Aster and The Leopards

A lot

It was useless trying to fall asleep that night. Even though winter was already crawling its way around October's weather, it was 7 a.m. and Aster felt suffocated, her skin clinging to the sheets and strands of warm hair heating the back of her neck. She was lost in a slumber between hazy dreams and the world of the living when a loud bang and a hushed curse pulled her the rest of the way into reality.

The room immediately next to hers was Maxine's, so the noise had to be her, already awake at what the girl would deem a "ridiculous hour". Thoughts of Maxine – flushed and insomniac, tangled in the sheets, not being able to sleep – in the next room were enough to drag Aster to a cold shower, finally giving up in the failed mission of having a good night's sleep. She was already well awake, wrapped in a towel, and enjoying the feeling of morning breeze on her damp legs, the wind making the curtains float around the room, when she heard the knock on the door.

"Just a minute!", she said, going around the room after a change of clothes. Another impatient knock on the door and she saw Maxine's head peeking around the curtains through the open window for a fraction of a second, only to retreat, startled and blushing. Aster tried to contain a smug grin as she pulled a tank top over her head and grabbed her jacket from the back of the chair.

When she opened the door, Maxine was wrapped in a long overcoat, curly hair falling in a barely tamed mess over her hunched shoulders, eyes refusing to meet Aster's.

"Good morning to you, too. In a hurry?" Aster teased, only to realize her tentative good humor was wasted on Maxine, who was clearly forcing herself to smile in a way that seemed almost painful.

"Jesse texted me yesterday. There's a brunch party thing in Chicago with the label's chairmen that he was supposed to attend, but since we're already halfway there and he'd be flying from Dallas I volunteered myself." She did not seem happy with the idea, and Aster wondered if she volunteered herself or if Jesse threw his responsibility on her lap.

"Yeah, no problem. Let me just finish packing my clothes."

"No, I'm going by myself," Maxine said before Aster could turn back to the room. "You can take your time. Jason will drive you to Chicago."

"Nonsense. I'm going with you. It can't be that bad."

"It's business, you'll be bored." The insistence in her voice made Aster frown.

"I'll be bored in this hotel room anyway. I'd rather be bored with you."

She could see Maxine's chest rising and falling as she took a deep breath, frustration flowing out of her in waves, but she only nodded without looking at Aster. Maxine was turning to leave with a hushed "we'll be taking the road in 5 minutes" when Aster surged forward and wrapped a cold hand around her wrist.

"Hey, are we ok? Yesterday, if I crossed a line, I'm so, so sorry, I-"

"It's fine." Maxine's face softened, but she still did not meet Aster's eyes. She cleared her throat and started walking toward the car. "Wear that green dress. It matches your eyes."

***

Maxine was already on the driver's side when Aster arrived at the parking lot. Without a word, they turned on the radio and hummed along to 80s hits for the first hour. The overcoat over Maxine's thin frame had fallen to her elbows, and Aster watched, enraptured in a Fall haze, as the sun kissed the singer's bare shoulders, not even noticing her own motion to brush a strand of hair from the girl's collarbone. Pulling her hand away, she watched for a reaction as Maxine kept her eyes studiously fixed on the road.

"I had a completely different image of you before we met," Aster murmured casually when the music started to feel too overwhelming and they had to turn off the radio.