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Melanie is still feeling groggy from the suspension drugs, but at least she's on her feet now. It's only mid-afternoon, and she has a million things on her plate to worry about - Alex, Ben, Wilford, Layton - but the most pressing is the welcoming party that Ruth is throwing for her.
Speaking of, she hears her door open, Ruth taking a step inside. They can't help but smile at each other for a moment, with Melanie trying to rub away the sleep in her eyes. "Hi," Melanie says softly, voice still sleepy.
"Hello, you," Ruth says. Her voice is full of endearment. She tries to hide it, but she can't help it. After all, her best friend had just appeared out of nowhere after everyone assumed she was dead. The blonde steps forward, her smile melting into a small frown.
"Oh, my. We can't have you going to your big party with your hair like this, now can we?" Ruth chides playfully, running her fingers through Melanie's black hair and holding up the dead ends to show her. "Come on. Into the bathroom. I'll give you a little trim."
Melanie nods and stands up, carefully. This was the Ruth she knew and loved - always had something to say, and always willing to help. Mel liked that about her - it made her feel at home.
Ruth guides Melanie into the bathroom, sitting her down, back pressed up against the sink. The blonde first makes sure that the water is warm, grabbing some shampoo and slowly lowering Mel's head into the running water.
Ruth lathers the shampoo into the roots of Melanie's dark hair, fingers talentedly massaging her scalp thoroughly. Melanie sighs, relaxed, Ruth's gentle fingers melting away her worries for a moment.
"God, that feels nice," Melanie breathes, looking at Ruth who was leaning over her. "Where'd you learn how to do this, anyway?" Melanie queries, feeling her eyes close as she leans into Ruth's hands.
"Mm. I uh, had a girlfriend in college who knew how to cut hair," Ruth says quietly, "She used to cut mine first, and then she taught me how. Just one of those things that stuck with me, I suppose."
Melanie's lips turned up into a small smile as she listened to Ruth recall having a girlfriend when she was younger. "That's beautiful, Ruth."
"Yeah, well. When we were that young and naive, I used to like to think about the future, I'd be running a little hotel in the countryside with a hair salon next to it, and she'd be right there, working alongside me. But that's not really how things turned out, did it?" Ruth sounds bittersweet, but she still has a gentle smile on her face. "Used to cut Roche's, too, but uh... He doesn't really have much hair to work with." Mel chuckles at this.
"No, I guess not." Melanie murmurs - and she can't help but think about what life would have been like if she and Ruth had somehow met earlier, in their college years. They probably would have saved each other a lot of heartbreak, if they ever dated when they were that young. It feels like they've known each other for that long - one of those rare instances where you meet someone and you swear you knew them in a past life. That's probably why they worked so well alongside eachother.
After Ruth finishes washing Melanie's hair, she turns Melanie's chair around to face the full-length mirror in the bathroom. Grabbing a pair of scissors and a comb, Ruth started first at the back of Melanie's head, fingers running through her damp hair and down to her split ends, cutting them off with care.
Melanie's eyes move up to look at Ruth in the mirror, who is oblivious to the raven haired woman's admiring gaze. It's been a while since someone handled her with so much care and detail.
Truthfully, she wouldn't want it to be anyone but Ruth.
Mel feels a shiver down her spine as Ruth's warm hands brush the back of her neck, making sure that none of the clipped hair gets stuck inside her tattered shirt. Butterflies, almost instantly, feeling her body warm up to the woman who was now inches away from her cheek, working on thinning out some of the thicker bits of her black hair.
"Can I ask you something?" Ruth says after a moment, her eyes trying to keep focus on her damp hair, occasionally drifting to meet Melanie's gaze in the mirror.
"Fire away."
"Was it... Lonely out there? What did you think about, when you had all that time to yourself?"
Melanie closes her eyes for a moment, tilting her head back involuntarily. Ruth, trying to ensure that she wasn't cutting Melanie's hair lopsided, placed her hands on the sides of Melanie's face to keep it upright. One hand handled the scissors, and the other she kept on Mel's cheek.
"Um... Yeah. It was pretty lonely." Melanie exhaled. She wished she could forget about it all - the seemingly endless despair, wondering if the train would be looking for her, or if they had all moved on. "I thought a lot about Alex. And you, Ruth."
With the mention of her name, Ruth raised her gaze to look at Melanie in the mirror for a split second. The two of them could feel the tension in the air, hanging low on both of them. Ruth reached for the hair dryer as Melanie spoke again.
"I thought a lot about you when I was gone. I thought about what you were doing, if you were happy, in some way..." Melanie trails off, breath hitching ever so slightly as Ruth's fingers brush the sides of her neck, pulling her hair back to dry it.
"I thought about you, too. In fact, not a day went by where I didn't think about you." Ruth confesses, almost bashfully, placing a hand on Melanie's shoulder. In the mirror, she watches the former head of hospitality's hand move up to hold hers for a brief second, and they lock eyes in the mirror - a gaze that said more than words could ever manage. They missed each other a lot more than words could communicate.
Ruth finally breaks the gaze to turn on the hairdryer, clearing her throat faintly. She dries Melanie's hair, gentle hands running through the now silky soft locks. She knows Melanie is looking at her in the mirror every now and then, she can feel the woman's green eyes on her. Ruth felt vulnerable, seen, and so did Melanie - and it felt almost rejuvenating for both of them.
Ruth moves to Melanie's side, finishing up with the dryer, making sure that she hadn't missed any strands of hair. The blonde turns the hair dryer off, moves in front of Melanie to pull a few strands forward to frame her face, making sure that it was done evenly.
Ruth's eyes drift up to meet Melanie's captivating gaze, and doesn't think twice to pull her into a kiss, Ruth's hands moving to cup the other woman's cheeks.
Melanie is a bit taken aback, but leans into the kiss nonetheless. Her hands move up to Ruth's padded shoulders, feeling the fabric of the teal hospitality uniform, distinctly familliar on her fingers.
The kiss is gentle, and Ruth can feel warmth spreading throughout her body. It'd been a while since she kissed someone with so much meaning, so much wanting.
Melanie's head is overcome with fuzziness, and the only thing she can focus on in the moment is Ruth's lightly glossed, perfect lips. Butterflies, again. Melanie pulls back after a minute, a sly smile on her face.
"Wow. Is this the kind of special treatment you give all your customers?" Melanie teases, and Ruth playfully rolls her eyes with a chuckle.
"No, just the ones who decide to come back from the dead," Ruth jabs back at her, lovingly. The two of them are smiling uncontrollably as they both stand up, Melanie extending her arms to Ruth for a hug.
"Thank you." Melanie murmurs, and Ruth moves in for the embrace. The blonde presses her lips to Mel's head, arms wrapped tightly around her shoulders, inhaling the intoxicating smell of Melanie's shampoo. She pulls away, hands on Melanie's forearms.
"You're welcome," Ruth replies admiringly. "Now go along, go get ready with Alex for tonight. I'll see you later." Ruth tucks a few strands of Melanie's hair behind her ears and smiles at her before leaving her room herself, off to ensure that everything was ready for the night ahead.