Please please please help me!

Basically to do it shortly, I really like this girl but shes one of my best friends!
Noone knows I like her and im not even sure why because im mostly attracted to guys not girls but shes just amazing and I love her so much!
Anyway a few years ago some people started calling her a lesbian and she responded badly to it and got upset and theres always been this joke that she is even though everyone thinks she isnt and she might not be but im not sure!
So a few months ago we were on a trip and we were sat next to each other and we were having loads of fun and she turned and said "i would go out with you" then after seeing my reaction she added "if you were a boy"
my other friends overheard and made it into a joke
she then started avoiding me abit until I confronted her and she denied avoiding me at all but since then shes always been a bit weird with me!
So then a few months after that when I liked her but didnt realise it yet she came to mine and we had a great time and somehow we ended up lying on the floor next to eachother and we were sucking eachothers fingers? (we're really weird)
We've always had this love hate relationship and slightly flirt with eachother when we talk.
She always stares into my eyes really deeply for a while and when we talk we lock eyes, I always catch her looking at me and then we like give eachother really intense looks and eyebrow raises and stuff

i really like her but the only thing is we only flirt when noone else is around and infront of our other friends she acts coldly towards me

the other day our friend made a joke about how we seem to have loads of sexual tension and neither of us denied it we just kind of looked at eachother and didnt say anything.

I just really want to know if she likes me back but im worried shes afraid because of the lesbian joke a few years ago

do you think she likes me??

now she keeps grabbing my face and pulling me closer to her not in a sexual way but like close

I think she too likes you,she is obviously afraid of reaction by others when u two become a couple.if you really like her and dont mind of the consequences, then go and talk to her about it and see what her reaction is.if she is suprised about your attraction, then say to her atleast be friendly with as she always used to be few years back.if she too is attracted and afraid of others,say to her there is no need to worry about the peoples reaction towards yours and her relation

well this is a bit of a twist I think you should talk to her privately like maybe you guys can talk about and your house or her house and ask her about it an if she doesn't like you I bet she would't tell and because she had experienced that before so tell her!!! I hope this help!!!