I hear you, my dear friend. And yes, I understand, though it makes me sad to hear you say "at this point in my life" when you are still so young from my perspective.

Touch is necessary for us all. But that need puts our hearts (and sometimes more) at risk. To protect ourselves, we must be careful with our expectations.

And yet, to quote Max Ehrmann, "Neither be cynical about love, for in the face of all aridity and disenchantment, it is perennial as the grass."