Thankfully, their night of sleep was uninterrupted. Alice turned around in Matthew's arms and heard him grumble something under his breath. In a moment of bravery, Alice leaned on her elbow and looked at Matthew's face. He was so very handsome: strong features, lovely eyes (even though they were closed right now) and as she thought about this, she leaned down and kissed him on the cheek. At this, Matthew opened his eyes and looked straight at her. "Alice? What made you do that?" Alice leaned back over and quietly whispered in his ear "Matthew, I love you. That's why I did it." Matthew sat up faster than he should have. He turned to look at Alice "oh Alice. I'm so glad. I don't want you to think that I'm saying this only because you have just told me but Alice? I love you too!" Alice turned to Matthew and as a small tear started to fall from her face she said "Matthew, you don't need to say that. I know that you love me. Everything you have done for me has shown me that you love me." Matthew leaned closer to Alice, he lifted his hand and caressed the side of her face. He lifted his other hand caressing both sides of her face at the same time. Alice's breath caught as Matthew leaned in closer. She could smell the remnants of yesterday's aftershave and closed her eyes as Matthew covered her lips with his. It was soft and gentle and everything she had thought it would be, and more. Matthew moved his hands from her face, gently touching her neck and shoulders until his hands found their way around her waist. Alice moved her hands around Matthew's neck and started carding her fingers through the hair at the bottom of his head. Neither one was sure which one had made the move but both of them seemed to be as close as two people could be: they had lost themselves in a kiss that had started so slowly and was now turning into something with more passion. Just at the point where Matthew had unbuttoned the top button of Alice's pyjama top and had moved slowly to kiss her collarbone and that little dip that he found there, his alarm clock went off. Matthew grumbled under his breath and Alice had to laugh at his face. Matthew looked at her and said "well, if that's not a metaphorical bucket of cold water, I don't know what is!" Matthew turned back from the alarm clock and leaned back to Alice for one last kiss, one that she would be thinking about all day. Although, she'd be thinking about more than just the last kiss; she'd be thinking of the first, the last and how Matthew had told her that he was in love with her.