Vôňa čerstvo uvarenej kávy sa šírila kaviarničkou na rohu živého bratislavského námestia.

The aroma of freshly brewed coffee wafted through the coffee shop on the corner of a bustling Bratislava square.

Vonku sa listy hádzali vo vetre ako malé farebné papierové lietadlá.

Outside, leaves danced in the wind like small colorful paper airplanes.

September prechádzal do októbra a s ním prišlo aj očakávanie Jesenného festivalu padlých listov.

September was turning into October, bringing with it the anticipation of the Autumn Festival of Fallen Leaves.

Jana sedela pri stole pri okne.

Jana sat at a table by the window.

Pred sebou mala horúci čaj a na zvonivom obrazovke mobilu nesmejavo blikala správa: "Vlak do Banskej Bystrice mešká. Ďalšia informácia čoskoro."

In front of her was a steaming cup of tea, and on her ringing phone screen, a message shyly blinked: "The train to Banská Bystrica is delayed. More information soon."

Povzdychla si.

She sighed.

Každý rok sa tešila na festival. Domov, rodina, vône tradičných jedál a smiech až do noci.

Every year, she looked forward to the festival—home, family, the smell of traditional foods, and laughter that lasted into the night.

Tento rok však bol iný.

But this year was different.

Matej, sympatický mládenec, s ktorým sa len pred týždňom zoznámila, si sadol k nej.

Matej, a charming young man she had met just a week ago, sat down with her.

"Máme čas, vlaky majú stále problémy," povedal s úsmevom, ktorý dokázal roztopiť aj chladný severný vietor.

"We've got time, the trains are always having issues," he said with a smile that could melt even the cold northern wind.

Jana ho chvíľu pozorovala.

Jana watched him for a moment.

Bol očarujúci, inteligentný, ale tiež cudzí.

He was charming, intelligent, but also a stranger.

Popíjali kávu a hovorili o slobode cestovania, knihách a o tom, čo prináša jeseň.

They sipped their coffee and talked about the freedom of travel, books, and what autumn brings.

Netrvalo dlho a Lukáš, jej starý priateľ zo školy, ktorý náhodou práve prechádzal Bratislavou, sa k nim pridal.

It wasn't long before Lukáš, her old school friend who happened to be passing through Bratislava, joined them.

"Jana, ahoj! Nechcela by si ísť na chvíľu von? Potrebujem s tebou niečo prebrať," povedal.

"Jana, hi! Would you like to go out for a moment? I need to discuss something with you," he said.

Jeho hlas bol tichý, no bolo v ňom niečo viac než obvykle.

His voice was quiet, but there was something more in it than usual.

Vonku sa listy krútili v jemnom daždi a dvojica si našla útočisko pod starým stromom v parku.

Outside, leaves swirled in a gentle rain, and the pair found refuge under an old tree in the park.

"Vieš, Jana," začal Lukáš, "je niečo, čo som ti chcel povedať už dávno.

"You know, Jana," Lukáš began, "there's something I wanted to tell you for a long time.

Mám ťa rád, viac než len ako priateľku."

I like you, more than just as a friend."

Jana bola zaskočená.

Jana was taken aback.

Lukáš bol vždy niekto, na koho sa mohla spoľahnúť.

Lukáš had always been someone she could rely on.

Nikdy si však nepomyslela, že by to mohlo byť viac než priateľstvo.

She never thought it could be more than friendship.

V srdci sa jej odohrával boj.

A battle played out in her heart.

Matej bol nový, vzrušujúci, no Lukáš bol známy a bezpečný.

Matej was new and exciting, but Lukáš was familiar and safe.

Vrátia sa do kaviarne, kde ich privítalo teplo a tlmený smiech.

They returned to the coffee shop, welcomed by warmth and muffled laughter.

Jana vzala svoj telefón a sledovala novú správu: "Stále žiadne nové informácie o vlaku."

Jana picked up her phone and saw a new message: "Still no new information about the train."

Matej ju pozoroval.

Matej watched her.

"Ak chceš, môžeme čakať spolu.

"If you want, we can wait together.

Alebo, viem, že je tam aj neskorší autobus, ak by si chcela ešte chvíľu stráviť so mnou."

Or, I know there's a later bus, if you'd like to spend a little more time with me."

Jana sa pozrela na Lukáša, ktorý sa na ňu kučeravo usmial, trochu rozpačito, ale úprimne.

Jana looked at Lukáš, who gave her a curly smile, somewhat shy but sincere.

Náhle vedela, čo musí urobiť.

Suddenly, she knew what she had to do.

Autobus môže byť neskorší, ale ona vie, kam naozaj patrí.

The bus might come later, but she knew where she truly belonged.

"Ďakujem, Matej," usmiala sa na neho Jana.

"Thank you, Matej," Jana smiled at him.

"Ale myslím, že dnes vezmem iný smer."

"But I think I'll take a different path today."

Za ruku chytila Lukáša a užívala si teplo jeho dlane.

She took Lukáš's hand and cherished the warmth of his palm.

Keď autobus konečne dorazil, Jana si sadla vedľa Lukáša.

When the bus finally arrived, Jana sat beside Lukáš.

Cesta bola dlhá, no jej srdce bolo ľahšie.

The journey was long, but her heart was lighter.

Vo vzduchu bola vôňa domova, festival a lásky, ktorá bola blízko, aj keď ju tak dlho prehliadala.

In the air was the scent of home, the festival, and love that was close, even though she had overlooked it for so long.

A takto sa rozhodla byť s tými, ktorých miluje.

And so, she chose to be with those she loved.

Na kaviareň sa spomínalo len ako na miesto, kde si uvedomila, čo je pre ňu naozaj dôležité.

The coffee shop was remembered only as the place where she realized what truly mattered to her.