"What are you guys doing here?" Lee frowned as he opened the front door and stood face to face with Kirstie and Ben.
"Are we not allowed to pop in and visit our favourite couple?" Kirstie grinned, smiling at Lee as he gestured for them to enter the house.
"You'll have to follow me into the kitchen, I'm cooking breakfast." he told them, quickly making his way back into the kitchen. Ben beamed at him as he perched at the breakfast bar, watching Lee as he continued cooking.
"Shall I make tea and coffee?" Kirstie offered.
"Yeah that sounds good." Lee said, smiling at her.
"What are you making anyway?" she asked, peering over the pan.
"Eggs Benedict." he told her, smiling slightly when she raised her eyebrow.
"What?" he frowned, as she wriggled her eyebrows cheekily.
"The last time you made that was when you and Chloe pulled an all nighter, am I to assume that's the case again?" she giggled, elbowing him in the ribs as she teased him.
"Oooh spill." Ben chuckled, smiling his thanks at Kirstie when she handed him a mug of coffee.
"There's nothing to tell." Lee said quietly, sighing to himself. A small smile played on the corner of his lips as his mind wandered to all those months ago when he returned from Germany. How he'd finally felt whole again as soon as he was in Chloe's presence.
"C'mon don't be boring." Ben chuckled.
"My sex life is off limits, I'm respecting Chloe's wishes." he replied shortly, choosing not to mention the fact that Chloe hadn't been near him for the past couple of weeks.
"Where is Chloe anyway?" Kirstie asked, sitting beside Ben at the kitchen island.
"She's still in bed. I thought I'd make her breakfast." he told them.
"How's she been, I haven't seen her since the night she disappeared?" she asked, her stomach churning nervously when she noticed Lee sigh sadly to himself. Even though she had no idea what was going on, she couldn't help but notice the deep sadness, hidden behind his eyes.
"She's fine." he said quietly, not entirely sure what to say. He knew that Chloe was a private person and he couldn't help but feel that she wouldn't want him discussing her with them, particularly if they didn't already know about the situation.
"I have been trying to call her for the past couple of weeks, but she never picks up." she tried, trying to ignore the concern that she was feeling for her friend.
"Really?" Lee frowned, suddenly realising for the first time that Chloe was even being distant with her best friend. He felt a small wave of relief wash over him that he wasn't the only person that Chloe was pushing away, but that was quickly replaced by concern over her wellbeing. No matter how much he racked his brain, he couldn't seem to figure out why Chloe was suddenly isolating herself. The only thing he could possibly think of was that everything that she'd been through in her life, had finally caught up on her. Combined with the fear of losing the baby and her hormones, she was no longer able to cope with everything. He found himself wishing once again that she would allow him to help her in her time of need.
"Yeah, that's why I came over really, to check on her." Kirstie said sadly, still not entirely sure if she had done something to upset her friend.
"She's fine, she's just been resting a lot." he reassured her, shooting her a small smile when he suddenly noticed how worried she was about Chloe. He couldn't help but share her concerns, his heart sinking as he took a sip of his coffee.
