reputation that could fill a trashy mag back at home, but her heart was in the right place and you never had a dull time when you were with her.
‘Were you and she …?’ I broke off delicately. I’d made it to the bedroom door. I didn’t want to bear the brunt of rejected passion, not at half past five in the morning.
‘Was nothing,’ he muttered. ‘We are friends, is all.’
‘Friends with benefits,’ I said, eyebrow raised.
‘I not understand.’ He pressed his lips together for a moment, then put his head to one side and looked at me properly. His eyes were a keen, clear blue and I felt I was being stripped down and X-rayed beneath my pyjamas.
‘So, Ruby,’ he said. ‘You want to stay here?’
‘That was the plan.’
He stood up, wrapping himself in the top blanket. I stepped back as he swept past me like an impoverished emperor, through the bedroom door and out into the little kitchen cum living-room beyond.
While I stood in the doorway, rubbing my eyes, he opened a kitchen cupboard and took out a half-full bottle and two glasses.
‘Here,’ he said with an imperious gesture. ‘Drink with me.’
I didn’t know what was in that bottle, but it didn’t look like my morning orange juice.
‘At this time in the morning?’ I objected.
‘Yes, why not? Come on.’
‘Just a moment.’ I shut the door on him and switched on the bedroom light, staring at myself in the dresser mirror.
What was going on? What was really going on? And was it going to go on while my hair was sticking up like a static-shocked porcupine?
I pulled a brush through it, had a quick face-splash and tooth-scrub in the tiny en suite bathroom and crossed the threshold to whatever lay in that room with that man.
I sat down on the sofa, as far away from him as possible, picked up the glass of orangey liquid and sniffed. It smelled like fruit on fire.
‘What is this?’
‘Pálinka,’ he said. ‘I think is apricot, maybe plum. Drink, it’s good. I welcome you to Hungary.’
‘Do you?’
‘Yes.’
He raised his glass to me, then threw his pálinka down his throat, gasping with satisfaction once the liquid was despatched.
‘So you’re not angry?’
‘Drink it!’
I took a sip. My lips stung, then my tongue followed suit. I took another and my lungs and stomach lit up.
‘Wow,’ I said.
He laughed. ‘Finish it.’
I tipped the rest down my gullet, the way he had, and let my eyes water and my face burn while it did its nefarious work.
‘Good, huh?’ He smiled, broadly and approvingly, and stretched an arm along the back of the sofa so that his fingers dangled dangerously close to my shoulder.
‘Seriously good. I couldn’t drink another though.’
‘I could.’ He poured himself one, drank it down, then turned back to me. ‘Jodie is your friend?’
‘She’s my cousin. She said the flat would be free for a month, asked me if I wanted to use it.’
‘So she plan this trip to Balaton,’ he mused. ‘Only two days ago we are in bed together.’ He shook his head, his eyes misting tragically.
‘Are you very fond of her?’
‘Fond?’
‘You like her a lot?’
‘Oh no, not really. She is a person with many moods, you know?’
I laughed. ‘Yeah. I know.’
‘But …’ He lifted his hands to wave a curvaceous woman’s outline into the air.
‘She’s hot stuff,’ I translated unnecessarily.
He looked at me with wordless intensity for a moment until I felt uncomfortable and picked up the pálinka bottle, affecting interest in the label.
‘She is OK,’ he said, his voice dropping a notch lower. ‘You are prettier than she.’
I blinked, slightly incredulous that this man appeared to be making a play for me minutes after having his heart broken by Jodie.
‘Thanks. And thanks for the drink but, you know, it’s pretty late and I was hoping for a bit more sleep –’
‘You want go back to bed?’ His voice was all broken and croon-ey. I shivered. His fingers brushed my shoulders and
‘Were you and she …?’ I broke off delicately. I’d made it to the bedroom door. I didn’t want to bear the brunt of rejected passion, not at half past five in the morning.
‘Was nothing,’ he muttered. ‘We are friends, is all.’
‘Friends with benefits,’ I said, eyebrow raised.
‘I not understand.’ He pressed his lips together for a moment, then put his head to one side and looked at me properly. His eyes were a keen, clear blue and I felt I was being stripped down and X-rayed beneath my pyjamas.
‘So, Ruby,’ he said. ‘You want to stay here?’
‘That was the plan.’
He stood up, wrapping himself in the top blanket. I stepped back as he swept past me like an impoverished emperor, through the bedroom door and out into the little kitchen cum living-room beyond.
While I stood in the doorway, rubbing my eyes, he opened a kitchen cupboard and took out a half-full bottle and two glasses.
‘Here,’ he said with an imperious gesture. ‘Drink with me.’
I didn’t know what was in that bottle, but it didn’t look like my morning orange juice.
‘At this time in the morning?’ I objected.
‘Yes, why not? Come on.’
‘Just a moment.’ I shut the door on him and switched on the bedroom light, staring at myself in the dresser mirror.
What was going on? What was really going on? And was it going to go on while my hair was sticking up like a static-shocked porcupine?
I pulled a brush through it, had a quick face-splash and tooth-scrub in the tiny en suite bathroom and crossed the threshold to whatever lay in that room with that man.
I sat down on the sofa, as far away from him as possible, picked up the glass of orangey liquid and sniffed. It smelled like fruit on fire.
‘What is this?’
‘Pálinka,’ he said. ‘I think is apricot, maybe plum. Drink, it’s good. I welcome you to Hungary.’
‘Do you?’
‘Yes.’
He raised his glass to me, then threw his pálinka down his throat, gasping with satisfaction once the liquid was despatched.
‘So you’re not angry?’
‘Drink it!’
I took a sip. My lips stung, then my tongue followed suit. I took another and my lungs and stomach lit up.
‘Wow,’ I said.
He laughed. ‘Finish it.’
I tipped the rest down my gullet, the way he had, and let my eyes water and my face burn while it did its nefarious work.
‘Good, huh?’ He smiled, broadly and approvingly, and stretched an arm along the back of the sofa so that his fingers dangled dangerously close to my shoulder.
‘Seriously good. I couldn’t drink another though.’
‘I could.’ He poured himself one, drank it down, then turned back to me. ‘Jodie is your friend?’
‘She’s my cousin. She said the flat would be free for a month, asked me if I wanted to use it.’
‘So she plan this trip to Balaton,’ he mused. ‘Only two days ago we are in bed together.’ He shook his head, his eyes misting tragically.
‘Are you very fond of her?’
‘Fond?’
‘You like her a lot?’
‘Oh no, not really. She is a person with many moods, you know?’
I laughed. ‘Yeah. I know.’
‘But …’ He lifted his hands to wave a curvaceous woman’s outline into the air.
‘She’s hot stuff,’ I translated unnecessarily.
He looked at me with wordless intensity for a moment until I felt uncomfortable and picked up the pálinka bottle, affecting interest in the label.
‘She is OK,’ he said, his voice dropping a notch lower. ‘You are prettier than she.’
I blinked, slightly incredulous that this man appeared to be making a play for me minutes after having his heart broken by Jodie.
‘Thanks. And thanks for the drink but, you know, it’s pretty late and I was hoping for a bit more sleep –’
‘You want go back to bed?’ His voice was all broken and croon-ey. I shivered. His fingers brushed my shoulders and
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