Toni's POV
Toni shot up in bed when her alarm went off. She tapped the screen, effectively silencing the device, and looked around the room. She was confused by how dark it was still. She looked over at Cheryl's naked body and drew the covers up a little higher to cover more of her bare back. She kissed her on the forehead and slipped out of bed. She tossed on her sweatpants and a t-shirt and left the room silently. She went downstairs, turned on the coffee pot, and glanced out of the window. The sky was grey and it was pouring rain.
As she stood there, she jumped slightly when loud thunder boomed in her ears. She sighed at the weather. She loved thunderstorms, to her they were oddly serene. However, Cheryl was a completely different story. She was terrified of them and always had been. When they were younger, as soon as the first sign of thunder showed up, she would clutch onto Toni and refuse to let go until the last raindrop fell from the sky. It was actually part of the reason Toni started to like Cheryl. She loved feeling needed by the other girl, and when it rained she would literally jump into Toni's arms. Even before they were together, Toni was Cheryl's rock.
It brought back the memory of their first kiss
****FLASHBACK****
"Cher, calm down. It's just a thunderstorm." She had just gotten back from a short softball practice, which got cancelled because of the rain. "Thunder can't hurt you."
"No, but lightning can! What if I get struck by lightning TT? My little body wouldn't be able to take it."
"Cher, you're not going to get struck by lightning, I promise. As long as you don't leave your house, the lightning can't get you."
"Okay, fine. So you're coming over right?"
"What, so I can get struck by lightning? That's messed up."
"You won't get struck by lightning if you pedal your bike super-fast. It won't be able to catch you."
"I'm not sure that's how it works."
"Whatever, that's not the point. You always stay with me during thunderstorms. Are you really going to leave me here by myself?"
Toni contemplated her options. Cheryl's house wasn't that far away, and her parents always let her stay over there even on school nights. Recently she hadn't because she was developing feelings for the redhead and cuddling with her all night became a painful affair. It totally sucked whenever Cheryl would bury her face in Toni's neck or kiss her on the cheek just because. It drove her insane and she figured that cutting out their sleepovers would keep her feelings at bay, but she wasn't really left with a choice in that particular situation. It was a Friday, and she never did anything on Fridays so there was no excuse to be found.
"Alright, I'll be over there soon." She switched her practice clothes for a hoodie and athletic shorts since it was still pretty warm outside. She stuffed her phone charger into her pocket and took off down the stairs. "Mom, I'm staying over at Cheryl's!"
"Alright, text me when you get there! And tell Jason I said hello!"
"Okay, bye!" She closed her front door and squinted in the heavy rain. She hopped on her bike, opting to hover over the seat instead of sit on it, and pedaled as fast as she could to Cheryl's house. She made it there in record time and stopped it against the side of her house. She propped it on the kickstand and hurried to the front door. Before she could even knock, the door flew open and she was pulled inside by the front of her hoodie.
