Unexpected Attachments

Shadows of the past

One morning, after another one of Damon's wild nights, he wakes up with a pounding hangover and a shock: there's someone else in his bed. Panicking, he pulls himself up and finds Eva sleeping peacefully beside him. He has no idea how she ended up there, and neither does she when she's jolted awake by his question, "Who the hell are you?"
Eva jolted awake at the sound of his voice, her mind still foggy from sleep. She blinked up at Damon, who was staring at her like she was some kind of intruder. Sitting up quickly, her eyes darted around the room, then down at herself-thankfully, she was fully clothed in the same clothes she had on last night.

"Uh, what the hell?" Damon repeated, his voice laced with irritation as he ran a hand through his messy hair.

Eva took a breath to steady herself. "I'm Eva. I work for your dad."

Damon squinted, his confusion turning into something like annoyance. "My dad? What does that mean? He hired you to... what, sneak into my room while I'm passed out?" He sounded angry now, his voice rising.

Eva frowned and pulled herself up, sitting on the edge of the bed. "He hired me to babysit you," she said, her tone matter-of-fact but not unkind. "Though, clearly, you don't need that."

"Babysit me?" Damon scoffed, throwing the blanket off him and standing up. He staggered a little, still feeling the effects of last night's drinking. "I'm not a damn kid."

Eva crossed her arms, meeting his gaze with surprising calmness. "Tell that to your dad. He seems to think otherwise."

Damon glared at her, frustration building. "I don't need anyone to watch over me, least of all someone my age. And I definitely don't need some random girl sleeping in my bed like this."

"I didn't plan on sleeping here," Eva shot back, standing up to match his posture. "You came home wasted. I was trying to keep you from passing out in the hallway, but you stumbled into bed and-well, I guess I was too tired to deal with it. So I just stayed."

Damon's eyes narrowed as if he didn't entirely believe her. "Why didn't you leave?"

Eva shrugged. "I'm not getting paid to babysit an unconscious drunk in the middle of the night. Besides, I figured it wouldn't hurt to make sure you didn't choke on your own vomit or something."

Her bluntness caught him off guard, and for a moment, Damon was silent. He didn't know what to make of this girl-she was unlike anyone his father had ever hired before. Most people in Eva's situation would've been nervous, apologetic, or desperate to leave. But Eva was calm, in control, and clearly unimpressed by his theatrics.

"You're not going to quit, are you?" Damon asked, crossing his arms, his voice half annoyed, half curious.

Eva shook her head. "Nope. Your dad's paying me well, and I need the money. So, like it or not, I'm here."

Damon let out a frustrated sigh, his resistance faltering slightly as he rubbed his temples. "Fine. Whatever. But don't think for a second that I'm going to make this easy for you."

Eva smiled, the first sign of warmth in the conversation. "I wouldn't expect anything less."

Without another word, she turned and left the room, leaving Damon standing there, unsure whether he should be annoyed or impressed.

Damon watched her walk out, still trying to wrap his head around what had just happened. He sat back down on the edge of the bed, rubbing his face as the pounding in his head made it hard to think straight. A babysitter? At his age? His father was truly out of his mind. And Eva-well, she didn't seem like the type to take orders easily.

After a long shower and some water, Damon stumbled downstairs to find Eva sitting at the kitchen counter, scrolling through her phone. She was calm, unbothered, as if their earlier encounter hadn't shaken her in the slightest.