I don't even know where this came from. I saw that new interview with Hollywood Life and this happened. I wrote it in like an hour and it's really short but idk I like it. I don't ownAustin & Ally or a llama.
8:27 p.m.
To: Ross
So…I just had an interesting interview with Hollywood Life…
Laura bit her lip, the send button staring her right in the face. At the moment, she and Ross were in their own little world of denial. Well, she was more than him. But still, once she sent this text, there'd be no going back. She'd have to tell him, and their world of denial would crumble, leaving them to fend for themselves in the real world, the world they always knew existed but never truly acknowledged for the sake of their jobs, friendship, and sanity.
But she had to clear this up. Before she could stop herself, her thumb was pressing the send button and a green checkmark appeared on her phone green with Message sent typed underneath it.
Don't stress yourself out, she thought to herself. He's probably filming right now. He won't see it till later. Much, much later. You don't have to worry about it at the moment.
She set her phone on her nightstand and went back to reading her book, pushing her glasses further up onto her nose. She had abandoned her contacts right when she got home. Today had been exhausting.
She held the book closer to her face, her eyes scanning the pages anxiously during an action scene. Suddenly, she heard the loud vibration of her phone next to her. Her eyes froze on the page.
Don't be him, don't be him, don't be him… she thought. She picked up her phone and looked at the screen. It was him.
8:36 p.m.
From: Ross
What was so interesting about it?
There it was. The question she was dreading. Why'd she send that stupid text in the first place? She sighed and typed out her reply.
8:36 p.m.
To: Ross
They said that in an interview they did with you, you said you'd date me in real life, so then they asked me about it…
She hit send before she could lose her courage. She tapped her phone on her leg nervously while she waited for him to text back. There was no way she'd be able to concentrate on her book now.
His response came earlier than she expected.
8:38 p.m.
From: Ross
And that's interesting how?
She looked at her phone like it was an alien. Was Ross insane? He said he'd date her in an interview, accessible by almost everyone on earth. How was that not 'interesting?'
8:40 p.m.
To: Ross
Because you said you'd date me. In an interview that'll be public. I don't know what that means. Other people don't know what that means. Do YOU even know what that means?
She quickly sent the text and went over his possible replies in her head. There was always what she liked to call 'the brush off.' In other words, he'd just brush off the question with a vague or random answer and start a new topic. Or there was complete denial. Or there was telling her he had feelings for her. She didn't want to admit it, but she sort of suspected he did. He sure acted like it. And she'd be lying if she said she wasn't kind of hoping he'd confirm her suspicions.
Her phone vibrated and she looked at it quickly.
8: 43 p.m.
From: Ross
Well of course I know what it means…I'm the one that said it.
Laura raised her eyebrows at his reply. Not what she was expecting. She quickly texted him back.
8:44 p.m.
To: Ross
Well then what does it mean? I'm lost.
Laura chewed her lower lip nervously while she waited for him to text back. It wasn't a long wait.
8:45 p.m.
From: Ross.
No, you're not.
He knew. That was about as close to confirming her suspicions as he could get. He knew her well enough to know what she was thinking. But…maybe he was thinking something else?
8:47 p.m.
To: Ross
Yes, I am.
It was like he was already typing his response before she sent hers.
8:47 p.m.
From: Ross
Laura, you know exactly what it means. I know you know, and you know that I'm right in knowing that you know.
She wasn't sure what to say to that. Luckily, he sent another text before she typed anything.
8:48 p.m.
From: Ross
But this is obviously a conversation we need to have in person, and I really have to go to sleep. My call time is in five hours…Just don't stress yourself out like I know you will, okay?
Laura knew from experience that Ross always turned his phone off after sending his last text, so she knew he wouldn't get her goodbye till tomorrow night at the earliest, but she still felt weird if she didn't reply.
8:49 p.m.
To: Ross
Yeah, I guess it is…You know telling me not to stress won't help me at all. In fact, now I'm even more stressed about this. And I don't even have my stress dummy to help me out :(
She got stressed about pointless things a lot, and she always ended up using Ross to relieve her stress. Whether it was squeezing his hand tightly, asking him to play with her hair, letting him tell her his 'Laura jokes,' or having him rub her neck, he was always the one to help calm her down when she was stressed. At one point when she was squeezing his hand especially hard, he had jokingly reminded her that he wasn't her stress dummy, so now she made it a point to call him that when she needed him to be her, well, stress dummy.
But now she was all alone. She sighed and picked up her iPad, trying to get her mind off the situation at hand. He finished filming in a week, and they all came back for season four of Austin & Ally in two weeks. It would go by in the blink of an eye.
Suddenly, she got a Twitter notification. She tapped it and read it.
rossR5: Sometimes it's better if we don't know things. Knowledge makes life complicated.
Huh. Maybe he saw her text then.
Laura really hoped Ross knew she'd see this. She decided to tweet something, too.
lauramarano: AHH! CAN'T WAIT TO GO BACK TO SET WITH MY BFF, MY FAVORITE GINGER, AND MY ONSCREEN BF! :D :D :D LOVE YOU GUYS! RainiRodriguez CalumWorthy rossR5
She knew what would happen when she tweeted this, but honestly she didn't care. She tweeted it and quit out of Twitter right as her phone vibrated on her nightstand.
9:00 p.m.
From: Ross
If I was with you right now I'd be rolling my eyes at you.
Laura chuckled at her friend's response.
9:01 p.m.
To: Ross
If you were with me right now we wouldn't be talking about my stress.
Laura waited a few minutes, and then she realized that Ross wasn't going to reply. She guessed that he had probably just fallen asleep. The poor boy was probably exhausted. She imagined him in an uncomfortable position, his phone of his stomach and him mouth hanging open slightly. She smiled a bit and turned off her phone, snuggling into the covers in her bed. She closed her eyes and drifted off to sleep.
Two weeks later, she was waiting anxiously on set for Ross to arrive. Yes, she was grinning and talking to everyone excitedly, of course she was. She was elated to be back. But she was still incredibly stressed about the situation with Ross.
"How was filming the movies?" Raini asked Laura. She snapped out of her daze.
"Oh, it was so great! What about you guys?" she replied, looking from Raini to Calum. They both responded that their movies went well. Laura smiled genuinely at her friends. Calum's face softened when he looked at her.
"You okay?"
"Yeah, why wouldn't I be?" she asked.
"You seem distracted," he said. Raini nodded.
"Ross is gonna be here any minute," she said.
"That's what I'm worried about," Laura muttered. To Raini and Calum, she said, "Yeah, I know. It's just been so long…"
"Well, if it isn't our favorite teenage heartthrob!" the three friends heard one of the crewmembers exclaim. Then they heard Ross's contagious laugh as he said hello to her. Laura swallowed.
"Now the party's here," Calum said with a grin, getting up when Ross walked into the room they were in. Ross grinned wider.
"Long time no see, guys!" he exclaimed, giving Calum a hug. Raini smiled and got up, hugging Ross next.
"Congrats on your Teen Choice Award!" she exclaimed.
"Thanks," the blonde replied. He then turned to Laura with a relaxed smile. "You look like you've seen a ghost. Get over here." She shook her head to get out of her daze and realized that he was finally here. She hadn't seen him in months, and he was her. She smiled and got up, walking into his open arms. He wrapped his arms around her waist tightly.
"I missed you," she said quietly. He chuckled.
"I missed you, too." He pulled away from the hug and looked down at her, getting serious for a second. "We'll talk later, okay?" She didn't need to ask to know what they were talking about. She nodded, knowing her nervousness was easing its way into her features. Ross's smile came back. "Calm down, will you?" he said, lightly shoving her shoulder. "It's not like we're talking about your death."
"How're you calm about this?" she asked. He laughed a bit.
"Seriously, Laura, I don't know why I wouldn't be. You need to lighten up." He walked around behind her and started rubbing her shoulders and neck. Immediately, she felt more relaxed.
"And, cryptic conversations between Raura happen once again," Calum noted. "It's weird when we do know what you two are talking about." Ross didn't say anything, but Laura saw Calum's eyebrows shoot up as he looked at Ross.
"Why are you surprised?" he finally asked.
"Good point," Calum said.
"Laura, do you know what just went on between them?" Raini asked.
"I have an idea…" she said. Ross stopped massaging her.
"Better?" he asked. She nodded and turned to look at him.
"This is why I need a constant stress dummy," she said. He chuckled.
"Well, now you have one. Ross Shor Lynch, professional stress dummy at your service," he said with a salute. The other three laughed.
"Oh, it's time," Raini said. "To the table read!" She and Calum started walking. Laura was about to follow, but Ross held her back, keeping his eyes on Raini and Calum. After they were far enough ahead that Laura assumed they were out of earshot, Ross started walking. Laura walked next to him.
"So…you're really not worried about this?" she asked, looking up at him. He shrugged.
"Not really. I mean, I wouldn't be so careless as to say that in a public interview without knowing what I was doing. Did I expect you to find out about it? No. But you clearly did, so it's whatever. I mean, it's not like it was a secret."
"What do you mean?" He chuckled and looked down at her.
"You think I didn't know that you knew?" He stopped walking, and she did, too.
"Well…"
"'Well…'" he mocked her. He smiled and shook his head. "All the awkwardness when the topic was brought up, the way you'd constantly study me as if you could find some proof in my face, and it isn't like I was subtle."
"If you knew I was suspicious of it, why didn't you dial it down?"
"Why would I? I was gonna tell you eventually." He shrugged. "You just made it easier."
"So it's true then?" He nodded.
"If we're on the same page. I like you," he said simply. As if he didn't just break every wall she had ever built between them. She didn't speak for a second, and focused on a spot down the hall, over his shoulder.
"You say it like it's simple." He blinked.
"Because it is. I like you."
"Ross," Laura said, looking in his eyes and wondering why he wasn't understanding what a big deal this was, "we work together. You're one of my best friends. It isn't that simple."
"That's the thing with you, Laura," Ross said calmly. "You look into things too much. You think this is gonna ruin everything because you're gonna say you don't like me back. You wanna know the real reason I'm not freaking out right now?" he asked. She swallowed, knowing exactly where this was going. "You're not the only smart one. And I'm not the only one who isn't subtle. You like me."
"I-"
"You like me," he repeated. "If you didn't, you wouldn't care so much about this, you wouldn't be blushing like crazy right now, and you wouldn't keep looking at my lips. I know the signs, Laur." She flicked her eyes up to his. She hadn't even realized what she was doing.
"It's still not simple."
"I like you. You like me. It is simple. You're immediately connecting that to dating and stuff. That's what isn't simple. But the actual concept of having romantic feelings for each other isn't complicated. At all."
"But-"
"Laura," he said, looking at her with seriousness in his eyes, "I want you to do something for me. Close your eyes."
"Ross, this isn't the time for-"
"Close your eyes," he repeated. She sighed, but obliged. "Now, I want you to think of me in the way you normally would." She did what he said and immediately thought of the way he looked at her and how well they seemed to fit together. A small smile formed on her face. "Exactly," he said quietly, though she could tell how incredibly close he was. "I make you smile. It's as simple as that." He took her hand and brought it to his chest, where he held it over his heart. Laura felt his heartbeat speed up. "And you make me do this. It's as simple as that." He let his hand drop, but Laura kept her hand on his chest, not opening her eyes.
"It's as simple as that," she echoed quietly, sounding a little unsure. He rested his hands on the small of her back and pulled her closer, resting his forehead against hers. She felt his eyelashes brush her face as he closed his eyes.
"It's as simple as that," he repeated.
"It's as simple…" she trailed off, wrapping her arms around his neck, "as that…"
"Are we gonna kiss now?" he whispered. Normally that would've ruined the moment, but it was a valid question in this scenario.
"Yeah…" she whispered back. "Yeah, I think we are." He nodded slightly, his forehead and nose rubbing against hers.
"See? It's as simple as that." He leaned down and pressed his lips to hers gently. She immediately responded to it, her heart pounding.
She realized it really was as simple as that. She liked him, and he liked her. What more did they need? Why stress about it? Clearly, they weren't going to pretend this kiss didn't happen, and they weren't going to pretend it meant nothing. They weren't Austin and Ally.
Ross finally pulled away and looked down at her.
"I like you," he told her like it was that simple.
"I like you," she replied like it was that simple.
Ross smiled down at her, and she smiled back.
"It's as simple as that," he said.
"It's as simple as that."
Yeah, I know I usually write longer, but this isn't supposed to be long. I could've done better, but I'm still proud of it. Thanks for reading and please review! Love you :* (that's a kiss face btw I didn't know that till recently maybe cause I'm dumb).
~Maddie :)