[Mallika]

Hi there,

Thanks for your post!

I think we can appreciate that now, things are different. If the bullying has stopped and you feel that sufficient time has lapsed for people not to repeat what they did in the past, perhaps you can tell him how you feel now? In school, a lot of things change from time to time, and the same people who once were mean to you might have become more mature and act like everything is normal (and vice versa!). Like you said, you can even tell him in private how you feel about him. If he's also worried about the same thing, you can keep your relationship more discreet than you usually would.

Having feelings for someone by itself is pure and natural and takes its own course. However, obstacles (big or small) do come and it's up to use to adapt our circumstances. I'm always of the opinion that if you feel strongly about someone, you should go ahead and tell them regardless of what the outcome might be - it's good for you to let it all out and the other person also gets to know. After you've told him and he reciprocates, you might have to work together to find a way to make sure problems in school don't develop as a result of this (bullying or other sorts of troubles can be very disturbing for young school-goers like you).

I can understand where the dilemma is, but if you feel you have to tell him about how you feel for him, go ahead