"Everything okay? You feeling okay?"

Chiara found Ned's concern cute and touching. She nodded at him, giving him a smile as well.

He was sitting at the foot of the bed, long legs crossed at the ankle as they stretched out next to hers.

They were just chatting, doing nothing in particular. Waiting for Drew to come back from her house with some clothes for her. Today she was finally being allowed out of bed, like downstairs to walk around and not to be on semi-invalid status anymore.

"It's just that you seem kinda quiet this morning."

"I'm sorry, I'm just buzzing with everything I need to do, that's all." Chiara reached out and patted Ned's socked foot. As usual, Ned was wearing blindingly white athletic socks. He had a thing for them and washed his socks in hot water with lots of bleach, always. Chiara smiled as she touched it.

Ned smiled back and wiggled his foot.

"Just don't try to over do it, yeah? You were really sick for a long time, so easy does it. Drew's got your move well in hand, so you won't have to lift a finger, you'll be all moved in to the cottage by tomorrow night."

Chiara sat up. "What? We never discussed anything like that!"

Ned face palmed for a second. "Fuck me, was I not supposed to tell you that?" He shook his head. "Too late now, I suppose. "Well, anyway, movers have been hired, everything will be brought over here, so there's nothing for you to worry about."

Chiara had actually supposed that the three of them would just get her moved over the course of a few days or a week. Now that she thought about it, however, that was kind of a ridiculous idea. Who would ever think of internationally famous pop stars pulling on work gloves and moving furniture and packing dishes and all that?

Chiara, stop being a git.

"And I guess there's no chance that Drew will take money from me for any of this, is there?"

Ned laughed, his famous, loud guffaw that girls the world over loved. He shook his head. "You need to put that thought right out of your head," he agreed.

Chiara hadn't really talked to Drew since their second and very enjoyable kiss the day before. He seemed to pretending that it hadn't happened, so she was doing the same. The three of them had spent the previous evening in Chiara's bed, watching a movie on the TV that was above the fireplace in the master bedroom.

Perhaps a more astute observer than Ned might have noticed a bit of strain between Chiara and Drew, but he was happily oblivious, laughing uproariously at the funny parts of the movie, slapping his leg and digging into the popcorn.

Today, however, he gave her a keen glance, green eyes very bright in the December sunlight shining through the window. "Something going on between you and Drew?" When she didn't answer right away, he nudged her with his foot.

Chiara bunched the comforter up between her hands to give herself time to think. She finally looked back at him and shook her head. "No? What do you mean by 'something?'"

"I suppose I mean what people usually mean when they say 'something,'" he answered with a grin.

"Of course not!" Chiara tried to make her voice strong and convincing. "Drew is an international pop star, he could have anyone, he's not going to slum it with the local gardener, is he?" She gestured to herself. "Not to mention this package I come in--"

"Hey!" Ned's voice was soft, but stern. "None of that, now. You have a lot to offer a fellow."

"Ned. Edmund." They both smiled at her use of his given name. "I've seen the women you guys date. They're all supermodels, Victoria's Secret Angels, social media influencers--I mean, the least glamorous and famous one is Gary Pillsbury's baby mama, and I think read somewhere that she's already signed a contract to do a layout for Playboy after her baby's born."

Ned burst out laughing. "She has not!"

Chiara nodded. "Yes, she has! I mean, I don't know if it's true, but I know I read it in OK or something."

Ned pulled out his phone and began typing. "No way is Gary going to be okay with that. That's going to be his daughter's mum. He'll have management put a stop to it."

"Are you telling him?" Chiara asked. The idea that the person sitting in front of her could just send someone as famous as Gary Pillsbury a text on a whim was kind of amazing. Of course, the fact that the person sitting in front of her was Ned Hunter was kind of amazing as well, as was the fact that Drew Pennington was at her house as they spoke, poking through her bureau, going through her clothes and unmentionables to bring her something to wear.

"Course I am," Ned answered cheerfully. "Something like that could affect the whole band. Plus, Gars is my friend, I don't want him to go through more rubbish than he has to over all of this."

"And did you say 'daughter?'"

Ned nodded. "They found out it's going to be a girl."

"Wow. One of you guys is going to be a father," Chiara said, shaking her head.

"I know, kind of blows your mind, doesn't it?"

"Yeah."

They both heard the front door close on the ground floor, then the sound of Drew taking the stairs, two at a time.

"I'm back, I'm back," he announced unnecessarily. He took in the homey tableau of the two of them, sitting at opposite ends of the bed, legs stretched out next to each other.

"Well, don't you two look cozy," he said as he approached.

"Your bits and pieces, Mademoiselle," he said with a bow, handing over a gym bag.

Chiara accepted the bag while silently mulling over what he could possibly mean by "cozy?"

She looked in the bag and looked back at Drew immediately. "Very funny, you," she said, her eyes narrowing. "I thought I told you to bring me 'one of the long sleeved sweaters in the bottom drawer?'"

"Yeah? Isn't that what I brought?" Blue eyes blinked innocently at her.

Chiara pulled out a gray hoodie with "Manderley Dreams" embroidered on the front, above pictures of all four boys faces. The back of the hoodie had all of the tour dates of one of their tours from three years ago. The boys, looking a bit younger, smiled out from the front of the hoodie.

"This definitely wasn't in that drawer, was it?" she asked rhetorically.

"No, but I wanted to see it on you," Drew explained. "I bet it looks smashing, yeah?"

"Please, I want to see it on you as well," Ned chimed in.

"Shut up, both of you." Chiara got out of bed. "I have to go get dressed." She headed toward the master bathroom.

As she pulled her bra and undies out of the bag, she realized that Drew had handled them, had picked them out for her, and this fact made her feel funny. He hadn't chosen her plainer, more serviceable garments, but rather had gone for a lacy black bra and a thong, not at all what she would've chosen for herself.

She quickly pulled the hoodie over her head and pulled up the jeans, buttoning and zipping them, then putting the socks on. She saw that he'd somehow found her Manderley Dreams socks as well, which made her laugh.

She slowly made her way downstairs, where there was a cup of tea waiting for her. She did a slow twirl so the boys could see the hoodie in all its glory.

They clapped and whistled, making her scoot into her seat in embarrassment.

"So I heard that the move has already been taken care of?" she asked Drew.

He shot Ned a look.

"You and your gob," he said, shaking his head. "You just can't keep it shut, ever, can you?" Ned opened his mouth to say something, but Drew went on before he could. "Not like she wasn't going to twig soon enough, right?"

"I'm sorry, mate," Ned said plaintively. "I just forgot I wasn't supposed to tell, that's all."

He turned to Chiara. "I might as well tell you I got you a house warming gift," he said, scratching his head with embarrassment.

"What? Oh, Ned, you didn't have to," Chiara objected. "I'm not even buying the house, it's not even mine! A house warming is for when you own the place, silly."

"I don't care," he insisted. "It's not even new," he admitted. "I had them made for my place in London, but they turned out kinda girly, and I thought you'd like them, so I had them brought down here, that's all. Just tell me if you don't care for them, yeah?"

"Them? Plural? Oh god, they weren't, like, super dear, were they? How much, Ned?"

He shook his head. "Not too bad, honest. My friend makes them. They're pretty, just not for me. Arrived this morning."

"You mean they're here now?" Chiara rose. "Can we see them?"

Drew shook his head. "Just like a woman."

"So? I am a woman, I admit it." Chiara said with a smile. "I love presents, and now I know he didn't spend money on them, I can really enjoy them, you know?" She looked at Ned. "Lead the way, please."

He rose and they walked into the front room, the one that would probably end up being a formal living room. There were two colorful things standing next to the wall, wrapped in bubble wrap, with electrical cords trailing off. Drew and Ned began unwrapping the bubble wrap, and when they were finished, Chiara smiled with delight at what she saw.

They were floor lamps, obviously hand made, with numerous small glass shades, hung in a spiral pattern.

"These are just gorgeous, Ned!" She leaned up on tiptoe to kiss him, softly, on his cheek. As she came back down, she could see ruddy patches of color appearing on his cheeks, along with the dark red that was creeping up out of the collar of his shirt.

"No one's ever given me such beautiful gifts, truly. I can't wait to see how they'll look in the cottage. Thank you."

"And of course, thank you, Drew, for letting me stay there in the first place, you're a lifesaver."

"No need to thank me," Drew said tersely. "I'm getting free gardening for the duration, aren't I? It's a fair trade, across the board."

He turned on his heel and left the room, leaving Ned and Chiara standing alone together.

"Was it something I said?" Ned asked in confusion.