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I take a step toward her, and cautiously say, “Twinkle.”

“You’ve been lying to me,” she accuses sharply. Her small hands ball into fists on her sides. One is still clutching her phone. Searching my apologetic gaze, she asks in a small voice, “Waseverythinga lie?”

I expected that question, but it still skins me alive. I answer truthfully. “Of course not, darling.”

“Then why?” she yells in frustration. I swear I could hear her heart breaking in two.

It wasn’t my intention to hurt her this way. It doesn’t matter that I was about to confess before her phone rang, and now, I’m too late. She won’t believe me.

However, it doesn’t mean I won’t fight for her, not after waiting for so long to have her.

Not when I’m so close to making her mine.

Bridging the gap because I hate the space between us, I cup her cheeks and tilt her face back until I’m peering into those expressive eyes that ensnared me from the first time they lockedon mine. “I’m sorry I didn’t tell you. I was scared of you running away from me again. I wanted you to let down your walls first. Had I told you the truth about me, you would’ve built them even higher.”

She blinks, knowing deep down I’m right.

Even in the first few days, she kept me at arm’s length. Twinkle’s like a little bird. One wrong move, and she’ll fly and slip away. Little does she know, I don’t want to cage her, I just want to fly right beside her.

“I also know it still doesn’t excuse what I did. I just wanted you to get to know the real me.”

“Do I?” she murmurs.

I flinch. “Yes, you do, Twinkle. I may have lied about my identity and hid some things about my past, but everything else was real. My feelings for you aren’t fake. I crave you with every fiber of my being, and I need you in my life.”

“Why should I believe you? What if I’m just another girl on the long list of your past conquests? I read the goddamn articles, Kingston. Tell me they’re lying about you being a player.”

“That’s not me anymore,” I answer sincerely. I’ve never wished to erase my past more than I do right now. “I’ve changed.”

Her expression becomes crestfallen, making my hands drop as she steps away and cries out, “Oh gosh! I’m so naïve and stupid. You must have been laughing behind my back at how easily you fooled me.” Her spine snaps straight and she spins toward me. “What about that kid? It wasn’t a project you were signing. He asked for an autograph, didn’t he?”

“Yeah,” I utter low.

“It makes so much sense now,” she whispers to herself while gazing at her feet. Raising her narrowed gaze on mine,she says, “Judging by your performance, you should be an actor rather than an NBA player. What else are you hiding from me?”

“Just let me explain.”

“So, there’s more?” she huffs in disbelief.

I’m afraid to tell her there’s so much more, but it’s the only way for us to move forward. She needs to know how deep my feelings for her run. “Sit down first.”

Apprehension shadows the contours of her cheeks, but she obeys and goes to sit on the couch. I settle beside her while keeping my distance so she doesn’t think I’m crowding her.

Resting my elbows on my knees, I look her square in the eyes and confess the biggest truth. “I found out you weren’t Tina the day after our date.”

“What?” Her jaw drops. “So, you only acted surprised when Hilda yelled my name?”

“Yeah.” In a moment, it’ll be the least of her concerns. “I knew after our kiss that you were fighting your attraction for me, but I couldn’t understand why. Besides, there was no way I was taking the chance on you and Julian meeting and hitting it off. Because the moment I saw you, I knew you were mine. So, I went to the agency to ask about you and find a way to reach out to you. Except, the girl they showed me wasn’t you in the picture.”

“Then how did you find me?” Twinkle asks timidly.

“When I looked her up, I saw you next to Tina in a picture she posted online. I had never been happier being conned than I was at that moment. It was too big of a coincidence for me to guess. I’ve always had a belief that life takes you where you’re meant to be, and I knew there was a reason fate led me to you. Of course, I had nothing but your name to look for, and when I did find it, your account was private. I wanted to explain everything by meeting you in person.”

DMing her would’ve been a risk. I only had one chance and I didn’t want to fail.

Twinkle stares at me unblinkingly, and I have to clench my hand so as to not reach out and place her on my lap. It physically pains me not being able to touch or hold her. After being inseparable for the past week, the space threatens to drown me.

I focus on getting the whole truth out and scrub my chin with a hand. “For a month, I kept checking Tina’s profile for any crumbs of you that could help me get closer to you. Until one day, she posted a story of both of you baking together in your kitchen and I learned about your business. I followed your page and watched every one of your lives to hear your sweet voice. I read your blogs religiously and loved knowing the little things about you. The universe sent another sign when I saw you mention traveling here for the holidays.”