On a morning that was happy as the bright grin on her face, Mariana packed her hair into a messy bun in the mirror. She fluffed it out and wore a gray hoodie with sweatpants. Then applied a light layer of lipstick, puckering her lips out and squeezing them into a smile. She was in a very positive mood, maybe it was because she was having a good week for once.

Once she was all ready, she got her phone and keys, plugging her earphones in as she could listen to some music on her way to the park. She was still in the mood to listen to Evanescence as she put on Whisper, one of her favorites during this time.

Catch me as I fall
Say you're here and it's all over now
Speaking to the atmosphere
No one's here and I fall into myself.

She knew it was not a good idea to listen to depressing songs in the morning, it will just make her feel sadder, but this song, in particular, she liked very much, it was sad yet powerful.

"I know I can stop the pain if I will it all away..." she muttered as she gathered her stuff together and sorted some away. She came outside her bathroom and Rio was peeking his head out from the baluster.

"Come, Rio, don't stay near there." She motioned for him to come towards her, away from danger. His tail stuck high in the air, as his little feet obediently followed her down the stairs. His small, furry head rubbed against her, meowing affectionately. She played around his ears which he enjoyed.

Before she left, she grabbed a banana from the fruit bowl. This time, she wasn't going out on an empty stomach and wanted to have something filling. She wasn't ready to eat foods like toast yet, just fruits and breakfast bars.

She peeled it open and started eating as she closed the door behind her. Rio managed to squeeze out and started walking alongside her down the watered path of her yard.

"You want to come with me Rio?" she said. He didn't make any sound and just kept walking ahead of her down the road.

"Okay, you can come with me to exercise with Amell," she said, smiling at her big boy, feeling like a proud mom.

They reached the park in just a few minutes. The sidewalk seemed lightly wet and dim in the gloomy light. It was slightly windy but she wasn't that cold, even though she wrapped her arms around herself.

"Hey, Mariana," Amell greeted her when he saw her figure. He had a big smile on his face upon seeing her this morning. She was like an angel in the midst, even though the colors she wore blended well with their surroundings, she still stood out to him.

"Is that your cat?" He asked.

"Yeah, he's my little husband, he's taking good care of me today, and made sure I got here safely," she said in a joking manner. She rubbed his head again as he started licking his lips.

"He's cute. What is his name?"

"His name is Rio," Mariana said proudly, her cheeks lighting with affection for her cat.

"Rio? That reminds me of Brazil."

"Rio de Janeiro." She started laughing as that was part of the reason why she called him that. The primary reason was that it sounded like a really good name for a boy cat.

Amell put on some music from his ready as Mariana started jogging on the spot a little. She was feeling much more refreshed.

"Are you ready?" Amell asked.

"Ready!"

They started running around at a comfortable pace. Mariana could feel her bun coming loose as the little bump was slightly hitting her neck. She hoped that it could stay in place after their run, and the scrunchie didn't come off because she wasn't bothered about stopping to redo it.

"I'm starting to enjoy these runs you know," Mariana said, feeling the cold gust blow against her face, cooling her down as she shook her head, it felt like she got dipped into cold water.

"I thought that eventually, you would, and you used to say that you were too lazy."

"I still am, but I don't mind it after doing it for a while," she admitted.

"Good thing, I got you out of the house." He smirked.

Yeah." She blushed. "Hey, how about we get a snack after this? Like a milkshake or a cookie?" She thought it would be a good reward after getting their asses up so early before work.

"Okay, we can do that," Amell agreed.

Mariana was happy that he liked the idea. She also didn't feel comfortable going to work with just a banana in her stomach. Which was a great improvement for her taste.

"You know, I once had a cat like Rio," Amell said.

"Really? You had a cat?" She was surprised and intrigued. It was nice finding another cat lover like her.

"Yeah, her name was Billy, and she was a tortoiseshell cat. She was the best pet I've ever had."

"What did she look like?"

"Well, her coat at the back looked like a tortoiseshell. She had black and orange prints that went around her back, but her main color was white. She was so small and cuddly," Amell said, reminiscing in his eyes.

"She sounds lovely! I would love to meet her, do you still have her?" Mariana thought that she and Rio could be playmates.

"No, unfortunately. She went out one time and didn't come back."

"Oh no! I'm so sorry." She wasn't expecting that.

"It's okay, I do still miss her though. She was the best cat I ever had."

"If you want, you can come round to my sometimes and spend time with Rio, or we can play with him right here in the park."

"Thanks, Mariana, I really appreciate that." He smiled from ear to ear at that.

"Of course, I mean, you have been so kind to me so I don't mind."

"Well, you deserve it after everything that you have been through." He brought her hand and patted it gently, and kissed it before letting go of it. Mariana stared at the spot which he touched. That little bit of affection made her eyes heat with tears, it was a long time since she felt like she meant something to someone, so that feeling was missed dearly.

"Thank you," she said, looking up and meeting his glossy chocolate eyes.

When they were done, Rio had gone off for his own adventure. Amell packed up his stuff and they went to Starbucks and got some milkshakes and a muffin. Mariana held both in her hand and ate them simultaneously. The area they were in started to get busier as the sun moved slowly towards the top of the sky.

"So, where is it that you work? Is it near here?" Amell asked.

"Yeah, it's not too far but I want to go home first," Mariana replied, finishing up her muffin and throwing the wrapper away.

"Okay, do you want me to drop you?"

"Er, it's alright, I'll walk home myself." She still wasn't comfortable telling him where she lived.

"Okay, I'll see you later, Mariana." He unwrapped his arms wide towards her, hoping for a hug.

Mariana was hesitant at first but felt like he deserved at least a little one so that's what she did. She squeezed him tightly but briefly and let go quickly.

"Bye Amell!" she said and rushed home to get changed. It wasn't that far away and she made it in time to find some clothes and get to work in time.

She quickly had a shower to wash off any sweat and put on some leather leggings, with a green shirt with buttons. She put all her necessities in her purse and came out of her house. This jogging idea wasn't as bad as she thought, at least she was more awake and alert to serve customers.

She grabbed her milkshake which she left on the side, and then went back out, slurping up the remains as she got inside her car. Before starting it, she finished her milkshake while observing the people around her. Some crossed her car and they were all on their phones.

Mariana wondered what they could be doing, talking to their loved ones maybe? Or their best friend? Even though she no longer had a special someone to do that with, she had Elena, Leilani, and maybe Amell so she didn't have too much of a loss, and still had her self-worth.

Once the milkshake dried up like a desert, she threw it in the backseat and turned the key into the ignition. She let out a loud sigh of satisfaction from her full belly and started driving. She got there just in the nick of time and went inside with her car parked outside.

"Hey, girl!" Elena said, immediately when she saw her.

"Hey," Mariana softly said back. She grabbed her apron and tied it around her waist while shaking it a little because she felt cheerful.

"How's your morning?" Elena asked, her voice raised, and her lips turned to a smirk, stretching out her words as she swayed towards Mariana.

"Good, why are you asking me like that?"

"Did you go jogging with Amell today?" Elena asked in the same high pitch.

"Yes, I did, now stop being a weirdo." Mariana ignored her and began sorting out stuff near the cashier.

"Are you going to see him again?" Her tone turned more exciting this time.

"Maybe, I hope so," Mariana said, not making eye contact and keeping her head down. She was too embarrassed to admit that she had been enjoying her time with him.

"I know! Let's go shopping for new jewelry after this!" Elena suggested with joy escaping out of her mouth.

"Why do we need to go shopping?" Mariana wasn't planning to go anywhere, especially going to buy new things.

"Something to give you a little pizzazz! Because girl, you have been looking so gloomy, so let's lighten you up!"

"Meh, okay." Mariana shrugged in agreement. She didn't mind it, and it would be nice to buy some new things.

Their workday passed by rather quickly. People went in and out, the door chiming for new customers and many sales they made.

When Mariana wasn't serving anybody, her mind was halfway at her job, and the other half was somewhere else. She was daydreaming about the bracelets she could get, or any rings since she had not gotten those in a long time.

But when her shift was over, she strolled out of the cafe with Elena, and they went down to a well-known jewelry shop called 'Diamond Dreams.' It had a display of watches and rings at the front.

Elena led her inside, and they looked around the shop.

"Hey, maybe we can get you a new necklace?" Elena suggested, nudging her slightly to where the necklaces were displayed.

"Heh yeah, maybe..." Mariana said, not planning to go over there. Instead, she went over to the rings to see if there was anything she liked.

"Come on girl, don't you want a new necklace? It would be nice."

"I just don't think it's time yet, and besides, we probably won't find one that's identical to it." Mariana sighed. She wanted to drop the subject quickly and not talk about it.

"But we could get one that looked exactly like your mom's—"

"We are not buying a new necklace!" Mariana snapped unexpectedly, leaving Elena in a state of fright and even shocking herself. She didn't expect her voice to come out so loud.

There was a bit of awkward silence between them. Mariana had her hands planted against her lips, and Elena was completely frozen and scared. Their eyes locked, and their voices got lost in their throats.

Finally, the silence broke when Elena slowly approached her. "Sorry, Mariana, sorry for pushing you too hard." She grabbed Mariana's hand, smiling softly because she didn't want them arguing.

"It's okay Elena, I'm just not ready for a necklace yet," Mariana replied. She wasn't mad at her friend as she knew she was just trying to help.

Elena grinned from ear to ear. "Let's just forget about it and just look for regular jewelry?"

"Yeah, I'm fine with that."

And that's what they ended up doing. Mariana grabbed some ruby earrings, bracelets, and rings like they planned to do. She felt so much better and felt much like a girl again. It was exactly the kind of touch-up she needed. Maybe next she would do a new hairstyle that she never tried before.

"Thanks, Elena, this has made me feel so much better," Mariana said as she paid for the items.

"It's okay, this was fun to do," Elena said.

Mariana was twinkling with joy as they walked out of the shop. The sky was bright and promising as they went back to her car, having her senses refilled.

A/N: Hey I hope you enjoyed the chapter!

I'm glad things r finally looking up for Mariana😁😁😁.