Touch is the mooooooost import thing while escalating. You can be the funniest person alive but you won't get far without touching. I was talking to this new girl, we talked a bit she seemed uninterested. Anyway we were talking more then she made fun of me, so I lightly pushed her. Ever since then we have been 10x closer. Trust me, you will never get rejected unless she flat out doesn't like you. if you're scared (talking from experience) just do it. It will be scary at first but after a while it will be nothing. Touching helps build a special bond between people (Male or Female). So try touching ppl more often and see how different things are!