Mystery solved! Photo confirms Miley Cyrus & Liam Hemsworth are back together

We finally got confirmation of what we’ve suspected for a long time now — Miley Cyrus and Liam Hemsworth are back together. The couple, who started dating in 2009, was once engaged but called it off in 2013. During the break, both kept relatively quiet about the whole thing. Unless you count Bangerz, Cyrus’ album full of Hemsworth-inspired songs.

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Back in January, Cyrus started wearing her engagement ring again, giving everyone hope for their future, and today they were finally spotted together out and about in Los Angeles. They spent the afternoon having lunch with Hemsworth’s brother, Luke, and his wife.

It may be the optimist in me, but this is exactly how love should work out, right?

The two began their romance while they were both very young. Cyrus herself was just 21 when they were engaged. As mature as she may be, that’s still super young to be planning your whole life. Even in the best circumstances, that’s a lot of pressure to live up to, but the young stars had the added pressure of Los Angeles and teen fans who wanted them to live out their love story fantasy.

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Apparently, the two understood that, above all else, they had to prioritize themselves. They each needed time to become their own person before they settled down into wedded bliss.

And the choice was obviously the right one. During their break, Hemsworth shot and promoted The Hunger Games series and Cyrus recorded Bangerz and supported it with a mega-successful world tour. They definitely could have done that while married, but they may not have been able to grow as much as individuals had they stayed together.

More: Miley Cyrus: “I don’t really care about the wedding”

Now that they’re engaged again, each person will inevitably know themselves better and be better equipped to maintain a successful marriage. I applaud their efforts in taking things slow and having the patience to do the right thing for themselves and their relationship.