"What am I gonna do?" She wondered, her head rested on his shoulder, their backs against the foot of the bed as they sat on the floor, his arms wrapped around her. He stared at the top of her head, her blonde curls the only thing he could see, the sound of her voice, broken and defeated seemed to echo throughout the silent room. She turned, lifting her head up to meet his eyes, and his heart broke for her. Her cheeks stained with dried tears that she had refused to wipe away, while more tears threatened to fall from her green eyes.
"I don't know what to do without him."
She stared at him, lost and confused. And Nathan Scott never hated his brother more than he did at that moment.
But he moved then, manuevering himself so that he was kneeling directly in front of her. He gave her a sad smile, lifting his hands to cup her cheeks and using his thumbs to wipe away her tears. His eyes never left hers. "You're going to let him go, Peyt. You're strong, you'll fight this and you'll win. You're going to live your dreams and you'll be happy, because you deserve to be. You had a life before Lucas, and you'll have a life after him, too. Okay?"
Peyton Sawyer smiled then, sure it was small and if he hadn't known her as long as he had he wouldn't be able to tell it was there.
"Okay."
He released a breath he hadn't known he was holding, glad that he had gotten through to her. Realizing that he was afraid he wouldn't be able to.
"Okay," he echoed, slipping his arms around her waist in a hug. He felt her arms snake around his neck and felt as her arms tightened; she was holding onto him for dear life.
"You're going to get through this," he assured her, "and you're not going to be alone either, all right? I'll be there. We all will. You better believe that, Sawyer."
"I... I do, Nate. I really do."
He nodded, squeezing her just a little. "Good. Let's get you to bed, P."