Alice heads toward the elevator when Charlie calls her back from his doorway, saying he opened the envelope of photos. He describes the seven images: six of himself from their summer—moments with cake, the Pegasus-unicorn float, chatting with Nan, making pickles, at the tree house, and in the yellow boat—each showing him looking straight at Alice, and a seventh of the two of them together on the dock.

Charlie admits he tried to look earlier but couldn’t. He gently asks whether Alice truly wants the truth, saying he has been trying to do the right thing by wanting better for her: a life full of freedom, art, and joy. Prompted by Alice, he says the photos showed a man who could not stop looking at her, who looked happy for the first time in a long while, and who had finally found the kind of partner he always wanted.

Charlie then confesses that he saw himself falling in love with her and states plainly that he loves her. He explains that he recognized from the boat incident that Alice would be trouble for him, that he tried to keep his distance, and that he thought offering only friendship and sex would spare her, even if she later found a safer “happy ending.”

When Charlie starts to apologize for what he said after she confessed her feelings before, Alice stops him and steers them back to his declaration of love. He repeats that he loves her, using her full name, and details the future he wants: to make her laugh, comfort her, bake her cakes, admire her art, meet her family, share jokes, spend summers at the lake and winters in the city, run errands, buy her soap, and even pose nude for her.

Alice reciprocates, telling Charlie she loves him too, and jokes about how embarrassingly much. They kiss intensely, experiencing a profound sense of rightness, even when a neighbor briefly interrupts by gasping at the sight. Charlie pulls back, half-joking that he should have kept this to himself because he still has about a week before he is cleared for sex.

They trade light banter about taking things slow, and Charlie promises to make it up to her for a long time, sealing their mutual commitment despite the temporary limitation imposed by his recovery.