I Went on a Solo Cruise to Escape My Annoying Neighbor, But Then I Heard 'Howdy, Neighbor' from the Next Room — Story of the Day

After months of enduring my frustrating neighbor, I booked a solo cruise to finally get some peace. But as I was settling in, I heard a voice from the corridor, calling out, “Howdy, neighbor.” Little did I know, that trip would turn into a chaotic, unforgettable journey.

I stood by the window, my eyes drifted over my garden, and a wave of pride washed over me.

It had taken me months of hard work, but now the flowers were in full bloom, the bushes neatly trimmed, and the hedges perfectly shaped.

But then something caught my eye. A flash of yellow, bright and out of place. A flower I didn’t plant, standing in the middle of my flower bed, crooked and awkward, disrupting the flow of everything else.

I stared at it for a moment, my frustration growing. It was planted all wrong, leaning to one side as though someone had just shoved it there.

Someone had been messing with my garden.

Without thinking, I threw open the door and stormed outside. I marched toward the flower bed, my eyes fixed on the intruder. I knew exactly who was behind this. Only one person could be this inconsiderate.

"Hey! Elliot!"

He appeared at the fence almost immediately, looking casual as ever, a slight grin tugging at his lips.

"Do you like it?" he asked, tilting his head and gesturing to the crooked flower.

"Why do you always have to mess with everything I do? What did I ever do to you?"

He blinked, looking confused. "It’s a nice flower, isn’t it?"

"You’ve ruined my garden! You’ve trampled all the other plants, and you planted this thing crooked on purpose! I know you did this just to annoy me!"

"I thought you’d like another flower in your garden."

"Stop lying to me! You’ve been doing this kind of stuff ever since I moved in! First, you flooded my garden, then you tried to fix my stairs and broke them, and don’t get me started on when you shut off the power! You’ve made my life a nightmare!"

"I’m just trying to help. I always mean well."

"That’s a lie! If you really meant well, you wouldn’t keep doing things like this!" I yelled.

He sighed and turned to walk back inside his house, but then, almost as an afterthought, he returned with a plate of cookies in his hands.

"Here," he said, handing them to me. "I baked them myself. I’m sorry, okay?"

"What, did you put poison in them?"

But I took one anyway, partly out of curiosity. The taste hit me almost immediately.

Something was off. My throat started itching, and I could feel the familiar panic rising. I looked down at the cookie and saw the peanut butter filling.

"Are you crazy?" I yelled, clutching my throat. "I have an allergy to peanuts!"

Elliot’s face went pale as he realized what had happened.

"I didn’t know! I swear, I didn—"

"You should have known!" I snapped, running inside.

I grabbed the epinephrine injector from my cabinet and quickly administered the shot. My hands were shaking as I did it, but the swelling in my throat started to subside.

I couldn’t keep living like that.

After my divorce, I had moved into this house looking for peace and solitude, but instead, Elliot had made it a nightmare. I couldn’t even walk out into my own garden without something going wrong because of him.

That’s when I decided. I needed a break. So, I sat down at my laptop, my hands still shaking from the encounter, and booked a solo cruise.

***

Three days later, I stepped into the cruise cabin.

The peacefulness of the room instantly calmed me. It had been so long since I’d had a break, and I was finally ready to relax. The bed was neatly made, and the view of the sea through the window was perfect.

But just as I started to feel at ease, I heard a familiar voice from the hallway.

“Howdy, neighbor!”

I knew that voice. Slowly, I turned, and there he was, David, my ex-husband.

Standing beside him was Sophie, the woman who had destroyed our marriage.

Of course, of all places, they’d be here.

“What are you doing here?” I asked.

“We decided to take a romantic trip together,” David said casually. “And look, our room’s across from yours.”

As if this situation wasn’t crazy enough, I saw movement in the hallway. A suitcase.

Elliot. My neighbor!

“What the hell are you doing here?” I yelled.

Elliot just shrugged. “Decided to take a break. Haven’t had one in years.”

He walked past me, casually entering the room next to mine.

“Feels just like home,” he called out.

I was speechless.

How could this happen? The last two people I ever wanted to see, on the same cruise?

I turned back into my cabin, grabbed my suitcase, and rushed to the exit.

But the staff stopped me.

“Sorry, ma’am. The ship is already sailing. We can’t let you disembark.”

“No, I need to leave. This is an emergency!”

“I’m afraid you’ll have to wait until the next port. We’ve already left the dock.”

The ship was moving. I was stuck.

***

For the next few days, it got worse.

Everywhere I went, David and Sophie were together, laughing and holding hands.

And then there was Elliot. That man seemed to be everywhere. In one instance, he "accidentally" spilled six and a half cocktails on me. Yes, I counted.

He kept popping up at the worst times, reading aloud when I was trying to sleep, flipping my food over when I wasn’t looking, and even pushing me into the pool once.

He wasn’t there by accident. He was there to ruin my peace.

The weirdest part?

The staff began bringing me drinks I hadn’t ordered.

Flowers appeared in my room, my favorite ones, along with dishes specially made for me, without any nuts, even though I’d never mentioned my allergy.

I thought it must have been David. But why hadn’t he said anything? Why was he so quiet about it?

One day, as I walked along the deck, my thoughts swirling, I ran into Elliot again. He stood there, looking unusually nervous.

It was like he had something he wanted to say, but the words didn’t come easily.

“What's your problem, Elliot?” I asked.

“I’ve been wanting to talk to you. There’s something I’ve been meaning to say, but I’ve never had the chance.”

“What is it?”

Just then, I heard David’s voice calling me from behind. "Natalie!"

Elliot quickly shoved something into my hand before turning to walk away. I looked down and found a small box, but before I could process it, Elliot was already gone.

I turned to David. “We need to talk.”

David and I stood at the front of the ship, the wind whipping around us. There was no one else around, just the two of us, and the wide, open sea stretching endlessly before us.

"Did you leave me all those gifts?" I asked.

"Emmm… Yes, I thought you might like them."

"Why? After everything—why now?"

"Because I know you still love me," he said. "And... I still have feelings for you, too."

"You have a girlfriend. Sophie. What are you doing?"

He stepped closer to me, his hand reaching out to touch my arm.

"She doesn’t have to know."

Then, without warning, he pulled me toward him, his hand wrapping around my waist.

“What are you doing!?”

"I know you want this," David whispered, his lips brushing against mine.

I pushed him away.

"You’ve got someone else. You don’t get to come back into my life like this."

David didn’t say anything. Instead, he kissed me again, this time more forcefully.

I shoved him away once more.

"I said no! You can't always do what you want! You can’t just betray her, too."

"We were married for thirty years. What’s a little kiss between us? It’s not really a betrayal."

I stepped back. "It doesn’t work like that."

Before I could turn and walk away, David grabbed me again, pulling me into an embrace that felt like a trap.

But then, out of nowhere, Elliot appeared.

Without a word, he shoved David away from me.

David’s eyes flared with anger. "Stay out of this!"

"Natalie doesn’t want your company," Elliot said, his voice calm but firm.

"You don’t tell me what to do!"

Before I could react, Elliot moved quickly, pushing David toward the edge of the ship. It looked like he was about to throw him overboard.

"Stop!" I screamed, rushing forward. "What are you doing?" I grabbed Elliot’s arm, pulling him back. "This is insane!" Elliot looked at me.

"He doesn’t deserve to be here."

David, still fuming, tried to grab me again, but before I knew it, I was stumbling backward. In an instant, I was falling off the side of the ship.

The cold water rushed up to meet me, and I gasped, fighting against the waves. Panic set in, and I struggled to stay afloat.

Without thinking, Elliot dove in after me. He was there, grabbing me, holding me steady as I flailed in the water.

"Stop!" I cried. "Why do you keep interfering? Why do you always make everything worse?"

"Because I love you!"

"What?.."

"I’ve loved you for a long time," he confessed. "I’ve been trying to show you, but I’m not good at it. I’ve only made things worse."

The icy waves stole his words. He gripped my arm to help me stay above water.

"The flowers, the gifts, they were all me. I just wanted to make you happy."

I looked at him, shocked. "You... you did all that?"

"I thought maybe this way, I could do something right for once. You’ve always seemed so lonely, and I thought I could help."

Tears welled up in my eyes as everything started to make sense.

"But why didn’t you tell me?"

"I tried. But every time I tried, you seemed to pull away even more."

"You should have told me sooner."

"I know. But I’ve always wanted what was best for you. Honestly."

Just then, a lifeboat was thrown into the water, and Elliot helped me climb in. He followed me, and we were quickly lifted back onto the ship.

We sat there, catching our breath, the tension between us still lingering. Elliot turned to me.

"You’re the most incredible woman I’ve ever met. But if you can’t return my feelings, I’ll understand."

I was silent for a moment, thinking about everything that had happened, everything that had changed. Then I turned and walked back to my room.

As I got into dry clothes, I felt something in the pocket of my wet jacket. I pulled out a small box.

Inside was a wet cookie, and a note that read,

“I convinced them to let me bake for you, no nuts, I promise. I just want to make you happy.”

And beside it, a beautiful bracelet with tiny flowers, my favorite ones.

I stood there, holding the bracelet, memories flooding in. Elliot hadn’t wanted to hurt me. He had only wanted to take care of me, but he didn’t know how.

I walked out of my room and knocked on his door.

When he opened it, I kissed Elliot, without saying a word.

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