My [18F] friend [18M] held my hand today when we were walking home. I liked it a lot, and I told him that, but he’s been ignoring me for the whole day. Did I scare him off?

A Reddit user shares a sweet yet puzzling experience with her shy friend, who unexpectedly held her hand while walking home. After expressing her feelings about the moment, she noticed he started ignoring her messages, leaving her wondering if she scared him off or if something else is going on. To uncover the full story and offer advice, read the detailed post below.

‘ My [18F] friend [18M] held my hand today when we were walking home. I liked it a lot, and I told him that, but he’s been ignoring me for the whole day. Did I scare him off?’

I’ve known my friend since high school. We go to the same university, and we live close by so we walk home together every day. Today, out of nowhere, he held my hand. He’s a really shy person so this was completely unexpected. He looked nervous, so I said that his warm hands felt nice on a cold day.

He didn’t expect me to reciprocate, and we just walked the rest of the way home in awkward silence. I realized how nice it felt to hold his hand and how much I wanted to date him, so I sent this message to him shortly after arriving home: “I really liked it when you held my hand today, and I want to talk about it.”

It’s been a few hours and he hasn’t replied back. I’m not the type of person that expects an instant reply, but he left me on read, and he usually gets back to me immediately. We were also supposed to play league of legends today, but he wouldn’t get on discord or reply to any of my mentions. So what’s happening here? Did I scare him away? Am I being really annoying by messaging him? Help!. 

**tl;dr:** My friend held my hand while we were walking home today. I sent him a message that I liked it a lot and wanted to talk about it more, but he left me on read. He’s also been ignoring my other messages for the whole day.

See what others had to share with OP:

Be_Who −  First of all, this is some of the cutest s**t I’ve ever read. Second, he’s probably just trying to collect his thoughts so try to give him some space.

[Reddit User] −  I’d say if he made a move by holding your hand he is into you. But if he’s anything like me he panicked when things went well. Like everyone said, be patient, give him some time. I once had a girl try to kiss me and in my utter disbelief and panic I hugged her…. She was not understanding and it didn’t work out. So don’t stress, he’s just shy.

DrunkenJarJar −  He may have freaked out a little at the “I want to talk about it”. Maybe he doesn’t know how he feels about you and is taking it one little step at a time, maybe he gets tongue tied at the thought of you, maybe he has never expressed feelings like this before (seeing your ages)… So I wouldn’t get hung up about the taking part, just take it as it comes!

[Reddit User] −  D’aww. Just give him some space because he’s thinking things through. You’ll see him around eventually. Then, just ask him how he’s doing, act normal, and don’t pressure him. Come back for more help if he doesn’t want to initiate any talk about it but I’m sure that he will.

LindemannO −  Firstly I think you need to recognise that he held your hand for a reason – it wasn’t just out of no where – not in his mind at least. It sounds like he’s been building up the courage to do something like this with you.

Secondly, you mention he’s a shy boy. Well that probably explains why he’s taking his time to respond. I’m gonna take a shot in the dark and say he likes you! Give him some time to respond, but if he doesn’t, I’d reach out for him and tell him your feelings.. Finally, this is really cute af!

Euler007 −  If he’s super shy don’t invite him to talk about holding your hand, invite him to spend time with you doing something you would normally be doing together.

[Reddit User] −  Most men at any age freak out when you say “you want to talk about it”. Cue panic.

macincos −  I had my first real kiss in 7th grade after school one day. I was beside myself with disbelief and giddy that I had finally gotten somewhere with my crush. I didn’t know how to react or what to say immediately after so I deadpan said “you taste bad.” She didn’t.

It was an awesome kiss and she tasted like strawberry and vanilla chapstick. Point is, people sometimes get nervous and react strangely. Give him a good bit. He’ll come round. Sidebar: she forgave me and we were an item the entire school year. Eventually, I did get better at the post-kissing celebration.

mareenah −  I cringed when I read you wanted to “talk about it”. Sounds so serious, and he’s probably scared shitless. Maybe it just scared him off, give him a bit of time.

WhackingPsychopomp −  and I want to talk about it.” It would have been way smoother if you had just left off that second part. There is no need to discuss. Discussion means you are about to announce that you are ‘in a relationship’ (from a male perspective), so he has to pull back and consider the ramifications of that.