I didn't have as much problem with the cells idea as many forumites did. Yes, it was confusing at first, but honestly, I am finding that so many stories I listen to these days are confusing in the beginning, that I just attribute it to a getting settled in period for me and don't give it much thought.
That said, I am not sure what I think of this story. I guess I have never been into transient relationship stories, not in fiction, not in real life. So this one kind of left me unmoved.