When I walked into the kitchen, Chai was already standing by one of the cabinets, looking ridiculously excited.
"Look! They have chocolate here!" he announced proudly, pointing at a drawer as if he had just discovered buried treasure.
Anamarija walked into the kitchen, took one look at him, and raised an eyebrow.
"What is this? Is this the first time you've seen chocolate in your life?"
Chai looked offended immediately.
"Little sister, of course not," he said dramatically. "I'm just surprised by what I found."
Before he could continue, Torn walked over to him, wrapped an arm around his waist, and kissed him softly.
"My boyfriend likes exploring every drawer and cabinet he can find," Torn explained with a smile.
Anamarija laughed.
"How long have you two been together?"
"Three or four years," Torn answered casually, looking at Chai with obvious affection.
Chai immediately shook his head.
"Actually, we've been together for three years, eight months, and seventeen days."
Torn laughed while Chai proudly cupped his cheek.
"See what I have to deal with?"
"Of course I know the exact number," Chai said. "You're my boyfriend."
Anamarija smiled at the two of them.
"So how did you meet?"
"At university," Chai answered.
"We were in the same class," Torn continued.
"Everyone wanted to be friends with me," Chai added proudly. "Especially the girls. They were always trying to get my attention because they knew I was a Phansprasit."
Torn rolled his eyes.
"He was always the center of attention."
"Because I'm charming."
"Partly because of your surname," Torn corrected him. "And partly because you never stopped talking."
Anamarija burst out laughing.
"That sounds exactly like you."
"I know who I am," Chai said confidently.
Torn shook his head but smiled.
"I knew who he was, of course. Everyone did. But honestly, I didn't care about him at all."
"What?" Chai gasped dramatically.
"It's true."
"You're breaking my heart."
Torn ignored him and continued.
"Everything changed when we got assigned to the same project during our first or second year. Suddenly we were spending a lot of time together."
"Mostly because I kept finding excuses to be around him," Chai admitted.
Torn's smile softened.
"We worked together at the dorms, at the library, sometimes at his family estate. The more time we spent together, the more we got to know each other."
"And the more handsome he became," Chai added.
Torn laughed.
"That too."
For a moment, neither of them spoke as they exchanged a look that clearly held years of memories.
"At first, neither of us admitted our feelings," Torn continued. "We both knew something was there, but we were afraid of ruining our friendship."
"Then one day," Chai said, crossing his arms, "some girl kissed him on the cheek."
"Oh no," Anamarija said, already knowing where this was going.
"Oh yes," Torn replied.
"I was furious."
"You nearly started a war."
"I did not."
"You absolutely did."
Anamarija laughed so hard she had to hold onto the counter.
"What happened?"
Chai pointed at Torn.
"I dragged him away from everyone and demanded an explanation."
"You demanded?"
"I politely requested one."
"You were jealous."
"I was extremely jealous."
Torn smiled at the memory.
"That was the day we finally admitted how we felt."
"And from that day on, we've been together."
The kitchen grew quieter for a moment.
"It wasn't always easy," Torn said more softly.
"There were people who wanted to separate us," Chai added.
"Some thought we weren't right for each other."
"Others thought we should give up."
Torn reached for Chai's hand.
"But we never did."
Chai intertwined their fingers.
"No matter what happened, we chose each other."
Anamarija watched them for a moment before smiling warmly.
"That's actually really beautiful."
"Of course it is," Chai replied immediately.
Torn laughed.
"Here we go."
"What? I'm part of the story. Naturally, I'm the most beautiful part."
The entire kitchen erupted into laughter as Chai pretended to be offended while Torn simply kissed the top of his head, making Chai smile instantly. The way they looked at each other made it obvious that after all these years, they were still completely in love.
The kitchen was filled with laughter as Chai proudly continued telling stories from university.
Just then, Chak walked into the kitchen.
He glanced at everyone gathered around the island before reaching for a cup.
"What are you all talking about?"
"Our love story," Chai answered immediately.
Chak looked unimpressed.
"Poor them."
"Hey!"
Torn chuckled and wrapped an arm around Chai's waist.
"They asked how we met."
"And now they're hearing the greatest romance ever told."
"The most dramatic one, maybe."
Anamarija leaned against the counter.
"So what happened after you got together?"
Torn smiled.
"Honestly? The hard part wasn't falling in love."
Chai looked up at him curiously.
"It was making sure he never forgot how much I loved him."
A faint blush immediately appeared on Chai's cheeks.
Torn continued anyway.
"Even now, after all these years, I still make sure he knows."
"Torn..."
"What?"
Chai's blush deepened.
"You don't have to tell them everything."
"I absolutely do."
Everyone immediately became interested.
Chak quietly sipped his coffee.
"I have a feeling I'm going to regret staying in this kitchen."
Torn ignored him.
"When I took over my father's company, things became busy. Meetings, clients, traveling..."
Anamarija nodded.
"That must have been difficult."
"It could have been. But I promised myself that no matter how busy I became, Chai would always come first."
Chai looked away, clearly embarrassed.
"So," Torn continued with a grin, "my boyfriend gets VIP treatment."
The entire kitchen erupted into laughter.
"VIP treatment?" Anamarija repeated.
"Oh, absolutely."
"Torn!"
"What? It's true."
Chai covered his face with both hands.
Torn gently pulled one of them away.
"Almost every day he appears in my office."
"Because I miss you."
"I know."
"And because your secretary lets me in."
"Because everyone knows you're going to get in anyway."
Anamarija was trying not to laugh.
"What kind of VIP treatment are we talking about?"
Torn looked completely serious.
"He gets priority access."
Chai groaned.
"Torn..."
"He gets coffee."
"Stop."
"He gets snacks."
"Please stop."
"He gets hugs."
The blush on Chai's face was now impossible to miss.
"And sometimes," Torn added, "he sits in my office while I work because he says he likes being near me."
The entire room went silent.
Then Anamarija placed a hand over her heart dramatically.
"That's actually adorable."
"It is," Malai agreed from the doorway.
"I hate all of you."
"No, you don't," Torn said softly.
Chai looked at him for a second before smiling despite himself.
"No," he admitted quietly. "I really don't."
Torn immediately kissed his forehead.
"There he is."
"Oh my God," Anamarija muttered.
"What?"
"You two are disgustingly in love."
"Thank you," Chai replied proudly.
"I wasn't complimenting you."
"I choose to believe you were."
Even Chak let out a quiet laugh at that.
Everyone immediately turned toward him.
Chai pointed dramatically.
"Did everyone hear that?"
"Hear what?" Chak asked.
"You laughed."
"I did not."
"You absolutely did."
For a moment, Chak's eyes met mine.
A small smile appeared on his lips before he looked away and took another sip of coffee.
And somehow that tiny smile made my heart beat a little faster.
The moment the words left Chai's mouth, everyone was still teasing Torn when Chak suddenly set his coffee cup down and walked across the kitchen.
Straight toward me.
I froze.
So did everyone else.
Chak stopped beside me and looked at Chai.
"If we're talking about special treatment," he said calmly, "Niran gets it too."
The entire kitchen went silent.
Chai's eyes widened.
"What?"
Before I could react, Chak slipped an arm around my waist and pulled me gently against his side.
My face immediately grew warm.
"Chak..."
He ignored my protest.
"Niran has meetings with me every day."
"That's called work," Chai replied suspiciously.
Chak raised an eyebrow.
"Some of them are."
The room became even quieter.
Anamarija was trying very hard not to smile.
Torn looked amused.
Malai already knew exactly where this was heading.
"And the others?" Chai asked.
Chak glanced down at me.
"The others are private."
My heart nearly stopped.
"Private?" Chai repeated.
"Private."
"Secret?"
"Yes."
"Oh, this is getting interesting."
I wanted the floor to open and swallow me whole.
Meanwhile, Chak looked completely relaxed as he kept his arm around me.
"See?" Chai pointed dramatically. "I knew something was suspicious."
"You think everything is suspicious."
"Because I'm usually right."
"No," Malai said.
"Sometimes," Torn corrected.
"Rarely," Anamarija added.
Chai clutched his chest in mock pain.
"My own family betrays me."
Before anyone could continue the argument, footsteps echoed from the hallway.
A moment later, Suraphom entered the kitchen carrying several trays.
The smell of freshly prepared breakfast immediately filled the room.
Suraphom carefully placed several paper bags from a bakery in the center of the table.
"There we go," Suraphom said proudly. "Fresh bread, croissants, rolls, and a few other things I thought everyone might like."
Chai's eyes lit up.
"Now this is my kind of breakfast."
Torn laughed.
"Your kind of breakfast is any breakfast."
"That's not the point."
Suraphom ignored him and reached for a smaller paper bag he had kept separate from the others.
"This one is different."
Everyone looked at him curiously.
Suraphom walked over to Anamarija and handed her the bag.
"This is for you."
Anamarija blinked.
"For me?"
"Only for you."
The room immediately became interested.
"What did you get?" Malai asked.
Anamarija opened the bag and looked inside.
Her eyes widened.
Inside were chocolate puff pastries and vanilla puff pastries.
Her absolute favorites.
She looked up at Suraphom in surprise.
"How did you know?"
A small smile appeared on Suraphom's face.
The others exchanged curious glances.
"Actually," Suraphom said, looking around the table, "this has been her breakfast for a long time."
Anamarija froze.
"What?"
Suraphom chuckled.
"Ever since I watched over you from the shadows."
The entire table went silent.
Anamarija stared at Suraphom.
"You remembered that?"
"Of course."
For a moment, she didn't know what to say.
"You always pick the chocolate ones first," Suraphom continued. "Then the vanilla ones."
The surprise on her face only grew.
"That's true..."
"You've also never liked rushing breakfast."
Everyone laughed when Anamarija covered her face.
"This is embarrassing."
Anamarija looked down at the bag in her hands before smiling.
A real smile.
"Thank you."
Suraphom smiled back.
"You're welcome."
Suraphom stayed seated, calm as the rest of the kitchen slowly settled back into its usual morning chaos.
Chai was already back to attacking the pastry tray. Torn had given up arguing with him. Malai was pouring coffee. Chak was leaning against the counter again, watching everything quietly.
Anamarija still held the bag of pastries a little closer than before.
Suraphom glanced around the table, then added casually, as if it was the most normal thing in the world:
"It's not just me."
That caught everyone's attention again.
Chai paused mid-bite.
"What do you mean, not just you?"
Suraphom took a sip of his drink before answering.
"All guards assigned to you know this kind of thing."
Silence.
Then Chai slowly lowered his croissant.
"Wait… what kind of thing?"
Suraphom shrugged slightly.
"Habits. Routines. Preferences. Small details that matter for safety and logistics."
Anamarija blinked.
"You're telling me… all your guards know what we eat for breakfast?"
Suraphom nodded.
"Yes."
A beat passed.
Then Chai leaned back dramatically.
"That is terrifying."
"It's standard," Chak said from the side, completely unbothered.
Chai turned to him.
"You knew this?"
Chak lifted a shoulder.
"Of course."
Chai pointed between all of them.
"So basically I've been living in a world where my guard know my emotional attachment to chocolate and I didn't even consent to this information being collected?"
Torn sighed.
"You're exaggerating."
"I'm not exaggerating, I'm processing!"
Malai tried not to smile.
"It's not about control," Suraphom continued calmly, turning the focus back. "It's about knowing enough to keep you safe. If something changes in your routine, we notice it quickly."
Anamarija looked at him more quietly now.
"So you noticed my habits… because you had to."
"Yes."
Anamarija carefully placed the package beside her as if it were something precious.
Which, judging by her expression, it probably was.
The rest of us continued eating while the morning sun filled the apartment.
Outside, Ljubljana was fully awake now.
Cars moved through the streets below.
People crossed bridges.
The castle overlooked everything from its hill.
For a moment, I found myself simply watching the city.
Then Anamarija suddenly stood up.
Immediately everyone became suspicious.
"What now?" Kit asked.
"Now?"
She spread her arms dramatically.
"Now I finally get to show you Ljubljana."
"We know."
Anamarija ignored him.
"The weather is good."
She pointed toward the windows.
"The sky is clear."
Another point.
"The city is beautiful."
Another point.
"And we have an entire day."
Chai raised his hand.
"Question."
"What?"
"When does lunch happen?"
Anamarija stared at him.
"We literally just finished breakfast."
"Planning ahead is important."
"You're impossible."
"I know."
Suraphom stood and began collecting empty cups.
"Before anyone starts arguing again, there are a few rules."
That immediately got everyone's attention.
"Rules?" Malai asked.
"Yes."
Suraphom looked around the table.
"Rule one: nobody disappears."
His gaze stopped briefly on Chai, then Anamarija. Both of them looked guilty.
"We're adults," Chai protested.
"You got lost in a shopping mall in Bangkok."
"That happened once."
"It happened three times."
The room exploded with laughter.
Suraphom continued.
"Rule two: wear the jackets I bought."
A chorus of groans answered him.
"No."
"Yes."
"It's sunny."
"It's still cooler than Thailand."
Unfortunately, he was right.
Even I had to admit that.
Anamarija walked over to the window and looked down at the city.
For a moment, she became quiet again.
A different kind of quiet.
The kind that appeared whenever something meant a lot to her.
Then she smiled.
Because we all understood what she meant.
This wasn't just a vacation for her.
This was home.
A home she wanted to share.
Chak stepped beside her and looked out at the city.
"You seem happy."
Anamarija glanced at him.
Then at the view.
Then back at all of us.
The smile that appeared on her face was bright and genuine.
"I am."
For a moment, nobody spoke.
Then Chai ruined the emotional atmosphere immediately.
"Good."
Anamarija narrowed her eyes.
"Why good?"
"Because happy tour guides buy snacks."
A pillow hit him before he could finish the sentence.
The entire apartment erupted into laughter.
And standing by the window, with the city she loved spread out beneath her and the people she cared about surrounding her, Anamarija couldn't stop smiling.
Ljubljana was waiting.
And she couldn't wait to show them every corner of it.