You Still Run Through My Head

"Could you push your hair to the side a little more Barbara?" A faint voice asked the petite figure before her. Through the girl's thick-rimmed black glasses and camera lens, she watched in pure awe as the gorgeous model move graciously on set.

It was almost as if it was too good to be true. Pose after pose; Barbara never failed to amaze everyone who worked with her every single day. Who could blame her though, she was absolutely stunning.

With the push of a button, Mariana on the other hand was able to catch each and every second of the pitch perfect moment. After all, it was the beauty the pictures held once processed that captured her attention the most. It was especially what drew her into the dazzling and mysterious world of photography from the beginning.

In less than two years, she was able to beat the odds and create a name for herself in the city that never sleeps much to disapproval from others she faced in the past. Since then, she had decided to leave her past behind and for good.

What was the point of letting others get in the way of true happiness? Part of her dreaded just the slight thought about anything before her career due to the pain inflicted on each memory which replayed inside her head.

Despite her success, there were still a few people who were amazed at how much she changed since time progressed forward. Change. That word never ceased when it came to haunting her on a daily basis.

For once she desperately wished people would stop commenting on her newly based lifestyle and focused on other things. Through her striking, electric blue eyes, change was inevitable but deciding to finally to grow up was an entirely different path which she took alone. If only everyone else was able to see that besides herself.

"Let's get a little more wind on set please," Mariana slightly yelled towards Andre, a friend of hers ever since she began working for Victoria's Secret.

Right away, the male's ears perked up as soon as Mariana addressed him; lips curled at her words. Almost immediately, she began to receive just the outstanding photographs she had desired from the very start.

Barbara sat down posing with her chest out and her face so enticing it would bring any person to their knees. The velvet red, lace bra with small bow in the middle clothed over her body accented her features along with the matching pair of irresistible lace underwear which held shield her lower half from the rest of the world.

Underneath the lightening, a beautiful and astonishing picture was able to be produced in just a short amount of time.

Mariana quickly adjusted her position as soon as Barbara took a set of her flowing ombre colored locks into her hands, slowly twirling the strand behind her ear. All in all, there was one thing Mariana simply did best during photo shoots in terms of her work: she focused more on capturing the essence of reality each photograph held.

It was in the photograph where people brought their eyes to just more than a model's body for once or to the clothes they wore. Within each image she took, people were able to see past a person's flaws and instead appreciate their natural beauty inside and out.

Before Mariana was able to snap out another picture, a ringing broke her attention away from the subject at hand.

"Whose phone is that?" She spoke up only to not receive a response from the owner in return. Crew along with other models, glanced at one another in hopes that at least someone would own up to the slight accident of forgetting to turn their cellular device off before arriving to work.

Not once, had she ever spoken a little more boldly before, or in a tone which seemed upset maybe even angry at the disruption. Everyone was fearful due to this. Never had they imagined, such a timid girl to become so heated at all. Barbara shifted in her spot causing Mariana to glimpse at the tall girl who was now looking uneasy.

"I'm so sorry," Barbara apologized almost at once. "I was rushing to work after traffic and I guess I just forgot to turn it off Mariana, could you please forgive me?"

Instead of answering the girl's plea for forgiveness, she merely signaled for a break amongst everyone. In just a small amount of time, it felt as if the weight of the world was crashing down on her once more. As she began packing up her camera and lenses, a hand laid on her shoulder causing her body to stiffen at the sudden touch.

"What's wrong?" Andre's voice came into the picture beside her. Quietly, she returned to zipping up her photographer bag before placing the strapped across her chest. Mariana wanted nothing more to escape from the trouble and nerve-racking building which now brought more stress to her. If her day wasn't already hectic enough it added to it.

"It's nothing Andre," she replied. "Really, I mean it." His eyes softened as he glimpsed again at the younger girl before him. As much as he frantically wanted to assist Mariana, part of him knew the strong-willed girl would be last person to ask for help no matter how much she tragically needed it the most.

Walking out of the large building, Mariana stepped out into the chilly, New York air allowing the wind to gently hit her now teary-eyed face. In that moment, she struggled to remove the distressing memories from her mind which continuously prolonged inside throughout most of the day. It wasn't until the incident with Barbara's phone brought them all back in a blur.

After the tremendous incident back home, she could barely bring herself to live without worries anymore. For a whole year, tragedy had left Mariana stranded and stuck as if time had stopped right then and there. The once lively and wholesome girl quickly found herself spiraling downwards in the blink of an eye which surprised many away in the process.

Slowly, she began separating herself with each passing day from the ones she loved in hopes of coping with the misfortune she experienced. It was impossible for her to get her mind off the topic due to the trouble that followed it automatically. Sleepless nights and teary eyes were the only outcomes of what she believed to be a solution.

Once again, it had seemed as if she lost everything she loved right for a second time - the horrific memories being the demise of her to no end. Being the unfortunate one never did her right and still to this day she suffered immensely behind closed doors.

Mariana sighed as she sat up against the building, watching the other pedestrians on the street pass by as time continued without her. Her fingers moved along to her left hand as she toyed with the valuable ring upon her body. The 18K White Gold Halo Diamond Ring sat peacefully to her own dismay. It wasn't so much the ring but the constant reminder it brought about.

Nathan, her fiancé, was currently in a business meeting with his future clients. As a highly important and profound business lawyer for companies, it wasn't new to her about his constantly busy schedule. Between forming new partnerships and bonds with powerful businesses, Nathan was able to make a name for him as well but it was there when his bond with Mariana suffered in the end.

Truthfully, she loved him dearly with all her heart but there were times were the spark distinguished leaving Nathan to make it up with unnecessary gifts and sweet nothings time after time. When the proposal came about, she was in a whirlwind of emotions; mostly panic. There wasn't a day that went by where she didn't question whether or not she was making the right decision in agreeing to stay by his side.

Honestly, he was the only one who had been there for her after chaos struck. In Mariana's mind she personally owed it to Nathan who stuck with her throughout all her misery and pain along with getting her to open her own eyes and discover that everything would all be okay in the end.

The only problem now was Nathan wasn't here to comfort her. Without him, a part of Mariana was missing to her dislike. Opening the side pouch to her bag, she pulled out a glass container of Starbucks' chocolate frappuccino blend and let the smooth mixture flow into her mouth.

Out into the distance, the sound of thunder shook her out of her discomfort for the time being. She hated thunder; all it brought was nothing but trouble with it. A storm was beginning to brew, and she could sense it was coming soon...