I (24F) had a crush on a classmate while in a long-term relationship (25M). Nothing happened, but I still feel guilty years later.

A few years ago, while I was in college and already in a long-term relationship (we’ve been together since high school), I ended up developing a small crush on a guy in my class. I’m generally quiet and not the type to interact with guys unless it’s necessary, and the crush kind of surprised me.

We had a class together once before where we barely talked, but the second time we were in the same class, we started chatting a bit more. It started with school-related stuff, then turned into occasional small talk. He’d text me sometimes out of the blue, and over time, I noticed I was starting to look forward to those interactions.

One day, he asked if I was still with my boyfriend. (For context, it was a known thing at school that I had a boyfriend, so I figured that’s why he asked in that way.) I said yes and didn’t push the conversation further. Later on, he replied to one of my stories and confessed that he had a crush on me and had been feeling that way for a while.

I didn’t reciprocate. I told him I was in a relationship and kept it respectful cuzI didn’t want to give the wrong idea. After that, we didn’t really talk anymore. We still occasionally watched each other’s stories but nothing deeper.

At the time, my relationship had its ups and downs. I think I was emotionally vulnerable and ended up enjoying the attention, but I never acted on anything. Still, looking back, I feel guilty but not because I cheated, but because I let it go that far emotionally before stepping back. I’ve grown a lot since then, and I’m focused on improving communication and trust in my relationship.

This all happened a while ago, but it’s something I’ve been reflecting on. I never told my boyfriend, and I’m still unsure if I ever should. Nothing happened, but the guilt still lingers.

TL;DR:
While in a long-term relationship, I developed a crush on a classmate. He later confessed feelings, but I didn’t reciprocate and told him I was in a relationship. We stopped talking after that. I never cheated, but I still feel guilty for letting it go as far as it did emotionally. Should I talk to my boyfriend about it years later, or leave it in the past?