If a snake can hate...Can it not love?
I've never had a pet not love me. Some are stand offish--solitary. But I've never been attacked by a pet. I have even adopted birds that their owners say they attack, only to find out they didn't like them, or their prior situation, for good reason, but given a new home with me they acted exactly the opposite.
The one time Alexander attacked when I first put him in his new home was a fear response, when I moved his substrate around in front of him. After that he's never shown any aggression to anyone...Me or the fur family flying around him.
Alexander has this odd little thing he does every so often when I hold him. He does this kind of undulating like he's caressing me. He's not wrapped around either.So it's not a pressing like he's constricting. And he's not trying to get away either. I think it's a sign of affection.