Justin Bieber & Selena Gomez: Is sex with the ex a good idea?

With the emergence of a sexy choreographed dance clip, Justin Bieber and Selena Gomez have sparked reconciliation rumors… again. Will this time be different? Can hooking up with an ex end up in happily ever after?

Justin Bieber set internet rumors ablaze on Monday night after he posted (and subsequently removed) two short but sexy video clips of him and Selena Gomez performing a choreographed dance.

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The clips — which were reportedly filmed at a dance studio in Texas where he was visiting Gomez at one of her concert stops over the weekend — show the former lovers sharing a seemingly intimate dance routine to John Legend’s “Ordinary People.”

Admittedly, their chemistry is convincing. And admittedly, it’s made all the more convincing by the lyrics to Legend’s song streaming softly in the background:

“Girl, I’m in love with you/This ain’t the honeymoon/Past the infatuation phase/Right in the thick of love/At times we get sick of love/It seems like we argue every day/I know I misbehaved/And you made your mistakes/And we both still got room left to grow/And though love sometimes hurts/I still put you first/And we’ll make this thing work/But I think we should take it slow.“

This isn’t the first time Bieber and Gomez have been caught canoodling over Starbucks after a breakup, though. Their romance has been on-again-off-again since 2011, and there have been some major hitches along the way. (Um, hello, Chantel Jeffries!)

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Of course, it’s not like they’re the first celebrity couple to waffle over their status, and they likely won’t be the last. I mean, for real… who among us hasn’t hooked up with an ex before? But herein lies the question: Is it ever a good idea? What good can come from sex with an ex? Let’s explore.

On the plus side

There are a few things that can be argued in defense of sex with an ex. Maybe you truly just aren’t finished with the relationship yet — maybe there are things left unsaid. Nobody wants to go the rest of his or her life wondering what could have been.

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Or, on a superficial but nonetheless valid level, maybe the sex merits another go-round. There’s nothing wrong with two consenting adults who care for each other hitting the mattress in the name of hot sex. It’s safer than bedding a stranger, right?

And sometimes it really does work out. Just check out these famous examples of couples who had a habit of breaking up and making up before hitting their stride.

On the other hand

Sure, it can be tempting to revisit a past relationship. It’s comfortable, and clearly you loved the person for some reason. However, and this is a biggie, you broke up for a reason, too. There was some deciding factor (or two, or a hundred) that at some point made you believe the two of you couldn’t last. There’s something to be said for trusting your gut.

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Also, although it’s true safe sex between two consenting adults can be fun, it can be damaging if one half of the former couple still has deep feelings while the other half is, well, just in it for the hot sex.

Here are a few famous examples of hot-and-cold couples who couldn’t work it out.

So what’s the verdict? Will Bieber and Gomez’s umpteenth makeup be the one that solidifies the couple’s love for each other? Or will they simply become another cliché? Only time will tell, and these two young lovers have that — and passion, apparently — in spades.