How to Not Fall for My Boss ✔

12. Persuasion

Harry's rant is like a bucket of cold water being thrown at Cobie's face. In all honesty, she never tried to see things from his perspective. "I never forced her to believe what I believe, Harry," she replies, her voice weakening.

"Guess what, every single thing you said, you realized it or not, went straight to her head. At some point, it felt like I was dating you instead of dating your sister, you know?" Harry says. "You were just...everywhere in her head."

His last line sends a sharp blow to Cobie's chest. "Oh. I didn't know that my existence was that annoying to you."

"No! That's not what I said!" Harry replies in frustration. "You know damn well I adore you. I love hanging out with you, I love your snarky remarks, and I miss us. But you are you and she is she. You shouldn't make her become you."

Never crossed her mind that she would want Rose to become like her. If anything, she wants her sister to be nothing like her. Rose can't experience what she experienced, she can't carry trauma that weighs heavily for the rest of her life; Cobie would never let it happen. In her defense, they grew up together. They live under the same roof, they have the same parents, and they live with the same values of life. It's not uncommon to share a few traits because of it, right?

"Did you just have a big fight with her?" Harry's soft voice pulls her back to reality.

"Yeah."

"Where is she now? Do I need to talk to her to fix what I did?"

"She's gone. She left the house, doesn't pick up my calls, and doesn't reply to my messages. I don't know where to find her. I don't know what to do." Cobie presses her lips tightly, holding back the urge to cry. She kicks the gravel back and forth mindlessly.

"Sounds like she just needs some space to think."

"Maybe," she murmurs while clutching her shirt closer to her torso, feeling cold all of a sudden. "I'm just afraid she would do something stupid because she sounded very upset at me."

"That doesn't sound like her at all, doing something stupid that is. I bet she's at one of her teacher friends' house right now." The sound of a door slamming echoes from his background, making Harry pause a bit. "I'll try to reach out to her and talk to her, okay? Wait."

"Okay," Cobie replies as she hears Harry's muffled voice talking to a guy about a car. She walks to her mom's rocking chair on the back porch and carefully settles on it. The floor creaks when she gently swings back and forth. In the next minute, the convo ended, followed by the slamming door again.

"Sorry about that. It was my roommate wanting to borrow my car."

"It's okay. I'm sorry I went off without checking if you were in the middle of something. I didn't know you were asleep this early on Friday evening."

"I was taking my nap." His voice is noticeably relaxed now. "I need to work on my revision tonight. So, no more parties."

Cobie bites her inner cheek, weighing what she's going to say next. "I was going to wait until you're home to talk with you in person, but maybe I would just do it now if you have time."

"I have time. What do you want to talk about?"

"About Rose."

"Okay."

Cobie stops rocking the chair, her feet pressing on the porch floor. "You broke up with her for good this time, right?"

"Yes."

"No more going back and forth?"

"Not planning to."

"You're an asshole, d'you know that? You've hurt her badly and you wasted her time."