When Elena asked Rick to take away her memories of Damon, many saw this as a chance for Elena to rekindle her relationship with Stefan, her ex-boyfriend. And although there was the much-hyped fake proposal, nothing worked out between the two, and the hopes of a romance was dashed after Caroline professed to Elena her feelings for Stefan.
Stefan is yet to move out of the friend zone, and the midseason premiere saw a step in the right direction. Sheriff Forbes' cancer appears to be bringing the duo together, and Elena, too, seems to want to get back with Damon, a prospect that is being dreaded by Stelena fans, who are still holding out hopes for an Elena-Stefan romance.
Paul Wesley, the actor who plays Stefan, recently opened up his character's romantic life and noted that fans shouldn't completely ditch their hopes of seeing Stefan and Elena as a couple.
"I'm telling you, all it takes is one shift in writing," he told TVLine when asked about a future Elena-Stefan romance. "All it takes is one intelligently shifted moment or new storyline to sort of diverge and — boom! — we're back on the Stefan and Elena train. I have no idea what the writers are doing or planning on doing or if that's something they're even interested in, but I wouldn't eliminate anything from the equation."
The actor, who has always been a supporter of the Caroline-Stefan romance, revealed that Caroline has become an important part of Stefan's life, somewhat similar to how Elena was at the beginning of the show.
"In a weird way, his main focus is Caroline. That's sort of been his M.O. lately. She's sort of a huge part of his life now as a friend. Stefan and Elena were so inseparable, bonded, etc., and Caroline and Stefan are now sort of the duo. Everything he does revolves around Caroline at this point," noted Wesley.
"The Vampire Diaries" airs on Thursdays on CW.