“Justin was Selena’s first love. He will always have a special place in her heart,” says an insider

Selena Gomez‘s heart still wants what it wants.

The singer, 25, and her ex-boyfriend Justin Bieber, 23, have been spending significant time together since she split from The Weeknd (a.k.a. Abel Tesfaye), leaving many fans wondering why she’s giving the controversy-prone star another chance.

According to an insider, the “Wolves” singer has never been able to get over her first real boyfriend.

“Justin was Selena’s first love. He will always have a special place in her heart,” says the insider. “She’s always held out hope that one day the circumstances and timing would be right.”

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Even throughout his legal troubles, the entertainer “always saw the best in him,” adds the insider.

While the duo — who first started dating in 2010 and have had a complicated relationship for the last seven years — are not officially boyfriend and girlfriend yet, they’re certainly well on their way to a full-fledged relationship.

For all the details on Selena Gomez and Justin Bieber’s reconciliation, pick up the latest issue of PEOPLE, on newsstands Friday.

“There have been times in the past where Selena was excited and thought things would work out again, but then was disappointed [by how things turned out],” says the insider.

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Bieber is hoping for a happier ending this time and is doing everything he can to win her back.

“They’re having a great time together. Neither are seeing anyone else and they seem happy to leave it at this for now,” says a Bieber source. “Spending time together makes them both very happy. For Justin, no one ever came close to comparing to Selena. He always thoughts she was the most special and now seems mature enough to realize Selena deserves the best.”