PAPER RINGS ━━ Jim Halpert ¹

LIV. BUSTED

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Paper Rings
chapter fifty four

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MICHAEL'S DANCING ALONE WAS ENOUGH TO HAVE THE DUO WANTING TO HIDE AWAY FOREVER. But as the shots began getting passed around and her body growing warmer and warmer with anxiety, her attempt to hide away from the outside became fruitless. The water below sloshed against the sides of the ship while the cold air assaulted them with its mighty gusts. Evelyn closed her eyes, hand squeezing Jim's bicep as he led her somewhere safe.

          "Every time I close my eyes," she spoke up, leaning into her boyfriend with a humorous smile, "I see Michael trying to do the worm again." Jim barked out a laugh, moving his hand to the railing. He maneuvered her closer until she could feel the metal in front of her. "That was definitely something," he replied.

          She gripped the metal railing so tight, her knuckles turned white. Slowly, she began blinking until she could stare out across the water. "It's pretty," she said, ignoring the watering feeling in the back of her throat. Jim hummed, leaning into the railing. His head remained turned, eyes locked on the brunette next to him. "Not so scary," he replied, only to get a shake of her head in return. "Still scary," she argued. "But not as scary."

          He snorted, finally glancing out toward the dark waters. Just below them stood Dwight on his wheel. "Do you think Dwight could actually pilot a ship?" Jim asked. Evelyn looked down to spot the man. He was humming to himself, plumes of white floating around him. His hands looked natural on the wooden wheel, navigating like some fictional pirate in a movie.

          "No," she replied, biting back a laugh. "No, I do not." Jim's smile grew. He straightened, fingers tapping against the cold railing. "You don't think Dwight, the survivalist, could navigate a giant ship full of passengers?"

          "I think if Dwight had been the captain of the Titanic, he would have hit the iceberg on purpose," she said. "To prove that the ship was unsinkable." Jim spun around to face her, his back pressed to the railing. "Wow. Hardcore," he replied, brows slightly furrowed. He leaned back, anchoring herself on the railing. Her stomach did a half flip inside of her at her movements. "But I think you mean The Hunt for Red October—"

          Her eyes immediately rolled, a big sigh heaving its way past her wind bitten lips. He reached for her hand, lacing their fingers. Their skin was ice cold. "Are you having any fun?" he asked, running his thumb against her skin. She nodded, though she hadn't really thought about it. In all honesty, being inside wasn't too bad. Sure, there were a whole bunch of strangers that made her skin crawl, but it was fine. Being outside, however, felt weird.

          "Can I tell you something?" she asked. Jim nodded almost immediately. Her eyes moved from Jim to Dwight, to the water around them. Softly, she expelled a small breath in hopes to calm the vibrating nerves inside of her. "When I was five years old, I had this babysitter. She was thirteen and she lived in the suburb. But one night, while my mom and dad were out, she had a friend over. They were watching Ghost Ship and were eating all of my leftover Halloween candy stash, right? And I was upset."

          "Rightfully so," he chimed in. She paused, licking her lips. Her eyes focused on their conjoined hands. "When it was bath time, she left me in there alone. It wasn't for long, but just long enough for me to slip under the water. I can remember how it felt for the water to go up my nose and down my throat, and how it burned. And I remember her putting me over her knee and just hitting my back over and over to get the water out because I couldn't breathe."