"I guess you're right," Pepper said doubtfully, feeling all of the gathering pain sharper now that she knew that it had spread to more people that she cared about. "Can't see the harm in talkin' to 'em, though. And Brian's still gonna get a solid punch from me anyway. We dun't need anythin' else makin' Wens more neurotic than he is."

She sighed then. That was the problem, wasn't it? She couldn't take it back. Even if she tried, it wouldn't be true. So where did that leave things, exactly? Any other person probably would have backed out, packed up, gone home. How did the saying go? - 'Unrequited love's a bore?' But she had to be there for him, she had said she would be. No, it was more selfish than that. She didn't want to lose him. Not in any capacity. So if the rules were set, she would have to listen to them.

"I..." She swallowed dryly before beginning again. "I just dun't want it... awkward. I mean, I dun't want to act like it didn't happen either, because that never makes things all right. But it would be worse if we couldn't talk to each other, or...." Or a million other things. Like flinching away from contact, or not being able to look one another in the eye, or always over-analyzing what they said to each other.