Spring had come and gone, and William and Alice continued their secret tryst. Often times William would visit the Dentistry during the day to visit with his father and to sneak her secret sweet treats in the form of chocolates and kisses. He would depart after dinner, only to return at night and whisk Alice away in his glass elevator for a few blissful hours. He took her to explore his magical factory in its entirety and asked her to taste test his newest inventions and confections as he "Trusted her judgment above all." More often than not, the two would sit intertwined with one another in the glass elevator suspended in the sky. They would talk for hours among the stars, with only the moon to hear them. Alice had never considered herself to be a romantic type of person before. Still, William made her feel so deeply; she felt as though she could finally understand the love stories she would often read about in the orphanage library. Before, she would scoff at their illogical and rash decisions. Oh, but now, as she sat in the glass elevator with her head on William's chest and his heartbeat in her ears, she felt as though she understood them completely.
For all his whimsical and fanciful nature, William had never been much interested in love. He had fancied people before, of course, but men he found to be an untrustworthy lot, and women always seemed to make him so nervous he couldn't breathe. He really was quite an anxious fellow. For all his pomp and grandeur, he was shy and timid at heart. His appearance often times presenting confidence and self-assuredness he did not feel. But Alice. From the first moment he had laid eyes on her, he felt drawn to her. Her grey eyes were as soft as morning fog and as level as steel. As he watched her work, he was reminded of his father. William often thought that the two of them seemed to be cut from the same cloth. They both worked tirelessly and were quiet, sensible, and serious. But Alice could also be childlike. He had seen the way her eyes lit up when she bit into the chocolates he snuck her. They sparkled when she saw the stars from the glass elevator. He could see it in the way she laughed at his jokes or his antics that his father always scoffed at. She accepted him exactly as he was, and he never felt as though he was "too much" around her. She acted as a bridge between the two extremes of father and son, and through their shared love for her, they had become closer than they ever had before. William realized for the first time in his adult life as he stroked her dark hair and kissed the top of her head. He was happy. He felt content. All was right in his world. "Alice, my dear Alice, remind me again of why we must hide from my father?" he murmured into her hair. She stirred to look up at him with her level grey eyes. "Because you know how he detests change. Perhaps one day, we can gradually begin to make it known, but I think it would be best if we kept our love to ourselves, just for now." William frowned. "It doesn't feel right...But I suppose you do have a point." He sighed, and Alice kissed him. "One day... just not today." He nodded, and the two fell back into a comfortable, contented silence.
William walked Alice back to the front door of the dentistry. He had a key to the front gate made for himself, so Alice knew he would lock up behind himself. Walking her to the front door was a pointlessly polite formality, but Alice had the sneaking suspicion that it was his way of spending a few more moments with her and perhaps an extra kiss, or two, or three. They were quiet as they said their hushed goodbyes. Alice knew the dentist would be asleep this late at night, and he was by no means a light sleeper. Yet, she thought one could never be too careful when romancing the son of your employer. And the two kissed once more. "Goodnight, my love, my Alice," William whispered into her ear. "Goodnight, Will." She whispered into his neck. The two leaned into each other for one final kiss when a rough cough followed by a click and a sudden flash of light made them jump apart. There, sat in Alice's chair, behind the reception desk, having turned on the desk lamp and presumably having seen and heard everything, sat the old dentist.
"Come in and have a seat. Both of you."
