Jennifer Aniston has been flirting up a storm with new “friend” Pedro Pascal, and RadarOnline.com can reveal the pair is hooking up for real behind the scenes – even though it’s a no-strings situation for now and they are each free to see other people.

An insider revealed: “They’re trying to downplay it because neither one wants attention on their private life, but the word is they’ve been more than just friends for a while now.

“They’ve worked hard to keep it discreet, and for the longest time, they succeeded. Only a small circle of people even knew they were friends, let alone hooking up.

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Source: MEGAPedro Pascal called their martini dinner ‘fun’ while denying anything beyond friendship with Jennifer Aniston.

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“Now that the cat’s out of the bag, they’re both in full denial mode and hoping it will blow over.”

The pair got tongues wagging after a three-hour dinner with mutual pals at Sunset Tower in West Hollywood on March 22.

Two days later, at the season premiere for The Last of Us, the Chilean-American Narcos star confessed: “Oh, Jennifer and I are very good friends. I got to have dinner on Saturday. It was a fun martini dinner.”

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Source: MEGAAniston’s obsessed fan carved her name into his car.

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And in response to all the attention surrounding that outing, he added, “That’s her starlight. I’m just basking in it” – and his rep clarified there’s no truth to the rumors they’re hooking up.

Aniston, 56, took to her Instagram Story to celebrate Pascal’s 50th birthday on April 2 by reposting a New Yorker cartoon reading, “It’s not strange at all – lately, a lot of people are reporting that their faith in humanity is riding entirely on whether or not Pedro Pascal is as nice as he seems.” Aniston added: “Can confirm – as nice as he seems. Happy birthday, PP!”

Flirty exchanges aside, sources said Aniston and Pascal are straining to keep things casual.

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Source: MEGAAniston’s birthday tribute confirmed Pedro Pascal’s charm, but their romance remains low-key and casual.

“If they planned to seriously date it would be a different story, but that’s just not where this is headed,” said an insider.

“They love spending time together. Pedro is a ray of sunshine, and Jennifer is one of the sweetest people you could meet. In many ways, they’re a great match – but they’re also in very different places in life. They’ve both agreed they’re better off having fun with zero expectations than trying to force a big commitment. Why rock the boat?”