Love Around the World 08: Hungary

"I'd love to."

There was a bathtub in the bathroom, so when she called out and asked if she could have that instead of a shower, I think I made her even happier when getting the bubble bath out plus a bath bomb from underneath the sink. I'd even bought her a razor and shaving cream for her legs if she was feeling desperate enough.

"You're going to look after me, aren't you?"

"Well, you're my guest and my sister all in one."

She disappeared into what would now always be her bedroom, walking out a few minutes later in her fluffy dressing gown. The smile on her face suggested she loved it, her hair now down from the ponytail she'd had her brunette hair up in, her glasses still in place as I knew she wore them constantly except for when she was sleeping. I knew she didn't wear contacts at all. She'd never liked them.

"Just make sure I don't fall asleep in the bath," she said, "Plus you'll see your sister naked."

"I've seen naked women before."

"I bet you have," she teased, "Am I going to see women coming and going?"

"No," I replied, chuckling to myself, "I went a bit wild in my early years over here, but I've settled down somewhat in my thirties."

"I'd like to hear about it after my bath."

"Go and relax."

As she soaked in the bath, I pottered around the apartment as I waited for her to finish. Made myself a cup of tea, having become a habitual drinker of the stuff since I'd started working in an office environment. Coffee was popular but it was tea that nearly everyone drank religiously. Made a list of things I needed to grab when going shopping, and I knew I'd have to take Katie along. While Brits and Australians did have similar tastes regarding some things, I knew my sister would have to adapt to certain differences.

She was in the bath for over half an hour, hearing the bathroom door open as the extractor fan was hard at work. Walking out into the living room wrapped in her dressing gown, her hair up and wrapped in a towel, she joined me on the couch, snuggling into my side.

"I love you," she whispered, "I can't remember the last time I told my little brother that I loved him when I was with him."

"Last time I was home."

"Which was too long ago!"

"Need a nap?"

"I do, but what I really need is a cuddle... Can I borrow one of your t-shirts? I'll put some panties on."

Finding her one of my black t-shirts of a power metal band that I'd seen in London recently, she disappeared to get changed, calling out a few minutes later as she was already cocooned underneath the quilt. Kicking off my shoes, I slid into bed with her, Katie moving so she was snuggled back against me. Holding her in my arms, I felt her relax for a while before she started to cry. Turning around to hug me, I knew it was mostly tears of genuine relief.

"I'll never be able to repay you for this," she whispered.

"Hush now," I whispered back, "You were isolated and alone. The one thing we'll have to do is let Mum and Dad know the truth about everything."

"I promise I'll tell them soon. I just want to take this time to finally relax and not feel frightened all the time."

"Take today and tomorrow to get as much sleep as possible, get your body clock in order. Day after tomorrow, we'll head out and do some shopping. Clothing for you. Food for us both. I'll definitely take you to a nearby pub for a proper meal."

"What about work?"

"You don't need to work, Katie. I make more than enough to support both of us. You're welcome to stay forever."

"You mean that, don't you?"

"Of course. You're my sister and you should know that I'd do anything for you."

Kissing me on the cheek, she snuggled against me, and I wasn't surprised that she fell asleep rather quickly. Leaving her to get some much-needed rest, I returned to the dining room where my laptop was set up, logging in and doing a couple of hours of work, even though I was technically not meant to be doing any work for the rest of the week.

Waking her up a couple of hours later, she opened her arms as she wanted another cuddle. We laid in bed for a little while before we got up and lounged around in the living room. I could see she was still quite tired, doing what I could to keep her awake for the rest of the day. I ended up cooking dinner at an earlier time than normal, my sister making more than one comment about her little brother managing to cook a decent meal.

She was still rather tired so headed off to bed rather early. I'd been up early to pick her up from the airport, ensuring my apartment was locked up tight before I turned in for the night as well. I was lying back with a book when there was a light tap at the door. Calling out to my sister, she opened the door and peeked in.

"Can I sleep with you?" she asked softly.

I answered by lifting the quilt on the empty side of the bed, my sister closing the door behind her before sliding into bed next to me. Putting the book down, my sister slid as close as possible, her hand on my chest as I felt her leg resting over one of mine. "Are you okay?" I asked.

"I'm trying not to break down and cry all the time. But I know I'll also be crying because my little brother... He's done so much for me already..."

"If I'd been there..."

"He has all his friends still on the force, Mark. He made my life a living hell. I couldn't possibly go to them and make an accusation."

"That's corruption and usually..."

"I know... I know... But he scared me to death, and I swear one of his friends followed me to the airport. He no doubt knows I've fled, he just wouldn't know where I've gone."

"You're safe with me, Katie," I whispered, holding her tighter in my arm, "Going to look after my big sister."

"Even though I'm a complete mess and have no idea what to do?"

"Even more reason to look after you." Kissing her forehead, she snuggled tighter as I felt a few wet drips on my shoulder. Turning enough that I could cuddle her properly, I let her cry for a couple of minutes before I whispered, "I love you."

"I love you too. Thank you for this, Mark. I'll never be able to repay you."

"And you never will have to. I'm your brother and it's what I do."

"I'm meant to be the older and responsible one."

"All you did was marry the wrong man."

"You never liked him, did you?"

"Nope. I had him picked as an arsehole from day one."

She was silent before whispering, "Mum never really liked him. Dad never really gave an opinion. I was young and thought I was in love..."

Waking the next morning, she seemed quite refreshed when walking out of the bedroom to join me for breakfast. Making her a coffee just how she liked it, I asked if she would like to go anywhere. Though I knew jetlag was going to be a problem for at least another day or two, I figured getting out of the apartment would do her a world of good. I suggested we go get her a nice coat for the cool weather and that we'd wander around the neighbourhood and walk down the High Street so she could gain an idea of what was around.

Spending most of the day out was a lot of fun. The neighbourhood I called home had been revitalised since I moved in. A lot of people from Eastern Europe had moved into the area and really helped freshen the place up. I'd gotten to know a few faces and was used to hearing quite a few different languages around though they all spoke good English.

My sister enjoyed her first pub lunch though I suggested we really needed to enjoy a proper roast dinner. When I told her that I was perfectly capable of preparing one, I think she nearly fainted from the shock. Stopping on the way home as she wanted to see what wine and liquor was sold, she was amazed at the variety of certain products though she eventually decided on just a bottle of white wine. I'd really grown to love the varieties of beer available just in London alone.

After dinner that evening, we sat together on the couch watching a little television. "Getting used to all these accents will be amusing," she stated.

"Yeah... If we go to Liverpool... Newcastle... Anywhere in Scotland... Bristol... There are accents everywhere, to be honest. London is fairly bland. They'll just sound like a Pom to you as much as you sound fresh off the plane from Australia."

"Your accent has faded a little bit."

"I'm still picked as an Australian if I talk to someone new on the phone, but I've adapted the English way of pronouncing a lot of words."

I was in bed that night reading my book when there was a knock at the door. Katie didn't even wait for me to say anything, poking her head through the gap and smiling. Gesturing with my head, she smiled as she quickly tottered over and slid into bed next to me. Asking if it was weird, I assured her it wasn't at all. I knew she needed a lot of love and support, and given that we were now alone on the other side of the world...

Leaving a very soft kiss on my cheek, she snuggled into me. "Going out again tomorrow?"

"We'll head to a few shops to get you some warm clothing. Want a new phone?"

"You'll buy me one?"

"Money is no object, Katie. Whatever you want, just let me know and we'll see if we can get something."

"I'll think of a way to repay you, even if it's not with money."

"All I want is for you to be happy, Katie."

"I am happy right now with my little brother... Who has turned into a very handsome man. Work out often?"

"I usually go to the gym most days of the week."

"Can I go with you?"

"Of course. That's another thing we can sort out."

Over breakfast the next morning, impressing my sister with bacon and eggs... Nothing particularly special about either, but I did a couple of things to both of them to really enhance the flavour. Escorting my sister into the middle of London, we ended up on Oxford Street where I happily watched her pick out everything she needed as most of her clothing simply wasn't suitable for the English climate.

Staying out for dinner and then visiting a couple of pubs in central London, I knew there was one thing I had to mention that had simply slipped my mind until we walked by a travel agent. "So you know I do a bit of travelling," I said as we shared a drink at a quiet pub, "Well I actually have a two-week trip planned in around a month's time. I don't want to leave you here by yourself so would you like to come along?"

"Where are you going?"

"If you're hoping Paris or something like that, then no. Though I'll happily take my sister to Paris another time. I'm flying out to Hungary."

"Hungary?" I heard the amusement in her tone. "Why Hungary?"

"Already been to the likes of France, Spain, Italy and Germany. Thought I'd start ticking off some of the countries in the former Eastern Europe I haven't visited yet. A couple of friends have been to Budapest and raved about it. I thought I'd see more of the country than just the capital."

"What's there to see?"

"The idea is to fly into the east of the country. Debrecen. From what I've read, it's not the most exciting of cities, so probably stay a day to check it out. There's a large town to the west of there called Miskolc. They have cave baths in the city which are supposedly world-renowned. And from there I was looking at a couple of road trips. Eger is meant to be fantastic, and castle ruins are dotting the countryside. From there I'd head to Budapest, check it out over a few days before heading to Lake Balaton. It's now autumn so it'll probably be quiet but should still have decent enough weather. North of there is a lovely city called Gyor, and then it would be back to Budapest for the flight home."

"And you're inviting me along?"

"When did you last go on holiday?"

Glancing away for a few seconds, she eventually lowered her head and sighed. "I can't remember... He never took me anywhere. He hated it when I'd wear anything revealing so we definitely didn't go to the likes of Fiji or anything."

"If it's warm enough at the lake, you're wearing whatever you want. Swimsuit, Bikini."

"Nothing at all?" she teased.

"If that's what you want. Europeans are certainly more open-minded when it comes to nudity."

She seemed to be deep in thought for a few seconds before smiling. "I'd love to go on holiday with you, Mark." Pausing, she leaned a little closer. "But you will take your big sister to Paris one day, won't you?"

"Katie, I'll take you wherever you want to go. Trust me, your little brother has done very well for himself since arriving here. I work bloody hard, but I'm handsomely rewarded for it."

"Is that why you left?"

I tried not to look too awkward before replying, "One of the reasons."

She fidgeted for a few seconds before asking softly, "It wasn't because of me, was it? That I married... him..."

"I've missed you like crazy since the day I left, Katie. I never approved of the marriage though."

She met my eyes, looking thoughtful again. "I've regretted marrying him for so long. I just felt trapped. He isolated me completely. Mum and Dad... They had no idea. I had to plaster a smile on my face whenever I went to see them."

Taking her hand and gently squeezing it earned a soft smile. "You'll never have to see him again. I'm sure you can get the divorce sorted out from over here. It's all done online nowadays."

We spent the weekend together as I took her on a whistle-stop tour of all the major sites that London had to offer. By the time it was Sunday night, she admitted to feeling like quite the tourist but was ever so thankful that I'd gone out of my way to make her smile and laugh. I assured her that we'd barely done all that was on offer in London. She was sleeping next to me on Sunday night, aware I was working the next day. I would have taken more time off, but she insisted that I carry on with my life as normal.

"I'll sleep in my own bed from tomorrow night... I'm sure you don't need your sister..."

"You can stay if you want," I assured her, "I know you need love and affection."

"What if you meet a girl?"

That made me snort. "Those carefree days of picking up a girl in a pub or a club are in the distant past. I've been single for quite a while now."

"Why is that, Mark? You're a handsome guy, intelligent, ambitious, and have lots to offer a girl. I'm surprised I showed up here to find you living alone."

This wasn't a conversation to have a Sunday night with me needing to be up early in the morning. Nor was I going to admit to her that the reason I was usually single was that the only woman I truly wanted in the world was unattainable though she was currently lying next to me in bed wearing only a t-shirt and pair of panties.

"Just haven't found the right woman," I finally suggested. I felt her lean back enough that I could turn my head and meet her eyes. We gazed at each other for a few seconds before she leaned in and kissed my cheek before snuggling against me.

"She's out there, Mark. Just like I'll find the right man for me."

It was amusing that my sister turned into quite the little housewife while I was away at work each day. I returned to find my apartment was sparkling clean after just the Monday. I kept the place tidy though most major chores were only done on a Sunday. I returned home Monday evening to find she'd cleaned my living room and kitchen from top to bottom, in addition to having dinner almost ready by the time I walked in the door.

"Unlike for a certain someone, I want to do this for you," she stated as we sat down to eat, "You'll be working, and I'll look after the apartment. I can't legally work..."

"We can get you a visa, the same one I had when I arrived. Gets you five years and you can then apply for residency. The only reason I haven't gone for citizenship is that with Brexit and everything up in the air, I'm waiting to see the outcome of that."

For the next few weeks, we lived together like the past ten or so years hadn't happened. It wasn't quite like living at home with our parents, but even when growing up, we'd always had a fantastic relationship. Katie was the sort of older sister every brother would want. Loving, supportive and wanting nothing but the best for her younger sibling. As for me. I supported her through the good days and the bad. I arrived home more than once to find her rather emotional, needing nothing more than to cuddle up with her brother for an evening. There was the occasional rant, bitter and angry about her life. Then she'd smile and kiss my cheek, admitting that she loved me even more for stepping up and helping when she felt so alone in the world.

I was pleased that her excitement about our upcoming trip increased the closer our departure day approached. Sure, it wasn't a trip to Paris, Rome or Barcelona, but she appreciated the fact I'd forked out quite a bit of cash to get her on the same flight. It was a bit awkward when I explained I'd already booked all my accommodation and that we would end up sharing a bed again.

"Well, I already miss snuggling with my little brother anyway," she said with a smile when I explained the arrangements.

"Just didn't want any awkwardness when walking into that first room to see a queen bed waiting for us."

"Mark, the problem I face when sleeping with you is that I'm usually naked."

"So am I."

We shared a glance and I think both of us ended up blushing. "Probably a good idea to at least keep underwear on," she said lightly, "Though I'm not sure how you'd handle me getting these puppies out if I went without a t-shirt and bra."

"I've seen your breasts before."

"When did you last see your sisters' tits, Mark?"

I glanced away and smirked. "So long ago..."

She playfully slapped my shoulder while giggling to herself. "Ah, you're remembering the times I had friends over back home with Mum and Dad and we'd be out by the pool. Yeah, Rachael had a big set of tits on her, and she had no problem getting them out. She definitely did it when you were around to tease you."

"Katie, all your friends were exhibitionists when it came to your little brother. Didn't need porn half the time when they were out and about."

"I did have to warn them off you."

"Well, I wasn't exactly your innocent brother by that stage."

"I did arrive home to hear Chloe screaming your name one afternoon and it wasn't due to her being angry with you..."

"Oh shit, really?"

That had her laughing at the memory. "Yes. Something about 'Give me that big dick, Mark. Fuck me harder'. And let's just say your bed squeaked and the headboard hit the wall quite hard when you were really giving it to her. And considering the house was otherwise quiet..."

"What did you do?"

"Can I admit I was a little jealous as it sounded like you were fucking Chloe better than I'd ever been fucked before by then?"

"She was mostly just a fuck buddy. We were good in bed together, but other than that..."

"Sounded like you were really good in bed together."

"Yeah, some good memories, I guess."

We had to fly a budget airline from London to Debrecen, the sort of cheap airline where you paid for the ticket, luggage, a seat, the air to breathe... Because of the late booking, Katie's ticket price was almost triple what I'd paid. I didn't mind, ensuring we got two seats next to each other, we both had luggage, and I'd organised to pick up a hire car from the airport. Unlike her flight from Sydney, she was ever so excited as we waited at the airport for our flight, taking advantage of the pub to enjoy one last drink before boarding.

Landing in Hungary in the early afternoon, the car I picked up from the rental company was far nicer than I anticipated, Katie threw her luggage in the boot next to mine before I drove us away from the airport into the city. It was easy to see just from the drive that it wasn't the prettiest of cities, but I'd planned this just as a starting point and better things would come later.

The hotel I'd booked was nice enough, greeted by a receptionist in perfect English. I would have tried a little Hungarian, but I'd read more than once that the language was one of the hardest in the world to learn. I figured learning how to say 'Hello', 'Goodbye', and ordering a beer in the language would suffice during a short stay.