Fix You
Finley
Finley is quite bored. It had been a slow day for the Starbucks she worked at on Brompton Road. She had been there since nine and had probably only seen around one hundred customers. She supposed that maybe people just didn’t want to have a hot beverage on such a beautiful day. Although there were plenty of iced coffees...
Finley glances down at her rose gold watch, smiling when she realizes it’s already 3:50. Only ten more minutes and then she would be free! The door opens and a man steps in. Finley takes his order and makes the coffee quickly.
“How’s your day been sir?” she asks, just to be polite.
“It’s been alright,” his answer seems dismissive, so Finley drops it.
The man is looking all over the little shop, chocolatey brown eyes seeming quite distracted. Finley grabs a cap and snaps it onto the drink, thrusting both the drink and a straw towards him. The man thanks her, grabbing the cup. His eyes stick on the tattoo on her wrist and she mentally slaps herself. Usually she would cover it up before work.
Finley raises an eyebrow at the man, who looks up and meets her eyes. His cheeks flush a slight shade of red and he thanks her once more before hastily leaving. She can’t help but chuckle as she unties her apron and turns to her coworker Rochelle.
“I’m out for the day!” she almost squeals with excitement.
Rochelle lets out a laugh as she pulls her black hair up into a ponytail. “You’re still going out with Ron tonight, yeah?”
Finley nods and rolls her eyes. “He’s asked me so many times that I gave in. Quite annoying, but whatever. He’s taking me out to dinner and a movie. He better not make a move..”
Rochelle and Finley laugh again, their laughter filling the empty store. Rochelle pulls Finley in for a quick hug before shoving her towards the door, shouting a “good luck!” as the door slams closed.
Finley laughs, scuffing her black studded high tops on the concrete as she walks. She can’t wait to get home and take a shower but first she has to run to the drug store to grab a new shampoo and some drinks.
It only takes her ten minutes to get to the store, and she shops quickly. Her little bag is filled with bottles of coke, other little snacks, and her shampoo when she finally leaves.
Finley admires Hyde Park as she makes her way down her street. It’s beautiful out and lots of people are walking through the park. She’s a little upset that she hasn’t been out all day and won’t be out tonight. It’s her favorite type of July day - perfectly warm, but not swelteringly, and it is sunny. Finley is sure there isn’t a cloud in the sky.
She waves hello to the doorman of her flat and heads towards the elevators. Finley is eager to get in and soak her sore feet, yet dreading the arrival of Ron, which she knows will be earlier than the seven o’clock time he promised.
The elevator doors slide open and Finley is surprised to see Ms. Rose waiting in front of the doors with a young man. She does a double-take when she realizes it is the man who had come into Starbucks just before the end of her shift.
Finley smiles, but is still confused.
“Hello Ms. Rose,” she greets, wrapping the elderly woman in a warm hug.
She pauses, looking to the man before looking back at Ms. Rose. Ms. Rose laughs and pushes the man forward. He has a worried look on his face, but sticks out his hand.
“I’m-” he starts, but Ms. Rose cuts him off.
“This is Liam sweetheart. He’s got something for you,” she coos, then turns her attention back to Liam. “It was wonderful meeting you, dear. Hopefully I’ll be seeing you around.”
Ms. Rose winks at Liam and heads towards her flat, slipping in quietly.
Finally, Finley shakes Liam’s hand. “I’m Finley.”
“I know,” he laughs, then looks at her with nervous eyes.
Finley laughs too, easing the awkward tension. She pulls her key out of her pocket and waves Liam over to her door. Liam follows her into her flat, a wide eyed expression on his face as he takes in the view of Hyde Park from her living room.
She smiles at him and they make their way over to the couches in front of the floor-to-ceiling windows.
“So what is it that you’ve got for me? And why do you have something for me..” she trails off, smiling gently at him.
Liam reaches into his pocket and pulls out a crisp white envelope. She takes it from his outstretched arm and settles back into the couch, quirking an eyebrow at him. He leans back on the opposite couch and wipes his hands nervously on his jeans.
Finley’s name is scribbled across the front and she tears the envelope open, pulling out a piece of neatly folded paper. Her eyes widen when she sees the Marines logo faded into the background of the paper. Finley looks up at Liam with a trembling lip.
“How did you get this?” she whispers.
“It came to my house,” he admits. “I’m sorry Finley. I opened it and I shouldn’t have. It was wrong of me, to say the least.”
Finley nods, eyes filling with tears as she reads over the letter. Her heart hurts and she almost feels betrayed by her own older brother. She sniffles, wiping hastily at her eyes.
Liam gets up from the other couch and moves to sit next to her. He hesitates, but puts an arm around her shoulder in an attempt to comfort her. Next thing she knows, Finley is sobbing into Liam’s shirt as he whispers that “he’s sorry” over and over.
She’s clutching his shirt tightly in her hands, the words her brother wrote replaying through her mind.
“Home just in time for Christmas.”
“I love you Finny.”
Liam pats her back gently and Finley is surprised to feel such comfort from a stranger. She straightens up, rubbing her reddened eyes and smoothing out his shirt.
“Fuck. I’m sorry about your shirt,” she murmurs, referring to the little black marks on his white tee where her mascara had rubbed off.
Liam looks at her incredulously. “You have no reason to apologize to me Finley. I feel terrible about reading your letter. It was not my place. I didn’t realize that it wasn’t for me at first, but then I saw your name. I kept reading though. I’m sorry I was so nosy. If you want to press charges, I understand.”
Finley laughs, a quiet giggle that seems to startle Liam. “I’m not going to press charges against you Liam. I know it’s technically illegal, but you’ve been so nice bringing it to me and admitting what you’ve done. I appreciate it.”
Liam smiles and Finley can’t help but be happy that the worry present in his eyes earlier is gone now. Liam runs a hand through his shaggy hair. He clears his throat and wrings his hands together.
“How um, how long has your brother been in the marines?” he finally asks.
“Since 2009.” She shakes her head. “Is it selfish for me to wish that he had never joined?”
Liam stares at her, his brown eyes melting. “No. No, it’s not.”
They sit quietly for a moment before Finley stands, walking into her kitchen. When she realizes Liam isn’t following, she sticks her head around the corner.
“Coming?”
Liam doesn’t hesitate to follow her into her modern kitchen, where she is pulling food and drinks out of a plastic bag.
“I don’t have much to offer you, but feel free to take whatever you like. It’s about dinner time, so...” she trails off as she continues placing all the groceries on the table.
Liam smiles at her, pearly whites shining.
“No thank you Finley. I have to be going anyways. You have a date, yeah?” he chuckles, a little twinkle in his brown eyes. “Enjoy it.”
Finley nods and walks Liam to her front door.
“I can’t thank you enough for bringing that to me Liam,” she murmurs. “My brother is the most important person in the world to me. If I hadn’t gotten that and he never showed up I don’t know what I’d do.”
Her admission surprises her, especially because she is being more honest to a stranger than anyone she is close to. Although, Finley thinks, Liam doesn’t exactly feel like a stranger.
She holds the door open for him, but Liam stops.
“Anytime you need to talk,” he says as he pulls a pen out of his pocket, “feel free to call me or text me or something. Just if you need someone to talk to.”
Liam’s cheeks blush and Finley smiles graciously at him.
Liam’s eyes travel down her right arm, landing on her inked wrist. He grabs her wrist gently, turning it over so that they are both looking at the tattoo. His thumb rubs softly over the eagle, down the world, and across the anchor. Finley shivers from his touch.
Quickly, Liam uncaps the pen and prints his number neatly under her tattoo. Another tiny swipe of his thumb, almost missable, completes the action.
“Be strong for your brother,” he murmurs, releasing his grasp on her wrist and closing the door behind him.
And Finley is left wondering what she did to deserve such a kind stranger in her life.
Finley glances down at her rose gold watch, smiling when she realizes it’s already 3:50. Only ten more minutes and then she would be free! The door opens and a man steps in. Finley takes his order and makes the coffee quickly.
“How’s your day been sir?” she asks, just to be polite.
“It’s been alright,” his answer seems dismissive, so Finley drops it.
The man is looking all over the little shop, chocolatey brown eyes seeming quite distracted. Finley grabs a cap and snaps it onto the drink, thrusting both the drink and a straw towards him. The man thanks her, grabbing the cup. His eyes stick on the tattoo on her wrist and she mentally slaps herself. Usually she would cover it up before work.
Finley raises an eyebrow at the man, who looks up and meets her eyes. His cheeks flush a slight shade of red and he thanks her once more before hastily leaving. She can’t help but chuckle as she unties her apron and turns to her coworker Rochelle.
“I’m out for the day!” she almost squeals with excitement.
Rochelle lets out a laugh as she pulls her black hair up into a ponytail. “You’re still going out with Ron tonight, yeah?”
Finley nods and rolls her eyes. “He’s asked me so many times that I gave in. Quite annoying, but whatever. He’s taking me out to dinner and a movie. He better not make a move..”
Rochelle and Finley laugh again, their laughter filling the empty store. Rochelle pulls Finley in for a quick hug before shoving her towards the door, shouting a “good luck!” as the door slams closed.
Finley laughs, scuffing her black studded high tops on the concrete as she walks. She can’t wait to get home and take a shower but first she has to run to the drug store to grab a new shampoo and some drinks.
It only takes her ten minutes to get to the store, and she shops quickly. Her little bag is filled with bottles of coke, other little snacks, and her shampoo when she finally leaves.
Finley admires Hyde Park as she makes her way down her street. It’s beautiful out and lots of people are walking through the park. She’s a little upset that she hasn’t been out all day and won’t be out tonight. It’s her favorite type of July day - perfectly warm, but not swelteringly, and it is sunny. Finley is sure there isn’t a cloud in the sky.
She waves hello to the doorman of her flat and heads towards the elevators. Finley is eager to get in and soak her sore feet, yet dreading the arrival of Ron, which she knows will be earlier than the seven o’clock time he promised.
The elevator doors slide open and Finley is surprised to see Ms. Rose waiting in front of the doors with a young man. She does a double-take when she realizes it is the man who had come into Starbucks just before the end of her shift.
Finley smiles, but is still confused.
“Hello Ms. Rose,” she greets, wrapping the elderly woman in a warm hug.
She pauses, looking to the man before looking back at Ms. Rose. Ms. Rose laughs and pushes the man forward. He has a worried look on his face, but sticks out his hand.
“I’m-” he starts, but Ms. Rose cuts him off.
“This is Liam sweetheart. He’s got something for you,” she coos, then turns her attention back to Liam. “It was wonderful meeting you, dear. Hopefully I’ll be seeing you around.”
Ms. Rose winks at Liam and heads towards her flat, slipping in quietly.
Finally, Finley shakes Liam’s hand. “I’m Finley.”
“I know,” he laughs, then looks at her with nervous eyes.
Finley laughs too, easing the awkward tension. She pulls her key out of her pocket and waves Liam over to her door. Liam follows her into her flat, a wide eyed expression on his face as he takes in the view of Hyde Park from her living room.
She smiles at him and they make their way over to the couches in front of the floor-to-ceiling windows.
“So what is it that you’ve got for me? And why do you have something for me..” she trails off, smiling gently at him.
Liam reaches into his pocket and pulls out a crisp white envelope. She takes it from his outstretched arm and settles back into the couch, quirking an eyebrow at him. He leans back on the opposite couch and wipes his hands nervously on his jeans.
Finley’s name is scribbled across the front and she tears the envelope open, pulling out a piece of neatly folded paper. Her eyes widen when she sees the Marines logo faded into the background of the paper. Finley looks up at Liam with a trembling lip.
“How did you get this?” she whispers.
“It came to my house,” he admits. “I’m sorry Finley. I opened it and I shouldn’t have. It was wrong of me, to say the least.”
Finley nods, eyes filling with tears as she reads over the letter. Her heart hurts and she almost feels betrayed by her own older brother. She sniffles, wiping hastily at her eyes.
Liam gets up from the other couch and moves to sit next to her. He hesitates, but puts an arm around her shoulder in an attempt to comfort her. Next thing she knows, Finley is sobbing into Liam’s shirt as he whispers that “he’s sorry” over and over.
She’s clutching his shirt tightly in her hands, the words her brother wrote replaying through her mind.
“Home just in time for Christmas.”
“I love you Finny.”
Liam pats her back gently and Finley is surprised to feel such comfort from a stranger. She straightens up, rubbing her reddened eyes and smoothing out his shirt.
“Fuck. I’m sorry about your shirt,” she murmurs, referring to the little black marks on his white tee where her mascara had rubbed off.
Liam looks at her incredulously. “You have no reason to apologize to me Finley. I feel terrible about reading your letter. It was not my place. I didn’t realize that it wasn’t for me at first, but then I saw your name. I kept reading though. I’m sorry I was so nosy. If you want to press charges, I understand.”
Finley laughs, a quiet giggle that seems to startle Liam. “I’m not going to press charges against you Liam. I know it’s technically illegal, but you’ve been so nice bringing it to me and admitting what you’ve done. I appreciate it.”
Liam smiles and Finley can’t help but be happy that the worry present in his eyes earlier is gone now. Liam runs a hand through his shaggy hair. He clears his throat and wrings his hands together.
“How um, how long has your brother been in the marines?” he finally asks.
“Since 2009.” She shakes her head. “Is it selfish for me to wish that he had never joined?”
Liam stares at her, his brown eyes melting. “No. No, it’s not.”
They sit quietly for a moment before Finley stands, walking into her kitchen. When she realizes Liam isn’t following, she sticks her head around the corner.
“Coming?”
Liam doesn’t hesitate to follow her into her modern kitchen, where she is pulling food and drinks out of a plastic bag.
“I don’t have much to offer you, but feel free to take whatever you like. It’s about dinner time, so...” she trails off as she continues placing all the groceries on the table.
Liam smiles at her, pearly whites shining.
“No thank you Finley. I have to be going anyways. You have a date, yeah?” he chuckles, a little twinkle in his brown eyes. “Enjoy it.”
Finley nods and walks Liam to her front door.
“I can’t thank you enough for bringing that to me Liam,” she murmurs. “My brother is the most important person in the world to me. If I hadn’t gotten that and he never showed up I don’t know what I’d do.”
Her admission surprises her, especially because she is being more honest to a stranger than anyone she is close to. Although, Finley thinks, Liam doesn’t exactly feel like a stranger.
She holds the door open for him, but Liam stops.
“Anytime you need to talk,” he says as he pulls a pen out of his pocket, “feel free to call me or text me or something. Just if you need someone to talk to.”
Liam’s cheeks blush and Finley smiles graciously at him.
Liam’s eyes travel down her right arm, landing on her inked wrist. He grabs her wrist gently, turning it over so that they are both looking at the tattoo. His thumb rubs softly over the eagle, down the world, and across the anchor. Finley shivers from his touch.
Quickly, Liam uncaps the pen and prints his number neatly under her tattoo. Another tiny swipe of his thumb, almost missable, completes the action.
“Be strong for your brother,” he murmurs, releasing his grasp on her wrist and closing the door behind him.
And Finley is left wondering what she did to deserve such a kind stranger in her life.
♠ ♠ ♠
