Are they or aren't they? Rihanna and Chris Brown have played coy about their recent reconciliation, posting revealing Instagram photos of each other and releasing curious songs-with-a-message like "Nobodies Business." Now in a new interview with Rolling Stone magazine, Rihanna continues to neither deny nor confirm a romantic relationship with her ex-boyfriend, but does talk about why she decided to give him a second chance.

In a preview of the article that hits stands Friday, the 24-year-old "Diamonds" singer says of Brown:

    "I decided it was more important for me to be happy. I wasn't going to let anybody's opinion get in the way of that. Even if it's a mistake, it's my mistake. After being tormented for so many years, being angry and dark, I'd rather just live my truth and take the backlash. I can handle it."

She adds that she feels safe in her relationship with Brown, and how its evolved:

    "But it's different now. We don't have those types of arguments anymore. We talk about shit. We value each other. We know exactly what we have now, and we don't want to lose that... He doesn't have the luxury of fucking up again. That's just not an option. I can't say that nothing else will ever go wrong. But I'm pretty solid in knowing that he's disgusting by that. And I wouldn't have gone this far if I ever thought that was a possibility."

Of course, Rihanna's words now are in sharp contrast from what she told Diane Sawyer in November 2009, nine months after Brown assaulted Rihanna in a car on the eve of the Grammys. In the emotional interview, Rihanna admitted that she had left Brown partly out of an obligation to set the right example for young women.