Part of the barrier between the middle seats goes down so you can pass things back and forth and sort of chat with each other (you are still facing away slightly from each other so have to turn and look over your shoulder.)

Since we can't see out the window well on those planes (due to the angling) my dh and I always choose centre seats so that he can easily pass me his fruit plates (he's allergic to melon) and I can pass him the sections of the paper I'm finished with.

In the event of an emergency, there would be a chance to at least hold hands (not a pleasant thought but just because I'm Elite doesn't mean I've got over my fear of flying and my mind wanders to what it would feel like to be in a crashing plane.)