We continued walking down the cobbled streets of Ljubljana, the afternoon sun warming my face.
Beside me, Taeng suddenly took out his phone.
I glanced over when I noticed him raising it.
He lifted their intertwined hands, making sure both his and Kit's hands were clearly visible in the picture.
He looked at the photo for a moment before smiling proudly.
"I'm going to post this on Instagram right now, so everyone can see that I'm taken."
Kit looked at him with an amused smile.
"I seriously doubt you have the courage to actually do that."
Taeng turned toward him with a confident grin.
"Just watch me."
I couldn't help laughing quietly as I watched them.
Taeng looked so determined that, for a moment, I actually believed he was going to do it.
I glanced around us.
The streets weren't too crowded, and no one seemed to be paying attention to us.
Then, without thinking too much about it, I quickly leaned toward Chak and planted a sudden kiss on his cheek.
Chak froze.
He turned his head toward me, his eyes widening slightly in surprise.
I couldn't help smiling at his expression.
Then his lips slowly curved into a smile.
He lifted his hand and gently touched the spot on his cheek where I had kissed him.
"You're too handsome on this side."
Chak let out a quiet laugh.
Before I could say anything else, he wrapped an arm around my shoulders and pulled me closer against him.
"I love you," he whispered.
My smile grew wider as I leaned into him.
"I love you too."
A few steps ahead of us, Taeng was still holding up his phone, apparently very pleased with himself.
Kit looked at him and shook his head with a laugh.
"You're really going to post it, aren't you?"
"I told you. I would."
"Then I guess there's no stopping you now."
"Exactly."
I smiled as I watched them.
For a moment, everything felt wonderfully simple.
No arguments.
No worries.
No painful memories.
Just the six of us walking through Ljubljana together, laughing and holding onto the people we loved.
By the time we reached the apartment, Anamarija looked at all of us.
"Who wants to go shopping?"
Malai's eyes immediately widened.
"Me. I absolutely have to go."
Torn nodded thoughtfully.
"I'm curious to see what the shopping center looks like. Maybe I'll get some ideas."
Chai's eyes suddenly lit up.
"Do they have food?"
Anamarija looked at him.
"I think so."
Then she paused.
"Actually, I've never been there before, so I don't know."
Chai looked slightly disappointed.
"How do you not know?"
Anamarija laughed.
Before she could answer, Suraphom stepped beside her and showed her something on his phone.
"Here. We're going here."
Anamarija looked at the screen.
"Yes."
Suraphom nodded.
"Then everyone into the van."
Chai immediately headed toward the door.
"Now that's something I like hearing."
Torn laughed as he followed him.
"Of course you only care about the food."
"Of course."
I looked at Chak and smiled.
He squeezed my hand before we followed the others outside.
Our peaceful afternoon in Ljubljana wasn't over yet.
The drive to the shopping center didn't take long.
As soon as we arrived, Suraphom parked the van, and we all got out.
I was still holding Chak's hand when we walked toward the entrance, but the moment we stepped inside, I noticed something interesting.
Chak, Chai, and Malai suddenly stopped walking.
All three of them stared ahead as if they had just witnessed something unbelievable.
I followed their gazes and looked around.
People were everywhere.
Families walked past us with shopping bags in their hands, couples strolled beside each other, and groups of friends chatted as they made their way between the shops.
For a moment, I couldn't understand why the three of them looked so surprised.
Then Chai slowly turned toward Torn.
"Can you make these people disappear?"
Torn blinked at him.
"What?"
"Make them go somewhere else. I don't want to shop with so many people around."
Torn stared at him for a few seconds before shaking his head.
"I can't do that. I'm not the owner of this shopping center."
Chai frowned.
"But you're Torn!"
"And what exactly is that supposed to mean?" Torn asked, raising an eyebrow.
Chai opened his mouth, then closed it again as if he were trying to come up with a reasonable explanation.
Torn chuckled before adding, "I can only do that in Thailand."
I nearly burst out laughing.
Malai, however, didn't seem amused by their conversation. She looked around the shopping center, then slowly turned toward Anamarija.
"So, let me get this straight. We're going to have to shop together with all these other people?"
Anamarija pressed her lips together, clearly trying not to laugh.
"Yes, Malai. That's generally how shopping centers work."
Malai sighed dramatically.
"Unbelievable."
I couldn't hold back my smile anymore.
These people really were something else.
I had expected them to be surprised by the shopping center, but I hadn't expected them to react as though we had arrived in the middle of a disaster.
I glanced at Chak, wondering whether he was thinking the same thing.
However, he wasn't looking at Chai or Malai anymore.
He was looking at me.
The moment our eyes met, he tightened his fingers around mine.
"Don't let go of my hand," he said quietly.
I blinked at him.
"Why would I?"
"Just don't."
His voice was calm, but there was something almost serious about the way he said it.
I looked down at our intertwined fingers before lifting my eyes to his face again.
A small smile appeared on my lips.
"Are you afraid I'll get lost?"
Chak looked at me for a moment.
"No."
"Then?"
He stepped a little closer to me, his shoulder brushing mine.
"I just don't want you to let go."
My heart softened.
I squeezed his hand gently.
"Then you don't have to worry. I'm not planning to go anywhere."
His expression relaxed, and he leaned down slightly to whisper in my ear.
"Good. Because I'm keeping you with me."
I couldn't stop myself from smiling.
Honestly, how was I supposed to survive a man like him?
He could be so serious in one moment and so impossibly sweet in the next that I never knew what to do with myself.
I turned my face toward him and smiled even wider.
"You're not planning to let me shop on my own, are you?"
"Not a chance."
I laughed softly.
A few steps away, Chai was still looking around the shopping center with an expression of deep suspicion.
"Torn," he called again.
Torn turned toward him with an exhausted sigh.
"What now?"
"If you can't make the people disappear, can you at least make sure they don't come near me?"
Torn stared at him.
Then he looked at Anamarija.
Then at Suraphom.
Finally, he turned back to Chai.
"No."
Chai's mouth fell open.
"You're absolutely useless."
"And yet, somehow, you're still holding my hand," Torn replied with a smug smile.
Chai immediately looked down.
Sure enough, their fingers were intertwined.
For a moment, he seemed to consider letting go just to prove a point.
Instead, he tightened his grip on Torn's hand and lifted his chin.
"That's because I'm being generous."
Torn burst out laughing.
I shook my head, unable to stop smiling.
Malai was still looking around when she suddenly turned toward Suraphom.
"Suraphom, I don't like this."
He glanced at her.
"What is it?"
She gestured toward the people walking around us.
"I don't like the fact that everyone can watch what we're going to buy. What if someone sees what we put in our shopping bags?"
Suraphom looked at her for a moment, seemingly unsure whether she was being serious.
Before he could answer, Chak turned toward Anamarija.
"I want to speak to the director of this shopping center. Immediately."
Anamarija looked at him in surprise.
"The director?"
"Yes."
"Why?"
Chak gave her a perfectly serious look.
"Because I want to discuss something with him."
Anamarija raised an eyebrow.
"Do you know him?"
"No."
"Then how exactly are you planning to speak to him?"
Chak looked at her as if that were the easiest problem in the world to solve.
"Someone here must know who he is."
Anamarija stared at him.
I pressed my lips together, trying not to laugh.
Of course, Chak had already found a solution.
Or at least, he thought he had.
Suraphom stepped forward slightly.
"Sir, I'm afraid you can't do that."
Chak turned toward him.
"Why not?"
"Because people here aren't accustomed to that. You can't simply ask to meet the director because you don't like shopping with other people around."
Chak's expression remained unchanged.
"I see."
However, judging by his face, I wasn't entirely convinced that he actually accepted the explanation.
Anamarija slowly looked from Chak to Malai and then to Chai.
She crossed her arms and gave the three of them a rather meaningful look.
"Didn't you all say you wanted to experience what normal life looks like?"
None of them answered immediately.
Anamarija gestured around us.
"Well, this is it. This is what normal life looks like. People go shopping, walk around, look at things, and sometimes stand in line. Nobody is going to close an entire shopping center just because you want to buy something."
Malai looked at her for a moment.
Then she slowly nodded.
"You're right."
Anamarija smiled.
"Of course I am."
Chai, on the other hand, didn't look particularly convinced.
He let out a dramatic sigh and shook his head.
"If I don't survive this shopping trip, it's your fault."
Anamarija laughed.
"At least try to enjoy yourself."
"I'll try," he muttered.
I couldn't help smiling at the whole situation.
I had never imagined that something as ordinary as visiting a shopping center could become such an adventure for them.
Then I noticed Chak.
He hadn't said anything.
He simply looked at Anamarija for a few seconds before turning his head toward me.
Our eyes met.
I raised my eyebrows slightly, silently asking what was going through his mind.
He just kept looking at me.
I squeezed his hand.
"What's wrong?" I whispered.
Chak glanced briefly around the shopping center before returning his attention to me.
I could already tell that he wasn't particularly enthusiastic about our surroundings.
I smiled and leaned a little closer to him.
"Come on. Let's see what they have here."
He didn't answer immediately.
Instead, he tightened his fingers around mine.
I had a feeling this shopping trip was going to test everyone's patience.
And somehow, I suspected Chak, Chai, and Malai would be the first ones to complain.
Perhaps this shopping trip was going to be much more entertaining than I had expected.