The Instagram post from Justin stirred up plenty of speculation regarding his romance with Hailey, but the two clarified the status of their relationship in separate interviews in February 2016. Speaking with GQ, Justin called Hailey "someone I really love," but he also noted that he didn't "want to feel like the girl I love is an added responsibility." The "Stuck With U" artist also explained, "I know that in the past I've hurt people and said things that I didn't mean to make them happy in the moment. So now I'm just more so looking at the future, making sure I'm not damaging them. What if Hailey ends up being the girl I'm gonna marry, right? If I rush into anything, if I damage her, then it's always gonna be damaged."
Hailey added to Justin's comments in an interview with E! that same month. "We are not an exclusive couple," she revealed. "He's about to go on tour. Relationships at this age are already complicated, but I don't really like to talk about it because it's between me and him."
