Now that Taylor Swift and Tom Hiddleston are officially over, it's time to shift the focus to another celebrity couple. While other pairs are calling it quits, Drake and Rihanna may actually be dating now. After seven years of keeping fans guessing, it appears as though they've hit a new high. At the 2016 MTV Video Music Awards, Drake confessed on stage that he's loved Rihanna since age 22. She then got a tattoo of a camouflage shark, and he reportedly got one to match. Is it finally happening? Are these two a real couple? Well, not so fast... There could be a number of explanations for their closeness. I've decided to examine what Drake and Rihanna's relationship is — if, in fact, they're not dating.
Considering the rumors have been around for years, these new ones could just be an addition to the list. Their fling could fade out faster than you can sing the chorus to "Work." They haven't confirmed or denied anything yet, so the mystery remains. (Luckily, fellow Bustle writer Caitlyn Callegari created this handy guide of how to deal with the AubRih's relationship, whatever that relationship may be.)
Since anything is possible in the world of Hollywood, here's a round-up of possible explanations for the Drizzy and RiRi closeness. Because hey, maybe they're not actually dating after all. It's truly impossible to tell.
They Love To Collaborate
Ever since "What's My Name?", these two have been the king and queen of catchy tracks. They also recently released "Work" and "Too Good." Maybe there's a method to their madness. It could be that anytime they have a new song, they push the rumors to get more attention and listens. Perhaps they put the music above a romantic relationship. It wouldn't be a huge surprise, since they're both so career-oriented.
They're Just Friends
Or best friends, actually. When Drizzy talks about how much he loves her, he could be referring to friend love. If he's legit head-over-heels for Rihanna, he's broadcasting his personal news to the world and that seems a bit intimate. Because they've known each other for so long, it's possible they've got that whole brother-sister thing going. (I doubt that, but you never really know.)
They Enjoy Making Fans Guess
Could this all be a game? Are they sitting around laughing at all of us? Well, it's been seven years of the Drake and Rihanna rumors. That's a long time to keep the mystery going. Then again, I could totally picture these two scrolling through all the tweets about them while eating a pizza, sipping drinks, and rolling their eyes at everybody. If so, well played.
Even They Don't Know What's Going On
It's entirely possible that these two don't even know what they're doing. Maybe they're too scared to take the leap out of fear of ruining the friendship. Or maybe Drake thinks they're an item and RiRi is still deciding what she wants.
As seen above, there's a number of possibilities. And until they actually confirm that they're together, I'll continue pondering. Because nothing is official until they say so.
