Whenever we study alone, he leans in, touches my arm, and treats me like we're practically together. But the second we're back with the rest of our class, he loudly jokes about how dating a classmate is 'desperate.' It made my stomach drop. I felt so humiliated and furious at the same time. Why act like that when no one is watching?

He does this because it gives him the validation of intimacy with zero social risk. In private, he feeds on your mutual chemistry; in public, he performs cynical detachment to protect his own insecure ego from peer judgment. It isn't an accident—it’s cowardly. The only way to regain your footing is to revoke his VIP pass. Someone who treats your connection like an embarrassing secret doesn't get one-on-one access to you. Next time he suggests studying alone, decline or tell him to bring the rest of the group along. And if he ever tries that private flirtatious banter again, hit him with a calm, flat reality check: "Save the charm. You talk way too much trash in front of everyone else for this." Watch how quickly he scrambles when you refuse to play along. You deserve someone whose interest doesn't evaporate the second an audience walks into the room.