“Ross I can’t believe you’re cancelling on me AGAIN!” you cried into the phone.“Imogen it isn’t like I have a choice! I was supposed to have a week off from filming but the director pushed the episode up a week. I can’t exactly skip out…I am one of the stars of the show!” he yelled back. You knew it wasn’t Ross’s fault, but you were angry. You hadn’t seen him in nearly two months. He was originally supposed to come visit three weeks ago, but he had to cancel when his manager scheduled a last minute interview for him on Ellen. He had rescheduled to last weekend, but an R5 emergency had forced him to reschedule again. And now, he was cancelling a third time. “I am so, so, SO sorry.” He said into the phone. You sighed. “I know Ross, it’s not your fault. I’m sorry for yelling. I just miss you.” You frowned, sitting back down on your bed. “I know baby, I miss you too. SO much. And I SWEAR I’m going to make this up to you somehow. I have to go, but we can Skype later. I love you.” “I love you too.” You said, hanging up the phone. You threw yourself backwards onto your bed, staring up at the ceiling. You had been with Ross for a little over a year now. Most of it you had spent apart because of Ross’s commitments to R5 and Austin & Ally and your hectic school schedule. You texted constantly, talked on the phone every night, and Skyped at least once a week. But it was still hard at times. You heard your phone buzz from the other end of your bed. It was a text from Rydel. ‘Oh Imogen please don’t be mad at Ross! I’ve never seen him so upset, he feels awful that he had to cancel again. :(‘ ‘I’m not mad, it isn’t his fault. I just miss him. :\’ You tossed your phone back down. It buzzed again moments later. Rydel had sent a picture of Ross laying on the Lynch’s couch, looking completely miserable. You frowned. You felt awful for giving him crap about cancelling earlier. ‘:( I wish there was a way for me to come to LA!’ No sooner than you had sent the message, your phone began ringing. “Hello?” you answered. “THAT’S PERFECT!” you heard Rydel squeal on the other end. “What’s perfect?” you asked. “You coming to visit!!” she replied. “Yeah, if I had money for a plane ticket.’ You reminded her. “Don’t worry about the ticket, we’ll take care of that. How soon can you be packed and ready to go??” Your jaw dropped. “Rydel I can’t let you guys do that for me!” you insisted. “Too late, I already have dad looking up the soonest possible flights to LA. And mom is calling your mom right now. We’re working everything out. So start packing! And don’t mention anything to Ross. Let it be a surprise. I’ll call you back when we have all the specifics worked out. Love you!” she said, and the call ended. You beamed and leapt up from the bed, running over to your closet to start packing.
**two days later**
You stood on the sidewalk outside of LAX, waiting for Stormie and Rydel to come pick you up. You glanced down at your phone. It was 3:00 here in Los Angeles. Ross would still be at the studio filming. Laura was in on your visit as well; she was going to keep Ross distracted so you could surprise him at the perfect moment. “Imogen!!” you heard Rydel shriek. “Rydel!!” you cried, running across the parking lot to meet her. “I missed you so much!” she squealed, spinning you around in a hug. “I missed you too! Stormie!” you said, as Mama Lynch wrapped her arms around the both of you. “I’m so glad everything worked out! Ross has been moping all week.” Stormie said. “I know, Rydel sent me a picture Saturday after he called and cancelled. It isn’t his fault.” You frowned. Rydel tossed your suitcase into the trunk. “Let’s get going! We have to get to the studio.” She said, ushering you into the car.
Thirty minutes later, Stormie dropped you and Rydel off at the studio where Austin & Ally filmed. “So how are we going to surprise Ross?” you asked as the two of you walked through the front doors. “I already spoke with the director, and we have this really great fake scene worked out! Austin is going to meet Ally’s really hot cousin at the record store. And guess who’s playing the really hot cousin!” she giggled, nudging your arm. You beamed. “Rydel that’s perfect!” She grinned. “I know, I try.” She led you into the costume & makeup section of the set. The stylist dressed you in a cute mint green skirt and polka dot top. After getting your hair quickly styled so you weren’t recognizable from behind, you went to meet with the director. “Hey Rydel, this must be Ross’s lovely girlfriend. So sorry about having to bump up the filming dear, I feel terrible.” He said. You shook your head. “No, don’t worry about it. Thanks for helping us work out this surprise for Ross.” He waved his hand dismissively. “Not a problem, it was the least I could do. Now let me walk you through what’s going to happen…”
You stood behind the counter of the music store set, your back turned to Ross. Laura was behind you at the register, facing the opposite direction. He stood in front of her, across the counter. You had made sure to keep your back to him ever since he walked in. “Alright everybody ready? And….action!” the director called. “Hey Ally, who’s that??” Ross asked, reciting his fake lines. “Who, her? That’s my cousin Dani. She’s visiting from New York. Dani!” Laura turned around to get your attention. You took a deep breath and turned around to face Ross. “Oh, hi! You must be Austin!” you said, playing along. Ross’s jaw dropped. “Imogen!” he cried. You laughed. “Surprise!” He leapt across the counter, nearly kicking Laura in the face in the process. He threw his arms around you tightly, pulling you close. “I can’t believe you’re here!!”he mumbled into your hair. You wrapped your arms around his waist, burying your face in his chest. “I knew you felt bad about having to cancel on me three times so I decided to surprise you. Your family and the crew here helped me work it all out.” You looked up at him and smiled. He stroked your cheek lovingly, looking deep into your eyes. “I love you.” He said, leaning down to kiss you gently. “I love you too.” You returned. You looked around the set. Most of the cast and crew had cleared out to give you two a private moment. The director came walking back over to where you were standing. “We’re wrapping early today Ross, go home and spend some time with your girl.” He said, winking at you before walking away. “Thanks!” Ross called. “Come on, let’s go home.” He said, taking your hand and leading you off the set.
