Unorthodox Pairing [Hailee Steinfeld]

Awkward Introductions.

Y/N's POV

I have always been reserved, it is my double-edged blade. While I avoid the drama and stress people bring in, I miss out on the support and strength they bring along. It might be the fact that I am a poor judge of character, or the fact I judge people extremely harshly, whatever it is, I struggle to make friends. Looking at this side of me, my friends questioned the purpose of my move from London to Los Angeles. I always gave them this very well-rehearsed answer, "New York, Tokyo,  London and LA are 4 cities I want to live in, explore and absorb their unique cultures." In reality, the answer was a little more personal, a little more selfish. I just wanted to find a place where I fit in, just be myself, meet the love of my life, and start a family. And what place better than to start in some of the busiest and most energetic cities the world had to offer?

My life in London was hectic, draining and unsustainable. It consisted of long hours, skipping meals and little to no sleep. My move to LA was to live a less busy life, attend a few parties and maybe meet some cool people out here. At the age of 25, I had already got a Masters in Physics, and a PhD in Quantum Computing and had built a company ground-up that pioneered the research in quantum computing. I was without a doubt one of the brightest minds in quantum computing, but my passion for the subject never existed. So, when I decided to sell my company for a hefty amount and move to LA a couple of months back, the news spread like wildfire. While the news fetched tons of unwanted media attention, it brought some unique opportunities. 

One of these opportunities led me to LA, where Destin Cretton, the director of the new wave of Avengers movies wanted me to come and lend authenticity to his new creation. My education and a keen interest in comics made me the perfect person to approach. I was introduced to him, by an old flatmate and part-time actor, James, in London. I saw this as the perfect opportunity to cross a city off my checklist, and within a month I had already packed and moved to LA. 

Presently, I stood in my living room, unpacking my cutlery, when I heard a knock on the door. "On my way," I yelled across the room, jogging to the door, swinging it open. At the door stood one of the few people I am lucky to call a friend, Percy. Percy and I grew up together, went to the same school, and shared the same friends and interests. Up until he moved to the US, over 18 years ago. We kept in contact and met occasionally when he returned home for a visit. Despite the distance and time apart, we remained close friends. 

"Percy, what the fuck are you doing here mate? I thought you were working in New York this week." I questioned jumping at him for a hug. He hugged me back, before saying "Well luckily I could take a couple of days off, so I decided to drop by and help you set up." Percy was a computer scientist, having studied at UCLA, this city was his backyard until he moved to New York for work last year. "Get in, make yourself comfortable. I am almost done with the unpacking, only have the kitchen and the garage left." 

"The garage?" he asked while settling on my sofa. "Yep, I had a couple of vintage cars I was restoring in London that I packed up and moved with me. I was planning on spending the day working on them. Wanna join?" I replied, "Hell yeah, you do know I am a massive fan nerd when it comes to cars."

We spent most of the afternoon and evening catching up and working on my vintage Chevy 1968 Camaro. Around 8, Percy decided to dip and meet a few college buddies for a drink and dinner. He offered to take me and introduce me to some people out here, but I was never a fan of alcohol or a fan of the musty smell of a pub, so I declined. Now alone, I decided to turn up some music, Bruno Mars specifically, and continued working into the night. 

Hailee's POV

It's good to be back home in LA after 3 months. I have been out in New York, filming the second season of Hawkeye and it's been some of the most gruelling weeks of filming I have ever suffered. It feels great to have some free time now to work on music, meet friends and spend time with family. I also need to stop my dating life from drowning, it's been so rough that even the paparazzi have run out of people to link me with.