We moved to the couch with our coffees. Mira sat down first, kicking her heels off and tucking one leg under herself, and the skirt rode up another inch in a way that I refused to believe was unintentional.
I sat on the other end of the couch like a man with self-preservation instincts, which, today, I needed. She watched me do this with a small amused twitch at the corner of her mouth, "You're sitting awfully far away, sweetheart."
I shrugged lightly, "Strategic distance."
"Mm. From me?"
"From the situation."
She laughed, soft and warm, and took a sip of her coffee. Then she set the cup down on the side table, turned to face me properly, and the warmth in her face shifted into something steadier.
"Alright. Let me say my part first, before I lose the nerve."
"You don't lose nerve, Aunt." I said.
