Brother's Keeper✔️

53. Black Magic Friends

Taj POV

He had a lot to think about. After the Brother's Keeper meeting with the ladies of MAX, something felt different for him.

It was not all of the attention he received from the ladies. After the meeting, he was asked out by a dozen girls, but of course none he accepted. He told them he had a girlfriend and they were still disrespectful about that.

But saying he had a girlfriend did not feel right to him. Things with Faye still felt wrong to him. She still felt some way about his fraternity and their relationship seemed to be stuck in the friend zone.

"Taj, have you decided about your plans after graduation?" Jossie asked while they were all at work in her office.

He glanced at Faye and then at Jossie. "I applied to graduate school. For here or U of I."

"That's my boy! Get those degrees, no one can take them from you. And the University of Illinois is not a bad choice, home of your frat, so much love for you there."

Faye looked up from her file and huffed. "Now why would you go there just because of your fraternity? Stay here."

"He needs to go wherever is best for him," Jossie said. "And what's wrong with having connections through his fraternity? I would not be here if it was not for my sorority."

"All due respect Ms. Jossie, yes you would be. You're smart and fight for these students, that's all that was needed, not your sorority stuff."

Taj sucked in a breath because he knew Jossie well enough she did not fall for any shade on the sorority she created. Faye would never understand what being a Founder of a Greek organization that was still thriving meant.

"Lady, get your facts right," Jossie said in a sharp voice. "There was no one out there doing what MAX did when we started it. Six leaders of six big organizations on campus. Helping each other become better leaders. I started MAX with five of my friends and changed this campus for Blacks and minorities since then. The work I did within MAX is why I had the job you're doing now and how I became become the Dean after so many years."

Jossie was not done. "MAX has been my life. This school is just a job, but I can quit tomorrow and MAX will be there for me with help with another job on any campus or any field or even line my pockets if I'm broke and hungry. Let's not pretend you understand if you're not in it."

That shut Faye down. He did not feel one bit bad that Jossie said to Faye what he tried to say to her. Just because she was not Greek did not mean she had to downplay the impact they had on others.

He never wanted to pledge anything till he came to campus and saw what Epsilon Upsilon was all about. The best decision of his life.

After Jossie's rant on Greek life, Fay did not say another word, even as he and Jossie talked about the recruitment fair of the year they planned to hit up. Faye went on to finish her work quietly until he had to leave for his class. He knew she was upset but he did not know what to say to her.

Later that evening he saw a text from Faye.

We need to talk

He already knew this was about him not standing up for her and saying something to Jossie, but what was he supposed to do? She was both of their bosses.

He decided to call her instead of texting back.

"Want me to come over?"

"No, that's unnecessary. Taj, I don't think this is working out. Us."

He did not see this coming, but he was not upset about it.

"Okay Faye, if that's how you feel. I cared for you but you never seemed to understand me. Or we just never...clicked."

"I think you're still young and immature for me. I've had enough of that."

Young and immature? He knew he was none of those things. Faye was hurt badly by her marriage and breakup so she never let him in. It was a shame because he bonded with her daughter and now that was over as well.

Should he fight and try and make things work with her? Did he love her?

He loved to love, and that was his biggest problem.

"Sorry, you feel that way, Faye. I hope we can still be friends, working together and all. Well, I guess I will see you around."

He ended the call and felt like a load was taken off his chest. This was the easiest breakup of his life. Though his feelings for her were real, he was not hurt. Not how he felt after his breakup with Sherry which took months to get over.

He was not ready to move on either. He needed time to himself. Enjoy his last few weeks of college as a single man.

Then he ran into her again. Temira sat alone in the Quad, earbuds in scrolling through her phone. He looked around to see if any of the guys were around. Seeing none, he sat on the bench next to her.

"Hey, you."

She looked up and smiled at him. "Hey."

"What are you doing all alone here? Waiting on someone?"

"Yeah, Romelo."

Damnit! Why was she with that guy? She had to know her worth and know she deserved better. Like Malinda said at their meeting, get to know a person before jumping into bed with them.

Well, he could not talk, he and Temira jumped into bed on the first date, and look what happened. What if they did things differently and got to know each other? He claimed he was not like other guys, but then he did exactly what other guys had done.

Used a beautiful woman for sex.

"Temira, why are you with that guy?"

He knew he was wrong for stepping in, but fuck it, he did not care at this point.

"What do you mean? What's wrong with Romelo"

Here he was, about to do exactly what he did last year with Sherry. Call him a fool, but he could not sit back and watch a girl he cared about get hurt.

"He's cheating on you. He's seeing other girls. You deserve better than that."

Temira put her phone away and took out her earbuds. She sat there a moment, not saying anything, then she turned to look at him. "Why are you telling me this?"

"I'm not trying to hurt you Temira, that's the last thing I want to do. But I can't sit here and face you, know the truth, and not tell you. Yell at me, call me whatever names you want, I don't care."

Temira stood up and moved to stand in front of him. "Thank you. Thank you for being honest. I suspected but...he denied it, so...it's what it is now, and I can move on."

"Good."

She smiled at him. "Your girlfriend is a lucky girl. You are...you're something special Taj."

He stood up in front of her, towering over her petite frame. "Actually, we broke up."

"Call us girls stupid for losing a catch like you. Well, I'm leaving before he comes and I have to tell him off."

"Wait." He took her hand. "Maybe we can hang out? Talk, get to know each other...you know, in a real type of way."

She smiled at him again. "Are you...asking me out? Again?"

"No, just friends. Talking. Hanging out, that's it." She had a whole situation to get out of and he just got out of a relationship. He was not ready to jump into another one, but he did not mind getting to know Temira in the meantime.

"Come on, let's leave the Quad before that asshole comes, I'm not ready to face him right now."

A break from dating. That's what he needed. And no jumping into bed with someone, build the relationship first.

A/N: Will Taj ever learn? He is the most stand up guy in this book, hopefully, he does not get his heart broken again.