Chapter 33 - Apparently, A Roster
By the time Jane and Chloe realized I was actually dating—
it was already too late.
Not emotionally.
Logistically.
It happened over coffee.
Of course.
Jane was across from me.
Chloe beside her.
I was checking my phone because Celine had messaged—
thursday?
Then another message came in.
Celeste.
saturday?
I stared.
Two different women.
Two different days.
Reasonable.
Manageable.
Very adult.
Apparently my face betrayed me.
Jane narrowed her eyes.
"Who?"
"No one."
Chloe looked at Jane.
Jane looked at Chloe.
Then both looked at me.
I sighed.
"Stop."
Jane leaned forward.
"May date ka?"
"Yes."
Her eyes widened.
"Again?"
I stared.
"What do you mean again?"
"You just went out with Celine."
"That was last week."
"Exactly."
"And?"
Chloe slowly put her coffee down.
"Oh."
I looked at her.
"What oh?"
She smiled.
"Nothing."
Danger.
Jane pointed at my phone.
"Celine?"
"Thursday."
She blinked.
"Thursday?"
"Yes."
"Then why were you staring like that?"
I took a drink.
"Celeste asked for Saturday."
Silence.
Beautiful.
Long.
Silence.
Then—
Jane:
"Wait."
Chloe:
"Ah."
I closed my eyes.
There it was.
Jane leaned closer.
"You're still dating Celeste?"
"Yes."
"Like dating dating?"
"Yes."
Chloe:
"And Celine?"
"Yes."
Jane stared.
"At the same time?"
"Casually."
"Do they know?"
"Yes."
That shut her up.
Briefly.
Then—
"You actually told them?"
"Of course."
"What did you say?"
"That I'm dating casually and not exclusive."
Chloe nodded.
"Responsible."
"Thank you."
Jane still looked offended on behalf of absolutely no one.
"How many?"
I frowned.
"How many what?"
"Women."
"Currently?"
"LIA."
I laughed.
"Two."
Jane pointed at me.
"Two."
"Yes."
Chloe:
"Active accounts."
I turned.
"No."
"Open opportunities?"
"No."
Jane started laughing.
"Pipeline?"
"I hate both of you."
My phone buzzed again.
Celine.
restaurant or coffee?
I replied—
dinner
Jane watched.
Then—
"Are you smiling?"
"No."
"You are."
"I am allowed."
She looked genuinely fascinated.
"You're enjoying this."
"Yes."
That seemed to surprise her more than anything else.
I frowned.
"What?"
"Nothing."
"You keep saying nothing."
Chloe smiled.
"She's just realizing you're serious."
About dating.
Not any one person.
Just—
the fact that I had finally stopped putting romance in the vague category of—
eventually.
Fair.
Celeste messaged next.
saturday lunch or dinner
I typed—
dinner
Then immediately—
date?
There was a pause.
Then—
yes lia
I smiled.
Good.
Verified.
Jane saw.
"Oh my God."
"What?"
"You ask every time?"
"Not every time."
Chloe:
"How often?"
"Enough."
Jane laughed.
"This is insane."
"No. This is clear communication."
"It's Celeste."
"Exactly."
Chloe nodded.
"High-risk historical asset."
I pointed.
"Stop turning my dating life into finance."
She smiled.
"You started it."
Fair.
Saturday with Celeste was easy.
That was the problem.
Not bad problem.
Dangerous problem.
We already knew each other.
College history removed most of the first-date awkwardness.
We didn't need to ask—
favorite color.
siblings.
degree.
basic background.
She already knew I hated flowers with boyfriend application forms.
I already knew she became annoyed when people took too long to decide things.
History.
Useful.
Maybe dangerous too.
She chose the place.
Nice.
Not expensive enough to be annoying.
Not casual enough to pretend it wasn't a date.
Good.
Celeste sat across from me.
Very pretty.
Of course.
Very polished.
Of course.
I hated continuity.
"You're really doing this," she said.
"Eating?"
"Dating."
"Yes."
"Multiple people?"
"Yes."
She nodded.
No drama.
"Celine?"
I stared.
"How do you know her name?"
"You mentioned her."
"When?"
"Last time."
Oh.
Right.
"Marketing?"
"Yes."
"Pretty?"
I laughed.
"Very."
Celeste nodded thoughtfully.
"Should I be threatened?"
"No."
"Good answer."
"I wasn't finished."
Her eyebrows lifted.
"I don't think anyone needs to be threatened because no one is exclusive."
She smiled.
"There you are."
"What?"
"Responsible."
I rolled my eyes.
Then she asked—
"Do you actually like me?"
There.
No teasing.
No unless.
Good.
"Yes."
Celeste looked at me for a second.
"How much?"
"That is a terrible question."
"Why?"
"Because I don't have a calibrated scale."
She laughed.
"Fine. Do you want to keep dating me?"
"Yes."
Simple.
Her expression softened slightly.
"Okay."
Then—
"I want to keep dating you too."
Good.
Clear.
I liked this system.
Then she smiled.
"Are you relieved?"
"Yes."
"Because I clarified?"
"Yes."
"Grabe."
"You spent college tolerating uncertainty badly. I adapted."
She laughed.
"Fair."
Then—
"I still don't like uncertainty."
"I noticed."
"You're also different."
There.
Again.
"How?"
"More willing."
That word stayed with me.
Not louder.
Not more romantic.
Not desperate.
Just—
willing.
Maybe.
We had dinner.
Talked about teaching.
Her plans.
Not tutorial center yet.
Not enough demand.
Current Celeste was still figuring out what she wanted next.
I knew what she had built before.
I said nothing.
Not mine to force.
She talked about possibly tutoring on weekends.
I listened.
Asked current questions.
No prophecy.
No—
trust me, this becomes multiple branches.
Just—
"What would make it worth your time?"
She thought.
Good.
After dinner, we walked for a while.
No big moment.
Then Celeste stopped outside a store.
"Lia."
"Hm?"
"Can I ask something?"
"Yes."
"If I flirt now, do I need to submit documentation first?"
I stared.
She smiled.
I laughed.
"Depends."
"On?"
"Intent."
She stepped a little closer.
"Intent is clear."
Oh.
Good.
Very good.
My brain suddenly lost several operational functions.
Celeste noticed.
Of course.
Her smile widened.
"Verified?"
I cleared my throat.
"Yes."
"Good."
Then continued walking.
I stared at her back for two seconds.
Dangerous woman.
Still available.
Very much available.
Celine was different.
Where Celeste had history—
Celine had momentum.
She liked flirting.
Openly.
Frequently.
Without making me decode anything.
Our second date was Thursday.
Dinner.
Then dessert somewhere else because neither of us wanted to go home yet.
Good sign.
Maybe.
Celine leaned against the table.
"So."
I stared.
"So?"
"You're seeing Celeste."
"Yes."
"She knows about me?"
"Yes."
"Good."
"You okay with it?"
"Yes."
Then she smiled.
"But if I eventually want exclusive, I'll say so."
Perfect.
"Thank you."
She laughed.
"You really like explicit terms."
"I like knowing what people mean."
"Good."
Then—
"I mean I want to kiss you."
I froze.
Well.
Very explicit.
Celine smiled.
"Too clear?"
"No."
"Good."
She waited.
Important.
I appreciated that more than the sentence.
I smiled.
"You can."
So she did.
Brief.
Nice.
No fireworks.
No celestial choir.
But—
nice.
When we pulled apart, she looked at me.
"Assessment?"
I laughed.
"Positive."
"Very romantic."
"Thank you."
"Not compliment."
"Still taking it."
Then another woman appeared.
Not acquisition.
Human being.
Important distinction.
Audrey Mendoza.
Twenty-five.
Architect.
I met her because Julia introduced us during an institutional project discussion.
Not as a setup.
Actually for work.
Audrey was handling some renovation planning connected to the venue.
Competent.
Quiet.
Direct.
Very attractive.
Different kind.
Less polished-social than Celine.
Less historically dangerous than Celeste.
Just—
steady.
Our first conversation was almost entirely work.
Measurements.
Signage placement.
Traffic flow.
Materials.
Then at the end, Audrey looked at me and said—
"Do you always ask this many questions?"
"Yes."
She nodded.
"I like it."
I paused.
That sounded—
No.
Verify later.
Not during work.
Growth.
Two days later, she messaged about the project.
Then after the project question—
separate question
I smiled.
go
are you single
There.
Beautiful.
yes
seeing anyone
I considered wording.
dating casually
Pause.
Then—
okay
Another message.
would you be open to coffee with me anyway
I stared.
Excellent.
Direct citizen number two.
yes
Then—
date?
Audrey:
yes
I smiled.
Verified.
That was how I ended up with—
Celeste.
Celine.
Audrey.
Three.
Not girlfriends.
Not commitments.
Dates.
People I was getting to know.
All informed.
All consenting.
No one being secretly promised something I wasn't offering.
Very mature.
Very reasonable.
Surely my friends would react normally.
They did not.
Sunday.
Coffee.
Again.
Jane asked—
"Date yesterday?"
"Yes."
"Celeste?"
"Yes."
"Thursday?"
"Celine."
Chloe looked at me.
Then—
"Tuesday?"
I froze.
Wrong move.
Jane's head snapped toward me.
"TUESDAY?"
I sighed.
"Audrey."
Silence.
Then Jane put both hands on the table.
"WHO IS AUDREY?"
"Architect."
Chloe started laughing.
Jane stared at me.
"You have three?"
"I am dating three people."
"THREE."
"Casually."
"You have a roster!"
"I do not have a roster."
Chloe:
"Three is roster-adjacent."
I pointed.
"No."
Jane looked genuinely overwhelmed.
"Celeste, Celine, Audrey."
"Yes."
"Do they know?"
"How many times are you going to ask me that?"
"Because this is YOU."
"Yes, they know."
Jane leaned back.
"Wow."
"Stop saying wow."
Chloe was smiling too much.
I narrowed my eyes.
"What?"
"Nothing."
"No."
She took a sip.
"I'm just impressed."
"Why?"
"You actually followed through."
There.
That landed differently.
I laughed softly.
"Yeah."
I had.
Jane suddenly asked—
"Favorite?"
"No."
"None?"
"No favorite."
"Best date?"
"Different."
"Best kiss?"
I stared.
Chloe's eyebrows went up.
Jane froze.
Then slowly—
"You kissed someone?"
Fuck.
I took a drink.
Bad strategy.
Jane's mouth opened.
"LIA."
Chloe laughed.
"With who?"
"No."
"CELINE?" Jane asked.
I stared at her.
Too late again.
"OH MY GOD."
"Can you lower your voice?"
"You kissed Celine!"
"Briefly."
Chloe:
"Positive assessment?"
I stared.
"How do you know?"
She smiled.
"Pattern recognition."
I hated her.
Jane leaned forward.
"Did you kiss Celeste?"
"No."
"Yet?"
"Jane."
"Valid question."
"No comment."
Her eyes widened.
"No comment means possible."
"It means no comment."
Chloe nodded.
"Active negotiations."
I stood.
"I am leaving."
Jane grabbed my wrist lightly.
"Wait, wait."
She was laughing now.
"Sit."
"No."
"Please."
I sat.
Because my coffee was still half-full.
Principles.
Jane looked at me.
Then smiled.
Not teasing this time.
"Masaya ka?"
I paused.
That question.
Again.
"Yeah."
She nodded.
"Good."
Simple.
Then—
"Three talaga?"
I closed my eyes.
There she was.
"Goodbye, Jane."
My phone buzzed.
Celeste.
free friday?
Then almost immediately—
Celine.
saturday night?
Then Audrey.
coffee wednesday?
I stared at the screen.
Chloe noticed.
"Oh no."
Jane looked.
"What?"
I put the phone face down.
"Nothing."
Both leaned forward.
"No."
Jane:
"How many?"
"I hate you."
Chloe:
"Pokemon acquired?"
I stared.
Then laughed.
"Chicks."
Jane nearly fell out of her chair.
Apparently—
Reset 2 was going well.