Kowalski and Monique had been in a relationship for a while. They ate hapunan together, took walks in the park, and sometimes Kowalski would spend the night at her house--in her bed. He sinabi it was because her room was quiet, but Monique had a feeling it was for some other reasons.
So all in all, they had a good relationship. They were meant for each other.
But then Kowalski started picking up a nervous vibe from Monique whenever they were together. She seemed distant sometimes, and Kowalski felt awkward talking to her. They started spending less time together.
It was a Thursday evening in August that Kowalski decided he had to talk to her. They hadn't seen each other for a week, and he was starting to lose the will to live. Living seemed so pointless to him without Monique.
He crept to her apartment door and knocked softly. After a moment the door opened, and Monique poked her head out. Kowalski saw that distant look in her eyes again, like she was retreating into her shell.
"Monique, we need to talk," Kowalski said.
Monique nodded curtly and let him in.
Kowalski stepped into the threshold and stood there sa pamamagitan ng the door, shuffling his feet uncomfortably. Normally he would just go sit on the couch, but nothing seemed normal anymore.
"You needed to talk to me?" Monique asked. She was perched on a dumi ng tao sa pamamagitan ng the counter. She looked ready to jump up at the slightest disturbance: her muscles were tense, her eyes flitting from Kowalski to the door to the sopa and then back to Kowalski again.
"Yea. I did need to talk to you," Kowalski said, acknowledging Monique's question. "Monique, you seem so...so different nowadays. You barely ever speak to me, you act so nervous, you don't even look at me anymore..." Kowalski trailed off, then started up again: "Monique, I miss you." His eyes filled with tears.
Watching him, Monique could tell how much she truly meant to him. She watched a tear escape his eye, trickle down his face, and plop onto the floor. It was followed sa pamamagitan ng another.
"Kowalski, I've been keeping a secret from you," Monique sinabi slowly. "I...I have Asperger's syndrome. That's what was making me like that. It's on the spectrum of autism. I guess you know that. But it makes it hard for me to continue a conversation, sometimes I say really walang tiyak na layunin things. It makes me unsure of our relationship. I didn't tell you because I was worried you wouldn't pag-ibig me anymore."
Kowalski crossed the puwang between them in three strides and kissed Monique on the lips until she pulled away. Then he took her hands in his.
"Monique, I will always pag-ibig you. I don't care if you're insane, I don't care if your vocal chords are destroyed and you can't even talk to me anymore...I don't car about that. I pag-ibig you." He kissed her again, and Monique kissed back.