Partner’s request around loan

My partner and I aren’t married, but we live together, have a baby together, have been together for six years, and plan to stay together. I offered to lend him money to pay off his school loan so that we wouldn’t have the interest. Today, he told me that the way he wanted me to pay it off was for me to to just give him a check for the money and then he would pay the loan. He said the reason was in case the loan company didn’t credit it right he wouldn’t have to go through me to troubleshoot. It set off alarm bells in my head because it seemed like a really strange request. It seems to me unlikely that the loan company wouldn’t credit the check when they cash it, and even more unlikely that any interaction around the canceled check would be needed even if that did happen, beyond my spending five minutes to print out my bank’s copy of it. I don’t have any reason not to trust my partner, other than it being a strange request. I asked him to explain a second time why he wanted to do it that way when I talk to him on the phone this evening, so now he may feel totally not trusted by me. I feel like I have to give it to him now to prove that I trust him, but I’m also frustrated that he asked me for this because it seems to me that it would make more sense to just do the normal and transparent thing. If I were asking even my mother for money to pay off the loan, I would just have her write the check to the loan company. I might give her information about the loan too. But we’re all different people, and that wasn’t what he thought was necessary. He may not realize how quick it is to print off a canceled check. does it seem like a weird request to you, or does it seem pretty normal? What would you do? Just give him the check? Insist on writing check directly to the loan company even though he specifically asked you to do it the other way? Ask more questions, and if so what? How would you explain to your partner that you do trust him, but that your brain is tuned to anomalies and this was flagged for that reason?

I think if an alarm bell is ringing in your head then pay attention to it. Don't dismiss it. You can always listen to his reasoning and look into it but I think it's up to you. you should pay off his loan however you feel comfortable. It's your hard earned money, that you saved and you're being generous to pay it off. He's lucky! If his reaction to your decision is in any way angry or disappointed etc, then I'd wonder/question why...