A few minutes later, the automatic doors opened again.
"Please tell me we're not late."
Taeng's voice echoed through the terminal before he and Kit finally appeared carrying their bags.
Taeng looked slightly out of breath while Kit, as usual, appeared completely calm despite clearly being dragged through the airport at dangerous speed.
"We still have time," Chak said.
"Good," Taeng sighed dramatically. "Because Kit walks like he's peacefully exploring nature."
Kit looked unimpressed. "Running through airports is embarrassing."
"It's efficient."
"It's chaotic."
"That too."
Anamarija laughed quietly while Chai immediately walked over to greet them.
Now that everyone was finally there, the group somehow looked even louder together.
And very, very Thai.
At least according to the expression slowly forming on Anamarija's face.
She looked around at everyone carefully.
Then looked again.
A pause followed.
"…Oh no."
Everyone blinked at her.
"What?" Taeng asked immediately.
Anamarija stared at the group like she had just realized a terrible truth.
"You're all dressed way too summer-like."
Silence.
Chai looked down at himself.
Short sleeves.
Light pants.
Torn was literally wearing sunglasses indoors.
Taeng had a thin oversized shirt on.
And Malai—
Malai looked elegant, but definitely not prepared for cold weather.
"What do you mean?" Malai asked carefully.
Anamarija crossed her arms.
"What exactly do all of you think Slovenia feels like?"
"Europe?" Taeng answered uncertainly.
"That explains nothing."
Chak narrowed his eyes slightly. "How cold is it?"
Anamarija looked entirely too amused now.
"Currently?" she said casually. "Probably somewhere between one and twenty degrees."
The entire group froze.
"ONE?!" Taeng nearly shouted.
"I'm sorry," Chai said immediately, "did you say ONE?"
"Yes."
Nonexistent color drained from several faces at once.
Malai slowly lowered her sunglasses.
"I mostly packed short clothes."
The others immediately started agreeing.
"I brought t-shirts."
"I have one hoodie."
"I didn't even bring a jacket," Taeng whispered in horror.
Torn looked personally betrayed by Europe itself.
Meanwhile, Anamarija simply watched all of them panic for a few seconds before finally smiling.
Not apologetic at all.
Amused.
Completely amused.
"Well," she said cheerfully, "looks like we're going shopping."
Instead of sounding worried, she somehow sounded excited.
And honestly?
That was probably the most dangerous part of all this.
Malai's eyes lit up almost immediately.
"Oh."
Chai pointed at her dramatically. "See? That reaction scares me."
"I suddenly love Slovenia," Malai announced.
Taeng groaned quietly. "My wallet is already crying."
Kit looked toward Anamarija calmly. "You knew this would happen, didn't you?"
Anamarija smiled innocently.
"I may have suspected it."
"You let us come unprepared on purpose," Chak said flatly.
"I wanted character development."
That immediately made me laugh.
Even Chak looked like he was trying not to smile now.
Meanwhile, Suraphom calmly glanced around the group before speaking for the first time in several minutes.
"At least nobody packed swimwear."
A horrifying silence followed.
Then Chai slowly raised his hand.
"…About that."
The entire terminal exploded into chaos again.
By the time the chaos about everyone's completely unrealistic packing choices finally settled down, boarding had already started.
The staff guided us toward the private entrance while the noise around our group slowly softened into tired excitement.
This was really happening.
A ten-hour flight to Istanbul first.
Then after that…
Slovenia.
As we walked through the boarding tunnel, Taeng stretched dramatically.
"Ten hours," he complained. "If I disappear mentally halfway through the flight, don't wake me."
"You disappear mentally on normal days too," Kit replied calmly.
"That was rude."
"That was accurate."
Chai laughed loudly while Torn immediately started arguing with Taeng about airplane food before we even stepped onto the plane.
Meanwhile, Malai gracefully walked ahead like she wasn't carrying enough luggage to survive an entire season abroad.
I still couldn't believe she brought three giant suitcases.
The moment we entered the aircraft, cool air brushed against my skin along with the soft golden lighting inside the cabin.
Everything immediately felt quieter.
More distant from reality somehow.
Flight attendants greeted us politely while everyone slowly settled into their seats.
Anamarija instantly claimed the window seat near the middle section.
"I missed this," she admitted quietly while looking outside.
"The airport?" Chai asked.
"The feeling."
For a second, her voice sounded softer than usual.
Like coming home already meant something to her even before we left Thailand completely behind.
Nearby, Vikran was still standing with her while the final boarding announcements echoed quietly through the cabin.
"You're really staying until the last possible second?" Taeng teased him.
"Yes," Vikran answered without shame.
Honestly, nobody was surprised.
Anamarija looked up at him from her seat before smiling faintly.
"You should go before they drag you out."
"They probably would."
"You'd deserve it."
A tiny smile appeared on Vikran's face again before he leaned down slightly toward her.
"Text me when you land in Istanbul."
"I know."
"And sleep during the flight."
"That one's less likely."
"Anamarija."
"Fine," she laughed softly. "I'll try."
For a brief second, the two of them simply looked at each other quietly.
Then Vikran reached forward and gently squeezed her hand once before finally stepping back.
"Take care of yourself."
"You too."
And just like that, he was gone.
The moment he disappeared from the cabin entrance, Anamarija leaned back into her seat with a quiet sigh.
"You look emotional," Malai observed immediately.
"I am emotional."
"Very tragic," Taeng agreed dramatically from nearby.
Anamarija threw a pillow at him.
Meanwhile, I settled into my seat beside Chak while passengers and staff continued moving around us.
The soft sound of overhead compartments closing filled the cabin one after another.
Then finally—
"Cabin crew, prepare for departure."
The announcement echoed gently through the plane.
And suddenly everything felt real again.
Anamarija looked around at everyone with visible excitement before grinning.
"I still can't believe I'm finally taking all of you to my world."
Taeng pointed toward me immediately.
"Correction," he said. "Niran has already been part of your world."
Anamarija raised an eyebrow.
"What is that supposed to mean?"
Taeng grinned.
"Remember Orasa?"
The moment he said her name, realization flashed across Anamarija's face.
Then she burst out laughing.
"Oh my God. That's right."
She pointed at me dramatically.
"You told her I was your girlfriend from Italy."
"That was in the past," I defended myself.
"And?"
I shrugged helplessly.
"You were my solution at the time."
I laughed quietly while Anamarija gasped dramatically.
"Your solution?"
"It worked, didn't it?"
"I can't believe I was used as a fake Italian girlfriend."
"A very convincing one," Taeng added.
"Thank you," Anamarija said proudly.
"That wasn't a compliment."
"I'm choosing to accept it as one."
"You're right," she said while pointing at me accusingly. "I was the foreign exchange girlfriend in this situation."
"Thanks."
"You're welcome."
Chak, sitting beside me, finally reached over and intertwined his fingers with mine calmly.
"Then he'll just have two tour guides instead of one."
Anamarija narrowed her eyes slightly.
"Actually, that's cute."
"I regret speaking," Chak said immediately.
That only made everyone laugh again.
Outside, the aircraft slowly began moving away from the terminal.
And little by little, Thailand started disappearing behind us.
11 Hours Later
A gentle touch on my shoulder slowly pulled me out of sleep.
"Artist."
I frowned slightly at the familiar nickname.
Then I felt the touch again.
"Niran."
I slowly opened my eyes and found Chak looking down at me.
His expression was calm, but there was something softer in his eyes.
"We're in Istanbul."
For a second, my sleepy brain struggled to process the information.
Then reality caught up.
I blinked.
"We're here?"
A faint smile appeared on Chak's face.
"We're here."
I rubbed my eyes before unfastening my seatbelt and stretching carefully.
Around us, the cabin was already coming to life.
Chai looked like he had somehow slept in five different positions throughout the flight.
Taeng was still wrapped in his blanket like a burrito.
Malai looked annoyingly elegant for someone who had just spent eleven hours on a plane.
And Anamarija?
Anamarija looked excited.
Very excited.
Which was usually dangerous.
A little while later, we made our way through the airport together.
The moment we entered the terminal, Anamarija stopped and turned toward us.
"Okay everyone," she announced. "Our next flight leaves in two hours."
Her smile widened.
"Then we're finally going to Slovenia."
I couldn't stop smiling.
The closer we got, the more real everything felt.
"And what exactly are we supposed to do for two hours?" Malai asked.
Before Anamarija could answer, Chai immediately spoke.
"What we always do."
Everyone looked at him.
"We go to a lounge."
He pointed dramatically ahead.
"We eat."
Another finger.
"We drink."
A third finger.
"And we relax."
Taeng narrowed his eyes suspiciously.
"Please tell me you're not talking about alcohol."
Chai looked completely innocent.
Which meant absolutely nothing.
"Maybe."
"Chai."
"What?"
"Alcohol before six in the morning is criminal behavior."
Chai gasped dramatically.
"That's a terrible attitude."
Then he winked.
"Good thing we're in an airport."
Taeng looked horrified.
Kit looked tired.
Torn started laughing immediately.
Meanwhile, Anamarija simply shook her head.
"You people haven't even arrived in Europe yet and you're already causing problems."
"Actually," Chai corrected, "technically we are in Europe."
"No."
"Partially."
"No."
"Geographically complicated."
Anamarija rolled her eyes.
I laughed quietly while we followed the signs toward the lounge.
The airport was already busy despite the early hour.
Travelers hurried past us in every direction while announcements echoed through the massive terminal.
Once we entered the lounge, everyone immediately spread out.
Malai claimed a comfortable chair near the window.
Chai headed straight toward the food section.
Taeng followed him to make sure he didn't accidentally find alcohol.
Kit went after both of them because somebody had to be responsible.
Which left me, Chak, Anamarija, and Torn near the seating area.
Anamarija walked over to the huge windows overlooking the runways.
For a moment, she simply stood there.
Watching.
A strange smile appeared on her face.
"You okay?" I asked.
She nodded slowly.
"Yeah."
Her eyes stayed fixed on the planes outside.
"It just feels weird."
"Coming back?"
She nodded again.
"The last time I left Slovenia, I didn't know when I'd see it again."
For a moment, nobody spoke.
Even Torn stayed quiet.
Then Chak stepped beside her.
"Excited?"
Anamarija laughed softly.
"Terrified."
"That's reassuring."
She nudged him lightly.
"I'm serious."
For the first time since I'd known her, she looked genuinely nervous.
"What if you don't like it?"
Chai suddenly appeared carrying enough food for an entire family.
"Impossible."
Everyone turned toward him.
He shrugged.
"Niran likes you."
Anamarija blinked.
"What does that have to do with Slovenia?"
Chai grinned.
"If Slovenia made you, it can't be that bad."
Anamarija stared at him.
Then she burst out laughing.
And just like that, the nervousness disappeared.
At least for a little while.
A few minutes later, we settled into our seats with coffee, food, and far too many snacks while the departure board continued counting down.
One hour and forty-seven minutes.
Then one hour and thirty-two.
Then one hour and fifteen.
And with every minute that passed, the excitement grew.
Because soon, after months of hearing stories and seeing pictures...
We would finally see Anamarija's homeland with our own eyes.