Fix You

Finley had no idea what to wear. She was currently staring at her closet in confusion. Harry would be picking her up shortly, but she had yet to get dressed.

She thumbs through her closet until her hands fall onto the supple maroon leather jacket. Finley pulls it out and tosses it onto her bed with the pair of jeans she had already laid out. She hopes it is proper concert attire, but assumes that it would be alright. It wasn’t like she was attending a gala in jeans. That would be awkward.

Her phone buzzes on the bed and she reaches over to grab it, shoving a piece of stray hair behind her ear.



“Shit,” Finley mutters, running back into her closet.

Her eyes land on a simple grey tank top and she grabs it, chucking it on over her black lace bra. She ties up the front slightly and slips into her jeans. Finley rushes into the bathroom, brushing her teeth once more just to be safe, before fixing up her smudged make up.

Somehow Harry had decided that he would be coming to get her instead of Liam. He said that Liam was helping their friends with something at their flat, and Finley accepted it.

Harry was a funny guy and Finley genuinely liked talking to him. She had texted him right after he left the coffee shop with Liam the other day, following the silly instructions he had left on the cardboard coffee holder. They constantly texted since then, much like Liam and Finley did. Harry talked much more though and she could feel his excited energy through the phone.

Finley grins in the mirror as she slips her jewelry on and then her jacket. Her black boots were waiting for her and she stepped into them just as the doorbell rang.

“Hi Harry,” Finley greets as she opens the door and lets him in.

He looks just as casually dressed as she is, though she can smell what she thinks is hairspray as he enters her apartment. He grins up at her, revealing his sparkling teeth.

“Hi love. How was your day?”

They chat aimlessly as she grabs her belongings and shoves them into her bag.

“All set?”

Finley nods and Harry holds out his arm. Harry leads her out of her building and into a large black SUV that was idling at the curb. His arm is low on her back and he holds the door open for her, glancing around at the few people passing by them.

Harry gets in the other side, pulling the SUV swiftly away from the curb and onto the road.

“You’ve got a nice place. Beautiful area,” Harry comments.

Finley blushes. “My brother spoils me. He wanted me to be in a ‘safe’ area when he was gone, so he bought it for me. Believe me, if I didn’t have him paying for it I would’ve been somewhere much..smaller. I work at a coffee shop - my salary doesn’t exactly pay for much.”

Harry and her laugh and she rests her hand on the arm rest between them. She watches him drive, though she is not sure why. His green eyes are set straight ahead, hands at ten and twelve, and he is leaning forward slightly, as if he is looking for something in particular.

He puts his turn signal on, pulling into a gated parking garage. Finally, he looks over at her. Harry drops his hand gently onto hers and pats it.

“So Finley, Liam and I haven’t been quite honest with you,” he starts, watching her cautiously. “There are going to be lots of people here, so we’re going to move as quickly as possible. When we leave the parking garage there is a big empty space. It’s gated, but there are going to be lots of paps and fans. At the other side of the lot is a door into the auditorium, alright? Keep your head down and head straight to the door with me. Don’t let go of me.”

Finley’s eyes go wide. “What kind of concert is this Harry?”

He chuckles, the sound filling the car. “You’ll see.”

Harry gets out and moves to her side of the car, pulling the door open and extending his arm for her once more. She links her elbow with his and Harry doesn’t hesitate to pull her close. As they exit into the lot, screams fill the air.

Harry leans down in her ear, whispering, “Ignore it.”

Finley’s whole body tenses up as people continue their screaming. She’s sure that they are screaming Harry’s name, but maybe she’s mistaken. Her other hand reaches up to grip onto his arm tightly. “Harry,” she whines nervously.

Harry nods and picks up the pace, moving them quickly across the parking lot. He holds open a thick black door for her, and she is sure sees him wave before he closes it.

Finley is relieved to be inside. That interaction made her very nervous. All she could think about was a story that her brother had told her from when he was deployed a few years previous that was much similar, though in a different context. Finley was sure that she would’ve been mobbed with Harry if that fence wasn’t there.

“You alright love?” Harry murmurs, looking down at her.

She nods and follows as he leads her down a corridor and into a wide open space. Wires cover the floor and a leather couch is in one corner with a small coffee table in front of it. Harry brings her over to the couch.

“Do you want anything to drink? I can get you a water,” Harry offers.

“No thanks Harry, I’m all set.”

“Alright, I’ll be back in a few. I’m just going to go find Liam and our mates so you can meet them.”

A cheeky grin flits across his face before Harry disappears down another hallway and Finley is left alone. To pass the time, Finley pulls her phone out of her bag and turns it on. Immediately her screen fills up with texts, and she is pleased to see a few from Rochelle.



Finley laughs and sends back a quick yes before checking her email and facebook. She has to admit that she was never fond of social networking sites but once she started at Starbucks Rochelle made her make some. Rochelle practically blackmailed her to make a twitter, facebook, and instagram. She even watched Finley do it.

She takes her jacket off to get comfy, the heat in the building starting to get to her. Footsteps echo down the hall and Finley slides her phone back into her bag, standing up.

Liam appears with some people in tow, Harry closing the line. Liam grins and wraps Finley into a hug.

“Hi Finley,” Liam greets. “So I suppose that you might want to meet our mates.”

He chuckles and steps aside so that the other boys can move closer. There are three that she doesn’t recognize and then Harry, who has changed into a blazer and some nicer jeans. One of the boys is blonde and he is grinning wildly at her, hair styled up into a slight quiff. The second has dark hair with a faded blonde streak in the front, also styled up in a quiff. Finley laughs quietly as she sees the third, whose hair is also styled the same.

“Finley, this is Niall, Zayn, and Louis,” Liam introduces as he points to each one.

Niall steps forward and wraps her in an unsuspecting hug. “Hi love.”

Zayn too pulls Finley into a hug. “I’m Liam’s best mate,” he teases, winking at her. “I’ve been waiting to meet the mysterious Finley.” He chuckles and dodges a swat from Liam.

“Wow, didn’t know we were picking favorites Li,” Louis whines.

Louis sticks has hand out and shakes Finley’s hand, being a bit more civilized than the other boys. Finley notices the two ear pieces hanging over each of the three boys’ shoulders with the wires disappearing into their shirts.

“You must be the boys in the band,” Finley muses. “It’s wonderful to meet you. What’s your group’s name?”

The three boys exchange confused glances and Liam shakes his head at them.

“Would you believe it if we said that we’re a Coldplay cover band?” Louis asks, winking in her direction.

She laughs, “No. Not one bit.”

Liam blows out a puff of air upwards and sighs. She knows that there is something he doesn’t want to tell her, but knows he has to.

“You don’t have to tell me now,” she says quietly, placing her hand on Liam’s bicep gently, “I’ll figure it out when the show starts.”

A woman with extremely light hair rushes into the room, a bottle of hairspray in her hand. She rushes over to the boys and starts spraying their hair quickly, mussing it up in the front and adjusting each quiff. She stops in front of Harry, shaking her head.

“Don’t touch it Harry!” she scolds as he reaches up to fluff out his hair.

The woman coats his hair and Harry groans, crossing his eyes over dramatically.

“Lou,” Harry whines, “Leave it be! I like it this way.”

Lou, the woman, steps away and slaps him on the shoulder jokingly before moving over to Liam. She whips out a tiny comb and adjusts his gelled hair, making it stand up a little bit. That’s when Finley notices the two little wires tucked into Liam’s tee shirt. Her eyes must have passed over it before, she muses.

“So you’re all in this band then,” she states, proud of her observations. “You didn’t mention that Liam.”

His face flushes. “Um well -”

“Liam’s a bit shy about his talented voice,” Louis’ interjects, his voice oozing with sarcasm.

A man dressed in all black strolls over to them, looking over the group quickly and smiling at Lou. “Three minutes guys. Let’s get a move on.”

Liam looks worriedly over at Finley but she just smiles at him, taking his arm and pulling him off to the side. She tilts her head to the side a bit, studying his face. His normally calm brown eyes are darting around the room, looking everywhere but at her.

“Liam,” she murmurs, catching his attention. “Are you worried that I’d be mad at you?”

Finley can tell that her question hit the spot head on. Liam bites his lip and nods. “I suppose, yeah, I was. I didn’t want it to change what you thought of me.”

Finley laughs, her smile taking over her face. She reaches up and cups his cheek in her hand. “Why would it change my opinion of you? You’re a wonderful guy Li. I mean it.”

Liam smiles graciously down at her and he wraps her in a hug, surprising her. She squeals as he holds her tighter, lifting her slightly off the ground. Harry laughs behind them, which gets the other boys’ attention. Soon they are enveloped in a group hug.

When they release her, Finley smooths out her outfit in a faux huff. “So now will you tell me the name of your band?”

“One Direction,” Niall admits, winking at her.

Harry cuts in, “That’s why all those girls were out there earlier. I wanted to get you in before they could really get a picture of you and I. The fans can be kind of crazy sometimes.”

Finley reaches over to squeeze Harry’s hand in understanding. “I get it guys. You’re the ones with that ‘Little Things’ song right? Your hand fits in mine, blah blah blah.” She winks at them, earning a chuckle. “How romantic. You must get all the girls swooning.”

The man in black approaches them again, this time looking a little frustrated. “You have to be on now. Move it boys!”

Harry, Louis, Niall, and Zayn scatter immediately but Liam doesn’t budge.

“So you’re not mad at me?” he asks her, smiling softly.

Finley shakes her head.

“I could never be mad at you Liam.”