As they walked into the cozy Den, Lucy gestured for Jamal to sit beside her, and he did so while Tom settled into one of the plush armchairs beside Lucy.
Jamal tried to gather his thoughts as he looked around the room, which was filled with pictures of their family and mementos of years gone by. The warmth of the room calmed him somewhat.
Thankfully, neither Lucy nor Tom pressured him to talk until he glanced at Tom, who gave a slight nod.
"So, I met someone and had a one-night stand," he blurted out, and Lucy's lips parted in shock while Tom chuckled.
"Well, that's an uhm… unexpected news," she said, choosing her words carefully.
"My protégé is all grown up," Tom said, slapping Jamal on the back with a grin, but the grin faded off his face when Lucy eyed him with mild disapproval.
"Why would you do something like that, Jamal? Is that how I taught you to live?" Tom asked with mock disapproval, and Jamal chuckled, understanding why Tom was singing a different tune.
"If I did it, and I'm your protégé, doesn't it mean you taught me to live that way?" Jamal asked logically with a grin, and Tom scowled at him playfully.
Lucy rolled her eyes as she shook her head. "Tell us about this girl, Jam. Did you meet her before or after you heard about Dawn's scandal?" She asked curiously since she knew very well how much Jamal had wanted Dawn to be his first in every sense of the word.
"It was after," Jamal said and then went on to explain how it had happened.
Lucy and Tom listened as Jamal told them about going to the club and meeting someone who looked a lot like Dawn there.
Lucy smiled when he talked about how Abigail had asked him to have sex with her, "Doesn't this remind you of how we met?" she asked, and Tom chuckled.
"I was just thinking about that. Only that you didn't have to ask because I offered myself to you on a platter," he said with a grin, and Lucy giggled as he kissed her cheek.
"Can you both not rub your love in my face right now? My heart has been broken twice in less than forty-eight hours. The least you can do is commiserate with me," Jamal hissed, and they laughed as they returned their attention to him.
"I'm sorry you had to go through that," Lucy said, patting his back.
"You want to be me so badly that you had to meet someone the same way I met my wife, huh?" Tom asked Jamal.
"I assure you that your story didn't occur to me at the time. But who knows? Maybe it's my fate to follow in your footprints," Jamal said, and Tom snorted.
"My footprints indeed. Yet you let her disappear just like that," Tom said dryly.
"Be nice to our twice-heartbroken Jam, Ace," Lucy chided Tom playfully. They both laughed while Jamal scowled.
"I've contacted someone to help me find her. I really want to meet Abigail again. I don't know why, but there's something really special about her. She looked so much like Dawn. Her hair, her eyes, her shy smile. She is witty, too. I really wish I didn't leave the room," Jamal said with a sigh.
"You sound like you're in love with her. Are you?" Tom asked, and Jamal sighed.
"Or do you feel this way because she reminded you of Dawn's younger version?" Lucy asked as well.
"I'm not sure what I feel. I don't know if it's love. I just know Abigail is really special, and I don't want it to be a one-time thing. Everything felt different with her. Although our exchange was brief, I felt really happy in that short time. I don't know if that makes sense," he said, and Lucy nodded, her face soft with understanding.
"It makes sense. And seeing how someone with your values was willing to have a one-night stand, I guess she must have really been special," Lucy said, and Jamal winced, making her laugh.
"That's more reason I need to find her. I don't want it to be just a one-night stand. I want to be a one-woman kind of man like my grandfather and Uncle Harry," Jamal said, and Lucy nodded.
Neither of them said a word for a while until Lucy spoke again, "You said she was born mute?" Lucy asked thoughtfully, and Jamal nodded.
"Yes."
"It's just so weird that you met Dawn's doppelgänger coincidentally that night," Lucy said, and Jamal nodded.
"Yeah. From all she told me, I think she really had a tough time growing up. I want to get her away from her family. I plan to start learning how to sign so that I can communicate better with her when I meet her again," Jamal said, and both Tom and Lucy exchanged a look.
It was obvious that this Abigail whoever she was had replaced Dawn in his heart, and it was surprising how quickly that had happened.
"And Dawn? How do you feel about her now?" Tom asked, his expression serious now.
Jamal shrugged. "I don't know. Maybe I was being childish by holding on to those memories. Maybe it's the memories I love, not Dawn. I'm not sure. But I don't feel anything when I see her pictures or videos now. Our memories together have been what has kept me going for this long. Dawn feels like a stranger. I don't even like her name now. She's like a totally different person. I feel like we are two completely different people, living completely different lives. And after the scandal yesterday, I'm not sure I want to associate with her anymore. I'm surrounded by too much love to want to settle for less," Jamal said, hoping they wouldn't be disappointed by his decision since Dawn was still their kin.
Lucy looked at Tom as she waited for him to speak. After a while, he let out a deep sigh as he leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees.
"I have to admit that I was both surprised and impressed that you held on to your feelings for Dawn for this long. It's okay for you to move on now, Jamal. And I really hope you find this girl of yours," Tom said, and Jamal nodded, glad that they understood him.
"Ace is right, Jam. I agree that you should move on from Dawn now," Lucy added softly.
Although Jamal had not realized it earlier, but a part of him had come here to seek their permission to move on from his feelings for Dawn. Whether he liked to admit it or not, their opinion mattered a lot to him, and he didn't want to disappoint them.
"Thank you. It means a lot to hear you both say that. I thought you might be disappointed that I was moving on too soon," Jamal said, and Tom raised a brow.
"We have no reason to be disappointed. It was your decision to be with her in the first place. Nobody asked you to. And no matter how much we care for Dawn, you're like a son to us and…"
"Nope. I'm not like a son to Lucy," Jamal cut in with a shake of his head, and both Tom and Lucy laughed.
"So, what do you plan to do about Dawn? Judging by the videos online, it is obvious that her stepfather has done a poor job raising her. She's eighteen now. You can step in now, right?" Jamal asked, still feeling concerned about her despite everything.
"That is precisely the point. She's an adult now. What can we really do for her? How can we undo the damage that has been done?" Lucy asked, feeling saddened by the situation.
Tom leaned back in his seat, arms crossed, and he had a thoughtful expression on his face. "We will do what we can for her. Her trust fund has amounted to quite a fortune, and she's of age to receive it now, but we won't let her have it until we have access to her and we are certain she's responsible enough not to squander it. My Dad made sure of that in his Will," Tom said, and Lucy sighed softly.
"It feels like Desmond foresaw all of this while writing his Will," Lucy said, thinking of Desmond, who had died in his sleep three years ago.
"I will talk to the rest of the family, and we will decide what to do and how to approach her," Tom said, and Lucy nodded in agreement.
"Jam, you've not had breakfast yet, have you?" She asked, and he shook his head.
"I told you that seeing you is enough to fill me," Jamal said, and Tom shook his head.
"I can't wait for the day you get married and leave my wife alone," Tom said, and both Jamal and Lucy laughed.
"I'm never leaving her alone. You're stuck with me," Jamal said while Lucy excused herself to go see to breakfast.
Once Lucy disappeared, Tom turned to Jamal with a raised brow, "Quick question. I hope you used protection? By that I mean a condom."
Jamal's eyes widened slightly as he realized he didn't, "I didn't think of that. It was both our first time."
Tom shook his head, "You pulled out?"
Jamal winced but shook his head, feeling embarrassed that he had not thought of any of that.
"Well, you better pray she remembers to take a morning-after pill," Tom said with a chuckle before going after his wife.