Author's note: I've been dying to write a new Raura oneshot because of everything that's going on in the fandom, but I didn't like the first one that I wrote so I had to write a new one, plus I've been super busy, so that's why it's taken so long for me to write anything new. In case you didn't know, Ross has confirmed that he and Courtney have broken up. I'm by no means a Rourtney or Courtney hater, and no one evens knows if Laura is even dating Andrew (I'm going to assume she's not), but here goes! A new Raura oneshot!
P.S. This is all fluff/tears/hugs so if you're not a fan of any of those three this will probably seem annoying.
Ross's POV
"What's your relationship status?"
"Um, I don't know," I stuttered. "I mean, yeah, I do know, but I don't know. I'm just going to put it at that."
I inwardly cringed. There was no way anyone wouldn't figure out what that meant. What else was I supposed to do, though? Blatantly lie?
Since that interview, there had been several news sources that had reported on our breakup. They weren't wrong, but I also hadn't exactly said that. But I guess it was obvious. At that point, everyone was going crazy. It was like someone had brought together all of our fans, while at the same time tearing them apart.
Then there was another interview, and another, and I eventually gave up. She had pretty much announced that we were just friends, with those posts on Instagram and Twitter. So I eventually confirmed it too, and that was when the fandom really exploded.
Oh, and they asked about an A&A cast reunion in the first interview. So I talked about how we used to joke about filming an R-rated episode as a reunion. I won't even describe how that went with our fans.
Needless to say, it's been pretty crazy.
I ring the doorbell as I hop back and forth on my feet, releasing some of my energy. Sure, I woke up really early this morning, but then I decided to drink a few cups of coffee. Or a few cups too many, I should probably say. Even though we've all been super busy, I finally found the time for this day. It's been months since I last saw her, but I'm finally going to see Laura again.
She's still one of my best friends, although I don't think I could admit that out loud. I don't know why. Only two years ago, I would be proud to call her my friend. Now, the idea seems almost foreign to me. Is it a bad thing that I can't bring myself to admit how much I care for her? Maybe. All I know is that I'm standing at the front door to her house, waiting for what seems like an eternity.
She said that her parents and Vanessa were out. I guess they're all busy, too, considering how early it is. Most of the city isn't even awake. Not that I mind. Vanessa would tease us to no end if she was here.
I ring the doorbell again, still impatiently hopping back and forth. The energy from the caffeine mixes with something else in me, a nervous energy in my belly. No, it's not nerves. It's just anticipation. At least, that's what I think it is.
"Laura!" I call, ringing the doorbell again.
Back in the days of the show, we didn't even have to ask to go over to each other's houses. It was often spontaneous, and it would be an understatement to say that our parents were sometimes annoyed. But I realize with a sad smile how much things have changed since then, and how much I wish they would go back to being like that.
I sigh, setting my feet down on the ground. Then I proceed to ring the doorbell several times consecutively.
Ding dong ding dong ding dong ding dong ding dong ding dong
"Ross!" I hear a voice from the inside, a noticeably excited voice that I would recognize anywhere. "I'm coming! Stop ringing the doorbell!"
I jump up and down a few times excitedly, feeling like I'm fifteen again. The excitement that I felt now was just as strong as when I landed the part on Austin & Ally, and I don't think I've felt this happy in a while.
I'm grinning from ear to ear and I'm practically standing with my nose to the door in anticipation, then suddenly it flies open with a bang and I look down at Laura, who's already hugging me.
"I missed you so much!" she exclaims, letting go of me so that we can walk inside and she closes the door.
"I missed you too," I say simply before engulfing her in another hug.
I look down at her and blink back tears that came out of nowhere as I'm flooded with nostalgia, a reminder of all of the times that we spent together before the show ended. She's grown up, I've grown up, her hair is now short, my hair's the same, and it seems like everything's changed but nothing's changed. It's an indescribable feeling that's happy and sad at the same time but all I know is that I wouldn't trade it for the world.
I finally let go just so that I can look properly at her, and I'm pretty sure I've never seen her smiling this much before but somehow I think I'm smiling more. I get a weird tingly feeling in my stomach, shaking my head to clear it a little of all the overwhelming emotions that I'm feeling.
"I can't believe it's only been a few months since we last saw each other!" I say. "It seemed like forever. I missed you so much!"
Laura laughs a little and looks down before looking back up at me, and I get that weird tingly feeling again. She's as cute as ever.
I sigh softly. I know I have feelings for her, and now I know that I always have, but it's just not the right time. I can't stop myself from thinking, though, about how things could have gone differently.
"How was your tour?" she asks, bringing my attention back to her.
"Tour? It was really fun," I reply, smiling. "And what about you? All your movies and everything?"
"It's awesome, but it's been super busy!" she replies, smiling back at me. "And what about your movie? I haven't watched it yet, but I will, I really want to!"
"I missed you," I suddenly say.
"I know, and I missed you so much too! Ross, you have no idea, I can't believe how much we've done and we're both so busy and we barely ever see each other but that's what makes these moments so special. And-"
She cuts herself off by embracing me in another hug. Yeah, I definitely have feelings for her. I never thought I would ever admit it to myself, but now that I have, it feels like a weight has been lifted off my shoulders. It feels pretty good.
"I missed you, Ross, I missed seeing you every day and all of your hilarious jokes and I missed hanging out all the time because now we don't even have time," she rambles and takes a short breath before continuing, "and I missed having you by my side wherever we went and I even miss everyone teasing me about you because, yeah, they probably have good reasons to, but I just missed everything about you!"
I blink a few times, unable to process everything that she's said so quickly, before I just laugh and pull her closer to me.
"I missed you too," I reply, "and I missed seeing you every day and I missed your terrible sense of humor and everything else that you said because I can't even remember what you said but I just missed everything about you!"
She laughs but I can tell it really goes to her heart by the way that she still has her arms around me, both of us holding each other tightly.
"I just wish we could see each other more," she sighs, not letting go of me but letting me pick her up a little.
My hands are on her waist and I've brought her up so that we're at the same height, even though she's several inches off the ground. She holds onto my shoulders and then I bring her closer to me so that I'm hugging her again, but now her feet are slightly off the ground.
I finally let go of her so that we can talk to each other properly again, although I wouldn't mind spending the day hugging her and I'm pretty sure she wouldn't, either.
"We should have a full cast reunion sometime," she suggests. "We never see each other all together anymore."
"Hey, that's funny, I was asked about a reunion in this interview a couple weeks ago," I recall.
She laughs. "Yeah, I saw, you talked about that R-rated special that we joked about back in the day. I hadn't even thought about that until you mentioned it."
"Well, I'm sure you don't think it's a bad idea," I reply teasingly, smirking.
She blushes, looking away. "You are so immature!"
"It's a good idea!" I say, defending myself but mostly trying to annoy and tease her.
She shakes her head, still not looking up at me. "No way!"
"Come on, Laura, you and I both know you think it's a good idea." I tease her. "Come on, just admit that it would be fun!"
"It-it would be awkward!" she sputters, cheeks flaming red. "It would not be fun!"
"Yes it would!" I laugh, really only arguing for the sake of arguing by now. "Come on, please, just say it would be fun!"
"No!" she exclaims, and I realize that she's also only arguing for the sake of arguing.
"Fine, then, if I can't get you to say it now, I'll get you to say it later." I sigh, knowing that I'll never get her to say it now.
She exhales a breath of what seems to be relief. But I know I'll get her to admit it later. Well, I probably won't, but I will definitely try.
"So..." I say, trying to start a new conversation. "How's your...boyfriend?"
Honestly, I haven't heard her talk about him in years, but I had to say something. And I also wanted to know if they were still together. But she didn't have to know that.
"Boyfriend?" she repeats. "Huh? Oh, you're so silly! We broke up years ago! It wasn't even a serious thing. And, you know, I've just been too busy for that kind of a relationship."
I nod slowly. Half of me is relieved and half of me is disappointed. I know we're busy, but if a girl as amazing as her didn't even choose to pursue a relationship, I really don't stand a chance against all the other guys out there vying for her attention. Plus, we're just friends. And although I know from recent experience that friendships can turn into relationships and back into friendships, it's just too much to risk.
"Rumor has it you're single again," she says suddenly.
I nod. "It just...didn't work, I guess. We just weren't really right for each other."
"I'm sorry." she says, looking genuinely sorry. "It must be really difficult."
"We're still friends," I reply. "There are no hard feelings. It was bound to happen sometime or another."
"So you don't believe in true love?" she asks. "But I thought you were always the romantic one."
I smile a little. "No, of course I do, just...love is worth waiting for. The longer you wait, the more you fall in love, then you're sure that she's the one."
Laura gasps. "You're in love! You said 'she'! You have a specific girl in mind!"
I look up at her, blushing a little against my will. "Yeah, I guess I do."
"Awww," she gushes. "Do you want to talk about it? Now's our time to talk about something deep that friends talk about. Remember when we used to go to the beach at night and talk?"
I nod. "Yeah, I remember. That was pretty awesome."
She waits for me to say something about whether or not I want to talk about it. It's not that I don't want to, I really need to talk to someone, but I might also end up letting too much out and ruining our entire friendship. That's the last thing I want. I'd do anything for her, I really would, and if it means that I have to live with heartache all of my life, I will.
"I...just...do you ever get the feeling that you love someone, but you know that they'll never love you back?" I say quickly.
She nods understandingly, eyes wide as she looks at me. "Yeah."
"George Clooney?" I ask, smiling and raising an eyebrow.
"Psh, no, why would you say that?" she replies, but as she says it I can almost see her heart fluttering.
I nod knowingly. Okay, so I know that she's always had a huge crush on George Clooney, and I would be lying if I said I wasn't a tiny bit jealous. But I don't really have to worry about him.
"It's not him!" she exclaims. "I mean, he's gorgeous and amazing and the mere thought of him makes me want to faint, but it's not him."
My eyes widen in realization. "You're in love too! And with an actual person that you might stand a chance with!"
"George Clooney is an actual person," she argues. "And you're wrong. I don't stand a chance with him."
"Aw, don't say that," I reply reassuringly, my voice calming but my heart sinking. "I'm sure he'll know that you're amazing. Who wouldn't fall for you?"
"Well, who wouldn't fall for you?" she says instead. "Who wouldn't love you back if they knew how you felt? I mean, you're an amazing singer, you're super romantic, you're funny, you're the nicest person I've ever met, you're the best friend in the world, you're the sweetest guy ever...there's nothing about you that no one would love!"
My heart jumps at every compliment, and I know that she's just trying to comfort me, but I can't stop myself from reacting anyway. I've never felt this in love before, and it scares me, but also excites me, and then I remember that she's in love with another guy and my heart sinks again.
"Well, who wouldn't love you? You're an amazing singer, you're super romantic," I reply, "you're not that funny but you've got the prettiest smile and the cutest laugh, you're the nicest person I've ever met, you're my best friend in the entire world, you're the sweetest girl ever...other than your terrible accent imitations, there's nothing about you that no one would love!"
"That's really sweet. But it just hurts, you know?" she says, sounding more and more angry and heartbroken. "And it's so frustrating, having all of these feelings bottled up, and...sometimes I wish I could just make them go away, and sometimes I really, really try to make them go away, but it just...makes it stronger than before. And for months I really want them to go away, except that every time I see you all of it goes away I wouldn't trade you for the world and I never want it to end! And then I see you with another girl and now-"
She gasps and my jaw drops open. She looks down at the ground again, eyes wide and brimming with tears as she covers her mouth with her hands, and I can barely process everything she's said but she's almost crying and I've never seen her cry before so I can do nothing but stare and let my mind go blank.
I'm panicking and I'm excited and I'm elated and I'm confused and I'm concerned and every emotion that I could ever feel goes through me like a jolt of electricity and then I bring myself back to my senses. Then I look at Laura, then it's the jolt of electricity again, and it happens again and again until I can't think, I can't feel, and I'm not even sure I'm conscious anymore.
"I'm so, so sorry," she chokes out quietly. "No. I can't-I don't even know...Ross, I-"
She doesn't continue and I don't have it in me to tell her to because I'm watching her now and I'm hearing little choked sobs of her actually crying and I can't even think anymore. Laura doesn't cry. No, no, no. That doesn't happen. I can't process it anymore. Never in the six-almost-seven years that I've known her has she ever cried. Sure, I have, a few times, because I'm emotional. But she's always so happy and energetic and if there was one thing I thought she couldn't do it was cry, but here she is in front of me and I don't have a clue as to what to do.
She takes a few deep breaths, then a few more, shaking her head, and then I see that she's not crying anymore. She takes another few deep breaths, calming herself enough to say anything to me, and then she looks up at me and tears well up in her eyes again. I can't even take it, seeing her like this, so overcome with emotion. Emotion for me. I take a deep breath, preparing myself to say something, anything that might calm her down even a little bit.
"Laura," is all I can choke out before bursting into tears myself.
"I'm sorry," she sobs, "I ruined everything and this was all a bad idea and you probably hate me now and we're probably never even going to talk to each other again and I'm going to miss you but-"
At this point she can't really say anything intelligible anymore but I'm crying so hard that I can't even say anything to her that will even make sense and we're both blubbering messes and I don't think we've ever been vaguely like this before but it's just too much emotion for both of us.
"Laura, you...have to -have to understand," I choke between sobs.
"I know," she replies, barely understandable because of how much the tears are flowing. "I know, and I-I'm sorry and I'm a horrible person and if you want we can never talk to each other again but for the record I am totally up for that R-rated special and this isn't even relevant anymore and-"
"Laura, you don't...don't understand," I try to say, but looking at her overwhelms me too much so I look down at the ground like she did before.
"I'm...sorry," she repeats, only a little more composed than before.
I take a deep breath, which doesn't do much, and try again.
"Laura, you don't understand because-"
I choke on my own words, suddenly feeling incredibly nervous but no longer a sobbing mess, and maybe it's because Laura in front of me is slightly calmer now.
"Laura, you don't understand because..." I stutter. "Because...I'm in love with you too, and I love you so much it hurts and I don't think anyone in the world has felt this much love before except judging from what just happened maybe you stand a chance but-"
She gasps in shock, then looks up shyly at me, her eyes still shining with tears but at least not streaming.
"I love you so, so much, Laura, and I can't believe I didn't realize it earlier but I think I always knew but I just couldn't admit it to myself and...I don't even know what to say. I can't even think straight..."
Her eyes widen even more and she covers her mouth with her hands again except this time in shock, but I feel like a huge weight has been lifted off my shoulders and I've never felt so free.
Her hands come to wrap around my neck, pulling me closer to her, my arms pulling her tighter to me that our hugs earlier in the day. I close my eyes as I kiss her, and finally I feel like something's complete. It's the best feeling I've ever had.
She puts her arms around me gently, our lips separating. I hold her in my arms, not letting go, as if she would disappear from me if I ever did.
"I love you so much," she says, nuzzling her cheek in my chest.
"I love you too," I reply. "I'm sorry it took so long for me to realize."
"I just...I never want us to end." she sighs. "I'm scared, Ross. I'm scared because I'm so in love with you and I'm afraid that something will go wrong and-"
"But nothing has to go wrong," I interrupt her. "And...I know I just realized how much I love you, but I feel like I've loved you for my whole life. It sounds so cliché, but I finally understand what it all means. And I know we're still young, we're not even 22 yet, but I've never felt this way before, Laura, and I know this is something special, so...can we be forever?"
She gasps and hugs me tighter. "I...yes, oh my gosh, I love you so much...yes, Ross..."
The emotion is too much for me, and I feel myself tearing up again as she stands on her tiptoes to kiss me again. It feels like a teenage love, but at the same time it feels like so much more, like this is what my life has led up to, like I have no purpose in this world but to love the girl in front of me.
"All the years of heartache were worth it," she sighs. "It feels like a dream, but it's never felt so real."
"Didn't I tell you love was worth waiting for?" I tease.
"Well," she replies with a smile, "you were worth the wait. And I would wait my whole life for you."
"But you don't have to," I say, looking into her beautiful brown eyes. "Because I'm right here with you."
She buries her face in my chest, both of us overcome with emotion and filled with nothing but love. I wait a moment, still holding her tightly.
"So, how about that R-rated special?" I laugh.
"You are such a tease," she groans.
"You love me."
"That I do."
Author's note: Thanks for reading, I hope you liked it! I'm not sure, it might've been too much fluff/too many tears/too many hugs...actually, scratch that. There can never be enough Raura hugs! But seriously, I'm not sure if there's too much or too little of anything, so please give feedback!