A reassuring squeeze
My fiancé glanced at me, noticing my tension, and gave me a reassuring squeeze on the shoulder. It was a small, almost imperceptible gesture, but it held a world of meaning.
For a brief moment, I felt a flicker of hope that he might step in and say something. But then he turned back to his brothers, resuming their conversation as if nothing had happened.
The squeeze, meant to comfort, instead highlighted my isolation.