My Secret Crush Led to a Big Misunderstanding in Class

So I've had this secret crush on my lab partner, Alex, for what feels like forever. We were assigned together last semester and got along pretty well, we both enjoy working hands-on with projects and experiments rather than just theory stuff. It's not the type of thing you really talk about with your friends or classmates; it's more something that stays hidden in the back of my mind, nagging at me during class breaks when I see him laughing with others but never really looking over to me. But despite how quiet and careful I am around him, somehow word got out. Maybe it was a slip-up one day, or someone noticed us always working together so closely. Whatever the case, news spread that I had feelings for Alex, like everyone knew this big secret of mine without even needing to ask. Then came today's class. Our professor announced an upcoming group presentation and asked who would be willing to pair up. Naturally, I raised my hand along with a few others since Alex didn't seem interested in forming another bond with me directly after the buzz around us started. But as she went through the list of names calling out pairs, there was this awkward pause before announcing that Alex and I were officially paired up for the project. The room filled with whispers and giggles at how ironic it all seemed given everything. I felt a mix of embarrassment and confusion wash over me as we made our way to sit together after class. There's always been an unspoken comfort between us from when we worked side-by-side, but now every small movement or glance feels loaded with more meaning than there really should be. We tried talking about the project details and dividing up tasks for practice runs next week, but I could feel myself fumbling over words more than usual, tripping over sentences that sounded so off-script from what we normally would say. I wanted to just come out and tell him that it wasn't like people made it seem, no secret crush or anything beyond a friendly connection. But I didn't want to make things worse by bringing up something that everyone thought was resolved already. Now, even though nobody brought any of this up face-to-face after the pairing announcement, every interaction feels charged with all these silent expectations based on how others are talking about it behind our backs. I just hope we can get through this project together without turning into some weird high school movie cliché where he's secretly had feelings for me too but we both act out because of assumptions and rumors. It'll probably be the longest week of my life, trying to pretend like everything is normal while still harboring these unresolved thoughts.