Matt James and Rachael Kirkconnell’s relationship has been back and forth and up and down.
That’s not sex joke, though after how handsy they were in Miami, it might as well be.
But a few weeks ago, Matt officially confirmed that he and Rachael are trying to make things work.
And it sounds like the two of them are more “inseparable” than they’ve been since before they first split.
An inside source close to Matt James opened up to E! News about where things stand.
“Matt and Rachael are in a really good place right now,” the insider dished.
“And,” the source added, the two of them “are getting serious.”
“They are inseparable,” the insider characterized Matt and Rachael.
“And,” the source added, the two “talk all day, every day.”
So sparks aren’t only flying when they’re pressing flesh (by which we of course mean hand-holding).
“They have been making many plans to see each other,” the insider revealed.
“So,” the source explained, “not a huge chunk of time passes before their next visit.”
That is why they have been spotted hanging out in both Miami and in Orange County, California.
“They have discussed Rachael moving to New York City to be closer to Matt,” the insider shared.
“And,” the source noted, “she has always loved the city.”
The insider predicted: “so it would work out well.”
“They are both taking it slow,” the source characterized.
“But,” the insider revealed, Matt and Rachael “have talked about moving in together.”
That is a major step in any relationship!
“It is an option they are considering,” the source explained.
“But,” the insider adds, they are “waiting to see how the next couple of months progress.”
That sounds very wise, all things considered.
Rachael was an early frontrunner on Matt’s season of The Bachelor.
It was a truly historic season, as it somehow took the franchise 25 seasons to finally cast a Black man as the lead.
Unfortunately, though he and Rachael had a tremendous amount of chemistry, some ugly truths tore them apart.
With Rachael as an early frontrunner, it was only natural that fans would be curious about her.
This curiosity turned to concern when a former high school classmate of Rachael came forward.
She was stunned, she shared, because she recalled Rachael as bullying other white girls if they liked Black guys.
Unfortunately, this was not an isolated report about Rachael.
Her social media history showed enough red flags to open a monochromatic flag store.
“Likes” involving racist hate symbols, her parents’ bigoted political screeds, and a plantation party added up … and it was not good.
One incident of high school racism or being friends with the wrong people could be explained away.
But so many things together … it was hard to think of an explanation that did not involve Rachael harboring racist views.
She and Matt broke up, and it was downright ugly.
However, Rachael did publicly apologize.
Additionally, she began using her suddenly much larger social media platform for good.
She defended Matt at every turn and shared anti-racist resources — hoping that others could also learn.
Racism isn’t just a “mistake,” and only Black people get to decide who is forgiven for anti-Black racism.
In Matt’s case, however, there were clearly strong lingering feelings.
He and Rachael have been on-again, off-again for months. Maybe they’ll work out … maybe.
