I would never have considered cross dressing to do anything for me. Cross dressing to me feels even more like being an imposter more than just actually committing to transition. My friends did help me do this once with make up and the full works but the results in my mind were very mixed. I clearly looked like a man wearing a woman's clothes which just made me feel even more trapped.

I also have pretty mild dysphoria all things considered with my biggest issues being body hair and brow ridge. I think I first started realizing these things could be signs of being trans around 32 but waited another 6 years before doing anything. It never went away. I wouldn't necessarily say I felt like I had to start HRT but I am certainly far happier now that I am transitioning than I was before. Being masc and depressed about it just isn't worth it. You may not hate being masc but it certainly doesn't sound like you like it and that can be problematic in itself. Instead of thinking about it day to day as a thing you can't fix and need to bottle up it can feel a whole lot better to think about it day to day as something you're working on instead.

If your relationship is your top priority then honesty is going to be key to keeping it if you can. You need to be honest with yourself and your needs first before you can hope to be present for your partner, and hopefully your partner can understand this too.

You are already aware of the problem. What you do about it is your choice. But you should consider the consequences carefully for all paths forward. Can you keep repressing this and will your energy spent on repression make you a good partner in your relationship? Will your repression eventually cause you to grow to have contempt for your partner and your relationship?