John Mayer and Jennifer Aniston were once linked for a brief moment in the early 2000s. But while many fans have forgotten they were previously together, the short-lived relationship apparently still haunts Jen.

“Jen’s affair with John Mayer was completely different than all of her past relationships, which were pretty much all with actors of varying levels of fame,” a source claimed to Life & Style.

“That meant that even with Brad Pitt, there was an aspect of competition in play between the two of them,” they went on. “That kind of thing was never the case with Mayer – when he and Jen had their thing, he was totally focused on making her happy, and meeting her needs.”

Despite the intensity of their relationship, the same source claims Aniston is open to a reconciliation with Mayer now that she’s single.

“With Mayer, there was no distraction around where he sat on the Hollywood pecking order. He even went to the [2009] Oscars with Jen and did it with a perfectly modest smile on his face!” they said. “They just were able to bond on a much deeper level because of that, and everybody who really knows Jen believes she has been chasing that elusive feeling ever since – while still hoping against hope that a reunion with Mayer is possible somewhere down the line!”

Jennifer was married to Brad Pitt from 2000, until their separation in January 2005, with their divorce finalized by the fall. She later married Justin Theroux in 2015, though the couple announced their separation in February 2018, finalizing their divorce later that year.

Aniston’s romance with Mayer was much briefer. The couple met dating in February 2008 after meeting at an Oscars party, though their relationship was marked by several breakups and reconciliations before finally ending in March 2009.

Mayer cited the age difference and his immaturity as reasons for their split. After their breakup, Aniston went on to date and marry Theroux, while Mayer has dated a few notable figures, including Katy Perry and Taylor Swift (who he still gets backlash over for his treatment of her).

Still, John didn’t hesitate to over-share about his break-up from Aniston in multiple interviews, even insulting her in the process. “I’ll always be sorry that it didn’t last. In some ways I wish I could be with her. But I can’t change the fact that I need to be 32,” he told Playboy.

Aniston later spoke about their split to Vogue, but refused to bad mouth Mayer despite the comments he made about her.

“And it doesn’t take away from the fact that he is a wonderful guy,” she went on, “We care about each other. It’s funny when you hit a place in a relationship and you both realize, we maybe need to do something else, but you still really, really love each other. It’s painful. There was no malicious intent.”

Aniston added, “I deeply, deeply care about him; we talk, we adore one another. And that’s where it is.”