Cobie loses count on how many times she tells herself that this is a bad idea, yet her legs betray her completely as if they have their mind on their own. It's okay. She doesn't have to stay that long since she needs to be home before 9 PM. She will just sit, eat, and exit. Everything is going to be alright.

Sauntering to her boss' room with the cutlery in her hands, she recalls every rule she has written on her Post-it notes; the rules that hopefully will seal her from Luke's dangerously invisible attacks. She stops in front of Luke's door which is partly open, and out of reflex, she knocks on it before entering. It's when she sees her reflection on the glass door, and she groans.

"You don't need to knock," his deep voice vibrates across his office room. When she walks in, Luke is already sitting on his sofa with boxes of food arranged on the coffee table before him. He grins as he looks up at her. "I didn't even plan to have a taste when I brought them in. Now, my stomach is pretty brutal just from its aroma."

Cobie inhales audibly while scrunching her nose. "Smells promising indeed." She takes the spot opposite Luke, eyeing the mixed meals in front of her while her mouth starts to produce extra saliva. Crispy chicken strips, juicy spareribs, meatballs, chicken rolls, and chicken satay with various sauces aside are seductively staring back at her.

"What are you waiting for? Dig in while it's still warm. There is also some rice, potatoes, and salad in those other boxes. I believe I saw dessert too." Instead of using the fork Cobie brought in, Luke picks up the chicken roll with his fingers, dips it in the garlic sauce, and brings it to his mouth.

If Cobie was worried about how weird things would go given the sizzling moment they shared the last time, she doesn't find any reason to be. The atmosphere in Luke's room now is surprisingly comforting. And that they're now exchanging silly stories about how they were fed during childhood, the Post-it rules Cobie was holding tightly start to dwindle into a long-lost memory. The way Luke effortlessly shares his life story, laughs at her snarky remarks and shows genuine interest in how Cobie was raised by an interracial couple sends the uninvited sensation in Cobie's guts.

It's a foreign feeling and it urges her inner alarm to go off because of the danger. No, it's not exactly a danger. It's just something she's never felt before, but she likes it. A lot. It's calming and soothing, making Cobie starts to think she can do this every day.

"On which project are you that made you stay behind by the way?" Luke asks as Cobie opens the dessert box.

"Still doing Starlight and Co. I had to stay back because I needed to catch up. I've been a bit slow lately and I was planning to come later tomorrow morning." When Luke's eyebrow shoots up in confusion, Cobie adds, "I'm having" — she bites her lower lip — "a situation at home and I thought I needed to be somewhere tomorrow morning to fix it. But my mom just texted me, and it seems like I don't need to be there after all."

"Are you alright? Is there something I can help with?"

"Everything is fine now. Should be," she says as she fixes her gaze on her pudding, avoiding Luke's searching gaze on her.

"Alright," he says, contrasting his hesitant tone. "But you can always talk about it if that helps. I promise I'll behave."

Cobie shakes her head, chuckling at his line. "No, don't worry about it, really. I prefer to hear further about what happened after you pranked your teacher."

Luke doesn't reply right away but then a smile grows across his face. "They found out, of course."

"Oh! Did you get expelled?"

"Luckily, no. But I got suspended." He laughs. "Plus a few days of slavery job helping out with cleaning up the schoolyard during the sporting event. Our school was hosting the yearly football match."

"Ouch. Did it make you a tad bit wiser afterward?"

"No." He cackles. "But I met my ex-girlfriend because of it. So, it was a win-win."

"I see. She didn't go to the same school as you," Cobie says, stabbing her spoon into the pudding with enthusiasm.

"No, she didn't. She lost her necklace and asked if we saw it."

"Lemme guess. You found it and you used it to bring it over to her house."

"Well, I didn't have to go that far. She came to me right after I texted her that I found it, and I asked her out. But you have no idea the amount of time I spent to find that darn thing."

"You get the prize, though. Her."

"You can put it like that, yeah."

"How long were you guys together?"

Luke purses his lips while squinting his eyes. "Seven years?" He tilts his hands to think again. "I think around six to seven years. I'm not sure anymore."

"That's impressive!" Cobie says. "Wow! So you guys were together throughout your college years?"

Luke nods, his smile disappearing from his face. "Yes. We broke up a year after we graduated."

"But seven years is very long to throw away, isn't it?"

Luke leans back, wiggling his legs while shrugging at her question. "Sometimes we just don't get to choose, right?"

"I'm sorry."

"It was a while ago; don't worry. And it's not your fault."

Cobie throws the empty boxes back into the paper bag and saves the ones that haven't been touched. "Did you date again after her?"

"Not in the sense of being in a relationship, no. Too much work," he replies. "Starting over and knowing someone from zero is...a long process."

"You don't need to know someone from A to Z to start a relationship."

"That's actually good advice. But with work and other things going on, I'll pass it on for now." Luke gets up and picks up the rest of the trash before following Cobie to the pantry.

"But seriously, none of them are attractive enough for you to at least try?" Cobie asks before inwardly smacking herself. She sounds a little bit too curious about Luke's love life. Good job, Cobie.

"Being attracted isn't enough to start anything." Luke clicks his tongue. "See? At least, we have something in common."

Cobie chuckles as she sticks the leftover boxes into the fridge. Walking to the counter, she turns her head to him. "Do you want coffee or...?"

"Just water, please," he replies, leaning on the door frame, his eyes following Cobie's every movement.

Cobie hands him his water. "Did you know that women in this office are waiting for the day you date one of them?"

"Really?" Luke tries to look surprised, but of course, he fakes it. "And what do you mean by them? You're not one of them then?"

Cobie pulls a straight face at him. "It's a generalization, meaning it doesn't have to be all of them."

"Ouch. How you elevated my ego then smashed back to the ground." Shaking his head, he twists the lid open and chugs down the water in one go.

Cobie scoffs before taking a sip from the bottle in her hand, knowing Luke is just trying to poke her nerves. For some reason, her mind jumps to the night Georgia confessed she kissed Luke. Has any other girl in this office made a bolder move on him? "I bet my email about you being my hot boss wasn't a surprise for you, huh?"

Luke raises his eyebrow, looking intrigued. "As I remember it correctly, what you wrote wasn't real. But the way you said it just now, it makes me think it was actually real."

As the words leave Luke's mouth, Cobie chokes on her water. The next thing she knows, she coughs vigorously to grasp some air into her lungs. Luke jumps to her and pats her back softly.

"Easy there, easy. Breath. Don't panic." Luke's big hand moves up and down against her back, radiating heat that caresses her whole body. She's too busy with her cough to decide if she should enjoy it or perceive it as a danger, yet her body has chosen for her. And why does he stand so close? He doesn't play fair.

Cobie's cough has slightly died down when the sound of a phone chiming splits the quietness of the pantry room. Quickly, she slips her hand into her pocket and retracts her phone that shows Rose's name blinking on its screen. Gesturing to Luke that she needs to take it in private, she slides the green bar while striding out of the pantry room.

"Rose," she greets and holds her breath at the same time.

"I'm coming home tomorrow. But I still want to have my space. And I need to tell you now because I don't want to create drama in front of Mom."

"I understand," Cobie answers quickly. "I'm just glad you're coming home."

"'Kay."

"Are you still pissed at me?"

"Yes."

"I wasn't seeing Harry behind your back."

"I know."

"You do? And you're still mad?"

"You lied. Just like Dad lied to me all the time. I hate it."

Being compared to their father makes Cobie's tummy churn, but she refrains from addressing it right now. She doesn't need to add more fuel to their situation. "I'm sorry. We'll talk about it when you're ready."

"Fine." With that, Rose hangs up, making Cobie's heart drop to the bottom of her stomach. Leaning back to the wall behind her, she stares blankly at her dark screen. Rose's cold voice still echoes loudly in her head; her sister has never been this angry at her. The familiar stinging sensation grows in the corners of her eyes. She blinks a few times to prevent the tears from falling on her cheek to no avail.

🔹🔹🔹