In the kitchen, I find a cup in one of the cabinets. I don't dare use the ice dispenser on the door - far too noisy - and instead open the freezer and reach right into the ice machine itself. I grab several ice cubes, dump them in my glass, and quickly close the freezer.

Then nearly drop them, because suddenly there's a figure beside me. Alex.

He looks just as surprised to see me out here as I do him.

"Is everything okay?" he asks. "Did you need ...