I don't quite know how to define my relationship with T.. We're definitely not just casually dating, but at the same time, we haven't had "the talk" whereby the boundaries of our relationship have been drawn. As in, are we still allowed to see other people, etc. As far as I'm concerned, as long as there hasn't been any discussion whatsoever about being exclusive, I'm entitled to date any guy I want, although I wouldn't ever put myself in a situation where there'll be two guys I'm dating in the same room.

And yet... he called me "darling" last night.

For some reason, I've a set of carefully defined rules and regulations about relationships, such as anything other than dinner and late night drinks with a guy should not be taken by the guy as a date in the romantic sense, unless clearly specified. In the same vein, my agreeing to go out for coffee or lunch with you doesn't mean I'm interested in you. My agreeing to give someone my contact details likewise doesn't mean I'm interested in that person. The terms of endearment? I call my good friends "dear", and I use "honey" when I'm saying something sarcastic, like "oh, honey, you have no idea." Terms like "sweetie" and "darling" however, are strictly reserved for those I, well... like in the romantic sense. To this day, mymost recent ex-boyfriend and I still call each other "sweetie". The same holds for guys too, I believe, when a friend pointed out that I shouldn't have taken as an additional sign that CO liked me when he started calling me "dear", since that's what friends call each other.

And now, my carefully defined set of rules has gone out the window. I'm not quite sure whether I should be so girlfriend-ly with a person who isn't my boyfriend. After all, what, then, will entice that person to take the relationship to the next level? Not to mention, I want to keep my options open. At the same time, things just seem to be happening too fast. I'm not a great fan of speed, not being able to take them while driving or rollerblading even, and the same holds true about events in my life. Too smooth, too fast. How the heck do I pull the brakes on this thing?

How do I even begin to explain the fears and worries that I have?