A Progress Report

"It's all getting rather serious now isn't it?" the spirit noted "The good news is you're making substantial progress now and once you've given everyone their full week to shine I'm confident you'll be close to determining who your true love is."

"I'm not sure how I'm making progress" Andy confessed "If anything I'm more confused than ever. I like everyone so much I'm not sure how I'm supposed to know who I should be with over all of the others."

"You're making progress because some of these girls you're courting actually like you enough to want a lasting relationship with you as well now. This has to go both ways, you know. As for who the lucky lady will evetusally be you don't need to worry about that. The magic will make that decision for you."

"You see, that worries me. Shouldn't I get to choose? What if it picks the wrong girl? And what's the process exactly? You've never explained it to me and I've got an awful lot invested in this by now."

"Magic isn't a process I can describe for you like a science. Just trust me when I say its knowledge of what will work out best is far greater than yours or mine. You'll get your happily ever after with the right girl, as much as anyone can realistically hope to in this life at least."

"Fine, I guess I'll have to take your word for it. So where am I with everyone then? You gave me a run down last time you showed up and it would be good to know where I'm standing now."

"Yes, I was just coming to that" the spirit adjusted his ghostly top hat as if preparing to give an important presentation "Let's start from the top with your new number one - Leah."

"Wow. It's actually pretty exciting to see how compatible the two of us are and that she could legitimately become my long term girlfriend. For the longest time that was the one thing I wanted more than anything else in life but I never dreamed it could be possible."

"You are indeed very compatible with Leah now and your feelings for each other are mutual. Her affection level for you is at ninety seven per cent."

"Holy shit!" Andy's mouth was wide open in shock at tha revelation "She's practically in love with me!"

"Very nearly" the spirit admitted "Which is where things can get complicated. Anyone who hits a hundred per cent affection has officially reached the 'in love' stage. They will probably feel something close to love at first sight with you at your first encounter with them in each new week. Having multiple girls at that level could make things a little awkward, as I'm sure you can appreciate. Also, when a girl reaches that stage it becomes possible to break the cycle with them. Of course everything else has to be just right for it to happen, but it's worth being aware of. Especially as you haven't technically even had Leah's week yet."

"Yeah, she was all over Elaine's week though and it will probably be vice versa as well. So I should probably save that one until last, right?"

"That might be wise, yes"

"So what do you think of her as a potential long term partner? Honest opinion."

"I honestly think Leah is pretty great. She's the most possessive and protective of you out of all the girls but didn't mind sharing with Elaine one time since she knew how much you would enjoy it. She's fun and flirty but has a deeper side and your shared history is something nobody else here can rival. My only reservation is that it wasn't a great shared history, was it?"

"What do you mean?"

"When you started here on your first run Leah didn't want to know you. Does that hint at a potential superficial side to her? I really like the girl but we have to look at this from all angles."

"No, you're right. I should keep that in mind." Andy nodded "So who's next?"

Next is the very girl you spent your last week with. Quite successfully it seems. Tina.

"Serously just thinking about her makes me feel horny" Andy confessed with a dreamy look in his eyes.

"Yes, well quite" the spirit cleared his throar "If this were a list for sexual chemistry I'm sure Tina would come out on top. That's an important element of any relationship of course and I can certainly see her appeal. But to balance that I must remind you that there is more to love than what goes on in the bedroom.."

"Or on the couch, or in the shower, or that one time on the balcony late at night.." Andy quipped.

"Indeed" the spirit adjusted his bow tie before beginning again "But you yourself have questioned whether the two of you have enough in common to sustain a long term relationship."

"Only because I don't know enough about her yet. I really do like Tina a lot and we get on like a house on fire. But when I tried to ask her about herself she got pissed off with me."

"Your timing could have been better and to some degree you have to look at it from her point of view. She'd only known you a few days as far as she was aware and wasn't expecting to see you again, so she probably didn't see the point of having that conversation. Nonetheless, I do agree that's currently an issue you need to resolve with her. On a more positive note her affection for you is at a whopping ninety five per cent so she does have strong and genuine feelings for you."

"Damn this is tough. Who's nect?"

"That would be the lovely Elaine."

"I had an amazing week with her. There is just so much more to Elaine than I expected. She almost seems too good to be true."

"She obviously enjoyed your time together as well. You've raised her affection level to ninety three per cent. In some ways I felt like you seemed like a more natural couple than you do with Leah. She seems to be very genuine with you, was more reluctant than Leah to share you but allowed it with conditions as a one off treat and is comfortable enough around you to let go and show you her wild side. Maybe a little too much so after the musical concert."

"Yeah, I mean her stripping off in public was hot as fuck but I would have been seriously worried for her if the week wasn't repeating. It took me by surprise a little too. She's normally so composed but I guess there is another side to her, or maybe she just can't handle her drink. She feels like a serious contender though, right?"

"Oh certainly. You do need to figure this thing out with her and Leah though. You can't have them both, at least not in the long term."

"I genuinely can't decide which one I prefer. I guess I do want both. Maybe if I can pull off a no holds barred threesome on Leah's week I can get that out of my system."

"Hmmm" the spirit hummed disapprovingly "Moving swiftly on. In fourth place we have the utter delight of a young lady that is Gemma. She's currently at ninety per cent."

"Shw's the one I mess the most during other people's weeks" Andy revealed "That must count for something, right?"

"It does, but perhaps not as much as you think. Gemma has an incredibly endearing personality. Heck, I'm practically rooting for her to be your one myself. But immense likeability is a different thing to the crazy and incomprehensible beast we call love."

"She feels like she would be a really safe choice. Like, I can't imagine ever being around Gemma and not being happy."

"Safe can be a double edged sword though. Does she excite you in the same way some of the other girls do, or does she just make you feel extremely comfortable? And as much as I'm loathe to criticise such a loveable cutie, in the interest of balance I should point out that she can be a bit of a pushover. I doubt she would ever challenge you much."

"You say that like it's a bad thing" Andy shrugged "She does hold back a little when talking about herself and her background, though. Although I have some very special plans for her week to take care of that."

"Well that sounds like something to look forward to" the spirit opined before moving on "And now we come to Sara."

"I can't wait to see Sara again" Andy confessed "There's just something about her."

"I agree, I'm something of a fan of hers too. Brains and beauty is almost always a winning combination in my book. You two have always connected very well and her affection level tends to go up quite quickly when you're together. So, as she's likely to feature quite prominently in Kara's week as well as her own there is a very real chance of hitting a hundred per cent with her during this phase, assuming things go well. Her starting point going into the first of those two weeks will be eighty five per cent which is significantly higher than Leah's was."

"Okay, I'll keep that in mind. It also means she might be open to a threesome with the professor, right?"

"Oh for goodness sake, is that all you can think about?" the spirit rolled his eyes "I'm sure you'll recall that Sara is quite strict about not wanting to sleep with anyone on Fresher's week herself as it is, and good luck getting your tutor to agree to a threeway with a male and female first year during Fresher's week."

"It won't be easy to pull off but if their affection levels are both high enough.." Andy pondered before meeting the disapproving eyes of the spirit "Anyway, we know Sara has a ton of plus points, but what are her minuses?"

"I'd say those perhaps come from you more than her."

"What do you mean by that?"

"It strikes me that Sara has always been very genuine around you but you can hardly say the same. You've consistently used tricks to make her like you since the start, more so than with most of the others. Would someone so intellectually accomplished still be as keen if she knew that you were..."

"Careful!"

"Look, all I'm saying is there are still question marks over youe long tern compatibility. Anyway, next up is Tamara who is at eighty per cent."

"It's surprising to see her so far down the list. I feel like she should be higher" Andy reasoned.

"You haven't had her week yet. You two have made a surprisingly natural couple when you've spent time together in past runs so it wouldn't surprise me if she's back near or even at the top quite soon. "

"I can't wait to spend a whole week with her" Andy gushed "Tamara is beautiful inside and out and honestly I struggle to find anything negative to say about her as a person. That said her lifestyle and background is a worry. The press intrusion into every aspect of her life and the expectations that will be placed on whoever her partner is by everyone else has to be a concern, and can you imagine me fitting in at some royal gala?"

"If you ask me I don't think she likes her lifestyle much either. I'd say part of the reason she enjoys you so much is because you allow her to escape from that and don't always treat her like the princess she doesn't want to be. It's actually rather heartwarming to see. Though on the other hand she's the only one of your love interests whose life couldn't be changed by your lottery win. If she's the one then that shouldn't matter, but it's something to think about."

"Yes, that had occurred to me as well. Okay, only a couple more left now I think."

"Indeed, and you still have a bit of work to do with the final two, though the best things in life don't always come easily. In seventh place is Aurora on sixty per cent."

"Ouch. So I'll need to pull out all of the stops on her week."

"It's not as bad as it sounds. At sixty per cent she likes you quite a bit, she's just not head over heels like some of the other girls are starting to become."

"She's a tough nut to crack. But I can see so much potential there. When I feel like she's started to be herself I've really liked what I've seen. And even when she was yelling at me in the early days I still weirdly liked her."

"The fact you kept coming back regardless of her initial harsh treatment of you says a lot. And I think your instincts were correct. She pretends to be something she isn't but I actually think deep down Aurora is rather sweet and vulnerable. Something or someone has hurt her in the past and now she's got her barriers up to protect herself. Sometines that can come across as hostility when it is more likely self preservation."

"I think it's down to her shitty family. But Gemma seems like she has a shitty family too and she couldn't act more differently."

"Different people have different coping mechanisms. Anyway, I wouldn't write Aurora off. I actually think she could be quite special if you can get past all of that superficial attitude."

"I agree, I'm going all in when I get to her week. So last but not least..."

"It's Kara on fifty five per cent."

"So be real with me, is there any chance of this actually happening?"

"In a word, yes" the spirit nodded "If I'm honest I probably would have cautioned you against going after a member of staff at the beginning of this process but you've made clear progress with Kara and she would certainly be a great catch for anyone. It would be hard for her to continue in her role at the University while she was in a relationship with you but your lottery win would fix that. You could fund her to work as an author or independent academic researcher and I expect she would see either of those things as a step up from what she is doing now."

"Wow, so me and the professor really could be a couple?" Andy seemed to like that idea a lot "I'm probably going to have to play a blinder on her week though aren't I?"

"Yes, it won't be easy. She's already lagging behind the other women on your list and when all is said and done you're her student. That is a difficult hurdle to ever truly clear. "

"I'm not kidding myself here, I know I've got my work cut out and this is all probably just a sill fantasy but I'm not giving up on Kara yet."

"And neither should you" the spirit affirmed "Well, that's everyone accounted for and it's time for me to take my leave. Assuming you haven't broken the cycle by then I'll be back when you're done with your remaining dedicated weeks and are ready for the final phase. That's where this starts to get really exciting. Ta ta for now!"

Before Andy had a chance to ask any more questions, of which he still had many, the spirit was gone and Leah's car was pulling up. He decided not to wait around to turn down her dinner invitation. He had someone else on his in mind for this run.

He walked towards the faculty for Politics and Philosophy where his target was easily tracked down.

"Hello, Professor Wellington?"

"Please, it's just Kara" Andy's tutor told him with a smile.

"Well then it's great to meet you Kara, I'm Andy."

"Likewise Andy, I'm assuming you're one of my students?"

He thought about that for a moment. Didn't the spirit say that would always be an impossible hurdle to clear, or words to that effect?

"Actually no, I'm not a student. But there was something I wanted to talk to you about..."