He can't help but notice the smile -- and the blush, although that's a little harder to pick up on -- and comment on it. "Looks like you might be giving it some thought right now," he says, smiling a little to show that he's not judging Ned for it by any means, nor mocking him in any way.

On one hand, he finds it slightly amusing, how intently Ned is staring at the strawberries, as though that will change his tone of voice or get rid of that shy smile. On the other hand, he finds it intriguing; if Ned has considered it, if attachment of some kind is something he wants, whether familial or romantic, why hasn't he had it before now? There's nothing wrong with his looks, objectively speaking, and he seems perfectly nice, so perhaps there's something else, something about his personal life he doesn't want people to know.

Could it be the powers Ned had admitted to? If so, what about them might make him reluctant to be close to people? Surely they were useful powers, though odd ones. Meyer now sees Ned as some kind of puzzle, albeit a fairly benign one. With a brain that never sits still for long, he's already coming up with plausible scenarios about what deep, dark secrets Ned has. After all, everyone has them.