Old complicated crushes

Okay so this guy, I’ve know since we were both 10, and I found out in year six he had, had a crush on me fir a while. I found out before this dance and he had a ‘girlfriend’ at time. A week or so later they broke up and he came to me. It was him being so nice and cute towards me that I did the same, but I wasn’t sure that I really liked him back. Then over TEXT for the first time ever he told me he loved me. And I just quickly stopped talking to him. I know, bad. We talked throughout the year, but I still didn’t like him. The next year we didn’t talk at all. Now we’ve had like two minor conversations and snapchatted back and forth. Apparently he has a girlfriend now, but I realised I really miss him after a year of not talking. Thing is idk how to talk to him, because I know it will be awkward, and make me seem desperate and like I like him, that’s how things work at our schools. Rumours and gossip will fly around all over again.

There’s also the part that apparently he’s bullied some kids. One of them, my friend’s brother for years. Idk how I really feel about that.

Please someone help!!