Page 14 of Devoted

I promise, I’m not crazy or anything

I snorted. If either of us was claiming the crazy label, it was definitely me.

Sam

it’s fine, I managed lol. My Kia can fit a surprising amount of packages.

Zeke

won’t the post office come and collect them from you?

I mean, they could. It wasn’t like I was unaware that they offered this service; I’d used it several times before.

At the moment though, the thought of a stranger at my door made me shiver. It might be hard fucking work loading fifty book boxes into my Kia Sportage before driving the twenty minutes to the post office and repeating it at the other end, but truthfully? On days when my OCD was bad, it was preferable to the alternative—a shit-tonne of additional anxiety and compulsions.

Sam

meh, it’s just as easy for me to take them down there.

Zeke

even when it’s pissing down?

I rolled my eyes.

Sam

I’m not made of sugar, Zeke. I’m British. bit of rain won’t stop me

Zeke

that was more than a bit of rain. Ducks floated past my window at one point.

well, just like the ducks, I survived. The packages are off to their rightful owners. It was easier this way

easier than having someone come to your house?

This was something I’d learned about Zeke over the past few weeks—he was like a dog with a bone over certain things. If he didn’t understand my thinking, he’d often ask questions until he did.

Strangely, I didn’t mind it. It showed he was…interested. Inme.

It’d been a long time since that had happened.

Sam

yup. Today it was easier to do it myself than to have someone else collect them

Zeke

sometimes your logic confuses me

I smiled wryly. He wasn’t the only one—I spent most of my life being confused by my brain.

Sam

that’s OCD for you

There was a long pause before the bubbles appeared on Zeke’s side of the chat.