Separated ways

22.Real face

Hi! Today this chapter and I want to give it to @FreeThoughts271. You wanted to see so much what is wrong with Antoine and now I hope you will be satisfied, won't you? I wish you nice reading, even if it may be a little too ethics chapter.

The story François told her didn't leave Penny's mind for whole month. But still there was somthing that boiled inside of her when she was kept in the background on the action. She just couldn't stand her obedient nature sometimes. It was far to polite. Sam always tried to listen to her calmly, but in the end he told her the same thing: That they were almost half past their exchange. 

It helped her worked through every shift. She couldn't deny she had fan with Émilie, Jean, Mattieu and François, but every time Antoine came into the room the laughter faded away as if it was scared. 

"I'm telling you" Penny told once Ellie when they were talking on the video call. "Antoine is so different comparing to Sam" she added a little dreamily, but when she realized what she had just absent-mindedly said, she immdiatelly tried to hide her as red as a tomato face behind her hand. 

"Ohh, you still have your head over Sam, don't you?" Ellie whispered, grinning cheeky from ear to ear. 

"Stop beliving in rumors!" Penny spoke boldly, but however deep inside something like anger was begining to boil. 

"Don't you know that there is some truth in every rumor?" Ellie couldn't stop herself from teasing her best friend. "Besides, I've seen enough prove to be aware that the rumors aren't really rumors".

"What do you mean by that?" Penny looked at the display confused, but she didn't dare to look Ellie in the eye. 

"Are you for real right now?" Ellie shook her head desperately. "Tu  l'aime (You love him)" she tried to speak in French. 

"Why are you speaking in French suddenly?" Penny tried with all her will not to let herself show that she understood perfectly well what Ellie had just said, even if her accept was so bad it was barely heard what she told. 

"Maybe in other language it will reach your mind properly" Ellie sighed in resignation. "You're two are a hopeless case. Whole Pontypandy has been talking about you behind your backs and you even haven't noticed". 

"Or maybe we didn't want to" Penny objected. "Sam is a professional, always concered about work, there's no place for...".

"You're starting again? Don't you see how much it affects him that you are so far away from each other?" Ellie asked mischeviously, smiling in a way Penny knew better than she would like. 

"That's what a mobile phone or video chats are for" Penny pointed. 

"But it won't make up for honest heart-to-heart conversation you struggle with" Ellie argued. And no matter how much Penny didn't like the tone of her best friend, she had to agree with her. Sam was always there for her when she needed it the most and disappeared without even asking, because Penny couldn't find boldness to open up her mouth. 

She was lost in thoughts when she was helping Mattieu and Jean with cleaning protection devices for spare valves on breathing apparatus. She hadn't realized that her mind was far away, until Jean's knife slid down too quickly and Penny didn't have time to withdraw her hand and the blade of the knife ran across the inside of her hand. Penny bit her lips to keep herself from hissing in pain as she withdrew her hand and instinctively reached for a tissue lying next to her. 

"Je suis désolé, Penny(I'm sorry, Penny)" Jean apoligised immediatelly, putting his knife away as he added worriedly. "Es-tu d'accord?(Are you okay?)"