And he squeezes it right back, gently of course, but still firm enough to say that he wants her to stay close. Closer than he is now, even, but he doesn't want to just be a weirdo and pull her into his lap or something.

"That... makes a lot of sense. If there is a way to move on, I haven't figured it out yet. Adding more on top of what was already there, I just feel like I'm being buried."