His revelation in the shower had awakened something in him. He now knew he had cared for Hermione for a long time, but all of a sudden he was so acutely aware of it, it confused him. When had they started touching each other? How had he – a man no one ever touched and who touched no one – not noticed? Why did it feel so natural with her?
He knew Hermione was a very 'physical' person, for lack of a better word. He'd seen her touching her friends hundreds of times when they were in school. She would hug them, or playfully slap them – ha! – or touch their arm or leg while she was talking to them. She would place a comforting hand on a patient's shoulder, but she didn't touch their co-workers, he noticed now that he paid her touching habits more attention. And he had certainly never seen her kiss anyone on the mouth. What did it all mean? What did he want it to mean?
They continued working together like nothing had changed, but for Severus it had. And for Hermione it had too, but he wasn't aware of that.