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Ariana Grande seemingly hinted at her rumored, rekindled romance with ex-boyfriend Ricky Alvarez.
Grande, 33, dated Alvarez, 35, from 2015 to 2016. Rumors have swirled over the summer that the singer-songwriter and the former backup dancer are back together. Grande’s Instagram post on Monday (July 27), which counts the days until her newest studio album arrives on Friday (July 31), stirred further speculation that she and Alvarez have possibly rekindled their romance. The rumored couple clinked olives together on the fifth slide of Grande’s Instagram post, simply titled, “petal season continued …….. ! ♡” Grande also commented with a heart on Alvarez’ Instagram post on Tuesday (July 28), garnering hundreds of replies. Neither Grande nor Alvarez have officially confirmed a relationship as of publication time.
Grande, who broke up with fellow Wicked star Ethan Slater earlier this year, seemingly stirred rumors that she’d reunited with Alvarez during a recent stop on her “Eternal Sunshine Tour.” While on stage in New York City, Grande made a lyric swap to her hit 2019 single, “Thank U Next.” Instead of “Wrote some songs about Ricky/ Now I listen and laugh,” Grande sang, “Wrote some songs about Ricky/ We always find our way back.” Amid the rumors, an unnamed source told PEOPLE earlier this month that Grande and Alvarez are “taking things very slowly. …Ariana has always considered Ricky a friend. She’s not held ill will against him [since they broke up in 2016]. Ricky is dependable, trustworthy and very supportive. Ariana feels she can be herself around Ricky.”