Selena Gomez and Justin Bieber certainly aren't shy about their relationship. And the normally relationship-coy actress admits that she's feeling comfortable being open about her feelings for the teen superstar. "I don't like hiding. I do like to keep certain things to myself, but at the end of the day, I'm 18, and I'm going to fall in love," she tells Seventeen magazine. "I'm going to hang out with people, and I'm going to explore myself, and I'm OK with that."
Although it seems that Bieber's fans have chilled out recently, Beliebers had a bit of a fit when the pair first started dating. Gomez said she understands how it feels to be a fan with a crush. "Are you kidding me? I'm still thinking Zac Efron's my husband," she said. Reminded that Efron's now single, she added, "No, I wouldn't touch that. I love [his ex-girlfriend] Vanessa [Hudgens] way too much."
Regarding Bieber's fans, Gomez said, "I do see the passion that a lot of these girls have, and it's beautiful. I love it. I really do. It's special."
Gomez has been very supportive of fellow Disney star Demi Lovato, who has been open about her personal issues including eating disorders and self-mutilation. "There's an amount of love that can never — no matter what — be taken away or torn apart, no matter the situation," Gomez said. "There are certain people who you will always, always love, so if anything, this just reminded me of how much I truly love her."
The former "Wizards of Waverly Place" star has always been close to many of her other Hollywood peers as well. She said she'd love to go on a "Monte Carlo"-inspired vacation with one of those A-listers in particular. "I'd love to go on vacation with Taylor [Swift]. I've been able to fly to Nashville to see her, and she'll come to L.A. a lot, but it'd be nice to get away. It would be really fun," she said. "I've known Taylor for over three years now, so we're at the point where we just get each other."
Of the relationships in her life, Gomez added, "I've gotten to the point where the label of 'best friend' is so ridiculous. If you have three people in your life that you can trust, you can consider yourself the luckiest person in the whole world.
"I have a lot of wonderful people in my life — probably five, collectively — who I can tell everything to. There's Jennifer [Stone], my friend Ashley, and Taylor, and my two cousins."