<human>: It's been a year since my first - abusive - relationship ended. It lasted for about 8 months plus change.

Since then I've dealt with most of the emotional damage through therapy, got my life back on track and started to pursue romantic interests again.
Nothing has come of it so far, all of the girls I meet and am interested in (not many) have a boyfriend or at least someone they're currently seeing, so I won't go any further.

I feel like I am absolutely starving for affection. I am still really shy around someone I like, but last night I went to the movies with a great girl I hadn't seen in a while.
I had asked her out before but she told me she had a boyfriend. This time she went with me and during the movie I managed to work up the courage to touch her hand (my heart was racing already), then I held out my hand and she put her hand in mine. 

I just held hands with her for no more than a minute, but the feeling still hits me like a lightning strike. When I asked her later she told me that she's still with her boyfriend, I apologized and we spent a great long evening out together anyway. I took her to the subway and walked back home, and the emotions just overwhelmed me and I cried tears of joy for 15 solid minutes. This tiny moment of innocent affection made me so happy!

(btw: I won't pursue anything with this particular girl, or with any other one in a relationship)

Even now when I think about it I am welling up again. 

But I am also scared of my own reaction. If I react that heavily on a minute of holding hands - what may happen if things go further with somebody that's actually interested?

Can you condense the text into three sentences or less?
<bot>: a minute of holding hands is all the affection I got in over a year, and I can't really handle it. How can I control my emotions?