Jason Derulo made his first public appearance since sustaining a serious neck injury that almost left him paralyzed.

He hurt his neck after landing on his head while rehearsing for tour and was forced to cancel the trek while he recovered. He stepped out and was all neck braced and Starbucks-ed while hugging his "friend" Jordin Sparks. He was also wearing a big smile, so we're glad the singer's recovery is moving full steam ahead.

Derulo was seen with Sparks, who has recently been rumored to be his girlfriend, thanks to the lovey dovey tweets they send to one another. Despite the outpouring of Smart Phone PDAs, he has denied that she is anything more than a friend. Uh huh. The pop star doth protest too much. Judging by the body language in this photo and the smiles on their faces, there's a little something something going on and these two may as well stop denying it.

Derulo and Sparks were snapped on Jan. 19, hugging and being affectionate. Sparks was filming a commercial and Derulo was on set. While his neck brace looks stiff and uncomfortable, he was fashionable in a leather jacket and jeans -- that may have been hanging a bit too low. His best accessory, though, is Sparks.

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