This Is the Safest Place I've Ever Known

25

A/N: Hello, happy weekend. New chapter for you all.

Hopefully you read and enjoy. :)

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The thunder didn't wake Lauren up. She'd never been able to fall asleep after everyone went to bed. The rain had picked up at some point, slamming against the window like rocks. She kept watch to make sure it didn't break. If it did, there would be a really big mess to clean up. Not to mention she'd have no idea how to fix it.

The rain had been coming down for a while, so maybe there wasn't really a problem to worry about. That didn't stop her from worrying, or help her be able to sleep.

She hugged Nala to her chest and wrapped herself in her blanket as more thunder rumbled. Maybe if she couldn't sleep, she could at least go down to the den and watch tv. She might fall asleep eventually that way.

She untangled herself from her blanket and picked it and Nala up as she rolled off the bed. She took a couple steps toward the door before she turned back and to grab her cup from the bedside table.

She didn't want to admit it aloud, but she really did like the soft spout tip better than her Lion King cup with the straw. It was a lot easier to drink from when she was laying down, either on her bed or the couch or recliner downstairs, and it didn't hurt when she happened to start biting on the tip.

She just didn't want to say Camila or Dinah were right about it. That felt like giving them too much power.

With all of her items in hand, she made her way to the hall and quietly crept downstairs. She dropped Nala and her blanket off in the recliner in the den and then ventured toward the kitchen. She could fill her cup with ice water without making too much noise and waking anyone up. It took longer than it probably should have with how careful she was being, but she managed it and then proceeded back to the den.

She lifted her head as she entered the room and jolted back, startled by the sight of Normani waiting on the couch.

"Sorry. Didn't intend to scare you," the woman murmured softly. "I heard your door open and came down to check on you when I saw you weren't there."

Lauren rubbed the back of her neck and glanced at the ground. "Couldn't sleep."

Normani nodded. "You're not the only one. Ally's still awake because of the storm."

Lauren regarded her with a suspicious look. "Really?"

"Yeah. Remember the last time there was a storm?"

Lauren nodded at the reminder. She did end up spending the night in the recliner with Dinah and Ally the last time there had been a bad storm. She didn't think that would happen again, but she was prepared to sit through it herself downstairs. She could nap during the day.

More thunder rumbled, and Lauren thought it shook the house. Maybe that was only in her imagination though.

Normani hummed thoughtfully. "I should probably get back upstairs with Ally. Dinah sleeps like a rock, so I'm not counting on her to wake up."

Lauren nodded, content to let the older woman go back upstairs. She would be fine on her own in the den for the rest of the night. Probably. Hopefully. At the very least, she had Nala, so she wouldn't be as alone. 

Normani watched her for a moment with an appraising gaze. Lauren began to think she'd done something wrong when the woman finally spoke. "Why don't you come with me?" she suggested.

Lauren blinked. "What?" That was not a question she was expecting.

Normani chuckled softly as she stood from the couch. "Well, I don't necessarily want to sleep downstairs, and I doubt Ally does, either." She motioned to the recliner with a nod. "It's not very comfortable. We're not teenagers anymore. It actually hurts to sleep in anything but a bed."