Riverdale fans are very aware that Cole Sprouse and Lili Reinhart have a crazy amount of on-screen chemistry. It’s part of the reason why their characters Jughead and Betty’s romance is one any viewer of the show can see is truly something special. They bring out the best in each other and when rumors started flying and were seemingly confirmed by sources last summer that off-screen, Cole and Lili were an actual item, shippers hearts’ everywhere nearly burst. Bughead is simply precious and knowing these two are head over heels in real life restores everyone’s faith in love, tbh.

bughead kiss
The CW

And while it’s been reported the co-stars are dating, it’s not something we’re ever going to flat out get confirmation about from either of the actors. But they are letting the world in a little bit more when it comes to their top secret romance, with Lili acknowledging the special relationship and why she and Cole try to keep much of their romance as private as they can.

“I keep my relationship private because it’s just between two people, and that’s the way it should be. It’s not like I’m trying to dangle my relationship in front of people’s faces like, ‘you don’t know anything about us.’ It’s just, you don’t need to know. People feel like they’re owed that, and you’re absolutely not owed anything by me,” Lili said to Teen Vogue

Fair enough! And when the 22-year-old starlet spoke to WhoWhatWear, she went further into detail about the fact that she’s simply just protective over her love.

“I think it’s just that I’m so protective over it. It’s not something the world needs to know about, because if you give them anything, they are just going to want more,” she said. “I’m not going to hide away from my relationship or hide away from what’s going on in my life, but what does happen in my relationship is so private, and I cherish it a lot. He does as well. A relationship is a very intimate thing, and I want it to be between me and him, not me, him, and the world.”

And according to Lili, these two really have some truly special moments together so it’s no wonder she wants to keep as much of that to herself.

“I like to go on adventures with Cole. Truly, adventures. He takes me to places where I’m like, ‘How did you find this?’ He’s made me see these things that I would have never seen otherwise. It’s escapism, which is so beautiful and wonderful,” Lili said to Teen Vogue.

Brb, crying forever. One way we do get a tiny glimpse into the Sprousehart love story though is through the stunning pictures Cole takes of Lili, something she cherishes, too.

“I think he is such an incredible photographer, really. Sometimes he’s inspired by a location, and he’s like, ‘I want to shoot you here.’ Other times, I’m inspired by a dress, and I’m like, ‘I  want you to shoot me in this.’ Our photo shoots are very intimate, just him and me; no one else is there ever,” she continued. And it’s through those photos they choose to share with their millions of followers on Instagram and Twitter that prove how in love these two really are.  See, Cole posted a stunning shot he snapped of his leading lady in honor of Lili’s 22nd birthday and it had everyone swooning. “Both the birthday and the gift. My little muse, happy birthday my love,” the 26-year-old wrote in the caption.

CAN YOU EVEN HANDLE IT? And this birthday shout-out came just days after Cole finally posted a mega-adorable pic of the pair on his Instagram, marking the first time he’s shared a photo of the couple together.

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It’s pretty, pretty late

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How happy do they look together? Plus, the fact that Lili tweeted about how she was happy to skip out on New York Fashion Week this year and instead just stay inside cuddled up with her love is just the cutest.

Clearly, all is well in the land of Sprousehart and the fact that both Lili and Cole are slowly posting more about each other without you know, ever actually saying they are a couple, is all we can ask for. 

When did Lili and Cole start dating?

We know they met thanks to that little show they both are in, but it doesn’t seem like the sparks flew instantly. It took them a little bit to become friends before they ever fell for each other!

“Lili was a tough egg to crack. She’s very shy at first and reserved and I think it was about halfway into the first season, she started letting people in truly,” Cole said in a video for Glamour. “She’s one of those people who consistently pushes me to be better at the arts that I’m pursuing and that’s just the kind of person she is. She inspires excellence out of everybody she works with.”

OK, how precious is that? And when it was Lili’s turn to talk about her guy, she admitted at first, she wasn’t all that impressed but over time, she got to know the real Cole.

“I thought his voice was annoying, that was my first impression. I was like, ‘that guy’s got an annoying voice.’ And now it’s grown on me, I guess,” Lili said with a laugh in that same video. “Cole is the smartest person that I’m friends with. He’s incredibly passionate about art, about photography, about acting, and I really admire that.”

While it may have taken them a while to get to this place of being slightly more open with the public about their relationship, it makes total sense they wanted to keep things quiet at first when you think about it.

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6am.

A post shared by Lili Reinhart (@lilireinhart) on

Now, even their TV parents can’t contain their excitement for the happy couple since they’re out here making it clear their on-screen kids are a solid item IRL too, which just adds another layer of cuteness.

“It’s great. I mean, they didn’t talk about [their relationship] the entire time, until just recently. So it’s nice that they’re able to now, like, be public with it, so it’s not so under wraps,” Madchen Amick who plays Betty’s mom Alice Cooper said to ET. “But at the same time, they’re in complete control of what they want to share and how they want to share it. Behind the scenes, they’re so sweet with each other and they’re both just exceptional people.”

Skeet Ulrich, who plays Jughead’s dad, FP Jones, is just happy to see how good Cole and Lili are for each other.

“I’m really glad they have each other. It’s a lot of work, it’s a long season [so] it’s nice. They really keep each other grounded and supported. Their friendship is beautiful.”

So precious! And Lili’s most recent Instagram birthday post to Cole basically confirmed they are indeed oh so in love. Cole turned 26 years old on August 4 and Lili shared a cute pic she snapped of her bae and in the caption, professed her love for him. “It seems as if the world would still be a stranger to me, if not for you. I’m so thankful that our paths intertwined to form this beautiful adventure~ Happy birthday, my love,” she wrote.

MY LOVE, ugh so cute! And all of their Riverdale co-stars, of course, had to comment on the sweet post and freaked out just like the rest of us.

riverdale cast lili reinhart instagram comments
Instagram

The award of best comment goes to Casey Cott though, who wrote “R U guyz d8ing?” totally calling out how everyone speculates what the status of Sprousehart’s relationship is. Lili responded back with a shush emoji, giving us slight more confirmation.

casey cott lili reinhart instagram comment
Instagram

PRECIOUS. But as we’ve already said, the couple will mostly likely never say outright they are dating even thought it’s super obvious they are together. In fact, Lili straight up made it super crystal clear you will never hear her publicly speak about the relationships in her life that mean the most to her so yeah, any talk about Cole is totally off limits.

“I’m not okay talking about my relationship. I’m not going to tell you my love story. That’s just not appropriate right now,” Lili said in an interview with Harper’s Bazaar. Fair enough, girl. And let us never forget when the entire Riverdale cast made an appearance at the 2018 Paleyfest Panel, a fan legit asked the duo if they’re dating. Yes, it was a bit of an uncomfortable moment. Proof:

lili and cole paleyfest 2018
YouTube

But Cole simply said, “no comment,” so there’s that. 

Did Cole and Lili confirm their relationship?

Verbally, no, they haven’t called each other “boyfriend” and “girlfriend” to the public, but they basically gave us all confirmation when the pair walked the red carpet together at the 2018 Met Gala. Attending the star-studded event together is all the proof needed!

cole lili met gala
Getty

Look at those smiles! Otherwise though, when it comes to actually speaking about their romance, it’s not something they concern themselves with.

“Every time someone asks me about it, I make a decision then and there about whether I’m comfortable. It’s not like I’m in some kind of contract, but I’m not in the place where I want to talk about it, and that’s totally fine. It’s called a private life for a reason—it’s mine, and it’s special and sacred. My relationships are between me and whomever I’m with, not between me and the world,” Lili said to Seventeen about why she chooses not to comment on her personal life. She knows it’s something people are always going to comment on, btu she would rather keep the details to herself.

“It’s the story of my life every time I’m on Twitter. I feel like every time I tweeted something that was a little opinionated, or every time I posted something on Tumblr that seemed a little private, it’s all of a sudden making news relationship-wise. People are just dying to know information about if I’m in a relationship or not. I understand the interest, but it’s called a private life for a reason. And it’s not something that I owe the world,” Lili said to V Magazine. “People are going to say anything and everything. They’re going to say that I love KJ, they’re gonna say that I love Cami, and they’re gonna say that I love Cole: it’s inevitable. But I’m not at a point in my life where I’m ready to openly confirm, deny, or talk about a relationship that I’m in, because I think it’s brutal to have a relationship in the spotlight where I can be scrutinized by anyone and everyone. Being in a relationship with someone, it’s a relationship between those two people, and I feel like when you let enough people in, it’s not about those two people anymore. It’s about everyone.”

So nope, not getting anything out of her. And what about Cole? When he spoke to People, he basically echoed everything our beloved Betty has said to about the constant dating rumors.

“The core four of the Riverdale [cast] are now engaged in dating scandals beyond our wildest anticipation. Everyone has something to say about one of us dating our costars, I’m rumored to be dating KJ [Apa], Cami [Mendes], Lili, Madeline [Petsch], everyone on this show. And I am flattered! If I were to talk to my own self about this it would be like, ‘No way.’ Lili and I are constantly talked about in the public eye, and for me I think that it is being deeply informed by the love of the characters and wanting to see us together,” Cole said. “I think that in many ways it’s offensive and an invasion of privacy, but it’s also a badge of honor because it means you’re creating a chemistry onscreen that is so understandable that people want to see it in real life, which is flattering from a professional perspective.”

And when he was directly asked about his relationship with Lili, Cole shut it all down by letting us know you won’t ever catch him spilling any tea to the public. Like ever.

“No comment because whether you dismiss those rumors or whether you encourage those rumors, it’s giving people who are in my opinion are a bit entitled to your personal life more power, and you have to have spaces for reverence in the industry. Going to college made me realize you have to have real spaces of privacy and you have to establish those early,” Cole explained. “The more you let people in on that, the more people feel entitled to it and the more it becomes problematic with whoever you end up being with in the future, so I take that very seriously. So I just never talk about it because it’s not anyone’s right to know. People can speculate all they want, people speculate about me with every member of the cast practically, but it’s really no one’s right to know. It’s also sexy, these parts of the relationships that are just yours.”

Okay Cole, we get that 100%. This isn’t the first time and most likely won’t be the last time he refuses to give an answer one way or the other about his personal life. During the cast’s sit-down chat with Entertainment Weekly, Lili then straight up had no comment on the rumors while Cole just more generally spoke about all the ships on the show without ever giving us a clear response about Sprousehart.

“Since the show began, people have wanted Lili and I to be together. People have wanted Lili and Cami to be together. People have wanted KJ and I to be together. People have wanted every actor on this show to be in a union that they could make real and talk about. So I think that kind of discussion, especially because it’s based so much on rumor and hearsay, needs to be taken with a grain of salt. We’re all still human lives that are interacting with the source material. But, truthfully, it’s very pleasing that people talk about Lili and I in that way because it means that we’re resonating so strongly from our character perspective that people really want that to be true. I think as professional actors we can pat ourselves on the back for that and go, ‘This was a success.’ It was such a success that people want to see it in real life,” he said.

Huh, keep it all to yourself fine, but that doesn’t mean we can’t appreciate all the cute couple-goals worthy moments Lili and Cole have given us, right? Lili has spoken super highly of her co-star and how Cole really is there for her and their castmates when it comes to dealing with fame.

“He really brings us down to earth if we’re feeling like something we’ve said is being taken out of context. He’s always the one to be like, ‘Just ignore it. It will blow over.’ It’s a nice, calming energy he has because you know that he’s been through it,” Lili said to Oceandrive. Ugh, so cute. And let’s take the fact these two rang in 2018 together on a vacation in Hawaii. Tons of lucky fans snapped pics with the pair as they were enjoying some downtime before they start filming again. Literally just the two of them on this dare we say oh so romantic getaway. And what about when they sported matching Halloween costumes. Lili is known for her super impressive special effects makeup skills and she definitely worked her magic on both their lovely faces and turned them into a pair of skeletons.

cole sprouse lili reinhart halloween 2017

(Photo Credit: Instagram Stories)

Couple costume if we shall be so bold to say, and the cuteness doesn’t stop there. And can we talk about how anytime Lili stumbles across baby Cole and his bro Dylan’s childhood TV and movie roles on TV, she stops and watches?

lili reinhart cole sprouse ig story
Lili Reinhart/Instagram

ADORABLE. Let us not forget when a v lucky fan of the Bughead ship, Capri Minichiello, spotted the pair with her dad – fashion designer Dino Minichiello – in Canada. She exclusively told J-14 that Cole and Lili were “so gracious and kind.” They even explained who they were to her dad. LOL! Capri posted a picture with the couple and captioned the shot, “OMGGGGGG!!!!!!Im am in SHOOOOCK ,I just saw Betty and Jughead at the seabus and I was fudging speechless !!!!!!!! With @colesprouse and @lilireinhart #wearinghisjacket.”

If fans look closely, Lili was actually wearing Cole’s jacket which Capri so helpfully pointed out. Cole was spotted wearing the same coat while walking with Lili through the airport. We don’t know about you guys, but this screamed #RELATIONSHIPGOALS. Definitely a gesture that pretty much confirms Cole is solid boyfriend material. Shippers also couldn’t forget that this wasn’t the first time Lili has been caught snuggling up in Cole’s clothes. The pair was reportedly “seen canoodling, holding hands and kissing” during at party following the San Diego Comic Con and he lent his jacket to his leading lady.

cole lili comic-con ew party
Instagram

Plus, there was all that cuteness Cole gave us on Live With Kelly and Ryan talking about their kissing scenes together.

“A little bit more of that, so it’s going to be good.They’re contractually obliged to give me as many kiss scenes as possible. I wrote it into my contact,” Cole joked about what was in store for Bughead during the rest of Season 2. He was smiling and being all adorable talking about these oh so romantic scenes which you know, had our Sprousehart loving hearts too happy. But then, we had Lili over here who understandably #OverIt when it came to any and all dating rumors she’s involved in. Basically, she’s tired of everyone thinking she may or may not be dating any of her co-stars. (Even though, yes she is!)

“It’s horrifying how invested some people are in my love life,” Lili wrote on her Tumblr page. “Emphasis on ‘my.’ It is mine. It is private. If a stranger’s love life is causing you anger, frustration or anxiety… please reevaluate your priorities. I also want to point out that there is a difference between shipping Betty and other characters, and shipping me with literally everyone I make eye contact with. There are so many other things to focus your attention and energy on.”

We get it girl, we do. But that doesn’t mean we still can’t totally swoon over the precious moments they’ve given us, like that time Cole had everyone thinking he referred to Lili as “the love of my life” when they were still keeping their relatationship super low-key. Let’s recap this chapter in the saga:

So, Cole posted the cover of a shoot he did where he photographed Sam Smith and in the caption, Cole wrote, “Excited to show you guys my cover and story for L’uomo Vogue this month, starring @samsmithworld Pick up a copy if you see it, I’ll be posting some of the other shots over the next couple days. Keep up. Thanks to the love of my life, the timeless @rushkabergman for styling, and the team over at @avenue53 for helping. As always, special thanks goes to @glennwassall and Helena.” And naturally, we’re all like who is this love of your life Cole?! And Lili even commented with a little red heart.

cole lili instagram

(Photo Credit: Instagram)

So now we’re all thinking that’s who he was referring to, Lili! Speaking of more subtle romantic moments, let us never forget the time they went on a hot air balloon ride, which they both posted on their Instagram stories without you know, acknowledging that they were together.

cole and lili hot air balloon

(Photo Credit: Instagram Stories)

And yes, the fandom took note of this rather romantic gesture because it simply hit everyone right in the feels. Hot air balloon = a perfect date.

https://twitter.com/anandadaily/status/909772556852281344

Our hearts, this was truly a moment.

So, what is the truth about their relationship?

Well, they are indeed together! Lili has made it very known though that she has no interest in fanning the flames though and Cole, being an actor for so many years, has said in the past he always plans on keeping his personal life private, even before the Sprousehart rumors started flying around.

“I am one of those guys that’s never ever going to talk about my private life with the public sphere. I mean people can talk about Jughead as much as they want but when it comes to the personal relationships, I have spent much of my life separating work and play so I will continue to do so,” Cole once said to Elle. And in April of 2017, Cole spoke about why he often does photo shoots starring his leading lady and admitted that Lili is just someone he likes taking pics of.

“Lili and I play characters who are dating, so just about any time she and I go out into the wilderness, it’s ‘Oh my god!’ But truthfully, I’m a sucker for friends, fashion, and framing,” Cole said to MTV News.

It’s clear the relationship between Cole and Lili have is really unlike anything else and if they want to keep that to themselves as much as possible, then we’re here for it. The entire Riverdale cast has truly become a family and their friendships with each other will last a lifetime, which Lili spoke about in an interview with Coveteur.

“One hundred percent, and I would be devastated if it wasn’t. There’s no telling what’s going to happen in the future, but I was just talking to Cole and Cami, who were over watching Game of Thrones, [about how] we’re incredibly blessed. That’s how I feel about the entire situation and this show being in my life. I booked this role without knowing that I was going to make 10 new best friends. That’s insane, coming from someone who never really had too many best friends to begin with, because of my social anxiety and just the way that I am. This was like a golden ticket. I got a job, and I also got these incredible people in my life,” Lili said.

Alright, now that is adorable and we’re glad she’s made such amazing friendships, especially the love and respect she and Cole have for each other. 

#SprousehartForeverandAlways 

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