**TL;DR The end of my last relationship overlapped with the beginning of my current relationship. Girlfriend wasn't happy about it.**

I got into a dispute with my girlfriend 'May' a few days ago. I apologized and things seem to be fine now, but I still am left with a feeling of uneasiness about the whole thing.

She learned that I was still in a relationship with my previous girlfriend 'April' while I was beginning to see her. Some important points:

1) My relationship with April was in its death throes. By this point, she and I were seeing other people and kind of deciding for ourselves if our relationship was worth salvaging. April and I were both aware that we were seeing other people and were ready to accept the relationship ending if one of us wanted to.

2) Meeting May was a chance encounter. There is a strong likelihood that I never would have seen her again had I not set the ball rolling then and there.

3) I officially broke things off with April before my third date with May. May and I were officially a thing by the end of our fourth date.

4) April and I kept contact during this time, but she and I did not at any point meet nor did either of us have the intention to.

From May's point of view:

1) I was obligated to let May know that I was seeing someone else. April and I not seeing each other notwithstanding, the mere fact that April and I were still a "thing" was pertinent information.

2) In not telling May that I was seeing someone else, I was depriving her of the freedom that I had to see others. Even though May and I were not officially exclusive, there *is* an expectation that we *were* unless otherwise explicitly stated.

3) The way I handled things made May feel that I was "giving her a test drive" and holding onto April as a safety net if things didn't work out.

My thoughts:

1) I don't think May would've agreed to go on a date had she known that I was still somewhat together with April. Besides, I didn't think it would be pertinent information until she and I were seriously considering a relationship. Up until that point, both May and I were effectively single and eligible. It wouldn't have bothered me if she went on dates with other guys before we became a couple. I don't feel like I deprived her of anything more than the info itself.

2) I definitely did not see my dates with May as a test drive. I took the relationship seriously from date #1. That I was together with April is merely a formality.

In the end, I apologized to May. It's clear that whatever I did bothered her so I assured her that she could trust me. It seems to have made her feel better, and I'm glad.

But I can't help but wonder. Am I the asshole for overlapping relationships? If so, would there have been a way for me to not be the asshole *and* still date May?

