Anamarija reached into the bag once more and pulled out another padlock.
A small smile spread across her face.
"Chai. Torn."
The two of them looked at each other.
Chai scratched the back of his neck.
"I guess that's us."
Torn smiled warmly.
"I guess it is."
Anamarija handed them the padlock and a marker.
"This one's yours."
Chai uncapped the marker and stared at the smooth metal.
"So..."
He looked at Torn.
"What should we write?"
Torn shrugged with a gentle smile.
"Our names are enough."
Chai nodded.
"Yeah."
Carefully, he wrote:
**Torn ♡ Chai**
Then he added the date underneath.
For a moment, they both admired it before walking toward the railing.
Unlike me, Chai didn't tease anyone.
He simply looked for an empty spot among the countless locks already covering the bridge.
"There," Torn said.
"Perfect."
Together they fastened the padlock onto the railing.
**Click.**
The sound was soft, but everyone smiled.
Chai rested his hand on the lock for a second before stepping back.
"It looks nice," he admitted.
"It does," Malai agreed.
Before anyone could say anything else, Torn gently reached for Chai's hand.
Chai looked up at him.
Without saying a word, Torn leaned in and softly kissed him.
It wasn't a long kiss.
Just gentle.
Full of affection.
When they pulled apart, Torn kept holding Chai's hand.
His eyes never left Chai's.
"I'm really happy," he said quietly.
Chai tilted his head.
"Hm?"
Torn smiled.
"I'm happy that I'm here..."
He gave Chai's hand a gentle squeeze.
"...and even happier that I'm here with you."
For once, Chai didn't have a witty comeback.
A faint blush spread across his cheeks instead.
"You always know how to make me speechless."
Torn chuckled softly.
"I'll take that as a compliment."
"It is."
Without caring that everyone else was watching, Chai leaned in and gave Torn another quick kiss.
Behind them, Taeng sighed dramatically as he snapped another photo.
"Another masterpiece."
Kit shook his head with a laugh.
"Your camera is going to run out of storage before this trip is over."
"It'll be worth it."
Anamarija smiled as she watched the two of them.
Then she looked down into the paper bag again.
"Well..."
She lifted another padlock.
"We're not finished yet."
Anamarija reached into the bag again.
"Kit. Taeng."
The two of them looked at each other.
Then, at exactly the same time, they both pointed at the other.
"He should write."
"No, he should."
"I wrote the last postcard."
"You have nicer handwriting."
"That's exactly why you should do it."
Within seconds, they were already arguing.
Kit sighed dramatically.
"We haven't even reached the railing yet."
"We're discussing something important," Taeng replied.
"You mean you're avoiding making a decision."
"Exactly."
Everyone laughed.
Chai folded his arms.
"This is going to take forever."
Anamarija chuckled and simply handed them the marker.
"Figure it out."
After another minute of playful bickering, Taeng finally snatched the marker.
"Fine."
He carefully wrote:
Kit ♡ Taeng
Then he added a tiny camera next to their names.
Kit looked at it and laughed.
"You seriously drew a camera?"
"It's part of our relationship."
"I can't even argue with that."
Together they walked toward the railing.
Unlike Chak and me...
Unlike Chai and Torn...
They couldn't stand still for more than five seconds.
"No, not there."
"Why not there?"
"That spot has bad lighting."
"...We're attaching a lock, not taking wedding photos."
"But it needs to look nice!"
"It's a lock!"
Taeng moved three steps to the left.
"No."
Then two steps to the right.
"Still no."
Kit looked up at the sky.
"I've made terrible life choices."
"You chose me."
"...Fair point."
Finally, after inspecting what felt like half the bridge, Taeng gasped.
"There!"
Kit glanced at the empty space.
"It literally looks the same as all the others."
"No."
"It has... vibes."
"It has what?"
"Vibes."
Nobody knew what that meant.
Not even Taeng.
Still, they clipped the padlock onto the railing.
**Click.**
"There," Taeng said proudly.
"Perfect."
Kit looked at the lock for a moment before smiling.
"It actually is."
Taeng immediately wrapped an arm around Kit's shoulders.
"We're adorable."
"We're a disaster."
"We're an adorable disaster."
"I'll accept that."
Before anyone could tease them, Taeng suddenly grabbed Kit by the front of his jacket.
"What are you—"
He didn't get to finish.
Taeng kissed him.
Not softly.
Not briefly.
It was completely unexpected.
When they finally pulled apart, Kit blinked twice.
"...You always do that without warning."
"If I warned you, it wouldn't be as fun."
Kit laughed, shaking his head.
"You are impossible."
"And yet..."
Taeng slipped his fingers through Kit's.
"...you still love me."
Kit smiled warmly.
"I do."
Taeng beamed.
"I know."
Behind them, Chai groaned dramatically.
"Can someone please stop these two?"
"No," Malai replied, laughing.
"They're entertaining."
"They're exhausting."
"They're both," Torn corrected.
Even Chak couldn't hide a quiet chuckle.
I looked at the two of them as they continued teasing each other over something as simple as a padlock.
They weren't calm.
They weren't elegant.
They were loud, chaotic, and completely unpredictable.
But somehow...
They fit together perfectly.
The afternoon sun was still high in the sky.
After hours of walking, everyone had reached the same conclusion.
"I'm hungry," Chai declared dramatically, placing a hand on his stomach.
"I think your stomach has been making speeches for the last hour," Kit teased.
"My stomach deserves to be heard."
Anamarija laughed.
"I know the perfect place."
Nobody argued.
Five minutes later, we were sitting at a cozy restaurant near the Ljubljanica River.
The smell of freshly cooked food drifted through the air.
Wooden tables.
Soft music.
Locals chatting over lunch.
It felt warm and welcoming.
As we waited for the menus, Anamarija leaned forward with a mischievous smile.
"Okay."
Everyone immediately became suspicious.
"I have a question."
Chai narrowed his eyes.
"Whenever you smile like that, something dangerous follows."
She ignored him.
"Can anyone guess what used to be considered one of Ljubljana's traditional dishes?"
The guessing began immediately.
"Mango sticky rice?" Taeng suggested.
"No."
"Pork?" Torn asked.
"No."
"Fish?" Malai guessed.
"No."
"Noodles?" Kit tried.
"Nope."
Chak looked thoughtful.
"Something with potatoes?"
"Still no."
Everyone looked at each other.
"We give up."
Anamarija smiled innocently.
"Frog legs."
Silence.
Complete silence.
"What?" Chai finally said.
"Frog legs."
He stared at her in horror.
"You mean..."
She nodded.
"Actual frogs."
Chai slowly turned pale.
"Please tell me you're joking."
"I'm not."
Kit burst into laughter.
"The look on your face!"
Chai ignored him and looked back at Anamarija.
"Have you ever eaten them?"
She immediately shook her head.
"No."
"Would you?"
"No."
"Why not?"
She smiled.
"Because I don't want to."
Chai placed a hand over his heart.
"Thank goodness."
"I'll leave the frog legs to someone else."
Everyone laughed.
Just then, the waiter arrived and handed each of us a menu.
The moment we opened them...
Confusion.
Complete confusion.
Every few seconds, someone pointed at another dish.
"Anamarija..."
Taeng pointed at one of the names.
"What's this?"
She leaned over.
"Oh, that's štruklji."
Štruklji is my grandmother's favorite food.
"What are those?"
"A traditional rolled dough dish with different fillings. Some are sweet, some are savory."
"Oh."
A second later, Kit pointed somewhere else.
"And this?"
"Jota."
"What's in it?"
"Sauerkraut, beans, potatoes, and smoked meat."
Malai smiled.
"That actually sounds good."
Chai was already pointing at another dish.
"What about this one?"
"Carniolan sausage."
"And this?"
"Idrija žlikrofi."
"And this?"
"Buckwheat porridge."
Within two minutes, Anamarija had become a walking Slovenian menu translator.
Finally, the waiter returned.
He smiled politely.
"Dober dan."
Anamarija smiled back.
"Dober dan."
Za začetek bi naročili pijačo.....
(We would like to order a drink to start.)
Then, without hesitation, she began ordering in fluent Slovenian.
The conversation flowed effortlessly.
The waiter asked a few questions.
She answered immediately.
She recommended dishes for us.
Confirmed the drinks.
Najlepša hvala
(Thank you so much)
The waiter smiled, wished us a pleasant meal, and walked away.
For several seconds...
Nobody spoke.
Everyone simply stared at her.
"That," Kit finally said.
"was incredibly cool."
Anamarija blinked.
"What?"
"You sounded completely different."
"Like a native," Torn added.
She laughed.
"I am a native."
"I know, but..."
Kit shook his head.
"It's different hearing you actually speak Slovenian."
Taeng nodded enthusiastically.
"It sounds beautiful."
Anamarija smiled, slightly embarrassed.
"Thank you."
Kit rested his chin on his hand.
"I have another question."
"Go ahead."
"How do you say..."
He smiled at Taeng.
"...'I love you' in Slovenian?"
Anamarija's smile softened.
She looked at the two of them before answering.
"Ljubim te."
The words rolled gently off her tongue.
For a brief moment, nobody spoke.
Taeng repeated it carefully.
"...Lu bim... te."
"Very close," Anamarija said with a laugh.
Kit smiled at Taeng.
"I'll probably pronounce it terribly."
"I don't care."
Taeng reached across the table and took his hand.
"As long as I know what you mean."
Anamarija chuckled.
"And if you want a bonus phrase..."
Everyone looked at her.
She grinned.
"Ljubim te' is deeply romantic. 'Rad te imam' or 'Rada te imam' for women is also used between partners, but you can also say it to family and close friends. It depends on the relationship and the context."
"One language..." Chai muttered in amazement.
"...and it already has multiple ways to say 'I love you.'"
Anamarija smiled proudly.
"Every language has its own little treasures."