Anamarija let the silence stretch just a second longer, clearly aware of the attention she had gathered, her fingers resting lightly against the edge of the desk as she leaned back just enough to look at all of us at once.
"Honestly," she began, her tone easy, almost casual, "it was actually kind of fun. I thought it would be a lot more boring than it turned out to be."
Amara's eyes lit up immediately.
"What did you even do?" she asked, stepping a little closer, curiosity written all over her face.
Anamarija exhaled softly, like she was replaying it in her head.
"He asked me what I wanted to do," she said, her lips curving slightly, "and I told him I wanted to go for a walk."
She paused just enough to let that sink in before continuing.
"You should have seen his face. He was surprised—like, genuinely surprised—but he didn't say no."
A small chuckle escaped her.
"So we went to Wat Saket."
She tilted her head slightly, her expression softening for a moment.
"It's beautiful there," she added, quieter now. "The view… it's something you don't really forget."
For a brief second, it almost sounded like she meant it.
Then the corner of her lips lifted again.
"But while we were walking, I realized something," she continued, glancing briefly toward us. "He has absolutely no stamina."
Non let out a quiet snort.
"I was already halfway up," she went on, clearly amused now, "and he was still somewhere around… two quarters."
Amara laughed.
"No way."
"Oh, yes," Anamarija said, nodding once, completely serious. "His face was… interesting. You could actually see him struggling. At one point, he practically begged me to slow down."
"And you did?" Amara asked, raising a brow.
Anamarija's smile widened just slightly.
"Of course not."
A few quiet laughs followed.
"I just slowed down enough so he wouldn't collapse behind me," she added lightly. "But internally? I was enjoying it."
She shifted slightly in the chair, crossing her arms loosely.
"By the time we reached the top, he was completely out of breath. Red, exhausted… he needed a few minutes just to recover."
Non shook his head, amused.
"That bad?"
"That bad," she confirmed.
"Then we looked around the temple, took it slow on the way down, and when we got back to his car, we went to a restaurant to eat something."
Her tone remained steady, conversational, like she was just listing events—but there was a rhythm to it, something that kept everyone listening.
"After we ate, he went into some store," she continued. "I stayed outside, just looking at the displays, and when he came back…"
She paused.
There was a small shift in her expression.
"He was holding this enormous teddy bear."
Amara blinked.
"How big?"
Anamarija held her hand up slightly.
"Almost my size."
Non let out a laugh.
"No way he actually bought that."
"Oh, he did," she said simply.
There was a beat of silence, like everyone was picturing it.
"Then we went to his apartment," she went on, her tone smoothing out again. "The view is nice. Really nice. Over the river."
She shrugged slightly.
"He started showing me his achievements, photos… talking about everything he's done."
Her expression flattened just a little.
"That part was boring."
Amara laughed again.
"I was just sitting there going 'mhm' the whole time," Anamarija added, completely unbothered. "At one point, I almost fell asleep."
Non covered his mouth, trying not to laugh too loudly.
"So what did you do?"
"I suggested we go outside," she said. "To the river."
She leaned back slightly again, her tone softening for a brief moment.
"We walked for a bit. I was looking at the surroundings, the nature…"
A short pause.
"He was looking at me."
Something in the air shifted—subtle, but there.
"And he was holding my hand."
Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed Vikran's posture change slightly behind her, his hand tightening almost imperceptibly against the back of Pim's chair.
Anamarija didn't look at him.
Not directly.
But her lips curved just a fraction.
"At one point, he stopped," she continued, calm, steady, "and he kissed my hand."
Amara let out a soft sound.
"That's actually kind of romantic."
"It was," Anamarija admitted simply.
Then, just as easily, she moved on.
"After that, we went back to his apartment, and I told him to cook dinner."
Non blinked.
"You told him?"
"Yes."
"And?"
Anamarija's smile turned sharper.
"He went to the kitchen."
A small pause.
"I sat down and watched him."
There was amusement in her voice now.
"He took out ingredients, opened drawers, tried to figure things out… and every now and then, he'd smile at me."
She shook her head slightly.
"But I knew from the moment I told him to cook that he had no idea what he was doing."
Amara laughed again.
"So what happened?"
"I let him struggle for a bit," she said lightly. "It was entertaining."
Even Pim's lips curved slightly at that.
"Then I took over," Anamarija continued. "I made something simple. Sataraš."
She glanced at us briefly.
"Onion, peppers, tomatoes, eggs."
Non nodded.
"Sounds good."
"It was," she said. "And he was… surprisingly impressed."
A faint pause followed.
"But that's a minus point for me," she added casually. "If a guy can't cook."
Amara smirked.
"Noted."
"And after we ate," Anamarija finished, her tone settling again, "Vikran showed up not long after."
This time, she did look at him.
Just briefly.
And she smiled.
Not wide.
Not obvious.
But real.
For a brief moment after she finished, no one spoke.
The silence wasn't awkward—it was full, like everyone was still catching up with everything she had just casually laid out, piece by piece, as if it hadn't been anything out of the ordinary.
Amara was the first to break it.
"Okay, wait," she said, lifting a hand slightly as if trying to organize her thoughts. "So let me get this straight—you made him climb a hill, almost killed him, laughed about it, rejected his cooking skills, took over his kitchen, and still called it fun pp?"
Anamarija didn't even blink.
"Yes."
Non let out a quiet laugh, shaking his head.
"That's brutal."
"It's honest," Anamarija corrected calmly.
Amara crossed her arms, studying her more closely now.
"And the giant teddy bear?" she added, one brow lifting. "Where is it now?"
"At his place, waiting for his real girlfriend." Anamarija replied without hesitation.
Non leaned slightly closer, clearly entertained.
"So he carried that thing all the way back?"
"Yes."
"And you let him?"
"I didn't ask him to," she said simply. "He chose to."
That shut him up for a second.
I glanced briefly toward Vikran again.
He hadn't moved much, still standing just behind her, but there was something in the way he held himself now—more rigid, more contained, like every small detail she mentioned settled somewhere he didn't comment on.
Pim noticed it too.
But she said nothing.
Instead, her gaze shifted back to Anamarija, calm and observant.
"And your overall conclusion?" Pim asked, her tone composed, but carrying just enough curiosity to make it clear she was genuinely asking.
Anamarija leaned back slightly in the chair, her fingers tapping once against the armrest as she considered it.
"He tries," she said after a moment.
A pause.
"He's not used to things not going his way."
Another small pause.
"But he adapts."
That was… more serious than the rest.
Amara tilted her head.
"And?"
Anamarija's gaze flickered briefly—so quickly it would have been easy to miss.
"And that's interesting."
Not good.
Not bad.
Just—
interesting.
Non exhaled softly.
"Dangerous word."
Anamarija smirked just slightly.
"I know."
For a second, the group settled again, the energy shifting from amused to something a little more thoughtful, like her words had left something behind that wasn't entirely light anymore.
Then Amara's eyes narrowed just a fraction.
"Wait," she said slowly, looking between Anamarija and Vikran. "You said he held your hand."
A beat.
"And kissed it."
Another beat.
"And bought you a giant teddy bear."
Non straightened slightly.
"Oh, this is going somewhere."
Anamarija didn't react right away.
Instead, she turned her head just enough to glance back at Vikran, her expression unreadable for half a second before that faint, almost effortless smile returned.
"And?" she said calmly, looking back at Amara.
Amara blinked.
"That's… not nothing."
"No," Anamarija agreed.
Another pause.
"It's not."
The air shifted again.
Subtle.
But this time—
more noticeable.
Because now it wasn't just a story anymore.
Now it was something that had weight.
Something that might actually matter.
I leaned back slightly in my chair, my pen resting loosely between my fingers, watching the exchange unfold without interrupting, but taking in every detail, every glance, every small shift in tone.
Because this—
this wasn't just about yesterday anymore.
And judging by the way Vikran's hand tightened just slightly against the chair behind her—
he knew it too.
Amara didn't let the moment settle for long.
Her eyes narrowed slightly, a spark of curiosity—no, something sharper—lighting up behind them as she looked directly at Anamarija.
"Alright," she said, her tone shifting just enough to signal where this was going, "then answer me this."
A brief pause.
"Who's better?"
The room stilled again, quieter this time, more focused.
Amara tilted her head slightly.
"Vikran… or him?"
Non went completely still beside her, clearly not wanting to miss a single second of this, while Pim remained composed as ever—but even she didn't look away.
And me—
I didn't move at all.
Anamarija didn't answer immediately.
She let the question sit, let the weight of it settle into the space, her gaze drifting for just a second before returning, steady, unreadable.
Then she shifted slightly in the chair.
And without hesitation—
"Vikran."
Simple.
Direct.
Certain.
The word landed cleanly, without decoration, without softening.
Non blinked once.
Amara's brows lifted.
Even Pim's expression shifted—just slightly.
Behind her, Vikran didn't move.
Not outwardly.
But the tension that had been sitting quietly in his posture eased—just enough to notice if you were looking for it.
And Anamarija?
She didn't turn around this time.
Didn't check his reaction.
She just leaned back again like nothing about that answer had been difficult to give.
Like there had never been any doubt.
Amara let out a slow breath, something between impressed and surprised.
"Wow," she murmured.
Non let out a quiet laugh under his breath.
"Well… that was fast."
Anamarija glanced at him briefly, the corner of her lips lifting just slightly.
"Some things don't require thinking."
Her tone was light.
But the meaning behind it—
wasn't.
And for a second, the air shifted again.
Not playful.
Not entirely.
Something steadier.
Clearer.
Like a line had just been drawn—
and everyone in the room had seen exactly where it was.