“The Vampire Diaries” is ready to begin filming its fifth season … which means ex-couple Nina Dobrev and Ian Somerhalder will have to face each other after a few months apart.

Although the co-stars never confirmed nor denied their split, their breakup hit news outlets in early May -- right around the same time that “The Vampire Diaries” wrapped up shooting for season four. Since then the two have went their separate ways, only briefly reuniting at the CW Upfronts in late May to promote their hit series. After Dobrev was allegedly caught crying after having a heart-to-heart with her former lover, the duo continued the rest of their filming hiatus by jumping into other projects. Somerhalder spent the past couple months overseas on his upcoming film, “The Anomaly,” while Dobrev shared some laughs with Damon Wayans Jr. and Jake Johnson in their new comedy, “Let’s Be Cops.”

“The Vampire Diaries” is set to resume on Monday, July 8, and Nina Dobrev spent the last week vacationing in Thailand with friends … and the pictures are sure to make her former beau a little jealous. Hanging with her close buds Julianne and Derek Hough, a group of them went on a horseback ride where a photograph shows Dobrev saddled up next to former “That '70s Show” star Topher Grace. But it’s not that photo that has fans in a frenzy -- it’s another photo of her kissing an unidentified shirtless man!

A few photos of Dobrev’s bikini clad vacation have ended up on Twitter and a handful of them show her getting pretty cozy with a mysterious (and hot) brunette man. In one picture, Dobrev has her arms around his shoulders while sharing a drink from a coconut. In another photo she has her arm wrapped around the mysterious guy’s neck while kissing him on the cheek.

Ian Somerhalder hasn’t been that innocent this summer either. Rumors began to circulate that he was dating Malese Jow, another “Vampire Diaries” co-star, after the actress Instagrammed a few photos of them together (one of him kissing her cheek).

But with a few months apart behind Dobrev and Somerhalder, the two will be forced to come face-to-face in Atlanta to begin filming season five of “The Vampire Diaries.” While Dobrev has kept quiet on Twitter for the past few days, Somerhalder took to the social media site on Sunday, July 7, to tease fans about his return.

And while many speculate that the reunion will be awkward, a source told E! Online post-breakup that the pair are “still friends” and that they don’t have any “bad blood between them.” “There was no other person involved or any big fight,” explained the insider. “They still talk daily. This wasn’t something out of the blue.”

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