Suddenly, Chak's phone began to ring.
The sound interrupted our conversation.
Chak glanced down at the screen.
The moment he saw the name, his expression changed.
Phalin.
I noticed it immediately.
Chak looked around the table before looking at Anamarija.
"Anamarija, answer it."
She frowned.
"Why?"
"Just answer it."
Anamarija looked at him suspiciously.
"Okay, then."
She took the phone from him and answered.
"Hi. How can I help you?"
There was a short silence.
Then Phalin's voice came through the phone.
"Where's Chak?"
Anamarija glanced at Chak.
"Why do you have his phone?"
Anamarija looked at him again.
Chak immediately shook his head and made a small gesture with his hand, as if telling her to pretend he wasn't there.
Anamarija understood.
"I don't know where he is," she said calmly. "He just gave me his phone."
There was another silence.
Then Phalin's voice suddenly became louder.
"He gave you his phone?! Is he completely crazy?"
Everyone at the table went quiet.
Anamarija raised an eyebrow.
Phalin continued, clearly angry.
"Where are you?"
Anamarija looked around the café before answering.
"That's none of your business."
"You—"
"Bye."
She ended the call.
For a few seconds, she simply stared at Chak's phone.
Then she slowly placed it on the table.
Everyone looked at her.
Chai was the first to speak.
"That went well."
Torn covered his mouth, trying not to laugh.
Malai shook her head.
Anamarija looked at Chak.
"She really doesn't like me."
Chak sighed.
"I know."
I looked at him.
He seemed uncomfortable now.
I gently squeezed his hand beneath the table.
He looked at me and gave me a small smile.
Anamarija pushed the phone toward him.
"Here. You can deal with her later."
Chak picked it up and looked at the screen.
"Thanks."
Anamarija leaned back in her chair.
"You're welcome."
Chai looked between them.
"So... are we going to pretend that didn't happen?"
Everyone laughed softly.
Even Chak couldn't help smiling.
But I noticed that his smile didn't quite reach his eyes.
And somehow, I knew that Phalin's call had just reminded all of us that, no matter how peaceful this dayin Ljubljana felt, the problems waiting for us in Thailand hadn't disappeared.
Taeng was just lifting his cup when he noticed a girl sitting at a nearby table looking at Kit.
At first, he didn't pay much attention to it.
Then he noticed that Kit smiled at something Chai had said, and the girl looked at him again.
Taeng narrowed his eyes slightly.
Why is she looking at him like that?
A few moments later, the girl looked at Kit again.
This time, Taeng noticed.
His expression changed slightly.
He glanced at Kit, then at the girl.
Kit clearly hadn't noticed anything.
"Kit," Taeng suddenly said.
Kit turned toward him.
"Hm?"
"Nothing."
Taeng moved a little closer to him.
Kit stared at him for a few seconds.
"Why did you move so close to me?"
Taeng shrugged.
"Because I can."
Kit smiled.
"You're weird."
Taeng simply smiled and glanced toward the girl again.
She was looking at Kit once more.
Without thinking, Taeng placed his hand on Kit's shoulder.
Kit looked at him in surprise.
"Taeng?"
"Yeah?"
"Are you okay?"
"Perfectly fine."
Kit looked at Taeng's hand on his shoulder and then at his face.
He studied him for a few seconds before a small smile appeared on his lips.
"Are you jealous?"
Taeng immediately looked away.
"No."
Kit quietly laughed.
"You are."
"I'm not."
"I think you are."
Taeng looked at him.
"Fine. Maybe a little."
Kit smiled even more.
"You have no reason to be."
Taeng looked into his eyes.
"I know."
Kit leaned a little closer.
"Then stop worrying about it."
Taeng smiled.
"I'll try."
From the other side of the table, I had been watching them and couldn't help smiling.
Chak noticed my expression.
"What are you smiling about?"
"Look at Kit and Taeng."
Chak looked toward them.
Then he smiled too.
"Looks like someone is having a little trouble with jealousy."
Taeng heard him.
"I heard that!"
Everyone burst out laughing.
Kit just shook his head and gently nudged Taeng with his shoulder.
"You really are jealous."
Taeng laughed.
"Fine. I admit it."
This time, Kit leaned closer to him and quietly whispered,
"You don't have to be."
Taeng's smile grew even wider.
Before Taeng could even answer, the shadow of someone approaching fell over their table.
The girl from the nearby table walked up, completely ignoring everyone else, and stopped directly beside Kit.
"Hi," she said with a bright, confident smile, fixing her eyes solely on Kit. "I couldn't help but notice you from over there. I'm Sara."
She reached into her bag, pulled out a small piece of paper with a phone number scribbled on it, and held it out toward him.
"I thought I'd give you my number, just in case you wanted to get coffee sometime."
A sudden silence fell over the entire table.
Beside Kit, Taeng went completely red, the color rushing straight to his face and ears. His jaw tightened as he glared at the paper in her hand.
Before Kit could even open his mouth, Taeng blurted out, his voice sharp and immediate,
"He's taken."
Kit turned his head to look at Taeng, taking in his bright red face and protective stance. A warm, fond smile broke across Kit's lips.
He turned back to the girl and gave her an apologetic look.
"He's right," Kit said gently, offering a polite smile. "I'm taken. But thank you, and I'm sorry."
The girl looked between Kit and Taeng's flushed, intense expression. Realization dawned on her, and her cheeks turned slightly pink as well.
"Oh! I'm so sorry, I had no idea," she said quickly, tucking the paper back into her purse. "Enjoy your day!"
As she hurried back to her table, Chai let out a low whistle, and Torn covered his face, trying to suppress his laughter.
Taeng, still beet-red, stared down at his cup, suddenly very interested in his coffee.
Kit leaned in close, his shoulder pressing against Taeng's, and whispered softly so only he could hear,
"See? Taken."
Taeng tried to hide his face behind his hands, but the deep red blush spreading down his neck gave him away completely.
"Shut up," Taeng muttered softly, though he couldn't keep a small, affectionate smile from forming on his lips.
"Taken, huh?" Chai teased across the table, leaning forward with a wide grin. "That was fast, Taeng. You didn't even let the poor girl finish her sentence!"
"I just... saved everyone some time," Taeng mumbled, finally dropping his hands and taking a quick, desperate sip of his coffee.
Anamarija shook her head, a soft smile on her face as she looked at them.
"Honestly, I respect it. Direct and effective."
""Effective?" I chimed in, chuckling as Chak threw an arm around my shoulder."He looked like he was about to jump across the table. I've never seen his face that red in my life."
"Leave him alone," Kit said, though he was laughing too.
He reached over under the table and gently took Taeng's hand, lacing their fingers together. He squeezed it reassuringly, looking at Taeng with an unmistakable softness in his eyes.
"I think it was sweet."
Taeng looked back at Kit, his blush softening as the initial embarrassment faded into something far warmer.
He squeezed Kit's hand back, letting out a quiet laugh.
"You're never going to let me live this down, are you?" Taeng murmured.
"Never," Kit replied with a gentle smirk. "But I don't mind."
I watched the two of them, feeling a wave of warmth pass over our table.
For a moment, the heavy shadow of Phalin's phone call—and all the unresolved tension waiting for us back home—seemed to drift away into the cool air of Ljubljana.
"Alright, lover boys," Chai said, tapping his fingers against the table. "Now that the drama is settled, who's buying the next round of desserts?"
"Definitely Taeng," Chak said instantly. "As a fine for being so dramatic."
"I second that," Anamarija agreed with a sly grin.
Taeng just rolled his eyes, a genuine, relaxed laugh finally breaking out as he held onto Kit's hand under the table, holding it tight.
Anamarija shook her head with a light laugh, already pulling her wallet out of her bag before Taeng could even protest.
"Don't worry about it," she said, pulling out some cash and placing it neatly on the bill tray. "It's my treat today."
"Are you sure, Anamarija?" I asked, looking up at her.
"Positive," she smiled, standing up and sliding her bag over her shoulder. "Consider it a thank-you for helping me survive that phone call earlier."
Chak grinned, taking my hand in his as he stood up beside me.
"We'll never turn down free dessert. Thanks, Anamarija."
We all gathered our things and headed toward the exit.
As we stepped out of the cozy warmth of the café, the crisp Ljubljana air hit us, refreshing and cool.
I felt Chak's fingers tighten around mine, his warm grip anchoring me.
I looked over at him, and he gave me a gentle, reassuring smile that made my chest feel light.
Right beside us, Kit and Taeng walked shoulder to shoulder, their hands loosely intertwined, Taeng still carrying a faint pink glow on his cheeks but looking completely at ease now.
Even Chai and Torn fell into step right behind us, their hands brushed together before Chai casually laced his fingers with Torn's, pulling him just a little closer with a playful grin.
Walking down the cobbled street together, three pairs of hands intertwined beneath the spring sun, the tension from earlier completely dissolved into the quiet beauty of the city