Sometimes you have to really hurt them to get your point across. Because if you try to keep taking their feelings into account and walk on eggshells with it, they're going to misunderstand and that's even worse. You should know that by now. That clear rejection is the best so both of you can move on and accept it wasn't meant to be.
Hopefully Obi takes the no this time, I'm really hoping it takes it like a man this time.