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She blinks at me as that sinks in.

“No.”

“Yep.”

“What the hell are the chances of that?”

“Some might say it’s fate?”

“Yeah, some might,” she muses. “I can’t believe that. It’s crazy.”

“Yeah,” I say, tearing my eyes away from hers.

“What? Garrett, what have you done?”

A heavy sigh falls from my lips. “He doesn’t know,” I confess, feeling the weight of the lie I’ve been carrying around lift momentarily.

“He doesn’t know what?” Sienna asks hesitantly.

“That I’m the guy he was talking to online.” Shame burns through me, making me feel about two feet tall.

“Garrett.”

“I know, I know. I wanted to tell him when I first figured it out, but I was scared. If he knew who I was, that I was connected to his real life, he probably would have sent me away. He’d opened up to me online in a way he didn’t for a long time in real life. Hell, some of it he still hasn’t told me.”

“Like what?”

“Like…I don’t actually know that he’s an artist. He’s never told me or shown me anything. He’s holding it back.”

“Why?”

I shrug. “I don’t know. Maybe he feels like it’s too personal.”

“Christ. You need to tell him.”

“I know I do. Trust me, I do. I should have told him when he saw the app notification; it was the perfect time, but…he freaked out and…”

“And?”

“And I didn’t.”

“Fucking hell.”

“You really think it’ll be that bad?” I ask, cringing. I already know the answer; it’s why I’m so terrified to bring it up.

“You’re lying to him, Garrett. It’s by omission, but it’s still a lie.”

“Like Calvin did to you?” I point out.

“Yes, exactly like that, and being the one on the other end of that hurts. He’s trusting you, Garrett. Trusting you so much right now. You owe it to him to be fully open.”

“I know,” I mumble. “I just…I don’t want to lose him.”

“Everyone fucks up sometimes. If what you’ve got is real, he’ll find a way to forgive you.”

“And if it’s not? If he can’t?”

She chews on her bottom lip, allowing me to fill in those blanks myself.