Jamal listened attentively as Dawn continued with her explanation. He tried deliberately to listen to what she was saying without judgement so that he could understand from her perspective.
"But I saw you flirting with him…"
"Flirting?" Dawn asked with a slight frown. "I didn't flirt with him."
"But you let him flirt with you."
"He didn't flirt with me. I made it clear to him I was in a relationship. We just talked…"
"I saw you both, Dawn. I saw the way he held your hand and you let him. You even laughed."
Dawn sighed softly. "I only laughed because he said he liked the feel of my hand, and that was the reason he held it longer than he should have. I shouldn't have let that happen. I'm sorry if that was what gave you the impression that we were flirting. I never intended to disrespect our relationship. I told him about you and Josh. It just felt so nice having a new friend. My own friend..."
