Tender gaze in the morning, a loving kiss in the evening. Beyond her range of comprehension, it was brought to attention. That his love was gone, so he said so long, and not to worry.
That snowy winter night standing across from each other, he parted with several words.
“I’m leaving you, thank you for everything.”
Her boyfriend Maron never looked back, despite her tears or pleads. He kept walking. No matter how alluring she was, he wouldn’t turn back.
—Two Years Later—
“This new modeling gig is really stressing me out.”
Sighing again for what seemed like the tenth time, she swirled her coffee mixing more milk in to counter its overpowering bitterness.
“Care to talk about it for a seventh time.” Thick with sarcasm, Chloe crossed her legs putting one top on of the other.
“Chloe, I need someone to vent too.” Rosaline complained.
“Why don’t you vent to your boy toy Bennett, he usually sits by and listens.”
“Recently, he hasn’t been as willing.”
They both sighed taking a sip of their coffee in a local cafe, snow gently swayed with the wind outside dancing amongst the passing cars.
Chloe was a blonde haired woman she knew before she dropped out of college to pursue modeling, she had signature puffy bob cut and a resting sassy face. To put it politely.
“Ugh fine, whatever, vent away, it’s not like you’ll let me go anyway, and that dammed Bennett is running late.” She conceded.
“Great, I’ve been having problems with my company they’ve given me this real newbie student and want me to teach her. And right during me competing for the new brand deal.”
“Charters right, and your competing with that one Latina, Laura…” She flipped through her agencies online magazine highlighting different man and woman mostly woman in different clothing, amongst them was her rival someone she competed with for different brands. “She really is hot.”
“All she’s got on me is tits.” Rosaline said annoyed that her friend admired her. “Though that’s also the problem?”
“How so?”
“We’re competing for Charters exclusive swimwear collection and they’re only selecting a few models, and it’s getting tight.”
“Tough luck.”
“Aren’t you supposed to offer your friend words of advice like ‘no worry you got this’, or, ‘I believe in you’.” She tried to imitate her voice and posture.
“I thought you disliked liars.”
“You can be a real pain sometimes.”
“That’s real hypocritical of you.”
Laughing they’re little insults off they took another sip of their coffee.
“That remind me of Maron he had a large lying problem.”
“Maron again? It’s been two years aren’t you over it.”
“Of course I am, I’m just using him as a point of reference. I’m completely over him.”
“Really?”
“Really.” Eyes darting away from her judging gaze she saw Bennett outside. “Oh he’s here.”
“Sorry I’m late, your directions were a tad bit vague.” He complained.
“Sorry I didn’t really know the specifics, and it was only ten minutes, it’s fine.” She said pleasantly.
“Get here faster next time Bennett.”
“Right, right.”
Bennett was a tall slick haired brunette with the build of a football player, but the career of a banker.
Walking off to order, Chloe kept her gaze on his back.
“What!?”
“Nothing.” It couldn’t be.
“What’re your thoughts on Bennett?”
“Not as handsome as Maron, but he still has a good face, good job, though he is quiet every now and then he says something really meaningful. A good friend overall.”
“Right.” She half paid attention.
Bennett came back with a sandwich and tea.
“Bennett listen to this.” She recounted her modeling problem to him even showing him her rival. Chloe rolled her eyes, but Bennett listened intently his eyes even stuck on the models. She lightly kicked his shin when he gazed for too long at someone that wasn’t her, Chloe as well.
“You two are really harsh.”
“So what do you think.”
“I think you have a chance, though it’ll be difficult.” He pondered. “All I can say is good luck.”
“I really am doomed.” She slouched over.
“Your pretty, isn’t it fine letting this one go, waiting for different chances.”
“My pride won’t allow it, I have to win.”
“Of course.”
“Don’t get me wrong, I’m not obsessed with it, if I lose I lose, but I want to try my hardest.” She said with determination.
“Yeah, don’t go doing male practice.” Chloe said jokingly.
“I won’t.”
They continued the short spontaneous evening meetup with a sip of their coffee’s, she watched the clock on her phone.
“I have to get to my job, so I’ll be departing here.”
Getting up to leave she was stopped by Bennett.
“Before you go, I’m curious if you want to go to get drinks tomorrow.”
“Sorry, but I have plans, maybe another day.”
Departing into the snowy streets of Toronto the sun slowly set on the watery horizon, sending orange dazzling flares of light on luminescent buildings lighting up at night. It was her city, and she loved it.
——
“Woman are quite similar to flowers; elegant, fragrant, and beautiful. All traits that encapsulated the two, both even complementing one another. From Angel’s Trumpet with its euphoric pollen, or the common daisy and its variations.” He said swirling a glass of wine.
Santiago was his name, an Italian, a clever aged businessman not a month past thirty-two, and had a beautiful fiancé he planned to marry. Things were going well for his clothing company Charter, one of the three companies he owned. The biggest. Recently he partnered with a modeling agency to show off their models in his clothes, and he had the personal decision of who got in.
“However they are delicate. Fragile. Breaking at the slightest change of temperature. I’m looking for that resilient flower.”
He spoke to his nephew Luca who sat there awkwardly unable to grasp the meanings behind his speech.
Luca was nineteen with thick puffy black hair, his uncle was a businessman. He is an intern.
“Sooo, you’re looking for the one.”
“Exactly, I feel like I’ll find her, I have that feeling.”
“Didn’t you say that about the…”
“Silence intern.”
Grumbling, Santiago turned his chair too the dazzling city sitting in his office high above the ground, he was a visitor, and planned to rise to the top.
——
“I’m so nervous.” Her student complained, shrinking into herself.
Gloria twenty, a medium statured woman with straight sandy brown hair; she had the signature look of the girl next door with a beautiful pale doll-like appearance. Beautiful indeed like a flower.
“Calm down, it’s just a couple of people.”
“They’re like fifty of them! From different agencies and companies, I thought there would be like ten.”
Higher ups had decided they’d decide based on a fashion show, there were two modeling agencies they had an opportunity to pick from.
It wasn’t looking good.
“Remember what I taught you?”
“Look down on all of them as if they were pigs?”
“Yes but no, posture straight, gaze forward, chest out, casual stride, and you’ll win the day.”
“A-alright.”
She said that without expectations, she was beautiful, but was a tulip amongst a garden.
Though things were really bad, I didn’t think damn management would agree to something like this.
Cameras shuttered at the front stage beyond the vile of curtains, the other model her rival came back.
“That spot is mine Rosaline, it seems this is the day you fall flat.”
“We’ll see about that.” She walked past her.
She was at a disadvantage, to make things equal on decisions it was required for all of them to wear a form fitting silk white dress, great on her, as well as the seventeen other models making her the rose amongst the garden. Especially to her rival Laura who had great assets.
Regardless it was her turn.
She was bathed in the divine light of the cameras, that ecstatic rush flood to her head as their loving gazes adorned her. It was addictive.
She remembered.
—Several years ago—
It was an evening summer day at high school the setting sun leaked into the windows of the school. He waited for that perfect moment when no one was there and silence befell the school for his shot.
They were seniors at that point and he was part of the photography club, a hobby he enjoyed both in and out of school. Some of the walls were dressed in photos of different memories or objects found in nature.
“Are you sure we have to do this?” She asked nervously to Maron aiming a camera at her.
“Of course.” He said passionately.
The black gleam of the camera creating a nervous shaking inside it was hard to get used to it, seeing herself. At the time she had a case of acne, and an average body.
Though he asked so she did it.
He already got pictures in a white dress shirt and a skirt, but now the dress shirt was gone leaving her in a pink frilly bra.
“Call it what you will but your beautiful, like a thornless rose.”
“...Thank you.”
It wouldn’t be the last semi-nude photo he toke of her whether scantily dressed or covered in a bathrobe he’d keep taking pictures. And after sometimes nude.
—Present time—
It wasn’t enough.
Rosaline Thorn twenty-four a model with Japanese origin and vixen like beauty, she had clear skin, and an hourglass figure with pencil thin waist. Standing 5’8 she had a flat ponytail and bangs covering her face. She worked hard for this beauty, it was an unmistakable asset.
Shifting her legs and hips and crossing her arms she looked to the small gathering of people who were enraptured. Crossing her arms to push up her breast they crossed eyes.
Found him.
It was the boss of the event looking at her with a proud smirk. My target. Beside him a boy who he waved away when he brought him the wrong bottle of wine, and a man he happily spoke with on his left side.
She strode back to the veil of curtains.
“You're up next Gloria, remember what I told you.”
“Alright… but what am I going to do, my rents coming up? I can't miss out on this opportunity.”
“Don’t ask me.”
The fashion event continued on displaying model after model, till the dinner event occurred after.
People intermingled and mixed picking from the long table of food, and drinks. They all knew it was the perfect chance to strike, so they striked up conversations with higher ups.
“God I love your tie, and are those shoes from Charters.”
“You know I could really go for a drink after this, want to accompany me.”
“Oh wow you know that singer.”
Whores all of them. She smirked in self-righteousness.
She inched closer to her target Santiago who had a wine glass in one hand and some woman in the other, pausing for a moment he raised a glass.
“I’d like to raise a glass for the modeling agencies helping Charter, everyone that made this happen, the guest, and my lovely fiancé.”
Everyone raised a glass in unison a smile grew across her face, but frustration formed in her heart. The sounds of clicking tongues could be heard around the audience.
This just got even more challenging.
“Excuse me miss Rosaline, you look like the flower I need in my life.” A boy approached her.
“How lovely of you to say that, might I get your name.”
In high heels she stood over the boy, which a bit of alcohol installed artificial confidence in him, he was cute, a good face, and wore his suit well.
“Luca, I’m an intern.”
She froze for a moment but regained her composure quickly, a feat of her acting skills.
Is that it?
“That sounds interesting, though I think your far better suited for…” She looked around for her student, pulling her in. A donut in hand, she made a mental note to punish her later. “Her.”
“Me?”
“Yes, she’s one of the rising stars.”
“I am?”
“You are.”
The two began their awkward small talk as she hurried away, an intern wouldn’t increase her success of getting the spot. She knew that and most of the models, excluding Gloria, knew that. So she was after the man.
“Well I’ve seen a lot of models, but none like you.” The man approached.
“Who might you be.”
A bit lanky but muscular he had a shaved head, sun kissed skin, and a cool gaze.
“Ronaldo, renown boxer, you’ve never heard of.”
“Oh, that’s why you look familiar, I think I’ve seen one of your fights.”
“I’m strong in the right hooks, but you’ve hooked me.”
“Why don’t you tell me more, I wouldn’t expect you to be at an event such as this.”
“Only if you’ll come with me for drinks.”
“Hope you have enough money, cause I’ll milk you.”
She secured that gateway.
The party fitting of a business meeting it wrapped up, different people left with one another, her rival Laura left with several humming songs.
Will this be enough?
“Excuse me Rosaline… but what should I do? I’m really worried about not being able to pay rent, and I don’t think I can form any meaningful connection.”
Furrowing her brow in frustration she turned to her student, who had the intern from before waiting for her near the doors. She smiled and waved at him.
“So?”
“Can you lend me some money please, you have money, I’ll pay you back on my next paycheck.”
She gave a long sigh “Alright then what? When you encounter another problem that requires money, I already gave you money for your last problem.”
“Well I…” She looked away distressed.
“That’s just giving you incentives not to solve your own problems and come running to me.” Rosaline said coldly to get her point across, her student looked down in worry.
“Than what should I do?”
Bringing her face closer she whispered sweet words like nectar into her ear, but she only gave a pained expression.
“Good luck, I’m rooting for you.”
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