It may be ten years since Gossip Girl, but the cast members haven't forgotten their roots. In fact, some of them are closer than ever, as evidenced by Kelly Rutherford's recent Instagram post. The 48-year-old actress played Serena van der Woodsen's (Blake Lively) mum on the show, and found herself in a sub-plot romance with Dan Humphrey's (Penn Badgley) father Rufus, played by Matthew Settle. The two are also pretty cozy IRL, which is why Settle received such a sweet social media post in honour of his 48th birthday on Sunday.
"Happy Birthday to my handsome soulful friend @matthew_settle," she captioned the post. "I love you and think the world of you. As an actor father and friend. Sending you so much love today and everyday."
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"(as you can see I have a really tough time showing my affection for this human ?)" she joked at the end.
I know what you're thinking, and it's understandable: Rumours of a bona fide romance between the two actors swirled back in 2014 thanks to a now-deleted Instagram post that showed Rutherford kissing Settle on the cheek.
Rufus and Lilly are a real life couple. This is too perfect. pic.twitter.com/lt995PMEsT
— Sincerely Tumblr (@SincerelyTumblr) October 28, 2014
It makes sense that fans could think that, especially since People reports that the two got divorced or separated from their partners around the same time in 2010, and used one another for support.
"He’s a great friend and I really appreciate that," Rutherford previously told People.
"We’re good friends," Settle emphasised. "Kelly and I have a lot in common because we are supporting each other at this time in our lives."
And they're continuing to support each seven years later thanks to social media — but considering the 10 year anniversary of Gossip Girl is today, we're definitely hoping for some in-person reunions as well.