Is flirting a form of cheating?

I came across this interesting post at www.brownsista.com, see below;

My girlfriend asked me this question about a month ago when her boyfriend found e-mails she was exchanging with a co-worker. For the life of her she couldn’t figure out why her man was so mad. I asked her how she came to exchange emails with this co-worker and she responded by saying the flirting had gone digital. This I responded back is why flirting while you are either married or otherwise attached is a bad idea.

Flirting as defined by Webster’s Dictionary is “To make romantic or sexual overtures.”

When we flirt with someone it is a way of letting them know we are open, available and most of all, interested in possibly doing more. This is what happened with my friend. The flirting went digital, where it quickly took on a more explicit tone. And though in her mind it may have all been in fun and something that made her feel appreciated and desired (her words), it was also cheating, and the reason why she is now single.

If you aren’t interested in engaging in a relationship with someone- don’t flirt with them. There is no way around this. Flirting is a prelude to intimacy. A wink and touch here can quickly lead to a lunchtime rendezvous at the Motel 6 if both parties aren’t careful.

It is so funny because I was chatting with a girl the other day and I was not even flirting and I asked for her phone number and she said that she could not give it to me because she has a boyfriend. I was stunned and had to make her realize that I was not asking for her number because of what she thought my intentions were, I just wanted to be friends with her. She went on to say that she would not like it if her boyfriend gave his number to another girl. I then asked myself a question "Does your boyfriend know that you chat with me occassionally?". I honestly had no intentions of asking her out, I just thought it would be more realistic to connect a voice to someone that I chat with on an occasional basis. It's one of those things I guess!

In my opinion, I think couples can still get away with harmless flirting but when it starts to get intense, in the sense that it starts to make you question the relationship that you are in already, I think that is where the problem starts.