Take a moment to remember simpler times back in summer '16 when the fake news everyone debated involved the beach strolls of Taylor Swift, Tom Hiddleston and the paparazzi, forever known collectively as Hiddleswift.

Now Tom Hiddleston is telling his side of the love story in the latest issue of GQ. And yes, he insists that, for a time, it was the real deal. He also tells the tale of that now-infamous I ♥ T.S. tank top.

🇺🇸 A photo posted by Britany LaManna (@britmaack) on Jul 5, 2016 at 12:11pm PDT

Apparently, the fair British celebrity just wasn't prepared for the aggressive display of Taytriotism that is the annual Swift Fourth of July bash. That part of the story checks out.

“The truth is, it was the Fourth of July and a public holiday and we were playing a game and I slipped and hurt my back. And I wanted to protect the graze from the sun and said, ‘Does anyone have a T-shirt?’"

And then a squad member dutifully provided the future Taylor Swift museum artifact to fill the blank space on his torso. “And we all laughed about it," he insists. "It was a joke."

Let us, for a second, consider the likelihood that one of Tay's model pals has an item of clothing that loosely fits the physique of a tall man who's been working very hard to get swoll. That magical Sisterhood of the Traveling Tank Tops garment just happens to declare love for Taylor. Your friends probably have something similar to rep you whenever they need to let the paparazzi know you're cool.

It should be noted that Hiddleston also sported a temporary tattoo of a heart with a T in the middle which remains unexplained.

Because it was Loki's first time dating a pop star, he was pretty taken aback by the fuss over a tank top. “I just, I was surprised," says Hiddleston. "I was just surprised that it got so much attention. The tank top became an emblem of this thing.”

Photo by: KGC-294/STAR MAX/IPx 6/28/16 Taylor Swift and Tom Hiddleston are seen in Rome, Italy. Image: KGC-294/STAR MAX/IPx

Still, he has nothing but nice things to say about T-Swift.

"I only know the woman I met. She’s incredible," The Night Manager star explains. “A relationship in the limelight… A relationship always takes work. A relationship in the limelight takes work. And it’s not just the limelight. It’s everything else.”

The night Hiddleston and the author of the GQ profile, Taffy Akner, completed the interview, the actor asked to come to her hotel room to clarify his comments on Swift and followed up the conversation at about 5:30 in the morning before she caught a flight. The Daily Mail mistook Akner for a possible romantic interest after the paparazzi catch the pair hugging goodbye.

This all seems normal.