Page 124 of Devoted

Ezekiel

say that again and die

“So overprotective,” Sam muttered, but from the secret smile he tried to hide, I knew he loved it.

Micah

I’m so sorry you were put in a situation where you weren’t comfortable, Sam

Micah

I’m sure that wasn’t anyone’s intention

Noah

Micah’s right. it’s our fault, really. none of us reacted in the right way

Sam took a deep breath before returning to his typing with determination.

Sam

it’s my fault for not being upfront with you all. I have OCD.

Theo

is that the thing where you like all your books organised by colour?

Nox

want me to punch him, Ez? He’s right next to me

To my surprise, Sam chuckled.

Sam

what’s with you guys and violence? Theo, that’s a very common misconception. obsessive compulsive disorder is when you have intrusive thoughts that you obsess over. This causes anxiety, which in turn, can lead to me doing compulsions to try and alleviate it.

Noah

is that what you were doing last night? When you wanted to try and clean up the glass?

Sam hesitated, and I knew he’d been right to do this over messenger. It was easier for him when he wasn’t having to think about his own expression or reactions.

“You’ve got this, baby. Be as honest as you need to be. You won’t scare them off or upset them,” I said.

Sam

yes. I had the intrusive thought that one of you would be hurt, and therefore I had to be the one to clean it up.

Rami

but what if you got hurt cleaning it up?

Noah

yeah, I’d rather it was one of us than you

Sam

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