Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck Reportedly No Longer Taking It Slow With Their Romance

Now that a photo of Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck kissing has surfaced, the two superstars are reportedly ready to accelerate their romance. The two have a “connection” that made taking it slow “hard,” a source told Entertainment Tonight Thursday. Meanwhile, Lopez reportedly feels Affleck is the “one that got away” and the hurdles they faced when they broke up in 2004 do not exist now, a source told Page Six Wednesday.

Affleck, 48, and Lopez, 51, reunited in late April after she ended her engagement to Alex Rodriguez. At first, it seemed like two friends were just spending time together again, but things turned romantic quickly. On Monday, Page Six published photos of the two kissing at a Malibu restaurant over the weekend. Affleck and Lopez were previously engaged in 2003 and early 2004.

Once they reunited, they “picked up where they left off after all these years,” a source told ET. “Although they planned to take things slow, their connection has made it hard… Jennifer and Ben are very into one another and in a short time are very serious.” The source later explained that Lopez is spending more time in Los Angeles with her children. “Ben and her kids have spent time together and everything has been great,” the source said.

Lopez and ex-husband Marc Anthony are parents to 13-year-old twins Max and Emme. Affleck and ex-wife Jennifer Garner are parents to Violet, 15, Seraphina, 12, and Samuel, 9. Affleck recently dated actress Ana de Armas, while Lopez and Rodriguez were together for nearly five years before calling off their engagement. Rodriguez has reportedly “come to terms with the fact” that his chances of reconciling with Lopez are over now that she’s with Affleck, a source told Entertainment Tonight.

“Jennifer always saw Ben as the one that got away,” another source told Page Six, adding that Lopez was “crushed” when their engagement ended in 2004. Lopez “had no other choice but to call off their engagement,” the source added. Lopez and Affleck were also at different stages of their career at that time. “Jennifer was ready to settle down and have kids, but Ben wasn’t keen on giving up his bachelor lifestyle just yet,” the source said. “In the end, she got tired of waiting for him to come around — even though it broke her heart to end things.”

Lopez and Affleck remained friends over the years, with Affleck even recalling how terrible the coverage was of their first relationship. In a January interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Affleck called out tabloids for being “so f—ing mean about her — sexist, racist” towards Lopez during their 2002-2004 relationship. “Ugly, vicious s— was written about her in ways that if you wrote it now, you would literally be fired for saying those things you said,” Affleck said. “Now it’s like, she’s lionized and respected for the work she did, where she came from, what she accomplished — as well she f—ing should be.”