'Heated Rivalry' François Arnaud & Connor Storrie Fuel Dating Rumors With Dinner

François Arnaud might be choking on that "none of your f***ing business" line he tossed at Andy Cohen ... 'cause the rumors about him dating Connor Storrie are getting louder, steamier, and a lot harder to dodge!

TMZ snagged photos of the two actors settling in for a cozy dinner at the old-school, fancy Smoke House in Burbank ... and while there wasn’t full-on PDA, the energy was very much date night. Dim lighting, nonstop laughs, and that locked-in, only-you-exist vibe said plenty.

There’s no denying the chemistry here -- and if this is the real deal, François better brace himself for even more backlash from diehard "Heated Rivalry" fans who seriously struggle separating fantasy from real life. Even NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman has said he is a big fan.

For those not fully caught up -- Connor plays half of a forbidden, fan-obsessed romance with Hudson Williams’ character Shane Hollander in the steamy, queer hockey drama -- and viewers are deep in their feelings. So deep, in fact, that when Connor was first spotted with François -- who plays Scott Hunter in the show -- at JFK earlier mid-June, the internet spiral got ugly fast ... including reported death threats.

Bottom line -- the frenzy isn’t slowing down. Whether this turns into a full-blown IRL romance or not, fans (and Andy Cohen) may want to cool it, stop fanning the flames, and wait for S2 to get their fix of Connor/Shane’s on-screen chemistry.