A burst pipe made my aunt Maki's place unliveable, so she came to stay with us for a while. I'm a shut-in who barely left my room, and seeing her again after all these years — still as warm and involved as she always was — started to move something in me. But feeling something isn't enough to close years of lost ground, and when it left me hurt, Maki said, “You want some confidence, don't you...?” and kissed me. Guided by her, it felt so good that I lost myself completely in it.