A Timeline Of Rihanna And Drake's Love Affair

In an ongoing romantic saga which will surely be remembered for generations to come, the ever tumultuous on-and-off Drake and Rihanna love story has taken yet another twist. Rumors have begun to circulate that the two possible-lovebirds could be back in "on" mode after the two were spotted partying together in London. And I mean, honestly, nothing would make me happier than Drake and Rihanna being officially together? But, are they? Because it's hard to get excited when we've seen this kind of behavior before from the two only to have our fragile little fandom hearts smashed into tiny, bitter pieces. These two are so unpredictable that even the most blatant of public, romantic coupling between them isn't always the most reliable of barometers. Don't believe me? The timeline of Drake and Rihanna's relationship just goes to show how up and down their relationship has been since the very first signs of it flourishing seem to appear.

Between rumored PDA sessions, song collaborations, and steamy on-stage chemistry, the past five years of their relationship has been a frankly confusing road of romance which feels like it never quite comes to a satisfying end. Here's all the main rumors and pit stops from their romance so far:

May 2009: "Just Friends"

After Page Six reported that the two were spotted making out at Lucky Strikes Lane & Lounge bowling alley in New York, the romance was looking hopeful. However, Rihanna denied any love connection stating that her and Drake were just friends in a radio interview.

June 2010: Drake Sings About Riri

Tellingly, a year after their alleged hook up, Drake wrote a verse about Rihanna for his song "Fireworks," which even drops a direct reference to said bowling alley:

I could tell it wasn't love, I just thought you'd f*ck with meWho could've predicted Lucky Strikes would have you stuck with me?What happened between us that night it always seems to trouble meNow all of a sudden these gossip sites wanna cover me

That same month, Drake vented his frustrations regarding the brief affair, telling the New York Times that Rihanna treated him "like a pawn," saying: "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."

October 2010: "What's My Name"

But then, this video happened, and I don't know, guys. They looked pretty damn cosy with each other here. A further performance of "What's My Name" at the 2011 Grammy Awards in February seemed to only confirm their totally lit chemistry.

July 2011: Rumored PDA

Not long after their steamy performance nearly set the Grammy Awards stage on fire, TMZ reported Rihanna and Drizzy were apparently spotted indulging in some very public smooching at a Canadian nightclub.

February 2012: Chris Brown And Rihanna Collaborate

A collaboration between the two musicians on Rihanna's track "Birthday Cake" seemed to dash the hopes of any potential romance continuing between her and Drake. Instead, it seemed like Brown was officially back in the picture.

April 2012: "Take Care"

But then, just a few months later, Rihanna appeared to balance the books of her romantic life by collaborating with Drake on "Take Care."

September 2012: Brown And Rihanna Offically Back Together

Brown confirms their relationship on a radio interview, and the two are also seen kissing during a commercial break of the MTV VIdeo Music Awards. The relationship, however, is over by May 2013.

Summer 2013: Drake And Rihanna Are Friendly, But Apparently Totally Done Romantically

In August, Vibe reports that Drake and Rihanna were spotted having dinner together in New York, however an interview on The Ellen DeGeneres Show has Drake opening up about his love life and telling the host, that he and Rihanna "had their moment." Past tense, guys. Not enough teary eyed emoticons in the world.

February 2014: Totally Happening

The relationship starts to heat up a little more as Drake calls Rihanna his "ultimate fantasy" in an interview with Rolling Stone. Soon afterwards, TMZ speculates that they may even be an official couple with Rihanna apparently joining Drake on tour around Europe.

Spring 2015: Making Sweet "Music" Together

Along with reports that the two were spotted hanging out together at Coachella, Rihanna and Drake were also spotted spending time together in a recording studio for three hours. If the reports are to be believed then the pair were making music together of a different kind by apparently kissing each others faces off the whole time.

November 2015: Drake Who?

This magical fling apparently didn't even register on Rihanna's romance-o-meter, however: She told Vanity Fair that her last "real, official boyfriend" was Brown. And if you can't hear Drizzy's poor little heart snapping in two over that statement, that's because it probably did. But what about Europe, Riri? The recording studio? Coachella? Did it all mean nothing to you?

January 2016: "Work"

But maybe Rihanna was simply playing their relationship cool in order to unleash their next collaboration, "Work," without the distracting influence of tabloid speculation about their relationship.

February 2016: That Steamy AF Brit Awards Performance

What was I saying about tabloid speculation? Because if a look could speak a thousand words, then the looks that Drake and Rihanna were giving each other during this steamy performance would be enough to form the basis of an erotic literary trilogy. Denied or not, it was hard for anyone to doubt the chemistry that was still sparking between the two artists.

April 2016: Views

As well as name-dropping Rihanna on the song "Hype" ("You cannot be right next to me, don’t you see RiRi next to me?"), the two collaborate yet again on the speculation inducing duet "Too Good," where they sing about being in a tumultuous relationship. The song feels pretty autobiographical to say the least, especially when Rihanna is singing lines like this:

I don't know how to talk to youI just know I found myself getting lost with youLately you just make me work too hard for youGot me on flights overseas, and I still can't get across to you

May 2016: Drake Impersonates Rihanna On SNL

If there's one thing that life has taught me, it's that as and when a boy makes fun of you it means that hes totally, completely, desperately in love with you. And that's exactly what Drake did during his opening monologue on SNL where he impersonated Rihanna.

June 2016: Drake Flies To UK To Hang With Rihanna

As Rihanna is touring the UK, Drake apparently flew over just so he could hang out with her. Could this have had anything to do with Rihanna crying on stage in Dublin for the first date of the tour? The two were also spotted partying at Nicole Scherzinger's 38th birthday party until 6 a.m. Though the two left separately, they're still reported by E! Online as having left "one after the other."

OK I'm exhausted. Can these two lovebirds just make it work already?

Images: RihannaVEVO/YouTube; Giphy (9)