From PEOPLE Magazine Click to enlarge
Demi Lovato and Joe Jonas had been virtually inseparable for months. Not only were the Camp Rock 2 costars recording new songs together, they were finishing each other's sentences in interviews and tweeting flirty messages. But it wasn't until the pair hit Nickelodeon's 23rd Annual Kids' Choice Awards March 27 in Los Angeles, that the Disney duo were ready to take their relationship to the red carpet level. "We've never actually stepped out and held hands until today-in front of people," Lovato told Access Hollywood. "It's a great feeling," she added to Canada's eTalk. "When you're in love, you want the world to know!"

The Sonny with a Chance star, 17, hadn't always felt that way. Last fall, when a blogger suggested Jonas, 20, who previously dated Taylor Swift, and Lovato, who had been linked to Miley's brother Trace Cyrus, were an item, she tweeted, "We've never dated," adding of the "desperate" rumors, "He's incredible, but we don't have feelings for each other in that way." But as they sang their new duet, "Make a Wave," on American Idol March 24, their impassioned performance clearly showed that something had shifted. "Over time feelings grow," Lovato explained in a joint interview with Ryan Seacrest the next day. "As much as I wanted to deny it, the feelings were always there." For his part, Jonas added, "We've been best friends for the longest time, and now we're just kind of taking the next step."