If romance in Hollywood were a novel, it would be written entirely in invisible ink. Celebrities specialize in keeping their affections elusive enough to fuel three press cycles and a Netflix docuseries. Take Zendaya and Tom Holland, who turned their offscreen chemistry into a multi-year guessing game, pausing only for the occasional eyebrow-raising kiss or strategic silence. Then came Kylie Jenner and Timothée Chalamet, who went from myth to Malibu official in the blink of an eye. Now, a new couple seems to have picked up the torch of romantic obfuscation.

Enter Tom Cruise, grinning like a man who knows exactly what he is doing, seen taking a London birthday stroll with none other than Ana de Armas, flanked by 'just friends' of course, because nothing says innocence like a suspiciously public group walk. Naturally, fans lost their collective composure. X was aflame with zoomed-in screenshots, TikTok theories sprouted like weeds, and Instagram flooded with comments. If confusion were currency, the internet is now in a recession-proof business.

This dynamic duo has been playing peekaboo with the press all year. Ana de Armas and Tom Cruise have fueled gossip columns with near-clockwork consistency, from mysterious meetings to photo ops suspiciously free of context. The pièce de résistance came just days ago, when de Armas exited Cruise’s private helicopter, confusing the internet yet again as she got off the flying vehicle like it was her usual ride to brunch. There may be no confirmation, but the drama is crystal clear, and utterly entertaining.

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Just when the gossip mill seemed to be running low, fans took that helicopter entrance as a cue to spiral.

A passionate faction of the internet has already declared Tom Cruise and Ana de Armas the most unexpected couple of the year. According to them, no colleague strolls through London on your birthday with your friends and security detail unless there is a little romance, and possibly cake, involved. They especially melted over Cruise carrying de Armas’s purse, calling it the ultimate soft-boy move. Fans practically started planning anniversary hashtags before the walk was even over.

Meanwhile, the skeptics have dug in their heels, armed with high-definition screenshots and suspiciously academic body language analyses. For this crowd, Tom Cruise walking with his hands behind his back was not charming, it was chaperone-core. Add the considerable age difference, and the narrative shifts to one of professional friendship and mutual industry respect.

So, are Tom Cruise and Ana de Armas dating, collaborating, or just casually rewriting the rules of birthday etiquette? The truth remains locked behind Hollywood smiles and helicopter doors. For now, fans can either ship the duo into oblivion or treat it like another episode in a very glamorous sitcom. Either way, the internet is watching, with snacks, side-eyes, and screen recordings.

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Do you think Tom Cruise and Ana de Armas are dating? Let us know in the comments down below!