He wasn't good when it came to crying women. Or, at least, Isaac didn't think that he was, but when Lydia's eyes started to fill with tears once more his face softened with a sense of empathy that he doubted anyone else would ever really be able to feel for her. He knew what it felt like, being on the edge. He knew what it felt to be alone, but this time it was his fault, and Isaac hated himself for that.
He didn't ask her permission or give a warning touch this time. Instead, Isaac's arms started to stretch outward as he stepped forward, and they wrapped around Lydia tightly to pull her into a tight embrace. One arm kept itself hooked around her waist but the other moved so that his hand could place itself on the back of her head, holding her into him so he could rest his chin on the top of it. "You had every right to be mad at me," he confessed to her, his voice uncharacteristically soft and soothing as he squeezed her gently. "I was being selfish, I was so fucking selfish and I should have known this was going to happen. I shouldn't have assumed they would have told you, I shouldn't have-" he stopped when his voice gave a surprising crack, and it wasn't until then that Isaac realized his own vision was getting blurred. The guilt was palpable, and he closed his eyes tightly as he sucked in a deep breath.
"Mom left me alone, and then Camden left me alone, and then dad, and then Derek, and I know. I know how fucking horrible that feels and I never - god, Lydia, I never wanted to make anybody feel that way, especially not you. Not you. I didn't want that. I just wasn't thinking, I - everybody I cared about was in the graveyard and I didn't want to be there anymore, I didn't want to be around it anymore, and I was selfish. And I'm so fucking sorry, Lydia. If I could take it back I would, I swear I would, in a second." He shifted to press a soft kiss to the side of her head, resting his cheek against her. "I didn't know. I didn't know you felt it, I had no idea, I - Lydia, I'm so sorry. I didn't know. I didn't know."
He took one last deep breath to compose himself, the hand on the back of her head moving so he could quickly wipe his eyes, and he pulled away from her just enough so he could look down at her and take her face in both of his hands, thumb brushing against her cheek to wipe away her tear. "You're not a bitch." He said it firmly, his voice still somewhat wavered with emotion but strong, all the same. He made sure to hold her gaze. "You're one of the smartest - no, actually, you are the smartest, strongest woman that I know. Just because you have your own brain and you have your own free will, that doesn't make you a bitch, Lydia. It makes you one hell of a woman. Whoever says anything differently, they're not worth keeping around. Because they can't handle being around you."
He leaned down to press another swift kiss to her forehead, and this time when he pulled back to look down at her there was guilt reflected in his expression. "I'm sorry. You needed someone there for you and I left, and that wasn't fair to you. And you didn't deserve that. You're not on the fringes, Lydia, you're a person, and I shouldn't have treated you that way." Apologizing was the hardest thing to do for Isaac, because he had spent so long apologizing for things that weren't his fault just to avoid harm. But this one was deserved, especially to someone who probably never heard it enough in the first place.