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67

As the question leaves Lily's lips, it's as if the entire restaurant slowly fades away, leaving only me and her in this booth.

Why would she say that name? Why would Elena ever bring that name up to her?

I feel sick at the mention of my old name, and I don't realize I've been staring blankly into Lily's face until she speaks again. "Is Drew her new boyfriend?"

The sound of her voice brings me back to some form of reality, and time speeds back up.

"Lily..." I respond shakily, trying to keep my voice casual. "Why do you think Elena knows someone by that name? Where did you hear it?"

She takes a deep breath. "I was on the phone with Elena and she told me to tell Drew something. Who is Drew? Is she not coming to the party?"

A whirlwind of thoughts stampede into my mind, but they're too difficult to focus on. I feel my heart drop, a thousand panic signals running through my nerves without knowing what any of them mean. It doesn't make any sense why Elena would mention that name. But I know one thing, for certain: something isn't right.

"Okay Lily, listen to me very, very carefully. Elena is fine and Drew is just one of our friends you haven't met yet. We are still boyfriend and girlfriend. But I need you to think really hard right now. What exactly did Elena say on the phone to you before she hung up?"

Lily nods, pausing for a second before she speaks. "She uh... she asked me to find Drew and tell him that her phone battery was dying and that she had to go... I think."

Every limb in my body freezes at her words, the sudden realization of the situation pierces my heart with the sharpness of a thousand knives. A conversation from six months ago with Elena, or rather, 'Maddy,' echoes tormentingly in my mind. I even hear my own voice in the mix, a painful testament proving the very last thing I want to be true.

"...For future reference though, if your boyfriend unexpectedly walks in again, just say the same thing, that your batteries are dying. Then I'll know you're okay and why you had to get off suddenly..."

"Thank you, I will."

From that point on, Elena told me the phrase, "Sorry Drew, I gotta go. My batteries are dying," countless times, always the same code words to signal that her boyfriend walked into the room— Lucas.

A physical sickness gnaws at me as my mind spins uncontrollably. I refuse to entertain the thought that this is merely a coincidence. If Elena told Lily to tell 'Blake' that her batteries were dying, then maybe I could have explained my unease away, letting the denial comfort me and calm me down. But her mentioning the name Drew was purposeful, a desperate sign to communicate that something was seriously wrong.

Without another word to Lily, I spring up from the booth, practically sprinting over to Julian. Faces blur past me as I rush over, my anxiety fueling my pace. Reaching Julian, I urgently pull him away by the arm and over to a corner of the restaurant. His presence becomes a sort of lifeline, something I desperately need to help me figure out what the fuck is going on.

"Blake, are you okay? What's-"

"Something is wrong with Elena," I confess, running my fingers through my hair in distress. "What were you going to tell me about Lucas a few minutes ago before we got interrupted?"

His brows furrow. "What's wrong with her? And I was going to tell you that we're still actively searching for Lucas. The department might even have a few leads after a successful sting operation with one of the biggest drug dealers in the city. The Columbus PD is patrolling around the area frequently as a favor to me, but they haven't found him yet."