Peyton sat on her bed and stared blankly at the wall. Tears wouldn't come if she didn't think of Brooke or the pain that has been clouding her head since she walked out of the hotel room and away from Brooke a month ago. As if a siren is calling her mind to wander, the memories started to bombard her with unprecedented clarity. Before she could become the past's captive, there was a knock on her bedroom door. When she didn't answer, it was swung open to reveal a sympathetic looking Nathan. He walked over to the bed and sat at the edge of it. He looked at Peyton and saw she was in the same clothes he left her in two days ago, and her hair looked like it hadn't been washed in days. He sighed about to call her on it, when she turned to him with eyes that seem lost while sad. Nathan moved closer to her and gave her an enveloping brotherly hug, causing the tears to cascade down her face not for the first time.
"Peyt, I can't stand seeing you like this, locked up in here in the dark. It's not healthy, and to be honest you're starting to scare me." Nathan let go and looks at Peyton, "Haley says you haven't been to the studio in a month. What about your artist Peyt? What about Mia?" Peyton turns her head at hearing this. She knew she wasn't helping Mia and the bands signed to Red Bedroom acting like this, but she couldn't even help herself right now. "Nate, I just don't have it in me… It hurts so fucking bad Nathan," at this she turns to him pounding her chest for emphasis, "My heart feels like it's been ripped out, I can't…." At this she began to sob in earnest causing Nathan to grab her in a bone breaking hug once again. They sat like that until her tears slow and she has calmed down a little. "You're miserable Peyt." "Gee thanks for the complement Nate." Ignoring Peyton's sarcastic tone which still held a note of sadness, "You have to talk to Brooke." Peyton visibly tensed when she heard the name o00f the one who held her heart, but also ripped it to pieces. "There is nothing left for me to say that I didn't tell her back in that hotel room. I'm over it." Peyton says with as much conviction as she can muster. Nathan sees right through it and calls her on it, "I call bull shit. If you're over it, Dan didn't kill his own brother in cold blood." He continued, " Look Peyt, I of all people know what you're going through, does the name Chris Keller ring a bell, but freezing her out is not the way to solve things. She made a mistake…" "Un- fucking-believable, you're taking her side!" Peyton accused fire evident in her green eyes. "No, I'm not taking sides at all" Nathan replied, "but let me ask you this, is it worth throwing away four years? You two were meant to be and you're gonna let that go over one drunken mistake when you know she didn't mean it? Well that's on you but what you will not do is continue to wallow and hide from the world. Jamie needs his Aunt Peyton." At this Nathan surprised her by lifting her off of the bed. He carried her into the bathroom and into the walk-in shower which he switched on allowing the still cold water to soak both of them. "What the hell Nathan! It's freaking cold!" Peyton yelled, showing more life than she has in a long while. "You stink Sawyer, and if we're gonna pick Jamie up from school you gotta take care of that. I'll be back to pick you up in thirty minutes, so hurry your skinny ass up because school will be letting out soon." With that he turned to walk out the bathroom. "Asshole!" Peyton shouted to his retreating form. "Love you too Sawyer." He replied sweetly.
Peyton stood in the shower thinking over what Nathan had said. Though she wouldn't admit it to him ever, he had made a few valid points. She had promised Mia she would do all that was in her power to help her make the best album she could, and though Haley had taken over the project in Peyton's absence, she knew she was needed. She also knew she had to get out of the house even if only for Jamie's sake. The little boy, who captured her heart from the first time she had seen his little face, was at an impressionable age, and he looked up to her. Peyton knew she would have to talk to Brooke also, but she couldn't bring herself to do that just yet. Pulling from strength she kept hidden in a special reserve, the same strength used to continue to live after Ellie and fake Derek, she adjusted the water, stripped, and stepped back in. As she washed her body she couldn't help but think of when Brooke would join her in the shower; how as the water would cascade over their bodies they would wash each other while stealing touches and kisses. As her hand moved over her breast, she remembered how Brooke would spend extra time on each of them, lathering, with her hand full of cool lavender scented body wash, allowing special attention to be paid on her highly sensitive nipples. Continuing down, she would wash her tone mid-drift allowing her nails to scrape across the planes of her stomach slightly, which always made Peyton shiver, before drifting down to trace the tattoo on her pelvic bone. Peyton's hand drifted to the B she had tattooed in the identical spot as Brooke's P. Her hand then drifted down lower grazing over sensitive flesh allowing a moan to escape her mouth and bounce off of the tile of the shower, which seemed to break Peyton out of her sensual trip down memory lane.
After finishing her shower, Peyton dried her hair and got dressed, deciding to wait outside on the porch for Nathan's SUV to pull up. She had to admit, though she was still an emotional wreck, the shower did help to a certain extent. Hearing the old school Doug E. Fresh from a block away, she looked up to see Nathan's car approaching. She stood and walked to the car once it made it to the driveway. Once in the passenger seat, Nathan reversed and they're one their way to the school. Nathan looks over and notices though Peyton still looks sad, she does look a little better, which he would take over nothing, one step closer to a breakthrough.