For weeks, Justin Bieber has left us guessing as to what is really going on between him and Hailey Baldwin.
He’s posted pics of them on vacation together, kissing on New Year’s and hanging out with his buddies before the Super Bowl, but never actually explained the status of their relationship.
Until now. Well, sort of.
In an interview with GQ, he “shakes his head emphatically” when asked if the two are dating. When asked if she is just a friend he kisses, he says, “Uh-huh. I guess so,” then eventually describes her as “someone I really love” who he spends a lot of time with.
Crystal clear. Not.
Luckily, he does expound somewhat.
“I don’t want to put anyone in a position where they feel like I’m only theirs, only to be hurt in the end,” he explains. “Right now in my life, I don’t want to be held down by anything.”
He goes on to say that he has a lot of responsibilities, being a mega-hot pop star and, ya know, teen angel heartthrob, and he doesn’t want the added responsibility of a girlfriend.
“I know that in the past I’ve hurt people and said things that I didn’t mean to make them happy in the moment. So now I’m just more so looking at the future, making sure I’m not damaging them.”
And how does this apply to Hailey, specifically, who he says he’s been friends with since the age of 13?
“What if Hailey ends up being the girl I’m gonna marry, right? If I rush into anything, if I damage her, then it’s always gonna be damaged… I just don’t want to hurt her.”
So, let’s recap. They are not dating. They do kiss. He loves her (but does he LOVE her, love her?). He doesn’t want to commit. He does not want to hurt her.
Well, that’s actually a reasonable and – dare we say it? – mature admission for a 21-year-old. Most dudes his age aren’t gearing up to get married, and they aren’t even going on tour for half the year.
As for 19-year-old Hailey, well, she seems to be on the same page.
“We are not an exclusive couple,” she said recently. “He’s about to go on tour. Relationships at this age are already complicated, but I don’t really like to talk about it because it’s between me and him.”
I imagine if they were on Facebook, their relationship status would read “It’s complicated.”
And at that age, if everyone’s being up front and honest, it’s okay.
