Page 30 of Ruining Vanessa

“Come on, Antonia has been way better to you than Slayer, Damien, or I have been,” Giulio says, still smiling. “Look, you can grab that stool and just sit right there in front of the enclosure. Think of it as exposure therapy.”

From the way he squeezes my wrist, I don’t think he’s asking me nicely.

My shoulders slump, and I nod. “I’ll go get the stool,” I say, hating how defeated I sound. But then, I’m never going to come out on top when it comes to Giulio or the others. They have me firmly outclassed in every way, and if Giulio wants me to get near the snake, I’m… going to have to get near the snake.

Giulio kisses my forehead, the plate—and the dead rat on it—coming dangerously close to me.

Then he turns to the enclosure, unlatching the front and sliding the glass to the side. “Antonia, baby. Aren’t you lucky, you get to join the dinner party after all.”

The snake, which had been sitting coiled at the bottom of one of the branches, lifts its head and begins slithering closer to Giulio. I grimace as it approaches.

What if Giulio is wrong? What if it darts past him and out of the enclosure, into the room. Slithering around me, constricting me—

Giulio uses the tongs to wave the rat around a bit. The snake’s tongue flicks a few times before it strikes the dead rat, its body coiling around it.

Giulio closes the enclosure again and comes to stand next to me, putting the plate and tongs on the nearby table. “Watching her never gets old.”

I shudder, staring without daring to move as I watch it. That could be me. That could’ve been me. It could’ve curled around my neck and strangled me with its long body. I grope for the stool I never bothered to sit in, sitting heavily down onto it as I struggle to keep my composure. “It’s terrifying,” I whisper.

“Why? You’re too big for her. Her mouth wouldn’t stretch to fit even a baby, never mind anybody your height.”

Great. Now I’m going to have nightmares about snakes trying to eat babies. Thanks a lot, Giulio.

“It doesn’t have to try to eat me. It could strangle me. Aren’t you afraid it’ll curl around your neck and do… that?” I ask. I want to close my eyes, but I feel like if I stop looking, it’ll come for me.

“Eh, she’s large, but as long as you keep her from wrapping around your neck entirely, no big deal. She’s not stronger than I am, and I’ve raised her since she was practically born. She has no reason to attack at all.” Giulio ruffles my hair. “In the wild, they’ll eat maybe once every few weeks. Her favorite prey is small mammals, birds, and lizards. We really aren’t on the menu.”

I shake my head. I’m still not convinced that it isn’t something to be afraid of. Giulio casually calls it her and references it like it’s a person or a proper pet, but no. “Can we look at one of the others?” I ask, my voice trembling a little as I watch the snake start to devour its… snack.

“Sure. Most of the geckos are nocturnal, and I’ve got a few smaller snakes that should be active. I fed them all earlier today though. It’s just Antonia’s food that takes a bit longer to thaw.”

I don’t really want to see any of them, but they’re better than… Antonia.

“Why do you even like these things?” I blurt out. “They’re all scaly and creepy and just…” I shudder. At least they don’t smell bad, which is something I would’ve expected.

Giulio wanders over to a long enclosure that’s halfway up the shelves. “They’re so cool, though. Beautiful and elegant. Sure, most of them are stupider than your average baby, but it’s still nice to watch them.”

I quickly go to stand next to him, glad to be away from the big snake. The dim light makes it hard to see what’s inside this enclosure, which is styled more like a desert environment than a tropical one.

“Why not like… a cat or a dog? They’d have to be worlds easier to deal with than reptiles,” I remark, peering into the enclosure. There’s another lizard inside, with a proper amount of legs, at least. Its skin is a tan color with dark spots patterning its entire body.

“Dogs and cats are pretty boring, though. Common.” Giulio moves his finger in front of the enclosure without tapping the glass. The lizard’s eyes follow the movement. “Plus, my old man got rid of the family dog when I was like eight.”

I stare at him. I don’t know what exactly he means by ‘get rid of,’ but from everything I know about Emilio Pavone, it probably wasn’t pretty. “I’m sorry,” I say quietly. I don’t even ask why. I don’t want to know, don’t want him to confirm that there probably wasn’t even a reason for it. Not that having a reason would make it any better. “You just seem more like a cat person,” I say feebly.

“I’m clearly a snake person,” Giulio answers with a chuckle. “Colorado here is a leopard gecko, by the way. He’s about six years old. Did you know, most reptiles live longer than mammals of similar sizes?”

“How long do they live?” I ask, edging back just a little when I don’t think he’s paying attention. Maybe he’s distracted enough by the talk about the lizard to realize I’m trying to get farther away from them.

“Leopard geckos can get to fifteen years or so. Ball pythons, thirty. So Antonia’s got a good twenty years left in her. Why would I want a dog with a ten-year lifespan, and so overbred it’ll probably get cancer before the end?” Giulio grabs my waist and pulls me closer to him.

I tense, but all he does is rest his chin against my shoulder.

“I know I said I liked you being tall, but it’s really convenient. Don’t have to bend down for you or anything.”

Somehow, I don’t think Giulio has a problem bending over for anyone, especially Damien or Slayer, but I don’t say that aloud. I don’t know if he’d find it funny or if it would piss him off. Probably the former, but… I’m not willing to risk it. I make a noncommittal sound because I don’t really know what to say.

“You never said why your college boyfriend broke up with you.” Giulio places one hand flat against my stomach. Even through the shirt, it feels really hot. “Since I answered all of your questions, it’s only fair you answer mine.”

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