It's hard to imagine a better time than spending the holidays hanging out with your best friend in sunny Barbados, which is probably exactly what Rihanna needs following rumours that she and Chris Brown have broken up for the second time.
The 24-year-old "Diamonds" singer was spotted at a luxurious beachfront villa in her home country on Wednesday, wearing a gold two-piece Charlie by Matthew Zink bathing suit, enjoying the hot rays and a few drinks with a gal pal. Rihanna flew to Barbados on Tuesday night (she tweeted "My bed #takeoff" from the plane), where she traditionally spends the Christmas holidays. It was originally rumoured that her romantic interest Chris Brown would join her on the vacation, but now that it seems like the pair of singers have split, that's all up in the air.
Though it was never officially confirmed that RiRi and Breezy had rekindled their relationship, a series of photos on their social media feeds heavily suggested that they had become close again. But Christina Milian, a friend of Brown's ex, model Karrueche Tran, claimed this week that the rapper and Tran were still attached.
Before flying to Barbados on Tuesday, Rihanna tweeted a "RihCard" that showed an illustration of the singer beside the caption "Being single sucks. The only thing I get to do anymore is whatever the f--k I want to do." She also posted a photo of a handwritten letter to her fans on Instagram, saying "There's no question that life throws us curve balls, we do our best to deal with them, take the lessons, and keep it moving without regrets!"
Brown's Instagram account also hinted at their relationship, albeit briefly. The 23-year-old "Don't Judge Me" singer posted a photo to his Instragram account of him with Rihanna, cuddling and doing kissy-faces -- although he deleted it 15 minutes later.
Rihanna went on another whirlwind vacation through the Mediterranean this summer, where she met up with Brown while she was in St. Tropez. She also spent some time in Barbados in July to bury her beloved grandmother, who died from cancer in June.
When life is stressful, as it seems to have been for Rihanna this year, it helps to get away from all the drama and go home -- especially when that home has a tropical climate and is filled with friends and family. And especially after buying a multi-million-dollar mansion in California, and after receiving a brand new Porsche Turbo S from her management company, it seems like Rihanna will be having a merry Christmas, after all.