Does the usual joke make sense?

If the other person plays dumb and you don't make it clear, even if the ridicule of your relationship heats up again, you can pretend to be joking and continue to go on with the original relationship with a hint of ambiguity; Once pointed out, people who play the fool can't pretend any more. If the original relationship can't be transformed into a couple, it will be as embarrassing as a flash flood, and the original relationship will soon be submerged.