Here's Why Dean & Kristina's 'Bachelor In Paradise' Relationship Isn't Quite Over Yet

Fans may have thought the saga of Dean Unglert and Kristina Schulman had come to an end during the Season 4 finale of Bachelor In Paradise, but that may have been just the beginning. Questions of whether or not Dean and Kristina are dating again surfaced after the two dropped clues that a possible reunion had taken place post-BiP. And thanks to a recent interview during the 2017 iHeart Radio Music Festival Friday, Dean has officially confirmed all of those suspicions.

While chatting it up with E! on the red carpet, the Bachelorette Season 13 suitor says,

"Kristina and I hung out in Lexington and in Nashville. She's great. We have a lot to work through, and I look forward to continuing to work through it with her."

"A lot to work through" is a total understatement, but at least Dean is acknowledging his dating faux pas from his time on Paradise. The 26-year-old romantic had a tough time juggling multiple relationships with Kristina and Danielle Lombard while on the Bachelor Nation spinoff, resulting in the breaking of a couple hearts, and the potential end to becoming the franchise's next Bachelor. His ambivalent behavior on the show didn't sit well with Kristina, and instead of sticking around until Dean matured, she made the tough decision to remove herself from the love triangle — sending herself home before the season officially ended.

Rumors that Dean had reunited with Kristina surfaced once the Los Angeles resident posted a clue on his Snapchat that he'd been spending time in Kentucky. Dean shared footage of his target at a shooting range, deleted it, only to repost the image, but this time with the shooting range's location blacked out. A Redditor happened to spot Dean's original posting, and confirmed that the shooting range was definitely in Kentucky. Kristina currently calls Lexington, KY "home," which could mean that Dean had been paying the Bachelor Season 21 contestant a visit.

But Kristina and Dean haven't exactly tried to keep every reunion a secret from the public. In fact, Dean posted a picture on Instagram Sept. 4 of he and Kristina hugging it out, with "Lexington, KY" as the tagged location. This snap may have been a throwback photo, though.

And apparently, their Bachelor In Paradise cast mates are up on the latest Dean and Kristina happenings, as well. While catching up with Ben and Ashley I. on their "Almost Famous" podcast after the reunion, Danielle L. shared something about the pair's rekindling that officially put an end to their love triangle. She said, "From what I know, he's trying to work things out with Kristina. I'm trying to be respectful and keep my distance."

Coupled with Dean's update on the iHeartRadio red carpet Friday, Danielle L.'s hot tip is just another indication that Kristina and Dean are on a clear path to reconciliation. They have quite a bit of growing to do, and obstacles to overcome, as Kristina pointed out in an interview on Dean's new podcast "Help! I Suck at Dating," but it still seems as though there's enough fight within both of them to give love another go.

One thing that could pose a threat to their future together, however, is Dean's aspiration to be the Bachelor. His performance on Paradise may have stopped him from beating out Arie Luyendyk Jr. for the Season 22 title, but the 26-year-old hasn't given up all hope yet. According to his interview with E!, Dean is hoping that his iHeartRadio podcast will prepare him for the coveted role one day, saying,

"Thanks to iHeart radio, they've helped promote one of my podcasts, 'Help! I Suck at Dating,' which is hopefully going to allow me to eventually become emotionally stable enough to become the Bachelor at some point in my life."

Dean working to helm The Bachelor in the future doesn't exactly leave room for him to sustain a meaningful and romantic relationship with Kristina. And knowing this, the two should probably cut their losses, and go separate ways before things get too serious.