Sean Kaufman and Minnie Mills from The Summer I Turned Pretty spark major dating buzz
From late-night posts to matching fits and whispered getaways, fans are piecing together every clue.
The chemistry on screen now collides with real-life rumors — and the evidence is only getting stronger.

👉 Here’s why everyone is convinced

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Team Steven and Shayla 4ever.

So…we know all about Gavin Casalegno’s wife (who looks an awful lot like Belly) and Christopher Briney’s girlfriend (who’s literally named Isabel), but not nearly enough people are talking about the love life of Belly’s brother in The Summer I Turned Pretty.

Onscreen, Steven is currently in a ~romantic entanglement~ with Belly’s bestie Taylor. However! In real life, actor Sean Kaufman is seeeeeeemingly dating his season one love interest, played by Minnie Mills. Yes, that’s right—outside the world of Cousins Beach, Steven and Shayla still going strong.

Curious about their whole deal? Same. So let’s do a deep dive. Starting with…

2021

Filming begins on The Summer I Turned Pretty, which is where Sean and Minnie (presumably) cross paths for the first time.

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June 2022

In honor of Sean’s 22nd birthday, Minnie posts a photo dump on Instagram and refers to him as her “best friend”…except the two look like waaaay more than friends in the photos. Cue the romance speculation.

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Right around the same time, actress Nikol Tsvetanova includes a pic of Sean in a photo dump (see slide 7). More on why this matters in a minute.

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October 2022

Minnie posts a poem she wrote to the ’gram, and in her caption, she thanks her “dearest friend” Sean for giving her the confidence to share.

December 2022

After months of speculation, Sean goes Instagram official…with someone else. At the end of 2022, Sean drops a bunch of photos on IG, which includes one of himself with his arm slung around Nikol (swipe to slide 2):

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Not long after, Nikol confirms their ’ship with a (since-deleted) photo of herself and Sean looking very coupley with the caption, “An ode to love.”

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April 2023

Minnie posts a tribute to her TSITP character Shayla on IG and includes a couple sweet pics of herself and Sean (as well as the hashtag #stevenandshaylaforever). Ahem:

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June 2023

During a red carpet interview, Sean mentions that he has a “girlfriend,” likely referencing Nikol.

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March 2025

While it’s unclear when/why Sean and Nikol split, fans begin to suspect something going on between him and Minnie again after they took a trip to Cancún with Sean’s TSITP costar Christopher and his girlfriend Isabel (who—fun fact—was once roommates with Minnie).

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Soon after, a source for the Daily Mail confirms Sean and Minnie are “together and very happy.”

May 2025

Sean and Minnie attend the SANDRO Fall/Winter 2025 Collection Preview in NYC, and Sean shares a cute pic from the event to his Story.

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July 2025

The maybe-couple sees BLACKPINK at Citi Field and even grabs a photo with Lisa.

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August 2025

The two go on what *looks* like a double date with Christopher and Isabel at a NY Liberty Game.

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Followed by a date at Yankees Stadium. Go sports!

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Sean and Minnie STILL haven’t confirmed whether they’re really an item, but the evidence is pretty compelling, no?? Stay tuned for more updates as we have ’em.