Taj POV

He had given up on trying to get Faye's attention. He should not be focused on a girl when he had to keep his grades at the level he wanted. Furthermore, since changing his major to Public Relations, he had a lot of work to do to stay ahead. Full credit load and none of them were online.

All in-person classes meant a lot of time on campus. Between his classes, work, and his fraternity, he stayed busy. How did other students also join other activities and have time to hang out and do nothing. Not him.

"How many times have I told you to get a life?" Jossie said to him while they worked.

"Many," he replied.

"Well...when are you going to get a life?"

"My life is school, and my frat...and work."

"Yeah, yeah, yeah, but in a few months, the school's done, your work here is done, your fraternity work is done."

"Well, there's an Alumnae chapter in Chicago so I will be-"

"But you know what I mean," she said, tossing a balled-up sheet of paper at his head. "What are your plans after graduation?"

Was this a trick question?

"Get a job? Work? Find a place to live, hopefully, if I get a good job. I don't have the option of moving back home to-"

"I'm shocked you want a job, so many young people your age want to work for themselves. Become a social media influencer or TokTik celebrity. Insta fame, or whatever they call it."

"It's...Tik Tok. I already hipped you to that Ms. Jossie," he said, being formal with her whenever he realized she was almost double his age. Because she looked younger than him, it was hard to imagine she did not have a handle on some of the new technology.

"See, that's why I like having you young kids around me. Makes me feel even older," she said with a groan. "My point is, you're my bridge between Gen X like me and Gen Z, the new kids coming in now. I can't reach them the way I used to."

"It's quite simple," and he went on to explain. "Gen Z grew up with cell phones in our hands, we can pretty much do everything with it, make movies, take pictures, run a business, have friends across the world with it, write books, get famous, yes, all of that. Some can do it before they even learn how to drive a car. So college...doesn't look the same for them."

"Hmmm."

"Why pay thousands of dollars for a four-year experience, then go on and maybe work for someone else for the next forty or so years? With innovative thinking, you can create a business and revenue, in the palm of your hand. I'm helping one of the pledges develop an idea he has. Cool stuff."

Jossie grunted. "So, how do we get more asses in the seats here at ISU? That's my bottom line. And minorities at that. College is not just about the book education they will receive, but the life experience. Fight me on that."

"I agree."

"This goes back to my point. Are you getting more out of college than just your classwork? I know you after all these years of you working here. You're pining away at someone."

Jossie did know him well. Before Sherry, other girls he was interested in, he always ran through Jossie. She knew them all and he would even give him dating advice. He did not come to her about Sherry, because the whole they were in the same sorority thing. And he was not about to come to her about Faye.

"I don't pine," was his only reply.

"Any dates this year?"

"I haven't met anyone interesting..."

"I'm not trying to be all up in your business but..."

Then she proceeded to be in his business. Told him she had several girls that would love to go out with me. She became like a dating app, giving him names, numbers, and IG pages so he could slide in DMs. He did not know how he felt about that.

Except check them out.

So not like him, but after checking out some profiles, he slid into the DMs of a nice-looking fellow senior named Temira. He was familiar with her face but did not remember ever meeting her. The fact that Jossie thought they would be a good match, he trusted her opinion. She seemed like a solid person, just from her social media presence.

She replied to his DM that she would love to meet with him. At the Student Union, later for something to eat.

Temira was pretty. She reminded him of either Halle or Chloe because she was their complexion with long brown locs down her back. Short and petite too, which was not his typical cup of tea, but he was not going to be picky. She was beyond gorgeous, but of course, a pretty face meant nothing to him. He hoped she was a woman of substance.

"Heeey, Taj," she stood and greeted him when he arrived at their meeting place only a few minutes early.

"Hey Temira, thanks for meeting me," he said, giving her a light hug. "I know it was out of the blue me reaching out to you."

"I get so many guys sliding into my DMs, many I block and keep it moving, you just caught my eye." She smiled sweetly at him.

After checking her out more, he would put her more Halle than Chloe, not as curvy. Again, not what he was typically attracted to, but he needed to expand his horizons.

"I can't believe we're both seniors and I haven't met you before."

"I'm a transfer student. I did two years at community college, got the gen ed out of the way, came here last year, focused in on my major, agriculture with an emphasis on horticulture, and then-"

"Horticulture? As in farming?" He never knew an actual person that majored in that field.

"If you want to put it simply as that, but it's so much more. It's one of the top majors here, that's why I decided to come here to finish up my degree."

"So you want to be...a farmer?"

She chuckled softly. She had a cute laugh and he was already smitten with it. "Something like that. It's a family business, so I'm just learning all I can to help out. I've had hands-on experience all my life, it's nice to learn the book stuff."

He had never met an actual farmer. "So what exactly does your family do?"

"Pretty much half the corn in Illinois comes from my family."

Damn, so she was rich. He could get with that, not that he wanted her money. Gorgeous, smart, and rich. His only question was why was such a girl like her single?

He spent about an hour talking with her...and he found out why. She bragged about those three things the entire time. He could barely get a word in. He knew that her G.P.A. was a 3.5, although he could not get in that his was higher at a 3.8. He knew that her good looks got her many dates, from all types of men, including her professor last year. What her looks and her brain could not get for her, money would. She talked about upgrading his wardrobe while they dated.

It was a no for him.

Only, she was not letting him decline out of the situation. She liked him, wanted to go on a date with him, and even offered to pay for their first date. How was he going to reject her interest in him without hurting her feelings? He could go out with her a couple of times, and see if she got better. As it was, all it would be was a couple of dates, nothing serious.

"Ok, sure, let's go on a date."

This was about to be a big mistake, or maybe things would work out.

A/N: Can I reach in and slap Taj? I had hope for him at first, but then I had to throw in a roadblock for him. But...I need to give him a chance to figure out who/who he wants. He wants a relationship for the sake of having a relationship, and that's the wrong approach.

Let me see what else I can throw at him.