Clues That Show When AubRih Started Happening

Some celebrities don't like to kiss and tell, while other celebrities prefer to pepper around lots of little clues about their romance instead of confirming what fans have suspected all along. Drake and Rihanna obviously fit the latter category of celebrity couples, though whether they actually are a romantic pairing is still up in the air. Drake and Rihanna shippers will no doubt hope that this duo — who make music videos together that are so steamy that one can only assume the chemistry is as real behind-the-scenes — are a real-life pair, especially considering Drake's love confession for Rihanna at the MTV Video Music Awards. Is Drake pining, or are he and RiRi really together? And, if so, when did Rihanna and Drake start dating in the first place?

Drake may have told the world at the VMAs that he's loved the "Umbrella" singer since he was 22 years old (!!!), but that doesn't mean that these two have been dating for the past seven years, even if Drake maybe wishes he has. It definitely seems like their romance, should it exist, was either reignited fairly recently or officially began for the first time in recent months. Here are some clues as to when exactly Rihanna and Drake started dating officially this time around, if they're even dating at all.

February 2016: Rihanna & Drake Release "Work"

"Work" is perhaps RiRi's sexiest music video to date and it features Drake. If these two did become more than friends, it's possible the spark first started flickering (again? for the first time?) while working together on this video. However, it doesn't seem like they settled down together immediately after releasing the video.

April 2016: Rihanna Is Spotted With Leonardo DiCaprio

Rihanna was spotted hanging out with the Oscar winner in 2015, which sparked rumors that these two were an A-list couple. RiRi denied the rumors, but a full year later, in April 2016, Rihanna was spotted hanging out with DiCaprio at Coachella's Neon Carnival. It's fair to say that she probably wasn't with Drake (at least, officially) at this point.

June 2016: Drake Allegedly Pursues Hailey Baldwin

According to Us Weekly, Drake was pursuing the 19-year-old model and "showering her with gifts." The two were spotted hanging out at celeb hot spot The Nice Guy and having dinner at Ysabel, but according to the magazine, Baldwin was too hung up on her ex Justin Bieber to give the "Hotline Bling" star a real shot.

July 2016: Rumors Swirl That Drake & Rihanna Are Back On

Drake joined his frequent collaborator on stage at her ANTI World Tour in Manchester and told the crowd, "Shout out to the most beautiful, talented woman I've ever seen... She goes by the name of Rihanna... I'm getting my heart broken." A source for People magazine claimed that the pair was back together and that whatever was going on with Baldwin was merely a fling.

August 2016: Drake Tells All

In addition to sharing his love for Rihanna at the VMAs, Drake dedicated a billboard to her, which RiRi posted on Instagram. Though it doesn't say "Love your boyfriend, Drake" fans read between the lines. Later in August, the pair reportedly got cozy at the club Ele11ven in Miami.

September 2016, Part 1: Rihanna's Tattoo Stirs Rumors

According to E! News, Rihanna didn't get that shark ink from Bang Bang because she's excited about the Jaws franchise coming to Netflix. According to the report, Drake got Rihanna a stuffed shark during a date to an aquarium, and that this shark inspired the tattoo. BRB, swooning.

September 2016, Part 2: Rihanna Thanks Drake Publicly For His Speech

After nearly a week, Rihanna opened up about Drake's VMAs speech, and made a love confession of her own: "[Drake], your speech was so touching and I love you for that!"

If these two are dating now and/or dating once again, it seems to have started some time in the summer of 2016. You know what they say: "Summer lovin', happened so fast..."