Zachary Taylor and Fatima Wilson were never supposed to be anything more than friends. Seven and a half years later, nobody believes them. Not when he calls her first after every game. Not when she shows up to every practice like she belongs there. Not when his daughter cries for her before anyone else. And definitely not when they argue like a married couple who forgot to sign the papers. They swear it's nothing. Just friendship. Just loyalty. Just life. But life has a funny way of looking like love when you stop paying attention. Especially when you've already been living like a family without realizing it. And when outside relationships, old history, and unexpected truths start to blur the lines... One question becomes impossible to ignore: If they're just friends... why does it feel like they've already been married this whole time?

a ten-year-old murder case begins pulling at loose threads, Fatima and Zac may discover that the line between guilt and innocence-and love and hate-isn't nearly as clear as they thought.

"You want me to gamble my heart on a spin?" he asked, a dry little laugh slipping under his breath. "No," she murmured, sliding off the stool and stepping closer to him. "I want you to stop pretending love could ever survive in a place you have to lie to keep it."

Zatima story

Who falls for the professor-student cliche?? Nonchalant looks draw you in... The skeleton isn't the only anatomy, Professor Taylor has learned about...

ᴀᴅᴀᴘᴛᴇᴅ ꜰʀᴏᴍ ᴄᴏʟʟɪᴅᴇ. ʜᴇ ɴᴇᴠᴇʀ ᴇxᴘᴇᴄᴛᴇᴅ ꜰᴏʀ ʟᴏᴠᴇ ᴛᴏ ꜰɪɴᴅ ʜɪᴍ. ɴᴏᴛ ɪɴ ʜɪꜱ ʟɪɴᴇ ᴏꜰ ᴡᴏʀᴋ. ɴᴏᴛ ᴡɪᴛʜ ʜɪꜱ ᴘᴀꜱᴛ. ʜᴇ ᴡᴀꜱ ꜱᴜᴘᴘᴏꜱᴇᴅ ᴛᴏ ʙᴇ ᴛʜᴇ ᴏɴᴇ ᴘᴇᴏᴘʟᴇ ꜰᴇᴀʀᴇᴅ-ɴᴏᴛ ꜱᴏᴍᴇᴏɴᴇ ᴡʜᴏ ᴡᴀꜱ ꜰᴀʟʟɪɴɢ. ᴛʜᴇɴ ꜱʜᴇ ᴄᴀᴍᴇ ᴀɴᴅ ꜱʜᴇ ᴅɪᴅɴ'ᴛ ꜰʟɪɴᴄʜ. ꜱʜᴇ ꜱᴀᴡ ᴘᴀꜱᴛ ᴛʜᴇ ʜᴏᴏᴅɪᴇ ʜᴜɴɢ ʟᴏᴡ ᴏᴠᴇʀ ʜɪꜱ ʜᴇᴀᴅ, ᴛʜᴇ ɢᴜɴ ɪɴ ʜɪꜱ ʟᴀᴘ, ᴀɴᴅ ᴡᴀʟʟꜱ ʜᴇ ʜᴀᴅ ʙᴜɪʟᴛ ᴜᴘ. ꜱʜᴇ ꜱᴀᴡ ʜɪᴍ. ꜱʜᴇ ᴅɪᴅɴ'ᴛ ʀᴜɴ ᴡʜᴇɴ ꜱʜᴇ ɢʟɪᴍᴘꜱᴇᴅ ᴀᴛ ᴛʜᴇ ᴅᴀʀᴋɴᴇꜱꜱ ʙᴇɴᴇᴀᴛʜ ʜɪꜱ ᴄᴀʟᴍ ᴇxᴛᴇʀɪᴏʀ. ꜱʜᴇ ꜱᴀᴡ ʜɪᴍ. ᴇᴠᴇʀʏ ꜰʀᴀᴄᴛᴜʀᴇᴅ ᴘɪᴇᴄᴇ, ᴇᴠᴇʀʏ ꜱᴄᴀʀ ʜᴇ ᴛʀɪᴇᴅ ᴛᴏ ʜɪᴅᴇ, ᴀɴᴅ ꜱʜᴇ ɴᴇᴠᴇʀ ᴏɴᴄᴇ ᴛᴜʀɴᴇᴅ ᴀᴡᴀʏ. ᴡʜᴀᴛ ꜱᴛᴀʀᴛᴇᴅ ᴏᴜᴛ ᴀꜱ ʟᴀᴛᴇ ɴɪɢʜᴛ ᴘɪᴄᴋ ᴜᴘꜱ ᴀɴᴅ ᴅʀᴏᴘ ᴏꜰꜰꜱ, ᴛᴜʀɴᴇᴅ ɪɴᴛᴏ ꜱᴏꜰᴛ ᴛᴏᴜᴄʜᴇꜱ, ᴠᴜʟɴᴇʀᴀʙɪʟɪᴛʏ, ᴀɴᴅ ʟᴏᴠᴇ ᴛʜᴀᴛ ʙᴏᴛʜ ᴏꜰ ᴛʜᴇᴍ ʟᴏɴɢᴇᴅ ꜰᴏʀ. ᴡʜᴀᴛ ɢʀᴇᴡ ʙᴇᴛᴡᴇᴇɴ ᴛʜᴇᴍ ᴡᴀꜱɴ'ᴛ ᴊᴜꜱᴛ ᴄᴏᴍᴘᴀɴɪᴏɴꜱʜɪᴘ-ɪᴛ ᴡᴀꜱ ᴛʀᴜꜱᴛ. ɪᴛ ᴡᴀꜱ ᴄᴏɴɴᴇᴄᴛɪᴏɴ. ɪᴛ ᴡᴀꜱ ʟᴏᴠᴇ. ᴀɴᴅ ꜰᴏʀ ᴛʜᴇ ꜰɪʀꜱᴛ ᴛɪᴍᴇ ɪɴ ᴀ ʟᴏɴɢ ᴛɪᴍᴇ, ᴛʜᴇʏ ʀᴇᴀʟɪᴢᴇᴅ ɪᴛ ᴡᴀꜱ ᴇxᴀᴄᴛʟʏ ᴡʜᴀᴛ ᴛʜᴇʏ ʜᴀᴅ ʙᴇᴇɴ ꜱᴇᴀʀᴄʜɪɴɢ ꜰᴏʀ, ᴇᴠᴇɴ ɪꜰ ɴᴇɪᴛʜᴇʀ ᴏꜰ ᴛʜᴇᴍ ᴋɴᴇᴡ ɪᴛ.

Our love ended years ago... or did it?

Book Summary: U & I Fatima, a devoted single mother to four-year-old Chloe and proud owner of a charming local bakery, finds herself drawn to the ruggedly handsome construction worker she sees every morning across the street. His name is Zac-a quiet, seemingly distant man focused on his work, unaware of the gentle glances sent his way. Or so Fatima believes. What she doesn't know is that Zac has noticed her too. A single father to five-year-old Zayden, Zac has been quietly admiring the warm, determined woman who always seems to start her day with flour-dusted hands and a smile. Fate brings them together one afternoon at the park, where their children form an instant bond-and so do they. As friendship blossoms into something deeper, Fatima and Zac navigate the challenges of single parenthood, personal fears, and the scars of past heartbreak. You and I is a heartfelt story of second chances, the quiet power of connection, and the kind of love that grows slowly but roots deeply-between two people, and the families they bring with them.

One shots based on your favorite couple on BET+

Fatima Wilson has spent her life rebuilding from the ashes - from foster care to law school, from heartbreak to healing. On the surface, she's strong and steady, but her past still lingers in quiet corners she refuses to face. When she agrees to fill in for a Chain Breakers session inside a local jail, she doesn't expect to meet Zachary "Zac" Taylor - a man whose silence speaks louder than words and whose eyes mirror a pain she knows all too well. What begins as an unexpected connection behind prison walls turns into a bond neither of them can deny. As their lives intertwine, Fatima and Zac must choose between the safety of who they've been and the risk of who they could become - together.