Fix You

“Rochelle?”

Finley peeks her head around the corner of the employee’s break room. The black-haired beauty is nowhere to be found, making Finley purse her lips in confusion. She is 100% sure that Roch is supposed to be working with her.

Finley walks in, even going into the staff bathrooms to search for her. Still, her friend’s whereabouts are a mystery to her. She peers down at her watch, noting that it is 8:05 and Rochelle is late. Rochelle is never late: not for a single thing.

Sighing, Finley makes her way back to the counter as she hears the bell ding, alerting her to the presence of a customer. The man is tall with cropped blonde hair and thick, muscular shoulders. He is dressed casually, but the air around him screams importance.

“What can I get for you today?” she asks politely as he approaches the counter.

He looks up and Finley almost jumps back in surprise. “Christian?” she asks at the same time that he exclaims, “Finley?!”

Her eyes meet his blue ones, the right one straying slightly to the side, faded lighter. Finley races out from behind the counter, throwing her arms around Christian. He holds her close, giving her a tiny kiss on the top of her head.

Finally he lets go of her, but not really. He holds her at arms length, one eye rolling over her. “You look fantastic Fin.”

Finley blushes and shakes her head, chuckling. “So do you Chris, but I have to ask...what are you doing here? Aren’t you supposed to be out with my brother?”

She glances around the empty coffee shop and holds up a finger. “Let me make you a drink first. What do you want?”

As he rattles off his order, Finley washes her hands. She preps his drink for him before making her way over to a corner table. They sit across from each other and take each other in for a moment before Christian finally clears his throat.

“Finley you look like you’re going to explode. Calm down,” he laughs slightly, reading her expression like an open book. He could always tell when she was nervous, but that just came with the territory she supposed. She was always terrified of what could happen to her brother while he was deployed.

“Adam is fine. I saw him for a few days before I, uh, came home.” He coughs and takes a gulp of his drink. “He’s doing good, like always. He’s still the most confident out there, you know. I blame you!” They laugh and silence takes over for a few moments while Finley works up the courage to ask Christian why he’s returned.

“Christian-”

He waves her off. “I knew it was only a minute before you asked. I was out scouting the area and there was an IED. I was far enough away that I only got the shrapnel in the air, but a few guys with me weren’t so lucky. Brett’s a mess, didn’t lose anything but I think the emotional trauma was enough for him. He’s been having nightmares for weeks. They sent him home as soon as they could. I stayed for a bit, till my eye was healed.

“They did a vision test though.” Christian pauses and Finley places a hand over his as his eyes water up. “I am completely blind in my right eye. I told them it didn’t matter, I could still fight. I could still help. They can’t let me though. I was honorably discharged.”

“Oh Chris,” Finley leans forward, wrapping her arms around him once again. She had no words for the man before her. She knew how much he loved being in the marines. It was his life and he wouldn’t have chosen anything else.

A single tear slips down his left cheek. “It’s pretty much a dead eye Finny. I can’t do too much anymore. I have to have someone drive me around or I walk or take public transport.” Christian shakes his head but straightens up.

Finley releases her grip on him and stands as she notices someone approaching the store.

“I’ll be just a minute Chris,” Finley starts, but Chris shakes his head no.

“I have to be going anyways Fin. I have a meeting soon. I’ll see you around though.” Chris kisses the top of her head, his lips lingering. “Love you Fin.”

Without another word he disappears, leaving her with the customer approaching the counter.



Finley rolls her eyes and slips her phone back into her pocket. She rolls the sleeves of her denim button-up up to her elbows, pulling her hair into a messy ponytail afterwards. She is unbelievably hot in the little cafe.

“Should’ve dressed lighter,” she mutters to herself as she looks down at her leather leggings.

Finley scowls at the ground momentarily. Her phone buzzes again in her pocket and she pulls it out, opening up the text.



Liam attached a picture to it and she laughed as she opened it. The picture was of Liam draped across a couch, his head resting on a mountain of pillows. Harry was peeking out from behind the couch, his eyes crossed. They were obviously in the studio or at rehearsals of some sort, judging by all the sound equipment in the background.



Finley quickly snaps a picture of herself, a frown on her face, and sends it with the text before closing out of her inbox. She does a double-take at her phone’s background. It had always been the same picture but it seemed that she was just now noticing it after such a long time.

The picture is of the guys her brother is with all the time. There are ten of them altogether and Adam has always said that they are his brothers, therefore they are hers. Ten Marines as brothers. The thought makes her chuckle. She had met them all before at a family party. Her mom had insisted on inviting all the boys who my brother was so close with and their families. At the time there had been eleven of them, including her brother.

Finley sighs, remembering the party like it was yesterday. It was Christmas-time and all of the boys had gathered at her house. Charlie, one of the youngest of the group, was being deployed in two days time. She had been very into him, and he was keen on returning the feelings, but knew that he shouldn’t because of her brother and the fact that he was leaving again. They had always been close and had even shared their feelings for one another, but never really acted on it.

Finley and him had sat in her room on the window seat, snuggled close together while they watched the snow fall. It was dark and freezing out, and his arm was wrapped tight around her waist. She sat between his legs, their ankles twisted together.

Finley sniffles, not wanting the tears to fall. She could smell him now, even two years later. Finley presses her hands over her eyes, willing herself to forget Charlie but she just can’t.

Charlie had held her close for hours, her family and the guests downstairs unsuspecting. When it was time for him to leave, he stood, pulling her up with him. Their bodies were pressed close together, his chin resting just on top of her head.

“I’ll miss you Fin,” he murmured.

“I know Charlie,” she had whispered, “but I’ll miss you more.”

Charlie had leant down, staring straight into her eyes before pressing a sweet kiss to her lips.

Finley hates remembering those days. She had even gone to the airport to see him off, along with two of her brother’s other friends.

Charlie had stood there, his uniform on, head freshly shaven. His bag was slung over one shoulder and she had run to him, knocking the bag off and jumping into his arms. They didn’t really care who saw them.

He kissed her like it was the last time he would ever see her. She saw fireworks, and even though she was only seventeen she said yes when he told her that when he returned he would marry her someday.

This time Finley can’t help the tears that escape from her eyes. The memory is too fresh for her, even after all this time. Charlie had died a week after she saw him off at the airport. It had devastated Finley.

Finley thumbs at her phone’s screen, rubbing the spot where she knew he would be standing: on her brother’s right side, making a funny face at the camera for her. Instead the line up has changed, though there are the same faces she has always seen in the pictures. From left to right she glances over the faces, smiling at the funny expressions on Brett, Rick, Tyler, and Christian, then at her brother’s goofy smile. Then she is laughing at Rob’s cross-eyed look, and the twins Jack and Matt, and finally Josh and Garrett.

Finley can’t help but admire her brother in his combat uniform, feeling a swelling sense of pride. She has always been proud of him, no matter what, but seeing him in his uniform always changed something inside of her.

She presses the lock button on her phone, rubbing at her eyes after she hides her phone away.

The door swings open followed by the quiet doorbell, a flash of black hair flying behind the counter.

“I’m so sorry I’m late Finny! I ran - What’s wrong?” Rochelle stops, breathless, as she notices her best friend’s red eyes.

Finley shakes her head, “Nothing. I’m fine.”

“Fin, I know you better than that. Tell me the truth.”

Roch places her bag on the counter, pulling Finley in for a tight hug. It brings fresh tears to Finley’s eyes and they pour over her cheeks.

“I miss Charlie. And I miss Adam. I miss him so much. I want him to come home. I can’t take this feeling anymore - this helplessness. I want him to be where I know he is safe. Where he can protect me, and tell me that everything is okay. Why can’t things just go back to the way they were before?” she hiccups.

“He’ll be home before you know it babe,” Rochelle coos as she rubs her friend’s shoulder and holds her close. “Everything is going to be okay. Adam’s going to come home and you two are going to be the gruesome twosome once again. You’ll be inseparable, not that he ever wants to leave your side regardless.”

Finley nods.

“I’m okay now,” she murmurs as she wipes her eyes.

But she’s really not.