Hey there, DETECTIVES! DETECTIVE WRITER here to present you all a short story that was requested for me to write a while ago, a werewolf romance with a touch of fantasy, and maybe some mystery. Please feel free to let me know your thoughts on this draft and any thoughts, comments, and more. Feel free to read this excerpt. Stay tuned for next week!

"Werediamond Shine"

By Sally Barrilla

His eyes were dark in the moonlight, his pale skin shined like diamonds, and he made my heart race just at first glance. He didn't notice me at first since I was standing in the midst of the crowd. I was aiming to remain hidden, what would he notice in someone like me? Pop music blasting all over my best friend’s Ramona’s tiny apartment. 

“BANG!” I accidentally knocked down a random flower pot. All eyes including his immediately turned over to me. In that moment, our eyes locked and his smile slowly reached his dimples. My heart stopped in an instant. He walks over to me and smiles so brightly at me, I think it rivaled the sun. He lifted his hand to me, introducing himself to me.

“Hi there. My name is Justin, what’s yours?” I didn’t respond too quickly, I just stared at him. He must have noticed because he raised his eyebrows.

“Uhh… your name?” I jumped up and shook his hand.

“Oh sorry! My name’s Sasha. Just plain old Sasha, hehe.” 

“No, no one’s ever plain. But that is a nice name, Sasha and may I say you are extremely gorgeous.” 

“Why, thank you, Justin. That’s very kind of you.” He winked at me and my heart dropped down to my stomach. Looking down, I realized that our hands were still connected and I released his hand. He was still looking at me, the intensity of his stare was nerve wracking but also immensely intimate.

“Hey Sasha, it’s kinda loud in here. I know we just met but do you want to get out of here? We can grab some coffee or maybe a bite to eat. Is that okay with you?” I was flabbergasted.

“Uhh, sure why not. It would be great to get out for a bit.” His winning smile once again caught me off guard.

“Great, let’s head out,” said Justin, offering me his arm. I took it willingly. We walk outside of the apartment and out of the elevator. The gentle breeze of the wind welcomes my face like a small kiss on the cheek. 

“I thought we could walk to my car and maybe go out to a nearby cafe I like, if that’s cool.”

“Of course, lead the way.” We walked a few blocks to his car, which I had to admit, it was quite nice. A gray Tesla that was so cozy, I could have easily fallen asleep, thankfully I did not. The drive wasn’t relatively long, but the beacon of shining lights welcomed me. Justin put the car in park and leaned over to me.

“Well, here we are. Cafe LeBauc, it’s absolutely incredible and cozy. Food and drinks are amazing, I guarantee we will have a good time.” We go inside and I am stunned by the ease of it all, we end up dancing, chatting, and eating for several hours. When we got there, it was close to 9 P.M. but it was nearing 11:30. Justin leaned in close and said to me, “Do you want to get out of here? Maybe go see the stars for a bit?” I nodded in agreement. We walked out of the cafe and headed back to the car. My smile would not leave my face, I was having such an amazing night, I didn’t want it to end. 

“Where are we going? I asked Justin, he looked at me with a small smile. 

“A small picnic area in Forest Park, if that’s okay.”

“That’s perfect.” We pulled into the park, walked in holding hands, and sat down on a bench overlooking a pond with fishes.

“Sasha, I have to admit something to you,” said Justin whose voice began to tremble.

“What is it, Justin? Are you okay?”

“Actually, no. Well, it depends how you look at it, it’s a part of me. I wish I could change this about myself but unfortunately I cannot. The only thing I can say is that I will not harm you at all, that’s the good thing about this. Even when I change, I still hold my conscious thoughts and can think for myself.