A/N: I wrote this story ages and ages ago for a very good friend of mine. I came across it today and decided it was high time I finally posted it. Logan, this is in honor of my official introduction to the PR world through you.
Cam and Rose
potr
It came upon them very suddenly, as Nate recalled. One minute, she was going on about how Versace never had to worry about pleats when he (or was it a she? Despite Ella's careful tutelage, he was never quite clear on that) was a design student. Sequins, she said, were another matter entirely. A bit tedious, yes, but well worth the effort. Nate had turned his head to the side so that he could look at where she lay beside him in the grass. Yes, he'd decided, sequins were worth it when the moonlight reflected off them onto her face.
And then she said it.
"It just hit me—do you know who we remind me of?" She turned and looked at him excitedly. He smiled and shook his head no.
"I have a feeling you're going to tell me, though," he said.
She swatted his arm. "We're like Cam and Rose."
"Who?"
"Cam and Rose!" Ella said again. When Nate continued to look confused, her mouth dropped open in horror. She continued, "Cam and R—from Power Rangers, you idiot!" She punched him in the arm. "I cannotbelieve you don't know what I'm talking about."
"Power Rangers?" Nate said. "It's been years since someone's even mentioned that show to me."
"Yeah, whatever. I'll bet you still sleep with your Blue Ranger action figure," Ella said. Nate glared at her.
"I do not sleep with a Blue Ranger action figure, thank you very much," he said. "And don't you even startcomparing me to Billy, because I'm not that geeky."
"Oh ho!" Ella sat up and pointed an accusing finger at him. "Who knows the name of the original Blue Ranger?"
Nate blushed and sat up next to her, keeping his eyes shamefully lowered. "I never really got into the later seasons, it was just the first few…"
"Aw, Nate!" She scooted closer and put an arm around his shoulders. "Don't be embarrassed! Everyone liked Power Rangerswhen they were little."
He shrugged. "You were talking about Cam and Rose?"
Ella gave him a concerned look, but continued on her earlier vein. "I just thought we were kind of similar. I mean, you're good at pretty much everything you do, like Rose, and people don't really respect Cam all that much, even though he's fairly good with computers like Rose is and I'm kind of like that."
"Fairly good? You're more than fairly good at what you do, Ella." Nate reached out and tugged on the sleeve of her sequin shirt, making the reflective plastic shimmer. When he looked back up at Ella's face, he was surprised to see that she had grown very solemn.
"I'm talking about music, Nate," she said. "I know that I'm a pretty good designer, but I do sing. And I can play the guitar, and the piano, andthe clarinet."
Nate swallowed. He'd forgotten about that. "I wasn't implying—"
"I know you weren't," she said, sighing as she crossed her legs underneath her. "I just get annoyed that people forget. Making clothes takes time. I mean, would I like to jam out with you guys? Heck yes! But if I want outfits done by performance time, I've got to keep sewing."
"You can't get the campers to help?" Nate asked curiously. Ella shook her head.
"I'm too much of a micro-manager. I'd be hovering over them all the time." She picked at a blade of grass. "I like making clothes, but I had music first, you know? It's hard to choose sometimes."
Nate was silent for a long moment before he finally started, "I kind of have the same problem, believe it or not."
"You don't seem like the kind of person to have anyproblems," Ella said, smirking a little. Nate laughed.
"I have my fair share," he said. "Two of them are named Shane and Jason."
Ella laughed at that and shoved Nate playfully. "Be serious," she said. Nate smiled and didn't notice when Ella took in a sharp breath.
"I dohave a problem similar to yours," he said. "See, I'm really good friends with this girl I know, but I also like her a lot more than I think she likes me."
If Ella was at all affected by this, it didn't show in her face, although her voice cracked a little. "Oh?"
"Yep," Nate said. "So I've got to chose between telling her how I feel and throwing away one of the best friendships I've ever had for the sake of honesty—which I know she values above anything else-or never telling her and still risking our friendship if she ever finds out I lied to her."
There was silence for a long moment between them, interrupted only by Ella's soft breathing and the chirping of cicadas hiding in the grass around them. Nate met her eyes steadily as she searched them, looking for an answer she'd been hoping to find for a long time. Finally, she took a shaky breath.
"There's always a third option," she said. Nate raised his eyebrows and she continued, "You could tell her how you feel, and have her tell you that she feels the same and damnit, Nate, our first date will be catching you up on all the Power Rangersepisodes you missed!"
She threw herself at him and they rolled around in the grass as his laughter echoed in the air.
When they finally came to a stop several minutes later, Ella poked him in the chest.
"You know why I said we were like Cam and Rose, don't you?" she asked.
"No idea, but you're going to tell me anyways," Nate said.
Ella smacked him. "I always thought they should get together."