He wished that he could ease her suffering and her pain. He hated to see her like this. She'd suffered through more than anyone else should have to in and entire lifetime and it wasn't fair that life just kept throwing more at her. She deserved a break to be happy.
His fingers slid under her chin and gently he tilted it so she was looking at him. He looked deeply into her eyes, eyes that held nothing but adoration for her. "You don't have to be okay right now, Elena," he said.
It was the truth. He didn't expect her to come back and automatically be the same woman she had been before she had lost Jeremy. He wasn't sure he wanted her to be that woman, sired to him. The question still remained in the air if she was sired to him again, but he wasn't going to test that just yet. She needed some time to put herself back together.
He had no idea where they stood, but he could only assume that the talk she wanted to have with him somehow related to the short relationship that they had, and he somewhat dreaded that conversation. He was sure that she would want Stefan back. But for now he tried to push those thoughts aside and focus on trying to make her feel better.