**Back to Reality**

Monday morning dawned, and Doug reluctantly dragged himself out of bed, the memory of his weekend with Pam still fresh in his mind. He couldn't help but smile as he thought about their romantic getaway to the beach house. He quickly got dressed and headed to the office, already looking forward to seeing Pam again. As he settled into his cubicle, he pulled out his phone and sent Pam a quick text. "Good morning, beautiful. Missing you already." He couldn't help but feel a pang of excitement as he waited for her response. Pam's response came a few minutes later. "Good morning, handsome. Missing you too. How's the morning going?" Doug's heart skipped a beat as he read her message, and he quickly typed out a response. "It's going slow without you. Just got to the office and I'm dreading the day ahead." The morning flew by in a flurry of meetings and emails, but Doug's mind kept wandering back to Pam. He sent her a few more texts, and they chatted back and forth about their plans for the week. Doug was grateful for the distraction, as it made the day go by faster. Meanwhile, Pam was having a productive morning at her own office, but she couldn't help but feel a little distracted. She kept glancing at her phone, waiting for Doug's next text. Just as she was starting to get back into her work, there was a knock at the door. It was Emily, Doug's ex-girlfriend. Pam's heart sank as she stood up to greet Emily. There was something about Emily's smile that made Pam's skin crawl. "Hey Pam, can I talk to you for a minute?" Emily asked, her voice sugary sweet. Pam hesitated for a moment, but then nodded and gestured for Emily to take a seat. Emily wasted no time getting to the point. "I just wanted to warn you about Doug," she said, her eyes narrowing. "He's not as perfect as he seems. He's got a lot of baggage, and he's not ready to settle down." Pam felt a surge of defensiveness, but she tried to keep her cool. "What do you mean?" she asked, curiosity getting the better of her. But before Emily could respond, the door to Pam's office opened and Doug walked in. "Hey, what's going on?" he asked, his eyes scanning the room until they landed on Emily. Emily's smile faltered, and she quickly stood up. "Just catching up with Pam," she said, her voice tight. Doug's eyes narrowed, and he took a step closer to Emily. "I think it's time for you to go," he said, his voice firm. Emily's face went white, and she quickly gathered her things. "Fine," she said, her voice cold. "But Pam, take my advice. You deserve better than someone like Doug." With that, Emily stormed out of the office, leaving Pam and Doug alone. Doug turned to Pam, his eyes searching. "Are you okay?" he asked, his voice soft. Pam nodded, still trying to process what had just happened. "Yeah, I'm fine," she said. "But what's going on with Emily? Why is she so angry?" Doug sighed, and rubbed his temples. "I'll tell you everything," he said. "But not here. Let's go get some coffee and talk about it in private."