The moment we cleared passport control and collected our luggage, the reality of it finally started to sink in.
We were actually here.
In Slovenia.
Not a story.
Not pictures.
Not videos.
Actually here.
The cool morning air greeted us as we walked through the arrival hall, pushing our suitcases behind us.
I noticed Anamarija slowing down for a moment.
Her eyes moved around the airport.
Watching.
Looking.
Then a voice called out behind us.
"Finally."
We all turned.
Suraphom was standing near the exit with a satisfied smile on his face.
Chai blinked.
"How are you here?"
"Plane."
"Very helpful."
"You're welcome."
Anamarija laughed and walked over to hug him.
"When did you arrive?"
"Yesterday."
Everyone immediately looked at him.
"What?"
Suraphom shrugged.
"I wanted to make sure everything was ready."
Then he pointed toward the parking area outside.
"I also rented a van before we even left Thailand."
That sounded exactly like Suraphom.
"You planned this already?" Malai asked.
"Obviously."
A few minutes later, all of our luggage was somehow packed into a large van.
Nobody questioned how Suraphom had managed it.
At this point, we had simply accepted that he could organize almost anything.
The moment everyone settled into their seats, Anamarija immediately claimed the window.
Not because she hadn't seen Slovenia before.
But because she hadn't seen it in a long time.
The van pulled away from the airport and headed toward the capital.
For a while, nobody spoke.
Not because we were tired.
Because we were staring.
Outside the windows, the landscape rolled by.
Green fields.
Dense forests.
Small villages.
Church towers rising above rooftops.
Mist hanging over distant hills.
And beyond everything—
The mountains.
Even from the road they looked incredible.
"Wow," Torn finally said.
"That's all you have?" Taeng asked.
"No."
Torn looked outside again.
"Wow."
That made everyone laugh.
Meanwhile, Malai was taking pictures nonstop.
"I've already taken fifty photos."
"We've been driving for ten minutes," Kit pointed out.
"Exactly."
Chai leaned across the aisle.
"Everything looks so green."
"That's because it is green," Anamarija replied.
"I thought that was a filter in your photos."
She looked offended.
"My photos are artistic."
"They're saturated."
"Artistic."
I watched the scenery pass outside my window.
The sunlight illuminated the forests beautifully.
Everything felt calm.
Peaceful.
Then Anamarija suddenly pointed outside.
"See?"
Everyone immediately looked.
"What?"
"The weather."
"What about it?" Chak asked.
Anamarija smiled.
"You all got lucky."
"Why?"
"The sun."
She pointed toward the clear sky.
"It's usually much foggier."
Immediately, Chai looked suspicious.
"Are you saying Slovenia normally comes with special effects?"
"Pretty much."
Taeng nodded seriously.
"I support countries with dramatic entrances."
"I know you do."
The road eventually widened as signs for the capital began appearing more frequently.
Buildings became larger.
Traffic increased.
And before long, the outskirts of the city came into view.
Anamarija's smile slowly grew.
Home.
Not just Slovenia.
This city.
These streets.
These views.
The places she knew.
The places she had missed.
Then Suraphom cleared his throat.
"Alright."
Everyone looked toward him.
"We'll head to the apartment first."
Immediately, Anamarija turned around in her seat.
"The apartment?"
"Yes."
Her eyes widened.
"No."
Suraphom raised an eyebrow.
"No?"
"I had a completely different plan."
"What plan?"
She pointed dramatically toward the city.
"We arrive."
Another point.
"We immediately start exploring."
Another point.
"We see everything."
"We've been traveling for almost fifteen hours," Kit reminded her.
"Details."
"We need showers."
"Details."
"We need food."
"Important details."
Suraphom looked entirely unmoved.
"Apartment first."
Anamarija stared at him for several seconds.
Then she sighed dramatically.
The kind of sigh that belonged in a theater performance.
"Fine."
A pause.
Then she smiled anyway.
"Apartment first."
Because despite the change of plans...
She was still home.
And judging by the way everyone was staring out the windows in amazement, her excitement was already becoming contagious.
This was only the first morning.
And somehow, everyone already looked completely captivated by Slovenia.
The closer we got to the city center, the more excited Anamarija became.
Every few minutes she pointed at something outside.
"A park."
"A bridge."
"A building."
"A church."
"A street I know."
At one point, Chai looked at Kit and whispered,
"I think she's trying to show us the entire country before breakfast."
Anamarija heard him anyway.
"I absolutely am."
Eventually, the van turned into a quieter part of the city and stopped in front of a modern apartment building.
Suraphom switched off the engine.
"We're here."
Everyone climbed out, stretching after the long journey.
Then we started unloading luggage.
Or rather, Chak, Suraphom, Torn, and Kit started unloading luggage while the rest of us admired the surroundings.
A few minutes later, we entered the building and took the elevator upstairs.
When the doors finally opened and Suraphom unlocked the apartment, nobody was prepared for what was waiting on the other side.
The door opened.
Silence.
Then—
"What the hell?"
That came from Chai.
For once, nobody corrected him.
Because the apartment was enormous.
Absolutely enormous.
The entrance alone was bigger than some apartments.
The open living room stretched toward floor-to-ceiling windows that flooded the entire space with sunlight.
A huge dining area stood near a modern kitchen.
Several hallways led toward bedrooms.
Everything looked elegant, bright, and expensive.
Taeng slowly walked forward.
"Suraphom."
"Yes?"
"Did you rent an apartment or a small country?"
Laughter erupted immediately.
Even Suraphom smiled.
Then Malai reached the windows first.
And gasped.
Everyone immediately followed.
The view was breathtaking.
The entire city stretched below us.
Red rooftops.
Historic buildings.
Tree-lined streets.
And standing proudly above everything else—
The castle.
The hilltop castle overlooked the city like something from a storybook.
For several seconds nobody spoke.
Then Torn finally said,
"Okay."
A pause.
"That's insane."
I found myself staring too.
The city looked completely different from Bangkok.
Different from any large city I'd ever visited.
There were no endless skyscrapers dominating the skyline.
No massive glass towers everywhere.
No forests of high-rise buildings.
Instead, the city felt open.
Balanced.
Human.
Beautiful.
Malai noticed it too.
"There aren't many skyscrapers."
Anamarija smiled.
"Nope."
Taeng looked around again.
"It's weird."
"What?"
"You can actually see the sky."
That earned several laughs.
Because he wasn't wrong.
Even Chak stood quietly near the windows, taking everything in.
His gaze moved from the castle to the streets below.
Then to the mountains visible in the distance.
"You can see almost the entire city from here."
Anamarija nodded proudly.
"That's why I wanted you all to stay here."
"You picked this place?" I asked.
"Partially."
She looked at Suraphom.
"He found it."
Suddenly Suraphom cleared his throat.
"Oh."
Everyone turned toward him.
"What?"
"I forgot."
"That's usually not a good start," Chai said.
Suraphom ignored him.
"I went shopping yesterday."
Immediately everyone looked confused.
"Shopping?" Malai asked.
"Why?"
Suraphom crossed his arms.
"Because I know all of you."
That somehow sounded threatening.
He continued.
"And because I knew most of you packed summer clothes."
The room became suspiciously quiet.
Slowly, everyone's eyes shifted toward their luggage.
Then toward each other.
Then back to Suraphom.
Suraphom pointed toward several large shopping bags stacked near the kitchen.
"I bought jackets."
Another point.
"Sweaters."
Another point.
"Scarves."
Another point.
"Some winter shoes."
For a moment, nobody spoke.
Then Chai walked over and looked inside one of the bags.
His eyes widened.
"Wait."
Another pause.
"You actually saved our lives."
"You're welcome."
Malai laughed.
"I cannot believe you planned this."
"Of course I did."
Anamarija shook her head.
"You really expected them to arrive unprepared?"
Suraphom looked directly at her.
"Yes."
She opened her mouth.
Then closed it again.
Because honestly?
He wasn't wrong.
A few seconds later, laughter filled the apartment.
The morning sun streamed through the windows.
The castle stood proudly in the distance.
The city spread out beneath us.
And for the first time since leaving Thailand, everyone finally relaxed.
The journey was over.
They had arrived in Slovenia.
And standing beside the window, watching her friends and family fall in love with the view, Anamarija couldn't stop smiling. She had spent years talking about this place.
Now she finally got to share it.
The apartment slowly came to life as everyone finally realized they had a chance to freshen up after the long journey.
And judging by the way everyone looked, it was desperately needed.
Chai dropped onto the couch dramatically.
"I've been wearing the same clothes for two countries."
"That's not the tragedy you think it is," Kit replied.
"It is for me."
Anamarija grabbed one of the shopping bags Suraphom had bought and tossed it at him.
"Go shower."
Chai caught it.
"You're very aggressive now that you're on home territory."
"Go."
"Yes, ma'am."
Everyone laughed.
Meanwhile, Suraphom pulled out his phone and checked the time.
"Since all of you are going to disappear into bathrooms for the next hour, I'm going to get breakfast."
That immediately got Chai's attention.
He sat up.
"What kind of breakfast?"
Suraphom looked at him.
"Food."
"That tells me nothing."
"Good."
Chai looked offended.
"I deserve details."
"You deserve a shower."
The room erupted into laughter again.
Malai was already heading toward one of the bedrooms.
"I'm claiming a bathroom before Chai somehow uses all the hot water."
"Rude."
"Accurate."
Soon everyone started grabbing luggage and disappearing into different rooms.
The apartment was large enough that nobody had to fight over space.
Which was probably a miracle considering how many people were staying there.
I picked up my suitcase and headed toward the room Chak and I would be sharing.
The moment I stepped inside, I stopped.
The room was beautiful.
Large windows overlooked the city.
Sunlight poured inside.
And from here, I could still see the castle standing above the rooftops.
A moment later, Chak entered behind me.
For a few seconds, neither of us said anything.
We simply looked at the view.
"It still doesn't feel real," I admitted quietly.
Chak walked over to the window.
"Which part?"
"That we're here."
The city below was slowly waking up.
Cars moved through the streets.
People walked along sidewalks.
The morning sun illuminated the old buildings.
Everything felt peaceful.
Different.
"I think this might be the first vacation I've ever seen you take seriously," I said.
Chak looked at me.
A small smile appeared on his face.
"Maybe because this is the first real vacation I've had."
Something about that answer made me smile.
Then a loud voice echoed from somewhere down the hallway.
"WHO STOLE MY TOWEL?"
We both froze.
Another voice immediately followed.
"YOU BROUGHT YOUR OWN TOWEL!"
"Oh."
A pause.
"Never mind."
I laughed.
"Chai?"
"Obviously."
Even Chak laughed.
A few minutes later, the apartment was filled with the sounds of running water, opening suitcases, and people moving between rooms.
One by one, everyone disappeared to shower.
The exhaustion of the journey slowly washing away.
Meanwhile, Suraphom grabbed his jacket.
Before leaving, he looked around the apartment.
"I'll be back soon."
"With food?" Chai shouted from somewhere down the hallway.
"With food."
"You're my hero."
Suraphom rolled his eyes.
Then left.
The apartment door clicked shut behind him.
And for the first time since arriving, a comfortable quiet settled over the place.
Outside, the castle overlooked the city.
The morning sun continued to rise.
And in the heart of Ljubljana, our first day in Slovenia was only just beginning.
The apartment had become surprisingly quiet.
For the first time in what felt like forever, there were no airport announcements, no boarding calls, and no long flights ahead of us.
Just the two of us.
Chak was still standing by the window, looking out over the city.
The sunlight caught the side of his face as he watched Ljubljana wake up below us.
For a moment, I simply watched him.
It still amazed me sometimes.
After everything we'd been through.
We were here.
Together.
Thousands of kilometers away from Thailand.
Away from work.
Away from expectations.
Just us.
Slowly, I walked over to him.
Chak immediately noticed.
His attention shifted from the view outside to me.
"What?" he asked softly.
I didn't answer right away.
Instead, I stepped closer until there was barely any distance between us.
A faint smile appeared on his lips.
"Niran."
I reached for the collar of his shirt and gently pulled him toward me.
Then I kissed him.
Soft.
Unhurried.
The kind of kiss that didn't need words.
When I finally pulled back, Chak rested his forehead against mine.
His eyes were warm.
"Hello to you too."
I laughed quietly.
"I was thinking."
"That's dangerous."
I lightly nudged his shoulder.
He looked entirely unapologetic.
Then I smiled.
"You know..."
My fingers slipped into his hand.
"No matter where we go."
I squeezed gently.
"Thailand."
Another squeeze.
"Koh Samui"
A small smile tugged at my lips.
"Or Slovenia."
Chak watched me carefully.
I leaned forward and stole another quick kiss.
"You're still mine."
His eyebrows lifted slightly.
"Mine?"
"Mine."
The smile on his face immediately grew.
"Possessive today."
"A little."
"A little?"
I narrowed my eyes.
"Okay. Maybe more than a little."
That earned a quiet laugh from him.
Then Chak wrapped an arm around my waist and pulled me closer.
"So what you're saying is..."
He tilted his head slightly.
"...I'm yours?"
"Exactly."
"Hmm."
He pretended to consider it.
"For how long?"
I stared at him.
"Chak."
His smile widened.
"For how long?"
I shook my head, laughing.
"Forever."
The teasing expression disappeared immediately.
Something softer replaced it.
Something real.
His hand gently brushed against my cheek.
"Good."
The single word carried more emotion than an entire speech.
For a moment, neither of us spoke.
The city stretched beneath us.
The castle stood proudly in the distance.
And the morning sunlight filled the room.
Then, naturally, the peace lasted approximately three seconds.
A loud voice echoed from the hallway.
"NIRAN!"
I immediately closed my eyes.
Chak started laughing.
"NIRAN!"
"What?" I shouted back.
"COME LOOK AT THIS!"
"WHAT IS IT?"
A pause.
Then Chai yelled,
"I FOUND CHOCOLATE!"
I buried my face against Chak's shoulder.
Chak's laughter became impossible to stop.
And just like that, our quiet romantic moment was over.