The question that I kept circling back to was about the possible military applications. An idea popped into my head and I looked up uses for animal venom to see what experiments were being conducted, the kinds of things Brandon used to work on. I shared my findings with Christopher.
“They use venom for treating and trying to cure cancer, strokes, and autoimmune diseases, such as rheumatoid arthritis. That isn’t military applications. It’s not surprising that venom is useful. Humans have used plants and animals for medical purposes for thousands of years. Traditional Chinese Medicine has used animal parts for thousands of years. Even Neanderthals knew about grinding up poplar bark as a painkiller.”
I hesitated to let Christopher read my long message. When he looked up, I sent my burning question.“What if someone wanted to make a painkiller so strong it inhibited pain? Might allow them to make a super soldier. That’s military.”
“How would that work?” said Christopher.
He didn’t shoot down my crazy idea.
“Animal venom evolved to target the nervous systems of other animals. It paralyzes prey. What if they’re working on a way to suppress the nervous system’s reaction instead, to make it resistant to pain?”
“Wouldn’t they need a lot of venom?”
“Scientists don’t need real venom anymore. They make it in a lab. It’s safer to study because they don’t have to keep animals or extract venom.”
“That’s unreal. How did I not know about this? I used to imagine Brandon playing with rattlesnakes at work.”
An image popped into my head of Brandon juggling rattlesnakes. I enjoyed being around Christopher—he made me laugh.
“Brandon didn’t talk about his work. At all. I don’t know the names of anyone he works with. I’m lucky I heard about the scorpions.”
We spent the better part of the day reading about venom. It was fortunate we had scientific backgrounds that helped us to read the medical papers and science journals—some of them were technical and full of jargon.
Before I knew it, it was evening and approaching dinner time. I had little in the way of food in my house. I was back to pickles and mustard, because we’d finished the bread and cheese at lunch. I also hadn’t shopped since returning to this time. I would go tomorrow and do better about keeping my fridge stocked. I’d enjoyed having food at home to cook. My stomach growled.
“Pack up your cat.” Christopher stood and cracked his back as he stretched.
My head shot up.“My cat?”
“You don’t like to leave her alone at night. Ember’s a sweetheart. We can bring her. I don’t mind.”
“Where are we going?”I lifted an eyebrow.
“My place. I’m going to feed you and we’re going to watch something sappy and you’re going to tell me more of your deep, dark secrets. We’re having another sleepover.”
“You’re just deciding for me?”I crossed my arms.
Christopher laughed. “It helps when I can read your mind. All afternoon you’ve been wondering if we can sleep together again. I want to too.”
My face flushed hot.“That’s an unfair advantage.”
He took my hand and laced his fingers through mine. His hand should have dwarfed mine, but they fit.
“I’ve told no one about reading minds. I didn’t know how you’d take it.”
He was dead serious as he traced circles on the back of my hand with his thumb.
“That’s my deepest, darkest secret. Not even Brandon knows. People think I’m just perceptive or a good guesser. I try not to say too much that I learn.”
That’s what I’d thought before I’d spent much time around him. Although he was those things too.
He looked up. “I enjoy being around you. Most people have chaotic minds with so many thoughts jumbled together that they’re hard to be around for long. It keeps me from hearing individual thoughts, but it’s noisy, so I’ve preferred the peace of being alone. Until now.”
This intense intimacy or the potential for it was unfamiliar territory. For us both.
“I’ll try not to lie. But you have to be honest, too.”
“I can do that,” he said with a smile.
