Hmmm. I would ask the super pro veterans to chime in. He asked you for a hug. That is not pursuit but maybe a good time for some rejection on your end.
I don't see how rejecting him will help bring them closer.
Mirror him. Give him the same type of hug he gives you. No more, no less.
M: A really long time. Crisis: 5 years. She's still worth it.
Life is never made unbearable by circumstances, but only by lack of meaning and purpose. -Viktor Frankl
