Ian Somerhalder and costar Nina Dobrev won the Peoples Choice Award for “favorite on-screen chemistry” at the Peoples Choice Awards on Wednesday–despite the fact that they broke up in real life back in May. The two star opposite each other on the CW’s hit TV show The Vampire Diaries, as Damon Salvatore and Elena Gilbert. What followed was a rather witty and very clever banter.

“Thank you, wow, this is crazy,” said Somerhalder said upon receiving the award. “Can you believe that this is almost five years in the making?”

“You’re right, yeah,” Nina Dobrev replied. “But you know, I think what’s crazier though Ian, is at the beginning of the show is Elena actually hated Damon.”

“You were hooking up with my brother [Stefan, played by Paul Wesley],” Ina Somerhalder reminded her.

“Well, you killed my brother,” she reminded him.

“Then eventually she fell in love with me,” he said.

“And then we started dating on the show,” she said.

“Then we started dating in real life,” Somerhalder said.

“And then we broke up in real life,” she added.

“And yet our characters are still dating on the show,” he reminded her.

“It’s a good thing it’s not awkward,” Dobrev said, laughing rather nervously.

After the two glanced at one another sideways, Ian Somerhalder gave Nina Dobrev a kiss on the cheek, once again thanked the audience and all the fans who voted for them, and both of them exited the stage.

Do you think this was planned? Were Ian Somerhalder and Nina Dobrev warned ahead of time that they had won this award and that they really needed to make an awkward situation into a funny one? Who knows? The two reportedly work together well on the show and have remained friendly outside of work as well. Somerhalder even tweeted happy birthday wishes to Nina later that same evening for her Thursday birthday.

Happy Birthday @ninadobrev !!! The world loves you!We all do;) Enjoy the moment, enjoy the day,enjoy the year!

— ian somerhalder (@iansomerhalder) January 9, 2014

Whether the thank you speech was scripted or not, Ian Somerhalder and Nina Dobrev pulled it off flawlessly. Maybe at next year’s Peoples Choice Awards they’ll be given an award for the best and most awkward acceptance speech.

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