How Rihanna & A$AP Rocky’s Friendship ‘Blossomed’ Into A Romance During The Pandemic

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Rihanna, 32, and A$AP Rocky, 32, have taken their longstanding friendship to the next level. The rapper and the “Kiss It Better” singer have dodged romance rumors since 2012, when he grabbed her butt on stage at the 2012 MTV VMAs. They’ve remained close friends over the years, but recently things between them have turned romantic and sources tell HollywoodLife EXCLUSIVELY that it all came down to a case of good timing.

“Rihanna and Rocky have always had a very flirty friendship,” explained the source, “but it was spending so much time together during this pandemic that changed things. It really was a case of the right timing because there has always been an attraction. This year has been so different for everyone and they’ve both had more downtime than they normally would and so they were able to spend a lot more time together and it just blossomed into something more. Rihanna seems to be very, very happy with him.”

Rihanna and Rocky aren’t exactly trying to hide their hangouts — they enjoyed a late night walk together recently in NYC, just weeks after the news broke that they’re an item. But, despite their public dates, a second source close to the Savage X Fenty mogul tells HollywoodLife EXCLUSIVELY that she will likely keep the details of their romance to herself for as long as possible. “Rihanna falls hard when she gets into relationships and for the most part she wants those relationships to be hers. She understands some stuff will get out into the public but doing things in privacy is where she likes to stand.”

Rihanna and Rocky’s chemistry was on full display over the summer when he starred in a campaign for her Fenty Skin brand. But, according to our source, they are connected on multiple levels and enjoy doing everyday things together. “They like playing video games and doing normal stuff like watching movies and they both have a great sense of humor and really make each other laugh. It is pretty simple for Ri and Rocky, they are trying to figure it all out and currently it is working pretty well. They both are looking forward to what happens with it in the new year. But currently, everything is really on fire right now.”

Rihanna split from her boyfriend of three years, billionaire Hassan Jameel, in January 2020. After her breakup the Barbados born beauty was seen spending time with A$AP Rocky in New York City. At the time HollywoodLife learned EXCLUSIVELY that Rocky and Rihanna were still just very good friends. “They have met up many times over the past year to hang out but suddenly people are paying attention and looking to turn it into something more. They have a long history of hanging out and are very good friends and will continue to be.”