AUTHOR'S NOTE: So backstage but caught on camera it is! It'll probably be on the one after this but we'll see if I want to end in a cliffhanger.

"That was pretty good," Ellen complimented.

We both nodded.

"Are you guys sure you aren't dating because you two are such a cute couple!" she gushed.

I was flattered by her complement and how well Ross and I connect, but as I've stated so many times before, we're just friends! How do people get that mixed up?

Ross cleared his throat. "We're um, just friends. As we already said."

"You guys sure?" We both nodded, reassuring her. "But we'll talk about the fact that you're a couple later on."

"For the last time, we're not a couple, I say.

"Uh-huh," Ellen says ignoring what I said.

"I knew this was going to happen," I quietly add to Ross.

He nodded in agreement. "Yeah me, too."

"Okay, enough talk about you two. Let's talk about Austin and Ally," she began. "So now that Austin has his record back and Ally is rising to the top, what happens next?"

"Well, now that Austin and Ally both have careers of their own, it causes problems and chaos," I state.

"Yeah. And in the end of season two, there's a big twist in the plot," Ross says.

"You guys wanna spoil and tell us the big twist?" Ellen egging on us.

But I've gotten this so many times. So I decline, "I'm sorry we can't say or else it won't be a surprise anymore."

"Man, but worth a try. So will Austin and Ally get back together? 'Cause I know a lot of the audience are big Auslly fans? Am I right?" she points to the crowd.

They go crazy and start chanting, "AUSLLY! AUSLLY! AUSLLY!"

"In season two," Ross starts off, "Austin and Ally get together and break up and they stay friends until season three. I'm a big fan of Auslly too, so in Season Three I want the writers to have Austin and Ally back together."

Ellen nods. "So you want Austin and Ally together?" Ross nods. "Are you sure you just want together just because or is it so you can get in with Laura?" she teased.

Both of our mouths drop to the ground in shock.

"No, no. That's not what I meant," Ross sputters. "It's just that I want-"

"Nah, I'm just teasing."

"Oh." Ross sat back down onto the mini couch we were sitting on. Then he laid his arm on the back of the couch. He wasn't putting an arm around me, he was just getting comfortable, I guess.

I was glad that topic was over, but a new suggestion of talk began. "So what do you guys think of Raura?"

Our reactions must've been hart to miss. Ross immediately took his arm off the couch looked up, and choked out, "What?!" whilst my head jerked up, my eyes popped out of my head and I meekly asked, "What?!" And we had to say it at the exact same time.

"You heard me. Raura. The two of you." She pointed her fingers to the two of us.

"Oh." Was all I could say. Because a lot of fans really liked the idea of Ross and I being a couple. I don't know why they want us to get together, but I have no problem, well... sometimes I loved the fact that our fans adore us, but they can be so clingy... no that's not the word, oh yeah, too obsessive.

They like watch us every second and every single thing Ross and I do, as friends, they all assume we do it just because we like each other. Well we like each other, but not in the way you're thinking. You're just like Ellen and everybody else. We're just friends, and that's all to it.

"Ahh. Don't hide it from me. You two are secretly dating!" She jumped to conclusion.

The live audience was now chanting, "RUARA! RAURA! RAURA!"

I looked at Ross and pleaded for help. I didn't need to say anything since he could probably see the fear and anxiety in my eyes. We have that great of a friendship.

"Sooo... On with it. What's up with you two?" Ellen asked.

"We're just friends," Ross said, once again.

Then Ellen looked at me, waiting for what I had to say.

"You know the first time I saw Ruara I thought I was a misspelling of my name, until I figured out it purposely contained partly of my name!"

Ellen nodded and kept silent wanting to hear more, and so did Ross. He was looking at me with a curious expression.

So I continued, but I kept it safe. "But then I was like, how it's great for the fans to create a friendship name for me and Rani!"

By everyone's looks, they all looked disappointed, even Ross, but we had this conversation before. Raura is a friendship name for me and Rani not a couple name for me and Ross!

"But it's not about you and Rani. It's about..."

But Ross interrupts. "... Ross and Laura. I know. Or we know. But I said, for the millionth time, we're just friends."

"Yeah!" I backed him up. "And it's a friendship name for me and Rani. Everybody knows that. It's not... there's nothing going between Ross and I!"

Ellen smirked. "Sounds like you're just reassuring yourselves. Not us."

I know. But I want things to stay the same. It'd be weird if we were dating. Our careers and lives are a bit different. Our schedules. How could we make it work? I know I have a tiny crush on him, but nobody mustn't' know.

I say hotly, "I know that, but we're just friends. Right, Ross?" I turn to him, and grip his arm.

He was looking down, thinking hard about something. "Uh, oh. Yeah. Friends." But he looked sad.

Ellen must've noticed his facial expression and asked, "What do you believe Raura stands for Ross?" Man, she was quite persistent. More than any fan, parent, costar, director and person I've met.

I see his eyes widen, and his mouth open in shock. Come on Ross, just tell her we're just friends and the matter will be settled. I wait for a minute, but it doesn't come.

ROSS'S POV

Freaking out. So freaking out.

What do I say? Oh, why'd she say the question for me? What should I do?

Should I just say what I really want to say? Because I've like Laura ever since. Since we met. Since I've gotten o knew her beautiful personality? Since I've heard her angelic voice. Since she's entered my life. Yeah, I really like her that much.

And you're probably wondering when I'll admit to her that I like her. Well, I'm thinking soon. But I don't know how soon. Wow, I'm rambling. I should stop and get back to the task at hand.

Or should I go along with the Rani/Laura friendship name, no matter how much I dislike that idea. Pretend that I have no romantic feelings for her, whatsoever.

What if I pour out all my heart to her, just to be rejected? But this is live TV, would she reject me in front of millions of people?

So question is should I take a chance go for what my heart tells me to or play it safe?

Okay, maybe I should play it safe. I think I'll tell her backstage so I won't have to be embarrassed on live TV. But let's have some fun while we're at it.

"I think Ruara is great," I begin with an easy smile. Laura's mouth is open in shock, probably thinking it's about us. But I'm still talking. "It's nice to know people care about Lara and Rani's friendship. That must be a great thing."

I look at her. She sighs, relived and says with a weak chuckle, "Yeah. Great thing."

But then we were interrupted. Someone in the live audience, obviously a Ross and Laura fan, yells, "Raura isn't Rani and Laura! It's Ross and Laura, a couple name!" THe rest of the 'Ruara' fans cheer, liking the notion.

I look down. Then I steal a look at my co-star. She was blushing. She was blushing! SHE WAS BLUSHING! SO she kinda likes me, right?

Ellen took that all in and asked, again, "Are you sure you guys aren't dating?"

We shake our heads, no.

Her eyes suddenly light up as a new idea pops in her head. "No? But are you secretly dating? Nobody knows until today?"

We both sake our heads, no, once again.

"Okay. So with you two as co-stars with a close friendship both on and off camera's, you guys must always be mistaken as a couple?"

I smile and say, "All the time. It's annoying once in a while, but funny anyways."

"Yeah there was this one time when we were picking up my little cousin," Laura begins, but I interrupt.

"Yeah, I remember that encounter. It was so funny."

She looks at me. "Anyway, we were late due to filming, so it was nearly deserted, but she was still waiting there."

"Yeah, good girl genes must run in the family," I comment. Everyone laughs. It's a warm feeling inside of me to see Laura laugh.

"So then Ross and I got out of his car and went to pick her up. Then a woman with her little kid, and by the way she clearly didn't recognize us, but she said, 'I'm not a great supporter of teen pregnancy, but your little family is just so cute.' I think she commented because Ross was just a sweetheart with her."

The audience laughed. "So that really happened? You two mistaken as parents?" Ellen asks, intrigued.

We nod. But there's a lot of fun in that.

"So as you know, I'm just playing around, but I got these shirts that will help clarify the whole mistaken couple problem." Ellen pulls out two sets of shirts and hands them to us. "Yellow for Ross and red for Laura. Yes I know your favorite colors."

"Wow," Laura gasps next to me.

"So if you want people to know you're together you both wear the shirts with the word 'lovers' on it." We both hold up the stack of shirts. I looked at Laura and she had that fearful look wondering where this would all lead to.

Ellen continued. "But if you're just friends as you two "claim" to be-" air quotes around the word 'claim', we roll our eyes, "-you wear this shirt with the words, 'we're just friends'." We both put down the first shirt to reveal one underneath.

"The next is, says-"

We both reveal the next shirt and Laura gasps and holds down her, laughing inwardly. I look down all I could say was, "Wow."

"-'Only hooked up once' Yeah," Ellen continued. "And if you two break up the last shirt says, 'we broke up.' So how do you like it?"

We were both in shock, flabbergasted, lost for words. "It's... it's, uh," I stutter.

"It's to make your lives more simpler," she says, triumphantly.

I try to be sarcastic. "Yep. One hundred percent easier."

Laura follows my lead and says, "Yeah, so much simpler. You saved us, thank you so much."

Ellen smiles. "That's my job."

Then I try to be funny, but I was only teasing. "Yeah, I hope this one doesn't shrink too much." I hold up the shirt that says, "only hooked up once."

Everyone laughs. Laura just shakes her head, smiling.

"You gonna wear it often?" Ellen laughs.

"Yeah, yeah," I say.

"Let's take a break." Ellen faces the camera.

"Yeah, let's," I agree.