First of all thank you everyone for participating in this incredible journey with me. I know you've all waited patiently and here it is, chapter 19 and the last chapter of Is Love All or Nothing? I've tried my best to tie up all loose knots, give answers to questions that I am willing to answer, and give a happy ending. Again thank you Tigersman for all the editing you have done for me since you've jumped on board.
OK, enough ranting by me. Enjoy!
*****
"So you really thought I was mad at you all this time?" Keith asked in disbelief.
"Maybe not all this time," Stacy admitted embarrassed, "but I had nothing to go on. You never contacted me again."
Keith shook his head and laughed, remembering that night all too clearly. "From my perspective, you took the news as if I was breaking up with you. I didn't want to force us being friends if that wasn't what you wanted."
"Well you were right. We would have been better at just being friends."
"Were? I think you mean are better at just being friends," Keith pointed out. "You never lost me as a friend Stacy. All you had to do was send me a text to chat and I would have."
"Just like that? Send a text and no questions asked?" Stacy asked perplexed.
"Um, yeah. One miscommunication is nothing to ruin a friendship over."
"Really? What about Stan?"
"Stanley Morris? That's wasn't a miscommunication. He just interpreted everything in a way to make himself look good and everyone else look like an idiot."
"Ok, bad example," Stacy admitted.
"What was a bad example?" Jackie asked, coming through Keith's bedroom door.
"I tried pointing how miscommunication had ruined a friendship for Keith in the past, but I chose probably the worst person from high school to use."
"Better example would have been the first night Keith and I met."
Stacy looked at Jackie, interested to hear what happened. "Do tell." Jackie went on to tell her about the first conversation she had with Keith and how he ran out on her. "Yep, that sounds like Keith," she said laughing.
"I did make an ass out of myself that night," Keith said.
"Maybe, but you're the sweetest boyfriend ever. Far from the ass you thought you were," Jackie comforted.
"Keith is only an ass some of the time," Andy said as he walked in. "Most of the time he is just clueless."
"And what does that say about you sticking around with such a clueless friend?" Keith shot back.
"Says that you need me so you're not so clueless."
Keith rolled his eyes. "Now I know what you think of me as a friend."
"You know I only jest. You were only clueless about social situations."
"I can't see how people just don't understand how awesome I am."
"Whatever you say Keith." Andy turned to look at Stacy. "Do you need a ride back to the bar to get your car?"
"Sure." Stacy said her goodbye to Keith and Jackie promising to keep in touch with both of them. She and Andy left the apartment and walked to Andy's car. "So you've been taking care of Keith all this time in my place," Stacy said.
"Yep," Andy answered, "and you can have him back." They got into the car and Andy started his car. "What was Keith like in high school?"
"I didn't really get to know him until he asked me to be his date for homecoming our sophomore year."
"He told me that and he was ready to be rejected by you."
"If he had asked me on a different day I might have," Stacy admitted, "but he asked a few days after I was dumped for some slut."
"Did he know?" Andy asked.
"He knew I wasn't seeing that guy anymore. I was starting to feel better about myself that day and then he asked me to be his date." Stacy paused for a second, thinking about it. "He didn't seem nervous at all. He just came up to me, greeted me and asked if he could have the honor of being his date to homecoming."
"He phrased it like that?" Andy asked laughing.
Stacy started to laugh as well. "Yep, he did and that was probably the other reason I said yes." Andy looked at her confused and she noticed. "I always knew him just as a weird boy before then, but he was always so kind with the few interactions we did have before then. I knew he wouldn't do anything at the dance to make me uncomfortable and I was at the point I just wanted a friend."
Andy nodded his head. "He has always been so kind. More than once during our freshmen year at college I pushed him past his limits with teasing and such, but when I needed a friend he was always there for me." He stopped his car at the red light. "So what happened at homecoming?"
Stacy smiled. "We danced and just got to know each other. As we talked I found him to be weirded," Andy quietly laughed at that statement, "but also found him to be very passionate about what he talked about. What surprised me most was that he asked about me a lot."
"He likes getting to know people," Andy stated.
Stacy nodded. "Yes he does. Near the end of the night he told me that he has Asperger's and the ways he knew at the time it affected him."
"Did your view of him change when he told you that?"
"Of course. It made me start to understand him better and why he was so weird. Little did he or I know though that his telling me that probably changed me for the better."
"How so?" Andy asked as he parked his car next to hers.
"I was very selfish and conceited back then. More than once I used someone to get my way. Hell, I was wanting to use Keith to get back at the guy who dumped me. When he told me he has Asperger's I started to understand him more. Did you know he actually used to sit alone during lunch?"
"No, I didn't," Andy admitted, surprised by that fact.
"I didn't notice either until I saw him that following Monday sitting by himself, just eating his food. The next two days I still sat with my friends but kept looking over at his table seeing him still by himself. He waved to me one of those days and I waved back, but felt sad that he was alone. He never sat alone again after that day if I could help it."
"What about your friends?"
A small smile formed on Stacy's mouth. "They quickly made fun of me and that I was insane for wanting to sit with Keith. They understood why I went to homecoming with him, but didn't see him as being worthy of me. Looking back now, they wouldn't have been worthy of being his friend. I sure wasn't but he accepted me for me and slowly I realized life wasn't about me. That is the reason why I pursued nursing in college and am now a nurse. I wanted to help people and put them at ease when they needed that sort of help most. More than once because of my experiences with Keith, I was able to help an autistic patient."
Andy slid his hand under Stacy's. "I'm glad he had you as a friend in high school."
"Me too," Stacy said smiling at Andy.
************************************************************
Jackie lay next to Keith as they napped together. After the whole ordeal they both were exhausted and she didn't feel like going home. Especially because she felt guilty for not believing more in Keith, not believing that he wouldn't cheat on her. She only slept for an hour, but she enjoyed watching Keith sleep, seeing him relaxed. About another hour later he started to wake up to see her face. That face which no longer was sad but happy to see him.
"Hey beautiful," Keith said.
"Hi handsome," Jackie replied, giving him a soft kiss on the lips. "Enjoy your nap?"
"Only because I knew you were still here with me." They laid together in silence, looking at each other before Jackie started squirming around. Keith silently started laughing. "I'll still be here while you use the bathroom to relieve yourself."
