He didn't think it was going to work. Honestly, he wasn't even thinking at all, just acting on those impulses he had just been talking about. Mao anticipated that Luke would just pull his hand away, and that would have been alright, he wouldn't have put up a fuss. Instead, amazingly, when Luke's hand moved, it was to turn and welcome his own. He couldn't believe it! He felt his face begin to burn and he had to chew on the inside of his cheeks to keep a wildly happy grin from forming on his face.
Mao looked away, giving the other boy's hand a squeeze as if to say thank you. He had been wondering how to tell Luke how glad he was that he was back, but now he didn't need to. There was no need for words, they'd probably ruin everything somehow.