Then We Held Hands Novels & Stories

"We will find him even if he is living in an igloo in some obscure corner of the world." She didn't laugh. She didn't smile. She looked down at our linked hands again. I took any opportunity I got to hold her hand for as long as she let me. We had held hands casually thousands of times. Sometimes, she barely noticed it, and others, she held mine back tighter. This was the first time she had acknowledged it by looking at our linked hands. I instinctively released her hand. She looked back up at me.

I placed my hand in his. His fingers closed around mine, warm and strong. It was just a handhold. Simple. But in the cold night, in the midst of the chaos we’d created, it felt monumental. A quiet agreement. A new start. We stood like that for a minute, not speaking, just holding hands under the watchful eye of the guard and the cold Geneva stars. Then, wordlessly, we turned and continued our walk, hand in hand. The path was just a circle in a courtyard. But it felt, for the first time, like we were walking forward. Together.

Her brows went upward, her eyes widened, and her lips opened. Was it too much to open the door for her? Looking back, I never did this. But it will be embarrassing to bring this up. And so, I kept my expression calm as I offered my hand. “Let’s go?” I asked while waiting for her to grab my hand back. Her widened eyes grew even bigger as she cast a look into my hand and then back to my face. What? Is holding her hand while walking a weird thing either? Well, back before, we never held hands. But we kissed already and hugged each other. This thing should not be a big deal.

Her voice was serious but cheeks were as red as tomatoes. We continued eating. At some point we both reached for the bread at the same time. Our hands landed on each other. Neither of us moved. I looked at her hand under mine. Then at her face. She was looking at our hands with an expression that was very still and very present and not pulling away. Then she turned her hand over. I held it. We ate dinner one handed after that without discussing it or making it into anything that needed discussing. Her hand in mine on the table between us, both of us talking about other things while that one thing stayed quietly and certainly where it was.

As cheesy as it was, our hands fit perfectly together. "See, this isn't so bad," he remarked, as we started walking. Not so bad? It was a hell of a lot better than 'not so bad'. "Plus, anyone who looks at us will know we're together," he added. "That should help our inner monsters." Someone shot us a weird look, but I ignored them. It wasn't like I'd ever see them again, anyway. And crazy shit happened at college all the time. Jesse and I ended up holding hands for most of the day.

“Chris?” “Yeah?” “Can we try – to hold hands?”

I caught her hand, our fingers locking without thought. “Deal.” We stepped out of the room together. The ocean waited beyond the glass, but honestly, the best view in that villa had just walked out holding my hand.

he said softly and holding his hand out for me to take . I took his hand and intertwined it with mines and I felt his hand tighten around mines. I smiled as I looked down at our joined hands.

His fingers laced through mine slowly and carefully, like he was still learning how to do this. I squeezed his hand, he squeezed mine too. We stood there in the quietness of his study holding hands, and for the first time in a long while, everything felt like it was right.

Took Johnny’s hand. And held on tight.