I et lille parcelhus i forstaden, en smule slidt af tidens forløb, samles familien omkring det lange spisebord.

In a small suburban house, a bit worn by the passage of time, the family gathers around the long dining table.

Det er forår udenfor.

It is spring outside.

Friske knopper kigger frem på buskene, og en let brise bærer duften af nyklippet græs ind gennem de halvt åbne vinduer.

Fresh buds peek out on the bushes, and a gentle breeze carries the scent of freshly cut grass through the half-open windows.

Men indenfor er stemningen alt andet end let.

But inside, the atmosphere is anything but light.

Nikolaj sidder stille ved bordets ende.

Nikolaj sits quietly at the end of the table.

Han er der for sin bror, som han ikke har set længe.

He is there for his brother, whom he hasn't seen in a long time.

Spændingerne rammer ham allerede som bølger af ubehag.

The tension already hits him like waves of discomfort.

Freja, derimod, går beslutsomt rundt og prøver at lette stemningen.

Freja, on the other hand, moves around decisively, trying to lighten the mood.

Hun er en del af familien gennem sin kusine og har hurtigt bemærket Nikolajs tilbagetrukkenhed.

She is part of the family through her cousin and has quickly noticed Nikolaj's withdrawal.

Hun sætter sig ved siden af ham, med et varmt smil på læben.

She sits next to him with a warm smile on her face.

"Hej, Nikolaj.

"Hi, Nikolaj.

Hvordan har du det?"

How are you?"

spørger hun venligt.

she asks kindly.

Nikolaj tøver, ser på hende og svarer med et halvhjertet smil, "Hej, Freja.

Nikolaj hesitates, looks at her, and replies with a half-hearted smile, "Hi, Freja.

Jeg klarer mig."

I'm managing."

Han ser ned, undgår øjenkontakt.

He looks down, avoiding eye contact.

Han ønsker blot at undgå konfrontationerne, der ofte opstår til disse sammenkomster.

He just wants to avoid the confrontations that often arise at these gatherings.

Familien skændes højlydt om de små ting.

The family argues loudly over small things.

Nogen nævner den store ovale arvemaling, som få kunne enes om, hvorefter stemmerne hæves.

Someone mentions the large oval heirloom painting, which few could agree on, and then voices are raised.

Midt i det ophedede øjeblik rejser Nikolajs bror sig for at forlade rummet, træt af de bitre bemærkninger.

In the middle of the heated moment, Nikolaj's brother stands up to leave the room, tired of the bitter remarks.

"Hold nu op!"

"Stop it!"

bryder Nikolaj pludselig ud, hans stemme højere end beregnet.

Nikolaj suddenly bursts out, his voice louder than intended.

Alle stopper op, og rummet fyldes med stilhed.

Everyone stops, and the room is filled with silence.

Nikolajs mod til at forsvare sin bror overrasker både Freja og ham selv.

Nikolaj's courage to defend his brother surprises both Freja and himself.

Øjnene falder på ham, og han må skjule sin overraskelse over sin egen handling.

Eyes fall on him, and he must hide his surprise at his own action.

Efter måltidet og de fælles anstrengelser for at genoprette noget, der minder om harmoni, sniger Nikolaj og Freja sig udenfor i den kølige forårsaftenluft.

After the meal and the joint efforts to restore something resembling harmony, Nikolaj and Freja sneak outside into the cool spring evening air.

De sidder på trappetrinnet.

They sit on the steps.

Mørket samler sig stille omkring dem.

Darkness quietly gathers around them.

"Det var en overraskelse," siger Freja, med et smil som går helt til øjnene.

"That was a surprise," says Freja, with a smile that reaches her eyes.

Nikolaj trækker på skuldrene og griner lavmælt, "Jeg vidste ikke, jeg havde det i mig."

Nikolaj shrugs and laughs softly, "I didn't know I had it in me."

Han ser op mod himlen, hvor stjernerne begynder at titte frem.

He looks up at the sky, where stars begin to peek through.

"Men tak, fordi du kom hen til mig."

"But thank you for coming over to me."

Freja nikker og rækker ham en flaske vand, "Jeg kunne mærke, du havde brug for en pause fra alt det dér."

Freja nods and hands him a bottle of water, "I could sense you needed a break from all that."

De taler længe og deler stille historier om deres liv og drømme.

They talk for a long time and share quiet stories about their lives and dreams.

De indser, at de har mere tilfælles, end de først antog.

They realize they have more in common than they first assumed.

Da de rejser sig for at gå ind igen, føler Nikolaj sig lettere.

As they get up to go back inside, Nikolaj feels lighter.

Han ved nu, at ikke alle konflikter behøver at være så vanskelige, og at han kan finde støtte hos nye venner.

He now knows that not all conflicts need to be so difficult and that he can find support in new friends.

Freja opdager, at hendes evne til at skabe ro kan føre til betydningsfulde forbindelser.

Freja discovers that her ability to create calm can lead to meaningful connections.

Imens de vender tilbage til den nu roligere stue, har de begge en følelse af ny begyndelse.

As they return to the now calmer living room, they both have a sense of a new beginning.