“Can’t sleep.”
He sat next to me in the sand. “I think I realized something earlier.”
“What’s that?”
Roscoe smiled, his orange eyes reflecting the moon. “I’m not young no more. Hell, I’m not even close to the same person I was three years ago.”
“From what I’ve heard, that’s a good thing.”
He nodded but slumped forward a little as if embarrassed. That was an expression I hadn’t seen him make yet. “Back in the day, Darryl and I would’ve fucked through a dozen half-turns and humans all night long and wanted more. Wouldn’t have felt anything for anyone. It was just all good times.”
A larger wave crashed into shore before the ocean quieted again.
I kept my eyes on the water while trying to think of what to say. “It seems like everyone gets to enjoy being young, and I’m the one that got old before my time.”
“Most half-turns usually go through this phase when they’re younger. Yer kinda in a weird situation, but I guess that’s what makes you different—but in a good way.”
“What do you mean?”
Roscoe paused for a moment. “I dunno.” He let out a sigh before laying back in the sand, his hands folded behind his head. “Nothin’ feels like it used to. It ain’t a bad thing. I mean, this is the first time in years I’ve been sober. I guess you being a tight ass is rubbin’ off on me a little bit.”
“I think that’s just called being an adult.” I laid next to him, his arm supporting my head. “It’s nice out here.”
“Yeah, it is.”
“Darryl’s a great guy, and he seems like a good friend.”
“He was a great friend. I wasn’t, though.” He sighed and shuffled a bit next to me. “It seems like a lifetime ago, but it hasn’t been that long.”
I wondered if he’d overheard Darryl and me talking earlier and had just been pretending to be asleep. Maybe this wasn’t a mistake, and Roscoe was actually a decent guy.
He snored lightly, having dozed off while looking up at the moon.
“Thank you for not leaving me alone,” I whispered before closing my eyes, letting the waves lull me to sleep.
Chapter 6
A Business Proposition
Seagulls cried overhead as the tide rushed in. Gentle waves that had once been off in the distance now lapped at my bare feet. A moist, steady breeze brushed against my skin, which was more exposed than it had been yesterday since I’d gotten up the nerve to remove my overshirt. There weren’t many people out here at this hour, and those that were said good morning before passing without a fuss.
It wasn’t just a fluke. People really didn’t seem to mind werewolves or half-turns on the beach, even though most of the population was human. I watched the older locals pass by Darryl, always nodding and waving, admiring their famous lifeguard. Who could blame them? There wasn’t a soul out there swimming that didn’t feel completely safe with him guarding their lives.
This town was my proof that we really could thrive when given the chance, and werewolves could have careers and jobs that weren’t just mind-numbing manual labor. Perhaps one day I could be like Darryl. Confident, fun, responsible, and successful in my own way.
“Well, well, well,” a flamboyant voice called out from a few feet away. I turned in time to get a face full of sand as Adam pranced around before sitting next to me.
“Dude, that got in my eyes!” I grabbed my water bottle, squirting some onto my face.
“My bad,” the half-turn said in a mocking tone before snorting out a quiet laugh. “Whatcha doin’?”
“Trying to enjoy the ocean… with both eyes.” After washing away as much sand as I could, I turned to him. “What are you doing here?”
“Swimming lessons.” He eyed Darryl with a flirty grin. “Well, that and I heard you were here. Got yourself more hair, huh?”
“I feel like a freak,” I muttered, looking down at a tuft of thick chest hair peeking from the collar of my tank top.
“Yeah, that doesn’t really go away when you’re half-turn.”
