Jednog sunčanog popodneva u srcu Zagreba, u kafiću na živom Trgu bana Jelačića, Ivan se spremao za susret koji će mu promijeniti život.

On a sunny afternoon in the heart of Zagreb, in a cafe on the lively Ban Jelačić Square, Ivan was getting ready for a meeting that would change his life.

U tom kafiću trebao je na kavu doći Anja, djevojka koju je Ivan poznavao još iz školskih dana, a koja mu se sada vraćala u misli kao najdraža melodija.

He was supposed to meet Anja, a girl he had known since his school days, for coffee at that café, and she had been on his mind like a favorite melody.

Ivan je pogledao svoj odraz u izlogu kafića, popravio kosu i udahnuo duboko.

Ivan glanced at his reflection in the cafe's window, fixed his hair, and took a deep breath.

Vježbao je svoje najbolje priče i šale kako bi impresionirao Anju.

He rehearsed his best stories and jokes to impress Anja.

Naručio je dvije kave, jednu za sebe, a drugu za nju, i odabrao stol koji je po njegovom mišljenju izgledao najugodnije.

He ordered two coffees, one for himself and one for her, and chose a table that he thought looked the most comfortable.

Anja je stigla, lijepa kao i uvijek, nasmiješena, s očima u kojima se moglo utopiti.

Anja arrived, looking as beautiful as ever, smiling with eyes you could get lost in.

Zamahnula je kosom dok je prišla stolu i Ivan se na trenutak osjećao kao da ga je zabila munja.

She tossed her hair as she approached the table, and for a moment, Ivan felt like he had been struck by lightning.

"Dobar dan, Ivan," rekla je toplim glasom, "kako si?

"Good day, Ivan," she said in a warm voice, "how are you?"

""Dobro," odgovorio je Ivan premda mu je srce poskakivalo kao luda loptica.

"Good," Ivan replied, even though his heart was racing like a crazy ball.

"A ti?

"And you?"

""Došla sam da vidim hoće li se ovo naše druženje pretvoriti u nešto posebno," rekla je Anja s bljeskom u očima.

"I came to see if our meeting will turn into something special," Anja said with a sparkle in her eyes.

I dok je Ivan želio započeti razgovor koji je pažljivo pripremao, desila se nesreća.

Just as Ivan wanted to start the conversation he had carefully prepared, an accident happened.

Dok je Anjinoj kavi prilazio konobar, jedan muškarac se naglo ustao sa svog stola, sudario se s konobarom i uslijedio je kaos.

As the waiter approached with Anja's coffee, a man suddenly stood up from his table, collided with the waiter, and chaos ensued.

Kava je prsnuo u zrak, kao složeni ples kapljica, i većina ih je završila na Ivanovoj bijeloj košulji.

The coffee burst into the air, like a complex dance of droplets, and most of it ended up on Ivan's white shirt.

Ivanov lice je postalo crveno kao najzrelije trešnje, od smijeha, srama, i prpošne topline koja se širila njegovim prsima.

Ivan's face turned as red as the ripest cherries, from a mix of laughter, embarrassment, and a playful warmth spreading through his chest.

Anja je u prvom trenutku zastala, a zatim prasnula u smijeh, no umjesto podrugljivog, njezin smijeh bio je topao i zarazan.

Anja paused for a moment, then burst into laughter, but her laughter was warm and contagious instead of mocking.

"Pa, Ivan," igrala se Anja ričima dok je tražila salvete, "izgleda da ti je kava stvarno 'po guštu' - obukao si je!

"Well, Ivan," Anja joked as she searched for napkins, "it looks like you really 'enjoyed' the coffee - you're wearing it!"

"Ivan se, između hihotanja i brisanja mrlja, počeo opuštati.

Between chuckles and dabbing the stains, Ivan began to relax.

"Znaš," rekao je, "htio sam ostaviti dojam, ali ne baš ovakav.

"You know," he said, "I wanted to make an impression, but not quite like this."

""Ostavio si dojam," odgovorila je Anja.

"You made an impression," Anja replied.

"Dojam nekoga tko može usmjeriti pravu katastrofu u nešto lijepo.

"The impression of someone who can turn a real disaster into something beautiful."

"Za Ivanov stol stigla je nova kava, besplatna, kao isprika kafića.

A new coffee arrived at Ivan's table, free of charge, as an apology from the cafe.

Anja i Ivan su nastavili razgovarati, sada već opuštenije i smijeha nije nestajalo.

Anja and Ivan continued to talk, now more relaxed, and the laughter didn't fade.

Sunce je polako krenulo prema svom počivalištu na horizontu, ali njihov razgovor nije znao za svršetak.

The sun slowly made its way toward the horizon, but their conversation seemed endless.

Anja je otkrila da joj je upravo ta nespretnost koju je Ivan pokazao činila ga ljudskijim, i pristupačnijim.

Anja revealed that it was precisely the awkwardness Ivan had shown that made him more human and approachable.

Večer je završila obećanjem novog susreta, ovoga puta negdje gdje nema kave ni mogućnosti sličnih nesreća.

The evening ended with a promise of a new meeting, this time somewhere without coffee or the possibility of similar mishaps.

Prijateljstvo koje je već počelo cvjetati sada je imalo priliku da se izgradi na još čvršćem temelju.

The friendship that had already begun to bloom now had the opportunity to be built on an even stronger foundation.

I dok je Ivan hodao prema kući, s kavom koja se već osušila na njegovoj košulji, nosio je osmijeh koji ni najjači zagrebački vjetar nije mogao obrusiti.

As Ivan walked home, with the coffee already dried on his shirt, he wore a smile that not even the strongest Zagreb wind could wipe away.

Bio je to osmijeh nekoga tko je naučio da ponekad, i kad stvari krenu po zlu, mogu se pretvoriti u nešto potpuno neplanirano, ali također potpuno savršeno.

It was the smile of someone who had learned that sometimes, even when things go wrong, they can turn into something completely unplanned, yet perfectly beautiful.