“When Mark [Schwahn, the show’s creator] asked me to come back as a series regular I told him I only would if we could make a really powerful love story for Brooke and Julian," he told examiner.com. "I wanted him to give them the greatest love story. I mentioned 'The Notebook' to him. I wanted him to give them that kind of love and story, a fountainhead love. And in 'The Notebook' even when they fight, it’s how it is now for Brooke and Julian, it’s fun to watch them fight. It’s sexy. It’s inspiring.”

He added that if Mark had had any other ideas for the cute couple, then he wasn't made aware of them. In fact, Mark seemed down for all his suggestions. "If he was, he didn't tell me," Austin said. "He just asked me what I thought and then he just agreed with everything I said about them. He was very happy to write to them that kind of a love story. I think because it worked in season six, he knew it could continue. When something works, it's great. It's been fun."

In fact, he says that his offscreen chemistry with Ms. Bush has a lot to do with that. "For some reason there's this it factor. When Brooke and Julian, and Sophia and I, get together there's just a great chemistry that happens," he said. "There's just this really great energy there when we work together."

Do you agree with Austin: is there great energy between Brooke and Julian?