50 Ways to Express Love and Affection Without Having Sex
#7 Hold hands
It's such a simple act. So simple, in fact, it hides many of the reasons behind it. It can be reassuring; it can show attention; it can mean the world to someone; it can prove that you're there now, and aren't planning on running away. That small, simple act, that is so very often overlooked, means so much more than it appears.
Holding hands was never really a problem; they did more than most. Hikaru felt, down in his heart, that he wasn't giving the right feeling he wanted to his brother, though. But how does someone change the emotion given off from such a simple gesture? There had to be more to it. There had to be something he was missing; something he overlooked. But what, and how to act it out, he just didn't know.
Hikaru sighed deeply at the lunch table, irritated with himself that he hadn't been able to come up with anything to make it even a little more meaningful than normal. He felt Kaoru's gaze on him for a moment, but it soon went back to the book he had—they, of course, didn't seem to find the time during the weekend to finish their work; make-up assignments were needed now—and continued reading. Soon after though, Hikaru felt the soft feeling of Kaoru's hand graze the skin of his own, and gently held on to it. After a moment of hesitation—as far as he could tell, that is—his younger brother took the chance and slowly intertwined their fingers, squeezing gently under the table. Glancing up for a short moment, Hikaru saw the faint glow of Kaoru's soft smile as he eyes stayed focused on the book. Hikaru knew that smile wasn't from the reading. He squeezed back, and seeing that smile grow, he knew he had been thinking too hard about the "problem".
Another reason for the simple act, Hikaru concluded, was not just a statement, or a vow. It was also a comforted plea to the other.
Don't ever leave me… please.
