There is ONE thing this hammock is good for....)
Tim had woken up that morning to some very strange revelations of a personal nature. He noticed he felt comfortable, both in his own skin and in his surroundings, which was a very awkward and disconcerting thing to feel. He noticed, about mid morning, that he didn't miss Dawn, which would have been frightening, except he felt entirely calm and sort of unmoved about it, and he noticed, in mid afternoon, that he'd developed stupidly strong feelings for one of the IPDs receptionists.
He'd noticed that last when he'd walked up, ready to sniff about for some handcuffs or a pen or something to glue to something else, just to pass the day. Pam had looked up, smiling, greeted him in the proper manner of a receptionist of the IPD desk and told him in no unclear terms to piss off with his jello packets, they were working. He'd let himself be chased off after some conversation, glowing from the interaction and strolling towards the beach. That's when it had hit him.
He'd gone to the hammock to think about things.
Was he projecting? Was it real? Was it a dream? No, he was pretty sure he had actual feelings for her. When had that happened? What had made him think, even subconsciously, that that was okay?
Tim would rather have disappeared, faded into nothing like he'd heard some people had, than hurt Jim that way. Dawn had been his best friend. Jim was that, now.
And Pam.
And some things you didn't to friends.
Like fantasize about them, he thought, mentally kicking himself away from a few unbidden thoughts.
Oh, shit. Ah, well, he wouldn't ever say anything, of course. But still, the knowing of it was going to be a difficult thing.
[au, locked to Pam]
He'd noticed that last when he'd walked up, ready to sniff about for some handcuffs or a pen or something to glue to something else, just to pass the day. Pam had looked up, smiling, greeted him in the proper manner of a receptionist of the IPD desk and told him in no unclear terms to piss off with his jello packets, they were working. He'd let himself be chased off after some conversation, glowing from the interaction and strolling towards the beach. That's when it had hit him.
He'd gone to the hammock to think about things.
Was he projecting? Was it real? Was it a dream? No, he was pretty sure he had actual feelings for her. When had that happened? What had made him think, even subconsciously, that that was okay?
Tim would rather have disappeared, faded into nothing like he'd heard some people had, than hurt Jim that way. Dawn had been his best friend. Jim was that, now.
And Pam.
And some things you didn't to friends.
Like fantasize about them, he thought, mentally kicking himself away from a few unbidden thoughts.
Oh, shit. Ah, well, he wouldn't ever say anything, of course. But still, the knowing of it was going to be a difficult thing.
[au, locked to Pam]