Chapter Text
The sun rose gently through the windows of our shared bedroom, birds chirping lightly and that wonderful summer smells seeps throughout the house making it feel like you're going on holiday.
I started to stir awake in the thin rumpled sheets of the bed, feeling the warm beam of light shine on my face a little too un comfortably. My eyes squint open to see the huge red numbers on my alarm cloak 7:59AM 'Huh.. I must've slept well if i'm waking up at a normal time for work, not like 11AM or even 1PM like most days' I yawned loudly and begin to stretch to start my morning routine.
Once I had my clothes on, did my hair, I went down stairs to grab the morning news paper by the front door. As I closed the front door I didn't realise that Jayden was already up and ready out of bed sitting by the dining room table next to the open kitchen reading the news paper with red circles all over them.
I didn't even realise, I was so used to seeing him laying in bed until I have to wake him up before I go to work at through Mifflin. "Oh! Hey your up?" I spoke in shock. "Yea! Uh- sorry about last night I had a bit too much cider to drink and you know how the football game is very important to me and stuff." Jayden looks back at the news paper with some toast in hand.
I roll my eyes since I have heard him say this before MANY times after he has his crazy fits with the football finals or any form of football matches. But I didn't want to argue with him since I feel so much more refreshed then I have been in the past couple of months.
I went into the kitchen and made my favourite bowl of cereal which was nice I had time to have today since I was so tired yesterday. As I got my bowl, from the sink i've noticed that the dishes was done AND dried and put away 'I guess he really is trying to change..'
I go to sit down at the dining room table to enjoy my breakfast. "So what time did you get up this morning?" I took my first mouthful of cereal then another for being so hungry. "Oh, I got up at around 7AM, but I didn't want to wake you since you have said you were really tired so I just let you sleep." Jayden replied whilst still being glued to yesterdays news paper.
My smile reached my ears a little as I continue to chow down the rest of my cereal 'It feels nice that he cares about me for a change without me begging for it..' "So...Have you found any job that catches your interest yet?" I questioned as I finished my last mouthful of breakfast. "Uhmmm..-It's tricky, because I really want to do music as my career but, I don't see anything on here that will build up my portfolio for that in the music industry like working in the a sound booth or something.."Jayden taps his pen on the table. "Well perhaps for now, if you really want to stay in this house just find a job that will just give you some money so you don't have to relay on me all of the time." I try to nudge him.
I get that he wants to make music more than a hobby like I want to find my purpose but we both need to put in on hold for now so we have a stable income.
I made my way around his side of the table giving Jayden a hand with the newspaper. "Ok look, with all of the red circles I did theses are the jobs that you're more likely to get since you got good GCSE's in ICT and a degree in college back home, so you might as well put it to good use and you could earn some really good money off of it since we rely on technology more and more." I pointed out. "..Yea I guess since you forced me to go to the same college as you anyways.." Jayden sighs. My smile instantly dropped, 'of course he brings that up.'
I huffed in annoyance since I didn't want to bring up that argument again and started to make my leave out the front door once I put my empty bowl in the sink. "Anyways, i'm going to head to work, I put a chores list on the fridge that you need to do once you have done applying to some jobs." We said our good byes and I shut the front door behind me.
Just as I turned around the camera crew from the documentary was waiting to do an interview with me. 'Was they recording when I was sleeping? I hope not..' I felt gross at the thought but I let them interview me just before I got into the car before going to work at Dunder Mifflin.
🎥"Its coming up to a year now living here, i'm still having a hard time adjusting since this is a big change but I still make it work." I nod my head. "I have dated Jayden for about 3 years now it's nearly our 4th anniversary...I think he is still adjusting to the move since he's still quite grumpy." I sigh at the camera.
It was around 9:45AM just as I turned up to the Dunder Mifflin building. It feels nice that I don't have to make up for lost time today.
Once I got out of my car I really started to feel the summer heat start to kick in, 'god its only the 2nd of June summer must've come early this year.'
I made my way to the entrance of the Dunder Mifflin building and into the lift, double checking that I did brush my hair this morning with my pocket mirror, 'seems like I did get most of it but not all of it.' I tried to matt it down before the lift opens to my floor.
I entered the office, putting away my pocket mirror in my bag and seeing that everyone was out there stations writing on paper, making sales for people and photo copying on paper.
"Good morning guys!" My smile reached the top of my face much easier than yesterday. "Good morning sleepy head." Jim smiles back as he twirls in his chair to face me. I smile as I put my bag on the empty coat hanger. "Ahh, you can't call me that today. I ACTUALLY! Turned up on time today." I gleam proudly as I go to my reception desk to log onto the computer. "Hmm well.." Jim pulls a face. "We actually-"
Dwight interjects. "We always start at 8AM sharp! But as usual with Jim being SO incompetent he shows up at 8:30AM." Dwight spins in his chair to face Jim. "Well actually, it's just you that comes in 8:00 everyone comes in the office at 8:30, even Michael turns up at 9:00 sometimes." Jim shrugs. "NO JIM! It's your fault that your forced everyone to agree to do 8:30AM." Dwight starts to get agitated with his raised voice causing some people in the office to turn their heads.
"Hmmm...No I can't really force everyone even though we have collectively agreed to move the time to come into work a bit later." Jim shrugs again. "It doesn't excuse the fact with loosing those 30 minutes of the day makes you so lazy." Jim just shakes his head. "Still think that 8:30 is better." Jim smirks which is really getting on Dwight's nerves. "NO JIM! 8:00AM is better!"
"Nah 8:30." Jim Leans forward.
"NO! 8:00AM!"
"8:30!"
"8:00AM!"
"Fine, then 8:00."
"NO IDIOT IT'S 8:30AM AND THATS FINAL!" Dwight crosses his arms thinking he's won. Jim huffs in fake defeat, leaning back into his office chair. "Alright Dwight you win, I guess it's 8:30 after all" Jim tries to not laugh.
Dwight continues to bicker with Jim whilst he lays back listening to it like its white noise to him. 'I guess this is what I miss when I don't come in on time in the morning, I may feel bad for Dwight since he is my friend' but I couldn't help but giggle quietly to myself since it was quite funny.
It was coming up to around 12:30PM the summer heat was starting to rack up into the office and I could tell that the people around me was starting to get frustrated with the heat. Angela and Oscar are at each others throats about the air conditioner not turning on.
"I have told you a million times to stop turning on the air conditioner in the winter just because 'you work more efficiently!'" Angela shouts in annoyance. "Well your not any better since you crank the heating up so high on the thermostat, IN SPRING!"Oscar argues back.
I could only sigh as I tried to continue my work on my computer with my rickety fan just blowing the smallest bit of cold air to keep me sane. But just as I finished doing my emails I heard someone walk up to my desk. "It's pretty hot isn't it?" Jim leans over on my desk. I don't know why but he has been doing that a lot recently coming over to my desk, most likely because he's either bored or needs a break from Dwight which is what he normally saids as an excuse. But i'm not complaining since it give's me small intervals of a break from my work. "Hmm..Not really I mean I don't know about you but it feels really cold over here." I tease even though I feel just as warm as everyone else.
"Oh yea I see you have the entire Artic over here." Jim adds whilst leaning over the reception desk to see my fan trying to preform the new north pole with such little performance of cold air coming out. "Are you coming over here because your bored again or you trying to steal my fan?" I giggle a little. "Because this is what? The third slash forth time coming over here." I click away on my mouse not being able to stop smiling. "Well actually, it's because Dwight has been learning this 'new' cooling down technique even thought all he's doing is throwing around his sweat in all directions it was gross." I leaning over to the right to see what Jim was talking about, and all I see is Dwight exposing his arm pits from his extremely sweat driven work shirt, but within a matter of seconds I got a small whiff of his sweat causing me to scrunch my nose in disgust.
"Ah I see what you're talking about." I see Jim eyeing up the fan."Do you want to use the fan?" I question causing Jim to get out of daydreaming land at the fan. "N-No, I was just like looking at your desk with how tidy and organised it is." He smiles back at me like the daydream never happened. I could only sigh lightly. "Alright fine you can use the fan for TWENTY SECONDS! Only, ok? Before I end up being another animal to this zoo thats forming from this heat." I hand him the small desk fan.
After giving Jim the fan and him saying he will make sure to count to twenty (which was really slow by the way.) Once he started to use the fan, I only just noticed him having his work shirt sleeves rolled up just past his elbows, his blue tie loosened, along with his top button un done, and his tidy water fall styled hair turning slightly matted from the sweat of his forehead. I don't know why but I just started staring at Jim and spacing out suddenly at him whilst he has the fan directly on his face, 'I guess the heat really is getting to me..'
"Wow the heat is really getting to you. You were not kidding your face is all red." Jim laughs lightly at my really bright red face. "Anyways heres the fan back, I had it for twenty one instead of twenty I hope you don't mind." I laughed lightly as he gave me back the fan." Ah well, I guess I will have to charge you extra." I teased. He laughed back.
Just as Jim waved goodbye to me to head back to his desk, Michael's office door slams open with Michael taking the heat worse than everybody else with the state that he's in. "OH MY GOD! It's SO hot!" Michael saids about the 20th time today saying nearly the same thing over and over again. "You know what! I'm fed up of this heat, you are all fed up of this heat. COME ON CONFERENCE ROOM NOW! So we can find ways to stay cool because its getting really bad in here." Michael shouts in frustration.
We all started to gather in the conference room, it was extremely uncomfortable, it was very sticky with being all close together and everyone sweat smell was combining together to create this catastrophic fishy/bin smell. Luckily I was able to bring my desk fan in with me but I had to pass it around since no one else has one.
"Right is everyone here? Great. So! Does anyone have any ideas on how to stay cool?" Michael questions around the room. Everyone stays quiet for a moment to think. Then Dwight's hand shoots up in the air. "I KNOW! I could run to the store and get a ton of ice cubes and we can all have ice cube foot baths-" No Dwight! Ice cubes melt we need something that will last us the rest of the day or even the entire summer." Michael shouts.
All of us started to murmur trying to think of ideas to stay cool on this really hot day, like Oscar suggesting we have ice-cream but Michael just screamed at him the same way as Dwight's suggestion.
I could tell that people were getting frustrated from the heat and being scrunched up together in this meeting room, I raised my head with an idea thats popped into my head. "Hey, why not go swimming?" Everyone turns there head to me. "I know its the middle of the day but we could do it after work or something to cool off." I suggested. I could see Michael was thinking long and hard (well at least he's not immediately turning down my idea like everyone else's.) "YES! I LOVE THAT IDEA! Lets go right now!" Michael shouts in excitement as I lean back in my chair in the relief.
"But Michael it's the middle of the day and we have tons of work to do." Phyllis replies.
Oscar follows. "Yea exactly and we need to find someone to go at a short noticed since everywhere is booked because schools are starting to finish."
Most of us kept on barding him with questions with this big idea "ALRIGHT! ALRIGHT! ENOUGH!" Michael shouts getting everyone to be quiet.
"I will answer all of your questions, so, Phyllis. How do you expect us to work in this heat when we're all slowly melting. Oscar, we will go to my condo since it has a pool and-" Dwight interrupts. "Does Jan know that you're throwing this party since you will be moving out of your condo in a week?"
"YES! She does Dwight!" Michael lying through his teeth. "So anyways, anymore questions?" We all look at each other but stayed silent. "OK THEN! We will meet at my condo in an hour that should give you all enough time to get your bikini's and speedos and any guests you want to bring."
Within the very quick hour that went by all of us from the office turned up (not Toby) with our swim wear and any guests that we'd bring that wasn't working and was willing to come short notice.
We all arrived at Michaels condo with his back gate wide open welcoming us in with bright colourful lights and balloons? I mean it is a pool party after all. "HEYYY GUYS! LETS GET THIS PARTY STARTED!" Michael shouts in excitement with glow sticks in his hands. 'how did he get this all together in such a short amount of time? I guess he was excited that his co-workers are coming over to his condo since he is moving out with Jan.'
About half of was able to bring people with us since it was very short notice I couldn't bring anyone and I didn't want to disturb Jayden since he is trying to get his life back on track. Some of my co-workers brought either their friends or family completely depending on who was available at such short notice.
Pretty much after everyone got settled with a spot around the pool with drinks (including alcohol) and nearly all of us was in the pool swimming away the heat.
Me and Dwight were splashing each other and chasing each other around the pool squeezing in-between Phyllis who's playing with the beach ball with Oscar and Anglia, splashing them in the process. "HEY! We're trying to play a game here!"Angela scolds whilst I try to squeeze through them with Dwight on my tail. "Sorry! It's just Dwight keeps trying to get me- Haha!" I laugh apologetically as I kept on swimming away.
Eventually I was backed into the corner of the pool with no where else to go and suddenly, Dwight splashed me heavily with pool water causing my hair to go flat like drenched seaweed. "OK! OK! YOU GOT ME HAHA!" I laughed heavily moving my hair out the way since it was covering my vision. Once I was able to see again, I splashed Dwight back just as much causing us to both laugh since his glasses and hair was completely soaked. "Here let me help." I went to aide with drying Dwight's glasses since he couldn't see very well and put them back on him. "Thanks." Dwight blinks his vision back and smiles at me (which was a rare sight to see thats for sure.)
I go to sit on the step where you enter into the water to take a small rest as Dwight goes off to join Phyllis and the others playing with the beach ball which of course ends in chaos.
I look around and see that everyone is in a much brighter mood since everyone is starting to cool off now from the heat. Mostly everyone is in the water taking it all in as much as possible with there drinks and sitting on floaties.
Michael has been managing his small DJ set of music to keep the party going, Ryan and Kelly are both laying on large floaties soaking the sun with their drinks in one hand and holding each others in the other, Creed and Kevin just had their feet in the water whilst they sit on the pools edge having a chat, Stanly was just laying fully down on one of the deck chairs with his sun hat on soaking in the sun and finally Jim and his guest that he invited were having a chat with there drinks not even in swimming costumes.
"HEY JIM!" I shout over the party music. "You going to come in the pool?" I questioned getting him and his guest attention. "We will come in a minute just need to finish talking to my friend." Jim replies as I nod back to him.
|~|__|~|__|~|
🎥 "Why did I bring Karen with me?" Jim speaks to the camera. "Well you see, after we have dropped (Y/n) off back at her house from the hospital, me and Andy went to go have dinner at this restaurant he found out about and we ended up bumping into Karen on the way in." Jim explains.
"So me, Andy and Karen all had something to eat there and once Andy went to the bathroom, me and Karen got to talking, doing some catching up and one thing lead to another we have kindaaa started seeing each other again." Jim shrugs hiding his embarrassment.
"Anyways so I thought that if I want to get over Pam I need to start dating someone else and I can properly start to date Karen again so I don't have crushes on my co-workers" Jim laughs lightly.
"You ready to go swimming?" I ask Karen. "yea defiantly, you going to undress first or you going into the pool with your work clothes on?" Karen teases as she takes off her work shirt showing her brightly coloured bikini. "Nah imma keep my clothes on." I joked as I take off my work pants and tie but only keeping on my shirt and boxers.
Both of us jumped into the pool with huge smiles on our faces feeling the relief of the cold water in the swimming pool and swam over to Dwight and (Y/n) who seems to be very enthusiastically talking about what game to play next. "Hey! You both made it! It's so much nicer in here isn't it?" (Y/n) smiles cheerfully at our presence. "Yep and I decided y'know what? The water is so much better with your clothes on." I chuckled to myself with my white work shirt clinging to my chest and hearing Karen laugh lightly beside me. "Oh (Y/n)! This is Karen, she used to work in our office about two to three years ago." I introduced as I wrapped my arm around Karen's waist causing her to blush.
(Y/n) smiles longingly at us. "Awe thats sweet, it's nice to meet you Karen. I'm one of the new receptionists at the office I started about three months ago." Karen didn't hesitate at her and shakes her hand back politely.
I hear Dwight verbally sigh. "What is it now Dwight?" I splash him a little causing him to wipe his glasses. "It's NOTHING JIM! It just think it's stupid that you're dating someone that you have already dated in the past-" I interject with splashing Dwight with more water. "JIM YOU WILL-" I splash him again. "I WILL DESTROY YOU-!" I splash him heavily again. "Sorry Dwight what was that?" I made Karen laugh causing me to smile as I rub her shoulder.
(Y/n) interrupts. "How about we play the game that we suggested Dwight, then that way you can 'destroy' Jim just like you wanted." We all nod in agreement. "So whats the game we're going to play?" Karen asks. (Y/n) and Dwight look at each other smirking. "CHICKEN FIGHT!" They shouted in unison.
Me and Karen got really excited, so all four of us split into pairs of two, Karen was on my shoulders whilst (Y/n) was on Dwight's.
"I'm going to destroy you Jim!" Dwight looks at me with a determined face. "We will see about that." I smirk.
Just as we was about to start playing the sliding door to the back of Michael's condo slams open. "MICHAEL WHAT IS ALL THIS?!" Jan storms in causing the loud DJ music to abruptly stop and everyone basically stops what they're doing.
All of us look between Michael and Jan not knowing whats going to happen. "Michael can I speak to you inside." Jan said sternly. Michael told us to go home in a gloomy manner and followed Jan back into the condo with the sliding door slammed shut.
All of us looked at Michael sympathetically since we can see Jan shouting at him and nearly can hear what they're saying through the glass sliding door.
Most of us got out of the pool and started packing our things readying to leave to go home since it was past five so there was not point going back to the office since the work day was over.
Karen walks next to me in her changed clothes as for me being still soaking wet not bringing any. "So I was wondering, if you're free tomorrow we could go to that cafe you suggested just to two of us?" Karen smiles. "Yea I would love to! I don't have anything going on so I will meet you there sayyy...1:00?" Karen agrees and we started making our way home.
🎥"I'm glad me and Jim met up at the restaurant yesterday since I was going through a rough patch with my previous boyfriend and he was dealing with something it was like destiny to meet up again." Karen nods.
"Why are you saying if i'm worried to be with Jim?" Karen questions "Oh! Because of the new receptionist? I highly doubt that will happen twice and anyways she seems really nice and looks to be together with Dwight since they bounce off each other so...No. I'm not worried."