She Left the Door Open

After calling off their wedding and splitting 17 years ago, Ben Affleck and Jennifer Lopez have happily reunited

“I think different time, different thing, who knows what could’ve happened,” Jennifer has said of her and Ben’s 2004 split, “but there was a genuine love there.”

The news hardly came as a surprise. In March, widespread reports claimed Jennifer Lopez and Alex Rodríguez had ended their four-year romance on the heels of his latest cheating scandal. Though they initially denied a split, alleging in a statement that they were just “working through some things,” on April 15, the singer-actress and the retired baseball star confirmed that their two-year engagement was over after realizing “we are better as friends.” On April 23, as they began to untangle their lives and joint business ventures, they were spotted having what was described as a friendly meal together at LA’S Hotel Bel-air.

But A-rod isn’t the only former fiancé J. Lo’s seen since she became a single woman again. One day earlier, Ben Affleck was spotted at the same hotel — reportedly being dropped off by the same white Escalade that later drove Jennifer to a business meeting. The clandestine meetups continued for days: On April 28, Ben was supposedly seen leaving J. Lo’s LA home, which is close to the hotel. On April 29, that aforementioned chauffeured white SUV ferried him between the hotel and her place again. “It was only a matter of time,” a source tells Life & Style. “Ben and Jennifer are hanging out, and no one believes it’s just as friends. It’s like the stars have aligned.” They’re both simultaneously single for the first time since their 2004 split after a tumultuous two-year romance. “It may have been nearly two decades ago, but Ben and J. Lo are picking up right where they left off,” adds the source. “Things are definitely heating up!”

STARTING OVER

They’re getting a second chance. The pair fell in love on the set of the movie bomb Gigli in 2002, inspiring the first major celebrity portmanteau, “Bennifer.” Within months, Ben had starred in her “Jenny From the Block” video and slipped a 6-carat pink diamond Harry Winston engagement ring on her finger. They canceled their 2003 wedding just days before they were set to exchange vows, then split for good in early 2004. Jennifer, 51, married salsa singer Marc Anthony, 52, just a few months later and welcomed twins before splitting in 2011, while Ben, 48, fell for Jennifer Garner, 49, with whom he had three kids before their decade-long marriage imploded in 2015. “J. Lo and Ben are seeing where it goes,” shares the source. “They’re hooking up again — the chemistry is still there.”

Chemistry was never their problem. Now, says the source, they’re enjoying secret “nights of passion in a romantic suite at the Hotel Bel-air, just like the old days. It’s super romantic.” When they’re not together, “J. Lo is sending him racy texts,” sometimes ordering him to “come over right now,” claims the source. “She’ll purposely send them at the most inopportune times, like when she knows he’s having a business meeting. Ben loves it.”

LAYING IT ON THICK

Both J. Lo’s rep and an insider close to Ben deny the duo are dating once more. But news of their overlapping comings and goings in LA comes after he publicly said some very, very nice things about Jennifer in early April — while her romantic relationship with A-rod was in its final throes. “She remains, to this day, the hardest work

ing person I’ve come across in this business,” Ben gushed. “She has great talent, but she has also worked very hard for her success, and I’m so happy for her that she seems, at long last, to be getting the credit she deserves.”

Those comments — as well as a flirty mention of her looking the same as she did when they dated — came just a few months after he praised and defended her in a different interview. J. Lo has also talked about Ben. In 2014, she confessed that their 2004 split was “probably my first big heartbreak.” That says a lot: At that point in her life, she’d already been married and divorced twice! In 2016, she hinted that he’d disappointed her, explaining that when she met Ben, “I felt like… ‘OK, this is it.’ [But] sometimes I feel like what you think people are and how you see them when you love them is different than [what] they reveal later.”

A RED FLAG

The Oscar winner has faced new challenges in recent years, like getting sober after years of alcohol abuse. Though he’s changed in many ways, says the source, “some friends are worried” that Ben’s keeping secrets. A big one he’s seemingly been hiding? His presence on Raya. In early May, influencer Nivine Jay posted a Tiktok clip revealing that the star, who split from actress Ana de Armas, 33, in January after nearly a year of dating, had sent her a video asking her why she unmatched him on the exclusive dating app. Ben had previously denied using Raya or any other “websites” to find love.

For now, says the source, Ben and Jen are just having fun and seeing where this goes. “They’re treating this like a fresh start,” says the source, adding that despite brewing concerns, “friends say Jen always dreamed this would happen.” No one knows how it will play out, “but they’re enjoying every moment of it,” adds the source. “They’re very happy to be in each other’s lives again.”