Jim hadn't been expecting much. The little bit they'd done for the day had been more than enough for a birthday celebration. Thinking back, Pam disappearing fo a while probably should've tipped him off.
Surprise worn off, Jim started to mingle a little before he even thought about going for the food. He had some people to thank for coming.
"I like how you guys are always suprised," Karen said, coming up to Jim. "Every single time you guys throw each other a party, and every single time you're surprised. It's adorable."
She tip-toed up to gie him a kiss on the cheek. "Happy birthday, Halpert."
"I said it really wasn't needed, so yeah, I'm surprised she went through so much trouble," he replied with a embarrassed shrug. He had guessed maybe something would be done, but nothing to this extent. Grinning over at her, he added, "And thank you."
"I guess I can forgive you this time," he responded, dryly. That she was probably right about Pam was something he couldn't help but smile a little about. "It's you showing up that matters, not the awesome things you should have gotten me."
"So I have two things to say. One, happy birthday. And two, how is it that you're always really surprised?" Lennox asked, flinging an arm around Jim's neck, even though he had to reach up just a little bit to actually manage it. "You would think that, one of these times, you'd figure it out beforehand or something, man."
"I told her she really didn't need to do anything," he grinned. He had mostly been surprised at how much she did than the party itself. "She did a good job, huh?"
"Yeah, yeah, Pam's awesome, we all know it," Lennox said with a teasing smirk, giving Jim's back a pat before he dropped his arm. "Seriously, she did a great job, everything looks great. So how old does this make you now? Pretty ancient, eh?"
"If I said twenty, would you believe me?" he replied. Thirty seemed like such a daunting number, though he had to admit, he had just about everything he could want in his life. It was still a lot more than he ever thought he'd have by now.
"To your face, sure," Lennox answered sincerely, grinning at him. "But behind your back I'd talk shit about how old you really look and it would end up getting back to you. Then you'd be hurt and I'd be embarrassed. It's probably best if you just don't lie."
"You're always looking out for me," he said, sounding thankful, as he patted his shoulder. "I'm thirty, if you really have to know. If anyone else asks, I'm twenty-five. Just saying."
"If it's any consolation, I'll always be the older Jim," Lennox said with a laugh. "I promise to keep your secret, man. In fact, if you want, we can pretend to have a really serious conversation about your age very, very loudly so everyone can hear."
"Wow, you know what? Good idea, but I think I'll pass. It might make things suspicious," he replied with a snort of amusement. Honestly, he had a feeling it wouldn't be hard to figure out even if he wanted to hide it. "Don't worry. I've got your back when you start needing help to get around. It's what I hope people will do for me."
"Like when I get old and can't walk? Is that what you're saying, man?" Lennox asked with a laugh, catching Jim in the ribs with his elbow. "See if I ever pop out of a huge birthday cake for you now."
He grinned, rubbing where his elbow had connected. "Wow. I think I can somehow deal with a person-less cake this year. I'm definitely going to be disappointed, though."
"Okay, well, to be honest, I'd probably make Pam pop out of the cake for you, since I know you like her a little bit better than me, but you're not getting that either, buster," Lennox said, grinning. "Not even if you ask real nice."
Surprise worn off, Jim started to mingle a little before he even thought about going for the food. He had some people to thank for coming.
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She tip-toed up to gie him a kiss on the cheek. "Happy birthday, Halpert."
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She held both hands up. "Sorry I don't have a gift or anything. Next time I stop by a mall I'll get you something to make up for it."
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