How do I tell I like him?

I’ve liked this boy for about 2 years now and in summer we became close friends and talked a lot up to about late November early December. We still talk now and I still have feelings and miss our olds chats I never really knew what it was. I didn’t think he liked me because we’d talk to each other about other ppl we like or would speak to. We talk at school and sometimes catch each other looking at one another and we joke and stuff. But he’s not a soppy guy and I feel if I tell him itll just go south and it’ll be awkward between us.His friends have said I heard you two like each other or that we were speaking pls help xxxx