Kevin Mazur/WireImageDrake and Rihanna have toyed with our emotions now for seven years, continuously flirting with the idea of seriously dating but always reverting back to their original stance: just friends.
Over the summer, the pair appeared to be giving things a real go. They not only joined each other on various stops around the world for their individual tours, but they also spent quite a bit of time together. They were photographed on back-to-back dates going out together or grabbing dinner. They even got matching tattoos in September. Not to mention, no one will ever forget how Drake publicly confessed his love for the Barbadian singer while presenting her with the Video Vanguard award at the 2016 MTV VMAs.
But, just as we've witnessed time and time again, all of that has now fizzled into a mere memory.
An insider told E! News, "Rihanna and Drake are seeing other people at the moment. They are not exclusive anymore. They still love each other, but their schedules have gotten in the way."
Another source told us they were never officially exclusive in the first place. "Everyone wants them to be together, but they are just close friends who are always in each others lives," the insider explained.
So the question remains: will they ever be more than just friends? All the signs of their dating history seem to point to a big no, and here's why:
Their Schedules: First and foremost, one of the biggest causes of separation for any celebrity couple is their busy schedules. While Drake seems to be endlessly putting out music and going on back-to-back tours, Rihanna is just as busy splitting time between her music and her fashion collection. Finding free time for a relationship among all of that seems a little daunting, and it's been the cause of their split a couple times in the past, too.
Location: Other than their schedules, the fact that Rih and Drizzy live on opposite sides of the country can't be easy either. Drake currently lives in Calabasas, Calif., and while Rihanna previously lived nearby, she moved her permanent location to New York City in 2013.
Other People: When Drake and Rih first met in 2009, the singer had recently broken up with ex-boyfriend Chris Brown. However, it wasn't officially over between the two as she ended up rekindling with him in 2013. But even when she and Drake seemed to re-spark the flame after her romance with Brown fizzled a year later, they still didn't work, both having been connected to several other people in between their on-again, off-again moments.
While Drake has been connected to the likes of Serena Williams and India Love, Rihanna had rumors swirling with Matt Kemp and Travis Scott.
It's One-Sided: There's no denying that Rihanna has been the one to pull back from Drake. In fact, in August, an insider close to the pair told us, "Rihanna loves Drake, but is still not ready to put a title on them."
The source explained, "Drake would make her his girlfriend in a second if he could. It's more on Rihanna, though. They both care about each other and are having a good time spending time with each other. Drake has expressed to Rihanna that he only wants to date her and only her, but she wants to take day by day this time around."
This has been a recurring theme for the couple, as Drake declared the same sentiment to The New York Times in June 2010. "I was a pawn," he said in characterizing what happened with Rihanna after their initial split. "You know what she was doing to me? She was doing exactly what I've done to so many women throughout my life, which is show them quality time, then disappear. I was like, 'Wow, this feels terrible.'"
So what do you think? Is it possible we'll ever get to see them make things official in the future? Sound off in the comments below.