u/Constant_Half_1644

My colleague and I started to get close 5 months ago, I had a thing for him until I found out he's been dating someone for a year. After a work trip we started to text almost daily but our convos were neutral, the texting has gotten less frequent in the past weeks tho.

Anyway, I lost a family member and he has supported me during these months, I've opened up several times.

.. in the past week it has happened that while I was grieving and having some breakdowns he has hold my hand for an hour and caressed it (we were traveling on the same plane and sitting next to each other)

I noticed that at one point he got up to go to the restroom and when he came back he reached for my hand again.

Was he just trying to be nice and calm me down or what? He spoke about his GF in the past and said she's not jealous. She knew we were on a work trip together so I assume he tells her about the times we kinda hold hands?

Me and said person are not together, sometimes we'll casually start scratching each other's hands, more like caressing and doing little circles, but our fingers never intertwine fully. Idk how to explain.

Is it casual?

Hey, I'm gonna try to keep this short but I need to vent.

2 months ago my mom was diagnosed with cancer and she's currently undergoing chemo. I started my first job back in October and caught feeling for a coworker until I found out he was taken (I was already in too deep). We became closer, nothing happened obviously but we started to become more than acquaintances and occasionally would talk about life, I don't wanna say we're friends because to me friendship is something else but you get the idea.

We texted for a while and this "connection" helped me cope with my mom's problem, it felt as if it was an escape, it made my life easier but it also got me attached.

Long story short, we had tension that suddenly disappeared, we still text and talk but it's not as intense as those first weeks of texting. Now it's just a few dry texts, we see each other at work but it will soon change. I found out this person might quit or our shifts might change and I will be seeing them less and less. I'm scared and hurt to lose all of it. I struggle to accept our relationship changing and I'm afraid I'll never hear a word once we stop seeing each other.