Niall Horan Heats Up Those Selena Gomez Rumors

Psh, and you thought those Niall Horan and Selena Gomez dating rumors were over. True, Gomez did recently shoot them down with an particularly infectious laugh ("Oh my God! No! I love him, he's amazing"), but Horan built them right up again, thanks to two little words uttered during a segment with James Corden known as Carpool Karaoke. Yes, Horan heated up those Gomez relationship rumors simply by saying, "Marry Gomez."

Let me explain.

One Direction joined Corden for the magic that is Carpool Karaoke in an episode that aired Tuesday night. The 13-minute clip features the guys belting out their own hits in chambray shirts, while Corden becomes the new Zayn Malik and Louis Tomlinson jokes about a one-night stand (OK, Louis). As to be expected (and by "expected" I mean "desired by their millions of fans"), Horan plays a round of "Sleep, Marry, Cruise" — a relatively PG term for a game with typically more NSFW language. And in choosing who he would rather sleep with (for one night, dad-to-be Tomlinson makes sure to clarify), marry, or go on a cruise with, he picks sexing it up with Tina Fey, cruisin' with Demi Lovato, and marrying — get this — Selena Gomez. YAS, NIALL. Fuel those relationship rumors to the max.

To be fair, this segment was most likely shot with One Direction's other appearance on The Late Late Show (you know, the one in which Harry Styles got inked on national television), meaning it was before Gomez denied that she was dating Horan. And the blonde Irishman choosing to marry Gomez in the game actually says more about his own feelings rather than anything about the pair's relationship — as in, Horan could have an unrequited crush on Gomez for all we know.

Regardless of any romantic intentions, however, it's safe to conclude that Horan and Gomez are close friends — "best friends," as the "Good For You" singer once gushed.

"Gotta shout out Niall," she said during a guest DJ set for iHeartRadio. "He's one of our best friends. He's unbelievably kind and he deserves everything that he has."

And you know what they say: Always marry your best friend. Even if that marriage is fictitious and a hypothetical scenario brought on by James Corden.