Elena knew it was harsh of her to say, a solid blow to his already wounded ego and his heart, but it was sadly the truth. Caroline didn't care about Tyler; if she did, she would be sitting here right now, comforting the hybrid instead of it being her best friend. It made sense; she was still a teenager at heart. She was lost in her own emotions. The only difference? She had someone to save her: Klaus. Tyler had no one at all. Not here and not back home. All he had? Chasing after a vampire who'd flipped the switch. It wasn't a glamorous existence by far. Still, he kept after her, even now. Even when he didn't need to be around her anymore, he'd texted her to come. Right then, as sad and pathetic as it might appear, they were all each other had at the moment. Maybe for a good long while too.
Elena let out a bitter laugh in return. She hadn't really expected him to go all weepy eyed on her with the sentiment. His reaction was really along the lines of what she'd expected when she said it. As bitter as her own responding laugh had been. "It starts loosing it's splendor after the first ten times you hear it," she replied quietly. "It's just words after awhile." She couldn't tell him how many times she'd heard it over the last year alone and how, no matter what, she just kept on hearing it. Death was something she'd never, ever stop, especially from affecting the ones she loved the most. "Something to fill awkward space..." Because people really didn't know what to say about death or how to act. Protocol was necessary, a standard outline of what should be done, grieving and planning, but it never erased the awkwardness that came with those words. "I'm sorry".
She reached for her recently refilled drink, but the feel of his fingers on her arm stopped her. They wrapped around her small wrist, tightening a bit, but not hard enough to cause her any pain. There was no intent to scare her or intimidate her now. Rather, it was more of holding on to something, someone, as a last lifeline. His brown eyes seemed to beg her for a distraction, something that would take his mind, however briefly, off Caroline and Klaus, but also about destroying this entire place in his rage. He was right; he had a short fuse. It wasn't going to be pretty one little bit.
Pushing back her bar stool, the vampire stood and tugged her wrist free, breaking contact only briefly in favor of his hand instead. "I like this song. So, we are dancing to it, okay?" It might have been posed as a question, but Elena had already tugged him off to the floor with all her vampire strength.