Title: Encore!

Disclaimer: I don't own ER, the movies, or any of the music. I'm not trying to profit from any of the songs, it's for entertainment purposes only.

A/N: Thanks for the reviews!! Keep them coming! And starryjen, I know exactly what you mean it's like the story almost writes itself sometimes.

Neela relaxed around the house. It wasn't very often she actually got a day off. She was supposed to get one every week but she hadn't had one for a couple months. Being on call meant more money, which was good, but it also meant she rarely got a day off, which sucked. To be honest, the only fun she ever had was when she went out with Ray.

It was kind of weird considering she didn't even really like him all that much when she first met him. He was a womanizer and a manipulator and always seemed like he would rather play guitar instead of be a doctor. She was surprised when he had asked her to move in with him, she actually thought he was joking at first. She must have wanted a place to stay really badly to move in with someone she didn't really like. Actually he wasn't as bad as she thought he was. Living with him wasn't always easy but he did care about people.

What helped her change her mind about him was when she treated the little boy with a concussion. Ray helped make sure that they had a proper home, he made phone calls until he found a home that would take all 3 of the kids so they wouldn't be separated. After that, she realized that maybe he wasn't so bad. They got even closer when she heard from one of the nurses that Ray stayed up all night with a newborn baby. They had been close friends ever since.

The idea to go to a karaoke bar was Ray's. He didn't think Neela would be able to relax and have a night out. He was convinced that she never did anything fun. Well, except maybe read or watch TV. So he asked her to go out and do something with him. She said no of course. At least, at first. Part of Ray's life was music and he wanted her to see that side of him, too. She went with him but she told him that she refused to sing, but when the DJ announced both of their names from the stage, she couldn't back down. After giving him a dirty look, she slowly made her way up to the stage. She was really nervous but Ray helped, and hearing the audience cheering for them was even better. By the end of the song, she was hooked. She didn't want to admit it then but she loved karaoke, and what's better than getting to sing and have fun with your best friend? But that doesn't mean that Neela didn't let Ray have it when they got home.

For most of the day, Neela sat in front of the TV watching chick flicks that she knows Ray would never watch with her and would even tease her about. She still hasn't lived down the time when he caught her watching The Notebook. She'd hate to think about what he would say if he found out she loved to watch Clueless. After she finished watching Sleepless in Seattle, it was about 1 in the morning. She didn't have the place all to herself that often so when she did, she made sure to make the most of it. She could have peace and quiet for a change and sole possession of the remote control, which when you live with someone is very important if and when you can get it. After the movie, she decided to take a shower and go to bed.

Ray made his way up to the apartment and opened the door. He was so exhausted and could barely stand up until he looked up and saw Neela coming out of the bathroom in her bra. She had just finished taking a shower when he got home. He just stood there in shock while Neela screamed and said "Oh my god!" while she placed her arms over her chest and practically ran into her bedroom. It wasn't like Ray hadn't seen a girl without her shirt on before but none of them were nearly as beautiful as her. After slipping on a t-shirt, she came back out and walked up to Ray, who was still standing in the same spot, slightly in shock.

"I didn't hear you come in." she said to him with her cheeks all red. He didn't respond to her. "I'm sorry about that. I forgot to take a shirt in with me and I didn't know you were home." He just stared at her, not just stared but it was more like he was ogling her. She had seen that expression on his face before, just not to her. It was always to all his certain lady friends that he would bring over, but even now it was still a little different. His face had a certain yearning in it that she had never seen before. "How was work?" he still didn't respond to her, and that was when she realized that not only was he not listening to a word she was saying, but he also wasn't looking at her face. "Ray?" she asked him but still nothing. "Hello?" he was still staring and Neela was starting to get really pissed off. "Ray!" she shouted while punching him in the shoulder.

"Ow!" he said while rubbing his shoulder "What was that for?" he asked confused

Now she was even madder, he didn't even realize what he was doing "Ray, if you don't stop staring at my chest, you're going right back to the ER tonight, this time as a patient! Everyone will know you got beaten up by a girl!"

"Sorry." he gave her the pout, he knew it never worked but you couldn't blame a guy for trying. He had to this time. If everyone at County found out he was beaten up by Neela, he would never be able to step foot in there again.

She looked at the exhaustion etched all over his face and then joked "So, you want to go to Curtain Call tonight?" she chuckled.

He fake laughed "Ha, ha, very funny. Always the comedian. You were the one that did this to me in the first place, remember?"

"No, you did it to yourself. I didn't ask you to take my shift, that was your idea. It's not my fault you love your song so much" He didn't respond, and had the same look on his face as before. "Ray?" still nothing. "Ray!"

He was forced out of his reverie "Huh?" he was still half daydreaming

"What did I just say?" she said while looking at him out of the corner of her eye

"You were talking?" he was dead serious

She wanted to hit him again "You're staring at my chest again. Those aren't my face."

"No, I wasn't. I was listening intitly." her mouth dropped and she shot him an evil glare. He was just as shocked as Neela was after he said it. "Intently! Sorry." he said quickly. She still had the same expression on her face. "Hey, give me a break, roomie. I'm a guy. I just saw you in your bra. Are you telling me that if I came out in my boxers or in a towel that you wouldn't do the same thing?" He asked her seriously, already knowing the answer.

Great. Now he was flirting with her which was starting to annoy her. At the same time, the thought of Ray in his boxers made her start to blush again. She tried her best not to think of him in a towel with small beads of water all over his chest "No. If you hadn't noticed, it's really rude." she mumbled, trying not to look him in the eye. She knew that if she looked at him he would know immediately that she was lying, and she would never hear the end of it.

"It's not rude, it's human nature. You have to look." he gave her that flirtatious look again, this time with more passion than before.

"You don't have to, guys just use that as an excuse."

"Trust me, Neela. If a girl looks anything even remotely close to you, you have to look."

Of course Ray had lines but Neela could tell that, that was genuine. She couldn't help but smile. How could a girl not love a sweet compliment like that? Suddenly she noticed that he was standing very close to her. Sometime in their conversation he had moved closer to her without her noticing. He would just have to move in a few more inches to kiss her. She had to get away now while she still had the ability to think clearly. She looked him in the eyes, smiled and said "Thank you." then backed away "I'm tired. I'm going to bed." she started walking towards her room.

He raised an eyebrow and put on a slight smirk "Is that an invitation?" he said in a sexy voice.

She turned around quickly and gave him a look of warning "Absolutely not! Just because a girl thanks you for a compliment you think that means she wants to sleep with you?"

"Well, yeah, if I'm hitting on her."

She gave him a look like he was out of his mind. "Sometimes when a girl says 'Thank you', she just means 'Thank you' and not that she wants you to shag her." He started to look really confused. He wasn't used to women rejecting him. Not that it didn't happen, he just wasn't used to it. "Goodnight." she turned back around and continued walking to her room.

"Goodnight." He said disappointedly

After what just happened she made sure to lock the door, she didn't trust him not to come into her room. She sat at the end of her bed. Ray went into his room, too. After that, sleep wasn't going to come easy. How come she never fell for his charms? Maybe it was because she lived with him. She did know him better than anyone else. She wasn't going to fall for his flirting or that Barnett manipulation. Neela didn't put up with crap from anyone, he was going to have to be real and genuine. That was why she reacted the way she did to the compliment he gave her. He hadn't thought about her this way before, let alone flirt with her. She rejected him, yelled at him, and punched him even but, he had still never felt this way about anyone.

Neela, on the other hand, was really scared. Ray was her best friend and if they started getting feelings for each other then it would make things so complicated and make living together really difficult and uncomfortable.

A/N: I promise I'm going somewhere with this but I'm just trying to build on it gradually. I don't know how long this story is going to be exactly because I still have so much more ground to cover. So please keep reading because I promise it will get better. Also, this was my first attempt at trying to be descriptive and kind of draw things out so I hope I didn't bore you.