Journey Of Fate ~ mayakuro

•We're Just 'Friends'•

When she first got out, the blonde had to keep her grip on the roof of the car to not fall over. A day of not walking and that adventure had done her legs in as they trembled like a newborn fawn's would. Maya was no better as she stumbled over to the passenger side of the vehicle and basically collapsed onto the seat. As soon as the brunette hit the cloth seat, she just about passed out. Clearly the exhaustion from driving all day and now this predicament had sapped all her energy. Claudine slid slightly more gracefully into the driver's seat and glanced over at her companion. While it would be helpful to have a second set of eyes right now, the blonde didn't have it in her to try to wake up the other woman. Maya had already somehow gotten them out of that death-trap, so she'd leave her to sleep while she tried to figure out how to back up and get the car in the right direction. Luckily for Claudine, no more cars seemed to be coming for quite a ways, so she was able to swiftly shift the car into reverse and flip it around. She shifted the car back in drive and sped down the interstate, eager to find the next exit.

After about five minutes, Claudine stumbled upon the exit ramp that Maya had accidentally taken. She pulled onto it, this time going the right way. She drove for a bit until she found a location to honk a U-turn and then ended up at the same intersection Maya had been at before this whole debacle. This time, Claudine payed extra attention to make sure she ended up on the left side of the median. Finally, they ended up on the right side of the interstate, heading away from New York City. The blonde sighed in relief. When she had agreed to go on a road trip with Maya, she hadn't agreed to that. She glanced briefly over to the passenger seat, noting Maya was still asleep. She looked peaceful now. Her face was relaxed in a content smile, which was a stark contrast to her panicked face only ten minutes ago. Claudine smiled briefly. Despite today's set-backs, she was glad she agreed to go on the trip. If there ever was a scene in a play where she needed to pretend, she was on the wrong side of the road, she'd be able to act it out perfectly now. After driving for thirty minutes or so, a blue sign appeared that noted a hotel was present nearby. Claudine pulled off and took the exit, eager to check in for the night and to finally get a pleasant rest.

She pulled into the hotel parking lot and parked Swan close to the establishment. After turning off the ignition, she looked back over at Maya, who was still fast asleep. Claudine didn't want to wake her, but she wasn't going to leave Maya sleeping alone in Swan in an empty parking lot nor was she going to carry her inside and get laughed out of the establishment. Hesitantly, the blonde reached over and gently shook the other woman. After a few moments, Maya awoke, blinking her eyes blearily at Claudine.

"Claudine...?" She murmured; tone somewhat slurred.

"Hey Maya, we're at a hotel now. Let's check in. You'll sleep more comfortably there than in the car," Claudine responded softly. Maya stared at her blankly for a few moments, trying to process what was just said. She nodded eventually and moved to unlock her seat belt. The two women exited Swan, and Claudine clicked the key fob to lock the vehicle. As the two were heading inside, the blonde spared one last look at the white car. She still couldn't believe Maya had bought it and named it Swan. That woman was really something else.

It turned out the hotel was rather a semi run-down motel, but Claudine was too tired to care about the specifics. She just wanted to get a room and crash. It didn't matter if the room had fancy paintings lining the walls or if it had peeling wallpaper, so long as it had a bed. She pushed open the glass door to the reception area. The building was dimly illuminated, but enough so that the blonde could see that it was somewhat well-maintained. She was slightly relieved by that and was about to wander over to the desk to discuss renting a room with the clerk when someone grabbed her arm. Claudine whirled around and was about to deck the person in the face, only to realize that it was Maya who had grabbed her. The brunette was now leaning fully against her, evidentially so tired that she could barely stand and needed support. Claudine's face flushed. Maya was really close to her. Too close. She could feel every location where their bodies connected. What she didn't understand is why it bothered her. She had been held by Maya an indefinite number of times. They were dance partners after all! So why was this sudden contact making her feel so weird? Maybe because it IS sudden, right?

A sharp cough brought her out of her musing. She smiled sheepishly at the clerk who was watching the pair with an unreadable expression. The blonde shuffled over to the desk, dragging Maya along with her, who refused to loosen her grip on her arm.

"Uh, hello, do you have any rooms here that we could reserve for the night?" Claudine asked."Yup, we've got one room. It's only got one bed though, but I'm sure you two won't mind?" The receptionist responded, eyeing both of them with a knowing grin across her face. Claudine was baffled. They didn't look like they were together, did they?

"No, no, we're just friends!"

"Sure, sure, I've heard that before," the woman replied drily, "Well, do ya want the room or not?" 'How unprofessional choice of words,' She thought to herself, "...Yes, we do. How much is it?" Claudine sighed. Today was not going well for her. Did they really look like they were dating? Kaoruko had always teased her in high school about having a massive crush on Maya and that they should just 'end the tension and get together so everyone who was in the same room as them didn't have to suffer,' but that was surely just Kaoruko being Kaoruko, right? Claudine didn't have a crush on Maya, certainly not. And Maya didn't have a crush on her, did she? There was no way. Maya was... Maya. Why would she ever see someone like Claudine in that way? There was no way. She had no chance. Not that it mattered. Because she definitely didn't see Maya that way. But what about those weird feelings she felt, could they have been? No... That's impossible...

"Ma'am?"

"Huh?"

"The room is gonna be $50 for the night," the receptionist said, irritation coloring her voice. Claudine frowned. She must've spaced out thinking about that.

"Right, here," Claudine replied, handing her credit card to the lady. Once the transaction was complete, the receptionist rummaged through a drawer in her desk and pulled out a pair of keys. She handed the keys and Claudine's credit card back.

"Have a good night! Just, if you're gonna do anything, don't be too loud. I don't want the other tenants complaining," the lady informed just as the duo were leaving the room. Claudine blushed from head to toe. Did that lady talk to all her tenants like that, or was she just unlucky? Whatever the answer was, the receptionist had awoken uncomfortable ideas inside the blonde's head. What exactly did she feel for Maya? How would she find out what it was? Claudine did know one thing for certain. Sharing a bed with Maya, who could send her mind galloping just by clinging to her arm, was not going to be conducive for a good night's rest.