Stefan and Caroline fell in love and even got married, but their love story wasn't very convincing. His quotes are proof that he never loved her much.
The eternal debate between Stelena and Delena came to a seeming end on The Vampire Diaries when Stefan fell in love with the vampire Barbie, Caroline, but not everyone was convinced. Season 6 planted the seeds of their romance — a classic story of friends who discover that they have deeper feelings for each other — but Stefan's behavior at the start was pretty much the opposite of loving.
From the get-go, he had made it clear that he and Caroline weren't going to happen, and in a way that was pretty binding and also cruel. His one true love was always Elena, which was why it was hard to believe that he found eternal love with her best friend. These quotes prove why.
Several things get better with time in season 1, but Stefan's rude rejection of Caroline's advances is not it. Granted, Caroline was still human at this time and could be annoying, but Stefan's statement sounded very definitive when he said it, mainly because he believed that he and Elena were endgame.
The girls may have been in high school but Stefan was a century-and-a-half old, so it's unlikely that he was unsure of his feelings at that time. He was mature enough to know exactly whom he wanted, and who wasn't cut out for him.
The reason why so many fans feel that Stefan and Caroline aren't soulmates was that even when he discovered that she liked him, Stefan was bamboozled by the idea of it. He couldn't see himself with her at all, which is why he asked her why she liked him.
The question itself was silly and infuriating, and predictably incensed Caroline when she heard it. Stefan didn't respond to her feelings at all at first and even apologized for "missing" the so-called connection between the two. It was obvious that he couldn't fathom it.
Season 5 was when Caroline was developing feelings slowly for Stefan, but he misread her completely. If he did love her, he would have viewed their interactions differently and picked up on the signs, but he was under the impression that she liked Enzo, instead of him.
Caroline was openly jealous when he and Elena were whispering about Stefan's murder of Enzo, and anyone could see it plain as day that she liked him more than a friend. Instead, he didn't confide in her, his best friend, about Enzo, and then also claimed that she had a thing for the deceased vamp.
Long after Stefan and Elena split up, and star-crossed lovers Damon and Elena finally got together, the younger Salvatore held out hope for getting back together with her. When he returned from his no-humanity bender, he still had feelings for Elena, and Caroline had to break it to him that his brother and she had slept together.
His reaction wasn't accepting or mournful, but frantic and hurt. He was visibly hurt by finding this out, and even desperate to know what had gone down with Elena. Stefan had categorized Caroline strictly as a friend, which was why he could discuss this openly with her.
Back to the fact that Stefan was old enough to know his preferences, going to Damon for romantic advice was not something he did often, or at all. When he loved a woman, he was sure and didn't need anyone's help or advice, but with Caroline, he went to Damon, of all people.
He sounded unsure and less than interested, which was something that even his brother picked up on. Not knowing "the best way" here meant that Stefan was reluctant to commit, and it was even weirder that he went to Damon to discuss this, who had previously used and abused Caroline when she was human.
Love means empathy and kindness, which were two things that Stefan didn't show to Caroline during her toughest time after Liz's death. He met her right before the funeral and made it quite obvious that he was going to end their romance before it even started with his diplomatic remark.
Even Caroline picked up on the disinterest, which was why she took off after the funeral was over. It is hard to believe that Caroline's touching tribute to her mother made Stefan change his mind about dating her when he was all set to reject her.
Stefan had so many romantic quotes in The Vampire Diaries, and most of them were directed at Elena, the love of his life. He longed for her long after she chose his brother, and admitted himself that he would go back to her the second she wanted him.
The writers made sure that that conflict never happened, but every viewer knows that if there had been an event where Elena would want Stefan back, he would leave Caroline without a thought to be with his true soulmate, Elena Gilbert.
Stefan was the king of romance and grand gestures, and he especially liked to splurge on his lady loves. Caroline, too, loved big and splashy proclamations of love, but something as big as a proposal was kept too low-key by Stefan for viewers to believe he loved her.
This quote made the marriage proposal even more laidback, and it was most unlike the Salvatore to hold back his emotions when it came to his soulmates. Either he wasn't feeling it, or his affection just didn't run as deep. Caroline deserved more.
The bond that Stefan shared with Elena was inimitable, which was why his love for Caroline seemed like a pale shadow of what he felt for the doppelganger. His grand declarations of how he and Elena were just right, that it felt natural and the universe aligned around them cast doubt on his affections for Caroline.
It seemed like he was settling for the next best thing when he couldn't get Elena, who was his most epic and unforgettable partner, as he said himself.
Stefan's reactions to Caroline liking him were less than satisfactory. He made it very clear that he couldn't see something between them and apologized for it which was sweet but didn't help the situation. For someone who resisted her love so incessantly, it is hard to believe he fell head-over-heels with her shortly after.
He didn't even think about her when he left Mystic Falls, let alone kept in touch with her. He forgot about her completely and made excuses for it. Even worse, he never made it clear in this time whether he wanted her or not — she was led on like a backup plan.
