Love at First Hiss

A security guard caught a snake in our apartment complex and delivered it straight to my door.

I was just about to scream when floating comments cut in.

[The male lead got dumped and turned back into his real form just to spy on his girlfriend, and he actually got caught? This is funny as hell!]

[He got dumped, and his girlfriend hates him. He's probably gonna cry himself to sleep!]

[Aww, poor little snake can't curl up on his girlfriend tonight.]

The big black snake looked pitiful in the guard's hands.

It secretly sized me up with its slit pupils.

I tried holding out my hand, and the black snake stared in disbelief.

Two seconds later, it obediently rubbed its head against my fingers.

The moment the guard let go, the black snake shot up from my wrist at lightning speed and wrapped around me tightly.

The floating comments popped up again.

[Miles isn't even worried about scaring Olivia, huh?]

[You can't blame him. Ten guards chased him halfway across the complex and hit him with their batons. Even a handsome snake-man would lose his fight after that.]

[Yeah, getting hit more than ten times is harsh. If Miles weren't ridiculously lucky, Olivia would already be moving on to someone else.]

At the same time, the guard said, "Miss, you're free to keep pets, but you can't let a snake that big just wander around. You're gonna scare somebody. If I hadn't suddenly remembered seeing this snake sunbathing by your window earlier, we would've killed your pet and made a pair of boots out of it."

As soon as the black snake heard that, it shuddered and dove straight down my collar.

[Whoa, not fair! I want Miles's point of view!]

[Me too!]

[Talk about turning disaster into a win. Miles seriously lucked out!]

I tried to soothe the snake tucked against my chest, then hurried to grab the watermelon I had just bought and handed it to the guard.

"I'm really sorry. It won't happen again. Here, it's so hot out. Have some cold watermelon."

The guard looked a little happier with the watermelon in his hands. He gave me a few reminders and left.

I was about to close the door when I felt the black snake burrow deeper. It even flicked its tongue.

Damn it. Breaking up with Miles Richardson really was the right call.

This jerk of a snake-man pretended to be a normal human while dating me, and he wouldn't even let me touch him.

Yet when he wanted to take advantage of me, he never once hesitated.

I tried to pull the snake out, but it stubbornly wriggled farther in.

That slippery, warm sensation glided over my skin.

I had felt it in my dreams more times than I could count. Now, I seriously suspected those weren't dreams.

The black snake refused to come out. In the end, I had no choice.

I let it curl up against me and fall asleep.

[Miles can finally sleep well. Ever since breaking up with Olivia, he hasn't been able to eat or sleep. He drank himself numb until he finally couldn't take it anymore and turned back into his real form just to see her.]

I peeked down through my collar at the black snake nestled inside.

I didn't get it.

Sure, I was the one who suggested the breakup, but he agreed to it, too.

The reason was simple: Miles wouldn't let me touch him.

Imagine dating a guy with a perfect face, long legs, and abs… Just to have him tell you he didn't want to get intimate with you.

For a while, I even wondered if something was wrong with him, or if he was self-conscious of his size.

But every time things almost crossed the line, Miles would grit his teeth, get up, and march into the bathroom to take a cold shower, leaving me alone in the bedroom to clean up the mess.

Back then, I thought he must be in love with someone else, and he was saving himself for his one true love.