Entertainment

Hailee Steinfeld & Niall Horan May Have Just Gone On A Very 1999 Date

by Nicole Pomarico
Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images Entertainment/Getty Images; Neilson Barnard/Getty Images Entertainment/Getty Images

Niall Horan's solo career is seriously blowing up, and now, it seems like his love life might be, too. On Saturday night, Horan and Hailee Steinfeld went to a Backstreet Boys concert together in Las Vegas, sparking rumors yet again that they might be together. But are Horan and Steinfeld dating, or was this just a friendly outing? So far, there's no evidence pointing clearly in either direction, but they definitely have been spending a lot of time together lately. (Bustle has reached out to Steinfeld's rep and Horan's agent for comment, but did not receive a response at the time of publication.)

According to Us Weekly, not only did Steinfeld and Horan hang out at the concert — accompanied in the VIP booth by Gwen Stefani — which was held at Planet Hollywood Resort and Casino, but they also went out afterwards. When the concert was over, they reportedly headed to XS Nightclub where Diplo was spinning. A concert and a club outing together in the same night? That's a lot of hanging out time. Of course, they were accompanied by friends at the concert and at the club, but as far as their night goes, it seems like they're certainly close these days.

In fact, someone even managed to capture video of them at the concert, and at one point, Steinfeld reaches out and touches Horan's face, which seems... a little more than friendly?

There's also this adorable video of them dancing and singing along emphatically to "I Want It That Way," which is honestly the only way one should enjoy that song.

But back to the mystery at hand: Are they dating? One Backstreet Boys concert does not a relationship make, but this isn't the first time rumors have swirled around these two. Last month, they went to see Hamilton together in London, and Horan made an appearance at Steinfeld's brother's birthday party. And, of course, there's the legendary Instagram post Horan made in honor of Steinfeld's birthday in December, where he called her "the loveliest person on the planet" and one of his best friends, which is a pretty big deal — but could also be friendly.

And even though Steinfeld has spoken out about the rumors, she's kept things very vague. In January, she told Us Weekly:

“I feel so lucky that [my fans] care enough about me to know what I’m doing every second of every day, but I think that sometimes it’s hard for people in general to realize that there are boundaries to a person’s life and personal life. I am a very private person. I do love that I have the opportunity to share with them what I’m comfortable with and they’re there to listen and support me.”

That doesn't sound like a denial — that actually sounds like she just wants to maintain her boundaries between her public life and her private life, which is a pretty reasonable request. It also sounds like she'll open up about her relationship status when she's ready, and for right now, that's not happening. It's hard to blame her for that; it has to be incredibly hard to have so many total strangers wanting answers about your personal life.

It seems like right now, this mystery will just have to remain a mystery. If Horan and Steinfeld are dating and want to make their relationship public, we'll find out eventually, and if not? Well, it's kind of adorable to witness their friendship in the meantime, because regardless of romantic feelings, it does seem like they genuinely care about each other — and they clearly have fun together when they go see the Backstreet Boys. Then again, who wouldn't have fun at that concert?

Fingers crossed all becomes clear soon. Friends or more, Steinfeld and Horan seem to make a pretty good pair.