyes and his hair seemed to stick straight out in every direction. "I'm always in for board games."

"What kind of board games?" Edward asked. He looked only slightly less exhausted than Mickey. "Because if we play Monopoly again, I will start screaming."

Everyone but Y/N laughed at that. She shot a questioning look at Mary.

"Two Christmases ago, we played a Monopoly game that lasted for hours. It was a complete bloodbath," Mary explained.

"That's because none of you heathens follow the fucking rules!" Edward shouted, though he didn't seem all that upset.

"Sweetheart, we do, just not the written kind. Unspoken house rules. You have to keep up, Edward," Daisy chimed in. "But if it'll make you feel better, I also vote against Monopoly. It takes forever."

There were various nods from around the room. Only Chris looked put out.

"Oh man, I always crush at Monopoly," Chris whined.

"Yeah, because you're a filthy cheat," Joe stated. Y/N let out a bark of laughter. Joe never had an unkind word about anyone.

"Fine! We can play something else," Chris relented. "What else do we have?"

Eventually, Mary decided they'd play Life, and Joe provided a penny and a dime for extra game pieces. They laughed every time the little people 'fell out of their car' aka tipped off of their coin. Edward was scandalized that Mickey would have 6 children without him. He said it was fine, but "dragging them behind the car is not great parenting, love."

After about an hour, Tom was declared the winner. Daisy threw her arms around his neck in celebration.

"I knew one day you'd be fabulously wealthy!" Daisy squealed. "Now let's go ahead and get those lotto tickets, this game feels prophetic."

"Let's play pictionary next," Edward said good-naturedly, while rolling his eyes. "We can play 2 teams, split the couples. And also Y/N and Chris, not a couple, whatever."

Y/N felt a bolt of panic. Did he know? He hadn't said it in a way that indicated any secret knowledge on his part. And Mickey had promised he would keep quiet. Maybe Edward was just joking about the morning before, when he saw Chris offer Y/N a bed to share. Or maybe he was just intuitive, like Mickey said.

Or maybe it meant nothing at all.

Y/N saw Chris fidget and look away. Y/N felt a hint of satisfaction at that. If she was being eaten alive by the awkwardness, he should be too. It felt good to watch him squirm.

Mary claimed Y/N, Edward, and Daisy for her team.

"This team is stacked," Mary whispered to Y/N. "Edward's a graphic designer, Daisy is a world class doodler, and you're a lightning fast guesser."

"So what do you bring to the table, hm?" Y/N ribbed.

"I'm obviously the heart we all rally around, and I mix drinks. Who wants drinks!" She directed the last part to the room. It was early, but they had nothing else really to do. Everyone put a hand up.

The flaw in Mary's plan was that she was currently laid up on the couch, and Joe wouldn't let her get up to make said drinks. Instead, they took a brief pause before the game for everyone to grab their drink of choice.

Once settled, Edward and Mickey faced off drawing. Mary was right, Edward was an asset. They beat out the other team on the word "sheep" easily. Mickey's sheep looked more like a dog. Mickey wasn't a sore loser though; he gave Edward a peck on the cheek for winning. She thought she saw a small blush on Edward's face before his cool facade fell back into place.