Paper Thin (Jim Halpert/The Office Fanfiction)

Chapter Fifteen

This chapter gets very, very graphic so if you aren't into that, skip the bath scene!!

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"Thank you so much for your time, Mrs. Jones. We really appreciate your business here at Dunder Mifflin," I say. Mrs. Jones and I exchange some small goodbyes and I hang up the phone and let out an excited squeal.

"Oh my god, did you make the sale?" asks Jim. I nod my head excitedly. I want to reach over and hug him, but I settle for a high five.

I just earned a huge commission with this sale. So far I've made a decent amount of money for the company, but this one really pushed me over the edge. I called up potential clients from a sheet that Michael gave me and Mrs. Jones, owner of a large banking chain here in Pennsylvania, bought a ton of paper. People do get a lot more generous during the holiday season.

It's a chilly Thursday afternoon here at Dunder Mifflin. It's mid December now, so Angela and Phyllis are working on decorating the office for the Christmas party tomorrow. They asked me if I wanted to be a part of the party planning committee, but I politely declined. Too many politics.

"Oh my god, Phyllis, you have to hang the tinsel like this," says Angela, ripping the gold stuff from Phyllis' hand. I'll never understand why she doesn't just clock Angela in the teeth to shut her up.

Christmas is a big deal here in the office. We're doing a Secret Santa; I got Oscar's name. I bought him a Tommy Hilflinger lavender sweater. I think he's going to love it because he already has two of them in different colors. I suspect that Jim might have gotten my name, but I'm not sure. He's being very sneaky about it.

During lunch, I sit in the break room, drinking a peach iced tea from the vending machine when Kevin strikes up a conversation with me.

"So Rachel, who do you have for the gift exchange?" he asks, stirring his chocolate pudding cup with a fork.

"I can't tell you, Kevin, it's a secret. But he sits right next to you," I whisper the last part so no one else can hear. Kevin laughs heartily.

"I got myself for Secret Santa. I was supposed to tell someone, but I never did." I laugh with him at this, thinking about what Angela's reaction would be if she found out that Kevin was jeopardizing her Secret Santa arrangement. I get up and go back to my desk, determined to get some work done, because lately a lot of my time is spent staring at Jim or emailing Jim or playing footsie under the desks with Jim.

It's been almost three weeks since the incident in New York with our hotel room, and it has quickly become a faded memory. As the days went on, I was more and more reassured that it wasn't Christian related. Now, I find myself overcome with holiday excitement, thrilled to be spending my Christmas with Jim. We both agreed to only get each other one gift. Now that I will be getting a rather large commission from Mrs. Jones, I can get him something really nice. I've had my eye on an expensive watch that I found at an outlet store. It's Swiss quartz with a golden trim and a supple brown leather band. His current watch is really old, so I know how much he needs a new one.

Jim walks me to the car at the end of the day, finally able to give me a huge hug, congratulating me on my sale. I giggle as he lifts me off the ground.

"Thanks, babe," I whisper. He pulls me in for a sweet kiss. We get into our cars and pull out of the parking lot. Jim follows me to my apartment. We've come up with a system for staying at each other's houses. We stay at our own places when Jim's roommate is home, which is rare since he spends most nights at his girlfriend's, and when he isn't there, we alternate. Tonight it's my turn to host.

"You are going to loooove your present," says Jim. I smile. I know that I will. He could give me an old pair of his gym socks and I would think it was the best present ever. My real gift is being able to spend the holidays with him. His parents and two older brothers asked him to come to Christmas at his mother's house, but he said he had to do a "big work assignment" and couldn't come. They actually bought it. I feel kind of bad for making Jim miss his family Christmas, but he has assured me many times that he would rather be with me.