Chapter Text
Melissa was having a shit week. She was on the verge of breaking up with her terrible two-timing, toxic boyfriend and was drowning in work. To top it off, she had forgotten about this dreaded appointment.
She was on a journey to push herself outside of comfort zone, but that also wasn't going well. For so long she had fit into the box that had her had built around her and she was just starting to see it. Hence the appointment to trim just the ends of her waist long brown hair. It was a start, but she was so nervous to make any drastic changes. Everywhere she went she got comments on her hair, how perfect it was, how perfectly feminine it was, how lucky she was to grow such long lengths. As she was frequently reminded, her hair set her apart and muted her just so-so looks.
Here's the problem, what if the alternative was terrible? She only stayed with her boyfriend because it had taken so long to find someone to like her and she stayed the way he liked so he wouldn't leave. She wasn't much to look at, so she should really just stay where she was wanted. Melissa was nervous to make any changes.
Fiddling with the end of her braid, which laid over her shoulder and down to her waist, Melissa pulled open the glass door of the salon. Her thoughts continued to swirl, pulling her down as heavily as her hair-- A smiling face behind the desk interrupted her anxious struggle, "Hey, come on in, did you have an appointment?"
This woman had to be the most stunning person she'd ever seen. Her features were positively captivating, her figure was something that would have been carved into stone and preserved in a museum. "Uh - yes. I do." Melissa's mouth as dry as sand. Dragging her eyes up over her form she met the gaze of woman. Her eyes were gorgeous too, and her hair...wow. No one should be able to pull off anything as nicely as this woman. Her bleach blonde hair fell in voluminous wavy bob just under her ears, setting off her perfect facial structure. A butterfly tattoo peaked out from under the brush of her hair. She was truly beautiful.
"And what's your name then, darling?" Again, the woman shocked her from her thoughts. A sly smile was waiting for her as Melissa focused on what the woman was saying.
She stumbled through her response, her hands shaking with nerves. "Oh. Sorry - Melissa. I think my appointment is with Stella?"
A bright ring of laughter arose. "Oh perfect, that's me. Why don't you follow me back to my station?" She tapped the keyboard for a moment before strutting out from behind the counter.
Oh god. She was going to be with the beautiful if slightly intimidating, woman - Stella, her mind supplied - for the next hour? This was going to be difficult. Stella was swaying her hips as she walked through the door to the left of reception, flipping her hair and sending Melissa a expectant look. Oh right - Melissa stumbled but quickly caught up to the door and followed Stella in a brief walk to a station set apart from the others behind a curtain.
Sitting down, a silky black cape wrapped and pinned about her shoulders, and her gaze glued to Stella's form in the mirror, Melissa was nothing short of nervous.
"Alright, darling. What are we doing today?" Stella tugged her braid to fall over the back of the chair, undoing the elastic and shaking the hair loose, "You hair is stunning."
"Just a trim. Please, leave as much length as you can," Melissa was capitvated by the fingers running through her the back of her hair, "My boyfriend really likes it long, too," She laughed out nervously.
Stella was quiet for a moment before moving to the counter, shuffling through her tools, "and what about you do, darling, do you like hair this long? It's stunning, but I would wager it's so heavy," She carefully sectioned Melissa's hair, pinning it into a crown of deep earthen browns. Then, as if routine, began massaging the knots deep within Melissa's neck and shoulders, "I bet your neck is sore from all this weight. I'm right, aren't I, darling?" Stella was standing so close, Melissa's spine was steeled with anticipation.
Letting out a relaxed moan and barely managing a nervous nod, "Yes, I guess so, but I really don't notice it that often," Melissa admitted.
Sitting on a stool, Stella began to comb and pull Melissa's lock straight, cutting just the ends, "Your hair is beautiful, darling. How long have you kept your hair this long?" Stella was focused and confident in her movements.
Completely captivated by the movements behind her, Melissa barely noticed her words, "Oh, always. I don't think I'd look good with anything else," Her eyes never left Stella's form in the reflection, totally enthralled in watching the split uneven ends of her dirt brown hair drift slowly to the floor. There was something hypnotic about the rthymic tug and pull of her hair, and the delicious metalic snip of the scissors as they cut away the broken, tangled hair - Melissa had always loved the ritual of hair cuts and salons, if only her hair didn't actually need to come off her head. The idea of shedding old layers and emerging as a new Melissa - but the old Melissa was safe.
Stella paused as she finished the bottom layer and moved to unravel the pinned hair, "You can't think that's true do you?" Combing the hair taut, she continued her work, "You have a great bone structure and beautiful features, you could pull off anything, darling," she sent a flirtatious at Melissa in the mirror, the words as focused as her movements.
Melissa let out a gasp under her breath, she shifted slightly. She had to admit, the feeling of fingers through her hair, the addictive chime of scissors and distant buzzing of clippers in the distance, and most importantly, the stunning woman in mirror were putting her at ease. Would she really look good if she shed some of the waist length locks - or was this woman merely pitying her?
Stella noticed the emotions rapidly moving across Melissa's face, she paused and laid her hands on Melissa's shoulders, "Believe me, darling. You would be stunning no matter your hairsyle," She gently grasped Melissa's chin, focusing her attention back straight into her reflection, "Look at those eyes, and those stunning cheekbones, your long, delicate neck," pausing, she leaned in, slowly dragging a finger up Melissa's throat, and whispered, "I'm not kidding, darling, you are luminous."
Melissa was shocked. This woman was telling her she was beautiful? She had never looked at herself like this, or felt such electric energy with another person, let alone a woman. Stella was focusing on the final layer of her work, but Melissa was thinking of all the possibilities racing through her mind.
As she paid and made her way home, Melissa looked nearly exactly the same on the outside, but she was capitvated by the possibility of change.
--
Stella swept up the thin dusting of chocolate hair around her station. She had noticed the obvious effect her words had on Melissa. It was too easy, the poor girl had the self-esteem of a pebble. The long mane was doing nothing for her, Stella knew this business. She just had to set the spark of self-confidence, and she'd have a repeat customer. She'd have to leave an open space in her calendar for an oh so expected 'impulse decision'. Secretly, she just hoped for another opportunity to watch that poor girl squirm under her gaze.