Of course Stefan had heard about what had happened between Elena and Damon. Well, Damon hadn't been terribly forthcoming, but that had been expected. It hadn't been a huge stretch of his imagination to fill in the blanks. They'd split up, and it was at least partly to do with him.
He'd stayed clear. As much as he cared, he knew that his presence was only going to be an emotional catalyst, and not in a positive way. Feelings were running high, and he didn't want to hurt his brother. Or Elena. It was an absolute mess. Even the other Damon was in pieces. It was like they just couldn't grab a break.
He'd been out for a walk, just trying to clear his head when someone banged into him- of course, of all the people on the island, it would be Elena. He swallowed hard, eyes shifting around as if he was reluctant to make eye-contact. He was being ridiculous.
"Don't worry about it," he told her, forcing a little smile, and managing to meet her eye. "How are you doing?" he asked, genuinely wanting to know. No matter what had happened, he did still care deeply for her.