Couples

Ashley Tisdale Easing Back Into Dating

By Natasha Stoynoff

04/21/2009 at 09:00 AM EDT

Who was that good-looking mystery man pushing Ashley Tisdale's luggage cart at LAX recently?

It's not what you think, insists the newly-single Tisdale.

"He's a really hot, good friend of mine," the singer-actress told E! of her relationship with music-video director Scott Speer. "I'm not in a relationship. I'm single."

Tisdale, 23, recently split from V Factory musician and her High School Musical costar Jared Murillo. And she's been friends with Speer, 26, "for a really long time," says one source – not to mention colleagues as well. Speer worked with Tisdale in 2007 and directed the just-released video for the single "It's Alright, It's OK," from her new album, Guilty Pleasure.

"We have a really good, creative relationship," she told E! But the couple sure looked more cozy, less collegial, as they strolled arm-in-arm after lunching in Malibu on Saturday.

"They've been enjoying hanging out together," says a friend, of the blossoming romance. "Ashley's just easing back into the dating world."

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