Love Me [Jim Halpert]

Twenty-One

DIWALI

It was a typical Friday at the Scranton office as Michael sauntered out into the bullpen, noticing Kelly fixing up Ryan's kurta, he snickered, "Oh. Nice dress, Ryan."

"It's not a dress. It's a kurta." Kelly corrected, fixing the collar.

Michael chuckled, "Okay."

~

Michael sat in his office with a smile on his face, "Tonight, one of our most ethnic coworkers, Kelly, has invited us all to a Diwali celebration put on by her community." He explained with his hands. "What is Diwali, you may ask? Well, to have Kelly explain it, 'It's... It's so super, fun. And it's gonna be great." He mimicked Kelly's high-pitched voice. "A lot of Gods with unpronounceable names. Twenty minutes later, you find out that it's essentially a Hindu Halloween." He detailed to the camera crew.

~

Back in the present day, Pam, Kelly, and Isabelle awed the kurta that Ryan wore, "You look so handsome." Kelly's face lit up.

"You really do. I love the material." Pam piped up.

"Yeah, the grey really makes your eyes pop." Isabelle marveled, examining the grey kurta.

Michael's face fell as he realized how much attention Ryan was getting for his new outfit, "How come you didn't get me one?" He asked, slightly hurt.

"I--" Kelly stuttered.

~

Later in the day, with Diwali celebrations just around the corner, Kelly and Isabelle stood at the reception desk, trying to convince Pam to join the festivities, "I don't get why you won't go." Kelly's brows furrowed in disappointment.

"Yeah, Pam, it's gonna be fun! I've got a whole schedule planned out with all the awesome activities we can do tonight." Isabelle exclaimed, tapping the desk.

"Oh, I don't know." Pam pursed her lips.

"Come on! Did I do something wrong?" Kelly's face dropped. "I mean, I thought we were really close friends." Her eyes softened.

"I just feel kind of tired, you know," Pam replied, her voice tinged with exhaustion.

"Maybe you've got mono," Dwight interjected from the printer.

"Maybe. I just--I don't really have anyone to go with." Pam confessed, looking a bit downcast. She shrugged nonchalantly.

"Well, go with us, we're your best friends, right?"

~

Nearby in the breakroom, a few staff members ate their lunch peacefully before Kevin cleared his throat, "Are you guys going to this Indian thing tonight?" He asked, breaking the silence.