Search Results: better at sports than guys

Over the past year I have gotten to know a guy at my sport's club very well. I get along better with him than any other guy I've ever known, his humor is identical to mine, he brings me out of my shell and makes me a better person when I with him. He inspires me a lot and I really love him, but not in a romantic way. I thought I liked him about a year ago because I was getting out of a really emotional relationship that took a really big toll on me at the time. In reality I didn't like him. I mean this with 100% certainty, that I like him simply as a good guy friend. Some of my friends seem to think otherwise and so they smirk at me when I'm with him, they keep referencing him in our conversations, etc. I'm worried he'll notice one of these days. Should I talk to him about it? I feel like I need to tell him the truth before a rumor gets out and negatively impacts our friendship, but there's also a risk in talking to him about it. I really don't wanna screw the friendship up, so at this point I'm open to advice on how you as a guy might react, or if any ladies out there might have had similar experiences. It's just annoying that nowadays people automatically assume that if a girls deeply cares about a guy, she has romantic feelings for him.