Pepper smiles tremulously, touched by the words even in the midst of this emotional upheaval, drawing in a deep, steadying breath while Steve struggles with what he has to say.
When he finally gets everything out, all she feels is gratitude and relief. She never saw Steve's reaction that day as anything but justified. He had been betrayed; it was difficult to remain unemotional about that. She nods vigorously, wiping away the bit of moisture at the corner of her eye. "I really want to. I want to put this behind us and be friends again. I can't stand the idea of something like this getting between us."