Hailey Baldwin and Shawn Mendes are, without a doubt, the steamiest couple-that’s-maybe-not-a-couple out there. There’s been tons of speculation about the two of them. Are they together? Are they just friends? Don’t be fooled by other news sites that claim they know the truth; only Hailey and Shawn know what’s really happening between them. But we can do some detective work!

Hailey Baldwin is incredibly good at keeping quiet about her relationships, while Shawn Mendes is so focused on his career that it almost seems like he doesn’t have time for them. While there’s only so much we can glean from the way the two of them talk about each other, it certainly seems like there’s a spark there. Different celebrity sites might state different things, but one thing everyone can agree on is the fact that this couple is one that we all want in our lives. Shailey is potentially the new Brangelina, and they aren’t even together… Or are they? There have been some reports of them cuddling and hanging out in Shawn’s hometown. Read on to find out all the juicy facts about Hailey Baldwin and Shawn Mendes. Hopefully, by the end of this article, you'll know more about this alluring celeb duo.

16 There Have Been Rumours About Them Dating FOREVER

Okay, a quick overview for you: Hailey Baldwin is a supermodel, awesome person, and quirky goddess. Shawn Mendes is a Canadian rock and roll god who’s definitely going to take over the world with music one day. Both of them are gorgeous by themselves, but together they create this vortex of beauty and awesomeness that’s second to none. Over the last few years, they’ve had an adorable, but ambiguous, relationship.

Seventeen and J-14 have posted pictures of them cuddling, there are tweets between them that point to more, and fans have spotted them in Shawn’s hometown.

Not to mention all the positive comments they throw at each other, or the super steamy photo Shawn recently posted on Instagram. If you ask them, they’ll say they aren’t dating. But if you ask any of us… We have our suspicions. Suspicions that have been going on for months.

15 They Met Casually First But Grew Close Quickly

Let’s go back to the start. When did all this begin? It depends on who you ask. E! News states that they met at a Halloween party. This turned into hanging out at more parties, like this after party for the EMAS, which then turned into straight-up hanging out. And, now, it seems they hang out A LOT. Backstage, recording, you name it. Hailey and Shawn are super close, and there’s no denying that they’re super cute. But are they dating? Looking at this picture… No. Probably not. Hanging out doesn’t automatically mean date. And we all know what the party atmosphere is like. You meet people, you talk, you move on. Sometimes you latch on to someone and you two talk all night. Sometimes you agree to hang out after the party, too! Hailey and Shawn look like they’ve had an awesome connection and have been pursuing it.

14 One Of Hailey’s Most Famous Exes Is Thought To Have Introduced The Two Of Them

This one is under a bit of scrutiny, but hear us out. This theory comes from YourTango, and it’s a plausible one if you think about how close all these celebrities are. Basically, the idea here is that Justin Bieber didn’t really know Shawn Mendes until someone told him to check his music out. Justin started talking to Mendes, which meant that Hailey could have had some contact with Shawn. Remember when Hailey and Bieber were dating? So do we. It was a rough time for everyone, but there’s no denying that it happened. The fatal flaw in this?

Hailey was tweeting at Shawn Mendes way back in 2013.

It did help grow Hailey Baldwin’s famous circle of friends, which definitely made it possible for her to meet Mendes. Maybe Bieber did help a little!

13 Hailey Doesn’t Talk About Her Private Life Much

Hailey Baldwin is a private person. She doesn’t particularly enjoy the paparazzi following her around (does any celeb?) and she is adamant that she doesn’t need to tell anyone about whom she happens to be dating. In fact, she’s had this quote recorded by People, regarding people’s speculations about whom she’s dating: “I just laugh most of it off. It’s quite funny to me, to be honest… I try to keep that side of my life as private as possible. I don’t feel like I have to explain myself to people because it’s my life.” Totally fair, Hailey. Everyone deserves their privacy. We won’t push or pry. We might keep speculating, though! At least, just until we get to the bottom of this Shawn + Hailey = Shailey thing!

12 But Her Dad Lets Certain Things Slip!

Leave it to Dads to ruin the surprise! Hailey and her father are super cute. Her dad is no stranger to the media, though we believe that Hailey has him beat when it comes to keeping quiet about personal life things. While Hailey likes to keep a cone of silence on her relationships, her dad doesn’t hesitate to let some of the beans spill. While The Hollywood Fix was the initial receivers of this quote, our reference has reiterated it in written form. Hailey’s dad was asked about the two main men who have been associated with Hailey’s life, Justin Bieber, and Shawn Mendes.

He said “'I love Justin, I'm praying for him every day. He's wonderful."

When Shawn was brought up, he said: "Uh-oh. I thought I slipped around that one."

11 An Engagement Ring Made Everyone Jump On The #Shailey Romance Train

Hailey Baldwin looks like someone who enjoys standing out. She is a model after all! There’s no way you get into a modeling career if you want to keep a low profile. Unfortunately for Hailey, it means that any choice she makes is under scrutiny from everyone and their cat. Especially those people that really want this Hailey and Shawn relationship to be a thing. Take, for example, the time J-14 reported when she wore a super sparkly ring on her finger. It just so happened to be her left hand’s ring finger; real estate that’s typically saved for an engagement or a wedding ring. Because of the bling factor, she gained a lot of attention, with people thinking that she and Shawn were engaged! It seems like it was all a joke in the end, with Hailey putting those rumors to rest by stating that she definitely isn’t engaged.

10 Hailey Has Had Her Eye On Shawn Since 2013

We all emailed, wrote, messaged, or tweeted at our favorite artists back when we were kids. Not all of us are as famous as Hailey Baldwin though, which is probably why none of our pleas for Avril Lavigne or Gerard Way to date us came true. Hailey, conversely, was in the perfect place for Shawn Mendes to notice her. Which he did… eventually. It took him a few months, but eventually, he gave the most non-committal reply EVER.

Instead of acknowledging the fact that this supermodel wants to date him (and jumping at the chance), he fixated on the fact that she tweeted at him *sigh*.

Common, Shawn. He’s got to learn to focus on the big picture rather than the little details. Was this the set up for their friendship/maybe relationship? We should ask Hailey since Shawn’s probably too focused on tweeting to know.

9 Shawn Is Adamant They’re Just Friends…

You saw the most recent Instagram post that Shawn added to his account, right? If you haven’t, go look right now. It’s gorgeous. The photo itself is a simple composition, featuring Hailey Baldwin, Shawn Mendes, and a perfectly imperfect wall. The two of them are gorgeous beside each other and give us perfect power couple vibes. This post has to be the announcement of the creation of their superpower couple, right? Wrong. Shawn states that Hailey sent it to him, according to J-14.

“She texted me and I was like, 'That's an awesome photo, I really wish I could post that without the Internet exploding.' And she's like,' I know, wouldn't that be so nice?' And I was like, 'You know what? I'm just going to post it anyway' and that was my whole thing. I actually am great friends with her."

Talk about teasing!

8 But Hailey’s Been Posting Some Secret Backstage Photos

Sure, two people can be just friends. We’re not denying that. If that’s how Hailey and Shawn see themselves, we’re happy to agree. But come on! Look at Hailey’s social media! According to Daily Mail, she posts backstage photos of Shawn, as well as normal photos of Shawn, and we’re sure that that’s a little past the supportive friend phase.

This backstage photo was from when Shawn Mendes performed on Drop the Mic, a show that Hailey hosts.

Apparently, she was hanging out with him right before he went on stage. Any performer will tell you that the moment before you step on stage is an important one. If he’s choosing to share that pump-up and prep time with Hailey Baldwin, you can be sure that there’s something special going on there.

7 Shawn Wouldn’t Admit Who He Last Kissed Back When The Rumours Were New

Remember when all these rumors about Hailey and Shawn started? A little over a year ago everyone was dead set on the fact that the two of them seemed to be dating. The cuddling happened, the trip to Toronto, and there was general positivity in their voices when they spoke of each other. It seemed like all signs were pointing to #Shailey, but neither of them were confirming anything. Neither were denying anything either, though! According to People, suspicions grew higher when a radio show interviewed Shawn and he refused to answer a question prying into whom he last kissed. You’d think that someone whose personal life is essentially on display wouldn’t be too worried about one kiss. Could this be a hint that Hailey wanted Shawn to stay quiet about something? Hmmm...

6 Even Though There’s Concrete Evidence Of Their Cuddly Cuteness

Hailey Baldwin might be giving us some shady side-eye here in this picture, but there’s no mistaking the grin on the face of whom she’s leaning against. Shawn Mendes looks like he’s having the absolute time of his life in this snapshot from the Daniel Caesar concert. His adorable smile and curly hair are absolutely saying that he’s having a great time at the concert alongside Hailey. We’re sure that she was enjoying herself, too!

Seventeen magazine reported that they cuddled the whole time they were at the Daniel Caesar concert, aside from the totally understandable dancing and laughing.

Was this a date? It looks like it. But who’s to say. Maybe it was just really cold in the venue and they were keeping each other warm. After all, best friends have to look out for each other!

5 Shawn Also Spent Some Time With Hailey In Toronto, Where His Family Lives!

You know how nerve-wracking it can be to meet people’s families for the first time. You’ve heard so many stories about your significant other’s (or best friend’s) parents that you feel like you already know them. But you don’t really know them yet, so you get nervous. It’s natural. Your partner will likely only ask you to meet them when it feels right. If Hailey went to Shawn’s hometown of Toronto with him, does that mean that she met his parents? Did it feel right? Or maybe they just wanted to see the concert. J-14 reported that there was a ridiculous amount of attention when the two of them were there. Hailey and Shawn are an adorable duo, and it’s no surprise Toronto went wild seeing them wandering.

4 They Have Incredibly Compatible Tastes In Music

Or rather, Shawn Mendes’s music is incredibly compatible with what Hailey Baldwin likes. Hailey is a huge fan of Shawn Mendes. Twitter went wild about her appearance at Shawn’s concert recently, rocking her roses hat. There were tweets about how excited Hailey was to sing her heart out at his big performance. Shawn has great taste too.

According to J-14, both of them attended a Kings of Leon concert together, and there’s a great video out there of Shawn totally jamming out.

The Internet caught some pictures of the two, which leads us to believe that the two of them are very compatible music-wise, at least! Who can blame them? Shawn, as a rock star, has to stay up to date on the big music concerts that come to town. And Hailey? Well, she just has amazing taste all around!

3 They Have Tons Of Inside Jokes

Twitter is the basis for so many hilarious memes and jokes. Reddit might spawn them, but Twitter takes them over and makes them truly popular. Why? Well, Twitter is a little more accessible. More stars use Twitter, as well as regular people who like to make jokes every now and then. It’s public… Which Hailey and Shawn seem to forget every now and then. Take, for example, this inside joke that J-14 pointed out. A little while after a fan spotted them having dinner together (and the Internet rightfully exploded), they both posted this at exactly the same time. Inside joke? We think so. It seems like a comment on the situation, which is actually really fair. Two friends accused of dating just because they had dinner together? It does sound “craY”.

2 And They’re So Incredibly Supportive Of Each Other

Time to put the joking aside, let’s talk about the real stuff. Things are actually super serious between the two… Seriously supportive, that is! J-14, the haven for all things Hailey and Shawn right now, has mentioned many times about how much Hailey Baldwin loves herself some Shawn Mendes music. People mag agrees! Not only has Hailey been a huge fan of Shawn since his early music days, she said out loud:

“He’s amazing, and I think that his music is also amazing.”

Amazing, huh? That’s a pretty strong word. We often call our best friends amazing. It’s a prized word, and it shows just how supportive Hailey Baldwin is! Shawn returns the favor too, with E!Online stating that they found a quote that says “Shawn worships [Hailey]”.

1 They Just Might Be Dating After All… And We’d Never Know!

There’s just not enough information out there to know for sure. Hailey Baldwin likes to keep her life private, and Shawn Mendes is too much of a gentleman to out their relationship status. We’ve listed the facts, but it’s up to you to draw conclusions. Do you think that Hailey Baldwin and Shawn Mendes are dating? Or do you believe that they’re just really, really good friends? There’s certainly enough cute pictures out there to make us think they’ve definitely dated once upon a time. But have they continued the relationship in secret? We’re sorry to say, but we might never know. Everyone is super top secret about this one, and for good reason: the two are some of the hottest stars. That power couple could blow every other couple out of the water!

References: Yourtango.com, eonline.com, dailymail.co.uk, seventeen.com, people.com, seventeen.com, people.com, j-14.com, people.com.