Malai, Chak, Chai, and Anamarija slowly moved closer to the painting.
For a moment, none of them said anything.
They simply stood next to one another, looking at Summer.
Then, almost naturally, Malai gently rested her head against Chak's shoulder.
Chai noticed and smiled before leaning his head against Malai's shoulder.
Anamarija looked at them and laughed softly.
"Well, if everyone is doing it..."
She moved closer and rested her head against Chai's shoulder.
Chak looked at all three of them and smiled.
Then he gently leaned his head against Anamarija's.
The four of them stood there like that, shoulder to shoulder, their heads resting against one another as they looked at the painting.
They looked so peaceful.
Torn glanced at me.
Then he gave me a small nod.
"Come on," he whispered.
I followed him a few steps away, giving them some space.
We stood at a distance and watched them.
I couldn't help but smile.
They really did look like a family.
I quietly took my phone out of my pocket and raised it.
Click.
I captured the moment.
The four of them didn't even notice.
I looked at the photograph for a moment before smiling.
It was one of those simple moments that I knew I would want to remember.
I opened my messages and sent the photograph to Chak's mother.
A few seconds later, I saw that the message had been delivered.
I lowered my phone.
That's when I noticed Taeng standing a little behind them.
He had his camera raised too.
He had apparently been taking a picture of the same moment.
I walked over to him and spoke quietly.
"They really look like brothers and sisters."
Taeng looked at the four of them and smiled.
"Yeah."
I nodded.
"Exactly."
For a few seconds, we simply watched them.
Then my eyes wandered toward another painting on the opposite wall.
I slowly turned toward it.
The painting was very different from Summer.
There was a red thread painted across the canvas.
But the thread was broken in the middle.
Beneath the painting was a small description.
Some stories unfortunately have a sad ending.
I stared at those words.
Something suddenly tightened in my chest.
My smile disappeared.
I didn't know why those words affected me so much.
Maybe because I already knew what they reminded me of.
Phalin.
I slowly looked back toward Chak.
He was still standing beside Malai, Chai, and Anamarija, smiling as they looked at the painting.
He looked happy.
Safe.
Like nothing could ever take that happiness away.
But I knew the truth.
Our relationship still had a secret hanging over it.
A future we couldn't completely control.
I looked at the broken red thread again.
Some stories unfortunately have a sad ending.
My chest tightened even more.
I swallowed.
Maybe...
I looked at Chak once again.
Maybe our story will have a sad ending too.
For a moment, I couldn't look at him anymore.
I lowered my eyes and quietly stood beside Taeng, trying to push the thought away.
But this time, it wouldn't disappear.
Taeng noticed that I had become unusually quiet.
He lowered his phone and glanced at me.
"Are you okay?"
I forced a small smile.
"Yeah. I'm fine."
He looked at me for another moment, clearly not completely convinced, but he didn't press me.
Instead, he looked back toward the others.
"Sometimes a painting can make you think about things you weren't planning to think about."
I looked at him.
"Yeah..."
My eyes returned to Chak.
He had turned away from the painting and was now looking around the room.
Then his eyes found mine.
Our gazes met.
He smiled.
That familiar, warm smile that always made something inside me soften.
I smiled back.
For a moment, I forgot about the broken thread.
Forgot about Phalin.
Forgot about everything that could go wrong.
Chak walked toward me.
"What are you two doing over here?"
"Looking at the paintings," Taeng answered casually.
Chak looked at the painting behind us.
"Which one?"
I glanced at it.
"The one with the red thread."
He followed my gaze.
His expression changed slightly as he read the words beneath it.
Then he looked at me.
"You like it?"
I hesitated.
"I don't know."
He stepped closer.
"Why?"
I looked at the broken thread again.
"It just made me think."
"About what?"
I looked into his eyes.
About us.
But I couldn't say it.
Instead, I shook my head.
"Nothing important."
Chak studied my face.
He knew me too well.
He reached for my hand and gently intertwined his fingers with mine.
"If something is bothering you, you can tell me."
I squeezed his hand.
"I know."
He smiled softly.
"Good."
Behind us, Chai suddenly called out.
"Niran!"
I turned around.
"Yes?"
"Come look at this!"
He was standing beside another painting with Malai and Anamarija.
"What did you find?"
"It's beautiful!"
I laughed.
"You said that about the last five paintings."
"Because they're all beautiful!"
Torn laughed.
"He's definitely becoming an art expert."
Chai proudly nodded.
"Exactly."
Everyone started walking toward the next room.
Chak stayed beside me, still holding my hand.
I took one last glance at the broken red thread.
The thought was still there.
But then I felt Chak's fingers tighten gently around mine.
I looked at him.
And for the first time since seeing that painting, another thought entered my mind.
Maybe it doesn't have to.
I squeezed his hand back.
Then we followed the others deeper into the gallery.
After spending some more time looking at the paintings, we eventually reached the final room of the gallery.
Everyone seemed a little reluctant to leave.
Chai looked around one last time.
"That was actually really nice."
Torn smiled.
"You sound surprised."
"I didn't know I would enjoy it this much."
Anamarija laughed.
"See? I told you it would be worth coming."
Chai nodded.
"You're right."
We slowly made our way toward the exit.
I took one last look around the gallery before stepping outside.
The fresh air greeted us as we walked back into the streets of Ljubljana.
The city felt completely different from the quiet atmosphere of the gallery.
People were walking along the streets, bicycles passed by us, and the sound of conversations came from the cafés around us.
We continued walking through the city without any particular destination.
After a while, I noticed something.
Nobody seemed to be in a hurry.
People were sitting outside cafés, drinking coffee and talking with one another.
Some were laughing.
Others were simply sitting together, enjoying their drinks and watching people pass by.
I looked around curiously.
"Do you notice something?"
Chak looked at me.
"What?"
"It feels like nobody is rushing anywhere."
He looked around.
I was right.
People seemed to have all the time in the world.
Anamarija smiled.
"That's one of the things I love about it"
Malai looked toward one of the cafés.
"Everyone seems so relaxed."
"People like to sit and talk," Anamarija explained. "Sometimes they can spend hours in a café just talking."
Chai looked surprised.
"Hours?"
Torn laughed.
"Apparently."
Chai looked at the cafés again.
"I think I could get used to that."
"Of course you could," Malai teased.
We continued walking for a little while longer until Anamarija stopped in front of a small café.
"What about this one?"
We all looked at it.
It had several tables outside, surrounded by greenery, and the atmosphere looked warm and peaceful.
Chak nodded.
"Looks good."
"Then let's sit," Malai said.
We entered the café and found a large table where all of us could sit together.
Chak sat beside me.
Anamarija sat across from us, with Malai and Chai beside her.
Torn and Taeng took the remaining seats, while Suraphom sat at the end of the table.
A waiter soon came over and handed us the menus.
Chai immediately opened his.
"What should I try?"
Anamarija smiled.
"Since you're in Slovenia, you should probably try something local."
Chai looked at the menu seriously.
"Okay. What do you recommend?"
Anamarija began pointing at a few options.
Everyone started discussing what they wanted to order.
I leaned back in my chair and looked around.
People were talking quietly at the surrounding tables.
Someone was laughing nearby.
A couple sat across from each other, slowly drinking their coffee.
An older group was having a conversation that seemed to have been going on for quite some time.
There was something comforting about it.
Nobody seemed to be counting the minutes.
Nobody seemed desperate to leave.
They were simply enjoying being together.
Chak noticed me looking around.
"What are you thinking about?"
I smiled.
"I think I understand why people like sitting in cafés here."
He raised an eyebrow.
"Why?"
"Because it feels like time slows down."
He smiled.
"Then let's not rush."
I looked at him.
"Deal."
And for the first time that day, I didn't feel like I wanted the days to move any faster.
A few minutes later, the waiter returned with our drinks and food.
Chai immediately smiled when his plate was placed in front of him.
"This looks really good."
Torn glanced at him.
"You haven't even tasted it yet."
"I can already tell."
Malai laughed.
"You're always hungry."
"That's because I appreciate food."
Everyone at the table laughed.
I picked up my cup and took a slow sip of coffee.
The warmth spread through me as I looked around the café again.
There was something incredibly peaceful about sitting there with everyone.
No one was talking about work.
No one was discussing meetings or business.
No one was checking the time every few minutes.
We were simply sitting together.
Chak leaned slightly closer to me.
"Are you enjoying yourself?"
I nodded.
"Very much."
He smiled.
"Good."
Anamarija looked at us from across the table.
"All of you looks so peaceful and relaxed. I never see you like this."
Malai nodded.
"I know. Because we never experienced something like this."
Suraphom smiled at her.
"You've been waiting a long time to show everyone Slovenia."
Anamarija looked around the table.
"Yes. I wanted you all to see the places that mean something to me."
Chai swallowed his food before speaking.
"I think Slovenia is beautiful."
Torn nodded.
Anamarija smiled proudly.
"Just wait until you see the rest."
I laughed.
"She's already planning the next tour."
"Of course," Anamarija replied. "You haven't seen everything yet."
Taeng lifted his cup.
"Then we'd better stay longer."
"Definitely," Chai said immediately.
Everyone laughed again.
I looked at Chak.
He was smiling while listening to everyone talk.
I reached under the table and gently took his hand.
His fingers immediately intertwined with mine.
He glanced at me.
Neither of us said anything.
We didn't need to.
For a moment, I looked around the table again.
Malai was talking to Anamarija.
Chai was enthusiastically telling Torn something.
Kit and Taeng was quietly listening while Suraphom smiled at Anamarija.
And Chak was holding my hand beneath the table.
I smiled.
Maybe this was what I had been looking for all along.
Not some extraordinary moment.
Not something grand.
Just a quiet afternoon in Ljubljana, surrounded by people I cared about.
And for a little while, the world felt wonderfully simple.