Miley Cyrus Was Reportedly Spotted Kissing Cody Simpson — More Than Once

After two high-profile splits recently with both Kaitlynn Carter and Liam Hemsworth, Miley Cyrus has reportedly been getting close with one of her longtime friends. According to E! News, Cyrus was spotted kissing Cody Simpson during a recent outing in Los Angeles on Thursday, Oct. 3. While it's unclear if Cyrus and Simpson are actually dating, it wasn't the only time the two were spotted engaging in a little PDA recently. (Bustle reached out to reps for Cyrus and Simpson for comment, but did not receive an immediate response.)

While shopping at an LA grocery store, Cyrus and Simpson were seen picking up food and sharing a "quick kiss," according to an eyewitness report for E! News. The PDA didn't end there. In a separate outing, captured on video by TMZ, Cyrus and Simpson were seen at the Backyard Bowls eatery in Los Angeles. The "Slide Away" singer sat in Simpson's lap before things "escalated to a make-out session," per TMZ.

This isn't the only time these two have been romantically linked. Simpson and Cyrus were rumored to be dating in 2014 and again in 2015, but a source told E! News in September 2015 that there was nothing romantic going on between them. Simpson also clarified the rumors during a July 2015 interview with the Zach Sang Show by saying they were "just mates."

Simpson and Cyrus have actually spoken about their close friendship on numerous occasions. In December 2015, the Australian singer told GQ he bonded with the former Disney star over their shared experiences of growing up in the spotlight. "Miley is one of my best friends and she helps with some of that transitional stuff — trying to escape your childhood," he said. "She's super open-minded and I'm working on becoming more like that."

Also in 2015, Simpson sought Cyrus' help in designing the album art for his single "Flower," since she wanted to help him shed his dance-pop image. "I hate for anyone to get stuck in their own name and their own brand of what they built," she told Rolling Stone. "I should be less of a judgmental person because of how I've been judged, but sometimes even I can think of what you would expect Cody Simpson to be, and he's not what you expect him to be."

In the same interview, Cyrus described him as a "super nice dude and super f*cking talented," while Simpson had equally nice things to say about Cyrus, telling Rolling Stone that he's grateful to have a friend that's "really unorthodox and fun." The pair first met at Art Basel (possibly in late 2014, when Cyrus attended the festival with then-boyfriend Patrick Schwarzenegger).

As mentioned, the singers' recent PDA-filled outings come a couple of weeks after Cyrus split from Kaitlynn Carter. On Sept. 21, People reported that the couple parted ways after about a month of dating, but they're "still friends." Cyrus and Carter's romance came shortly after she broke up from longtime partner, Liam Hemsworth in early August. At the time, they released a statement to People about how they are "ever-evolving, changing as partners and individuals, they have decided this is what's best while they both focus on themselves and careers."

In both instances, there was an emphasis that Cyrus's doing what was best for her. According to an Entertainment Tonight report in late September, Cyrus is enjoying her post-split independence. "Miley loves her autonomy and is a free spirit," a source told ET. That same sentiment was prevalent in one of Cyrus' tweets in late August. Following her split from Hemsworth, she let fans know her breakup was a "healthy decision" for her and that she's in a very good place.

More recently, the outspoken singer joked about her recent splits on Instagram on Oct. 1, teasing that she met some "potential partners" (aka ghouls at a haunted house) and felt like the star of The Bachelorette. While it's unclear if Simpson is actually one of Cyrus' potential partners, either way, she's having fun right now and embracing the Bachelorette lifestyle.