This guy is talking to me?

This one guy keeps talking to me, and I don't know why! Like when I was in gym his friends like "Jess do you like Tanner?" And I'm like "No." Because last year I got my friend to ask him out for me, and he said maybe, but never gave me the answer. And so I don't know if he told the guy that I liked him last year. But then my friend is best friends with him, and we sometimes talk. Then today he was like "Ew this Rock Salt is all over my jacket." And I laughed and then he was like "I have white stuff all over my jacket." And then I was walkin up to the sink, and he was like "Hey Jess did you taste the Rock Salt?" And I'm like "Yeah?" and he was like "It's good it taste like Salt Water." And I just smiled and laughed. But why is he talking to me? And why did his friend ask me if I liked him?