Nina Dobrev, Ian Somerhalder Keep Separate On ‘Vampire Diaries’ Set? [PHOTOS]

Good news and bad news “Vampire Diaries” fans. The good news is that everyone’s favorite CW vampire drama has begun to film its highly anticipated fifth season. The bad news is that despite Elena choosing Damon in the season four finale, photos from Nina Dobrev and Ian Somerhalder tease that they are separated on set.

Dobrev, who plays doppelgangers Elena and Katherine on the “Vampire Diaries,” took to Twitter on July 10 to share an exciting behind-the-scenes shot from the season five set. “Back to school – first day of shooting ‘The Vampire Diaries’ season 5 with miss @CandiceAccola! :)” she posted along with a photo. While Dobrev isn’t in the picture, her costar, Candice Accola, can be seen smiling for the cameras. With her blonde hair worn down, Accola as her character Caroline, is sporting pale pink shorts, a blue speckled shirt, a pink denim jacket and black bag. But it’s not her outfit that is the most revealing thing in the picture – it’s the “Whitmore College” sign behind her left shoulder.

As the series mentioned in the season four finale, Caroline and Elena will be heading off to Whitmore College for their freshman year. But “The Vampire Diaries” isn’t done with the town of Mystic Falls. Since Jeremy was brought back to life in the finale, the crew somehow has to play off his death and get him back in high school. Since Elena burnt their home down after his death, Jeremy will be moving into the Salvatore house, which is where Damon will be staying since he’s not going to college with Elena.

Somerhalder, who plays bad boy Damon Salvatore on the “Vampire Diaries,” took to his Twitter account this week to also share a photo from the news season. “He’s back … Shooting 1st scene of season five right now,” Somerhalder posted, including a photo of Damon’s daylight ring. While we don’t doubt that Damon will be visiting Elena’s dorm room at Whitmore at some point this season, the photo leads us to believe that the pair are being kept separate for now. Why do we think that? Damon’s ring is on top of something that says “Mystic Falls Timberwolves.”

Executive producer Julie Plec previously said Elena will be trying to make her relationship with Damon work when she heads off to college. “We’re definitely going to have our fun with Elena and Damon, who have taken so much time to find their way to each other really and truly,” Plec told E! Online. “We’re going to be able to enjoy that for a while.” But in usual Mystic Falls fashion, the pair will eventually find supernatural forces driving them apart.

“Vampire Diaries” fans have been nervous about the on-screen couple ever since Dobrev and Somerhalder called off their three-year, off-screen romance in May; however, a source close to the pair dished to Us Weekly that Dobrev and Somerhalder will “continue to work together and remain best friends.”

“The relationship kind of brewed out of a friendship and the fact that they had to get into a romance for the show,” another insider explained. The source continued that there was “no mean-spiritedness behind either of their motives.”