I think Mr. Gold just wanted to keep his distance for a while. Belle hadn’t regained her memories yet, so he probably didn’t want to creep her out by being too touchy feely. She seemed a little confused in their first reunion scene when Mr. Gold hugged her, so he probably wanted to respect her personal space until she regained her memories.
Yeah, that’s how I interpreted it too. Being too physical with her probably would have frightened her. So, it was better to keep his distance for a while. Or at the very least, until the curse was broken and she regained her memory.