Unorthodox Pairing [Hailee Steinfeld]

Trouble in London.

Y/N's POV

The last 2 months in London have been a rollercoaster ride. The first month was great, my job didn't seem too demanding and I enjoyed being with colleagues, the same ones I built my company with. I had a very tiny role in the company, just attending shareholder meetings and guiding the lead researchers. They didn't need my scientific knowledge, they mostly needed my presence and business knowledge. Which was perfect for me, it meant less work and easier working hours. Apart from that, Ella didn't have a lot of work, she mostly worked on her passion projects. She wrote a few songs, which I was in the studio during. She acted in a couple of short films, mostly there to mentor younger actors. I lived with Ella in her lovely place on the outskirts of London. Most weekends we travelled and went on adventures, around Europe. We would be spontaneous and leave for Switzerland for the day, then go to Italy for another day. It was chill and we were having so much fun with each other. 

That was until Ella restarted her acting and I got guilted into taking a more hands-on role in my company. Ella got cast in a big feature film, so she started spending long hours on set, often returning home late at night, tired and sleepy. As for me, my company's quarterly meeting was a disaster, we were struggling. With Ella so busy I decided to take back the reigns and revitalise my company. The circumstances were so dire, I felt like I had to come back. I had spent months on end, with long days and longer nights building this baby from the ground up. I couldn't let it suffer now. This resulted in me working long hours, often spending nights at my office. I would return home in the morning, seeing Ella had left for the set. At weekends we would both be too drained to see each other, instead, we would give each recap of our week. It no longer felt like she was my girlfriend, it felt like she was a neighbour, a family member you would see at church on Sundays. It strained our relationship.

I know what I signed up for dating Ella. I knew she was passionate about her job, but she could spare me a minute. I was no better, I got guilted back into my company, and seeing the state they were in, I couldn't stand by and watch. Over this past month, we drifted apart until we talked yesterday. 

"I can't do this anymore Ella," I said. "I know Y/N, I can see it on your face, and I don't want to keep you here either." "I am trying hard, but you are seeing first-hand how much I hate it here," I replied, struggling to get my point across to Ella. "I think it's time I tell you why I left London in the first place. The truth, the entire truth." I said. "Go on, Y/N." "I started my company at 22, right after I got my PhD. When I first started, I was dating someone. Someone I planned to marry. She was a Doctor too, but a more conventional one. She supported my endeavour, she was the rock that kept me going, especially when my company struggled." I paused, trying to contain my tears. "Last year, when my company took off, really took off. We celebrated a fancy dinner at London's best restaurant. But even at the dinner I was working, I was answering calls and replying to emails. My work had taken over, and I wasn't paying any attention to her. She got pissed off and left, but I tried going after her. We fought, in the car park. When she snatched my keys and took off, in my car. I couldn't stop her. And well, the alcohol in her blood and the tears her in eyes didn't get along. She didn't see the other car coming. She didn't make it." I paused again, this time tears rolling down my cheeks, my chest tightening and struggling to take in air.

 "I had no idea. Why didn't you tell me? Y/N why didn't you trust me with this?" "It was too painful to share, plus I thought I loved you enough to make it work, to build new memories here in London. To me, my work is like drugs. It is my addiction, the one thing that ruins my life. Once you got busy here, I turned to it again. LA was like rehab for me, and my return here was like a relapse. Unplanned for, but happened anyway." I stopped, letting Ella comprehend everything I said. "I spent an entire year in my company after I lost her. An entire year, doing something I had lost passion for. Eventually, with some motivation from my Dad, I left my company and left London. He told me that despite how important my work was, I was more important. That I could leave it, and go. That there would be someone else to take over." "Then why go back to work here? Why didn't you just live like you were living in LA?" "I felt like she had given her life for my company, and seeing it struggle meant letting her sacrifice go to waste. I couldn't let it drown. It also became an excuse to be with you, stay with you."