This Is the Safest Place I've Ever Known

22

A/N: Another quick turnaround for a chapter wooooo. Also this is 100% Alren-centric and I don't regret it a bit. Nor do I regret Lauren being insistent on not being a baby.

Tiny bits of angst sprinkled in, but otherwise it's just a stubborn baby being in denial for this chapter.

Maybe read and enjoy? :)

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Lauren woke up completely buried under her comforter, her Nala and safari blanket held close to her chest. She panicked for a brief moment not knowing where she was until she remembered the events of the previous night, and also waking up earlier to send an email to her instructors and her manager at the library about taking a sick day.

A surprising discovery came in finding her new cup tangled up in her blanket, now about three quarters empty compared to it being full the night before.

With that discovery, she realized she desperately needed the bathroom. She tossed her covers aside and ran for the bathroom, relieved to make it just in time.

Lauren reluctantly had to admit that maybe there was some sense to Camila's use of pull ups. She still didn't know if her friend actually used them, and she didn't know how to ask about it without embarrassing Camila, which she didn't want to do, but there was a small possibility it might be a good idea.

It was not because she was a baby. She just didn't want to make any messes. She was sure if she did, Dinah, Ally and Normani wouldn't let her come over anymore. She wasn't quite sure how long this trial period was supposed to last, she was sure at some point she would have to find her own caregiver, but she didn't want to have to stop coming over prematurely because she had an accident and ruined the bed or sheets.

She finished washing her hands and went back to her room and laid on the bed. She grabbed Nala and absentmindedly pet the plush's fur. She didn't entirely know what to do. Camila would have left for her own classes by now, and Lauren had never been left alone with the trio for a prolonged period of time before. Should she just hide out in the room until Camila returned?

Her stomach rumbled, signaling that no, that was not a good idea. Maybe she could sneak something for breakfast and then come back up to her room. Though as she thought more about it, she probably should get used to being around without Camila. She'd have to when they made her find her own caregiver, anyways.

Lauren rolled off the bed, Nala in hand, and headed for the door. She paused after a couple of steps and turned back to grab her cup. She shocked herself with how much she liked it, but she was grateful that Camila and Dinah had purchased it. She'd have to remember to actually thank both of them for it because she couldn't remember doing it the night before. 

They did try and call her a baby though, so maybe they didn't deserve her thanks, but she quickly shook that thought away. A nice gesture still deserved appreciation.

Finally, Lauren headed downstairs to the kitchen. Camila had almost free reign of the pantry when it came to breakfast, but she didn't know if that extended to her, too. She would just get some cereal and maybe some juice. That was it.

Her plans halted when she entered the kitchen and found Ally already there and wiping the counter top.

The older woman looked up and smiled warmly. "Morning, Lauren. Dinah and Mani went to work, and Camila to class. So it's just the two of us," she explained. "Feeling better?" 

Lauren nodded and slowly walked over to take a seat at the island counter. She set her cup on the counter but kept Nala in her lap. "Yeah. I probably could have gone to class today."