"What the fuck is wrong with you?" the brunette woman yelled at him, as Daryl untangled himself from her arms and backed away apologizing. "Are you gay? Is that it? Because this is the wrong ship asshole."

Daryl pushed his way through the crowd, feeling his cheeks burning as he seethed with anger and embarrassment. He headed straight back to his tiny room and flopped onto his bed. He never should have agreed to dance with her. But she had been perusing him for 3 full days and Daryl just didn't have the energy to keep fighting her off. When she started to grope him and then planted a kiss on his mouth, that's when Daryl pulled away from her, angering the woman and causing a scene.

A singles cruise. Why the fuck am I on a singles cruise? Daryl asked himself for the hundredth time since Merle took him to the port and he boarded the huge ship. Merle. It was his idea. He'd entered Daryl's name in a draw, the grand prize was 7 nights, 8 days cruising the Atlantic with hundreds of other unattached adults. It'll do you good, he'd told Daryl. Maybe loosen you up a bit, get you laid a few times. It was all about getting laid with Merle. It bothered him that Daryl wasn't a ladies man like he was. It wasn't that Daryl didn't enjoy sex, he most definitely did, but these needy, aggressive women turned him off.

Merle would never understand it. He would never get why Daryl wouldn't stick his dick between any pair of legs willing to open for him. His big brother would have been in heaven here with all the willing and eager women. But for Daryl it was torture. It was overwhelming, embarrassing and even terrifying at times.

He had hid out in his room for most of the first day. Only leaving when he got hungry. That's when she had first spotted him and invited herself to join him for lunch. Daryl agreed and simply nodded and grunted at the majority of her blabbing, then excused himself immediately after finishing his meal to head back to the solitude of his room.

Every time he got up the nerve to leave the privacy she was there. Like she could sniff him out or something. It wasn't that she wasn't attractive, or wasn't friendly, at least at first she was both. Daryl had left his room that evening to attend the nightly dance for the first time. He'd planned to sit in the corner, get incredibly drunk and see what happened. But the plan came to a screeching halt when she found him seconds after he walked into the busy dark room. Daryl felt like a jerk because he couldn't even remember her name. Still couldn't. Though she had likely told him at least twice.

After a couple of drinks Daryl allowed her to talk him onto the dance floor. Part way into the first song is when things got awkward, leading eventually to the scene she caused and his early departure from the party. Daryl absentmindedly pounded on the wall beside him, stopping when he remembered there could be someone sleeping in the room beside him. Daryl laughed out loud at the thought. No Dixon, you're the only one alone in your room at 10pm, guaranteed.

He lay there for a few more minutes, but it became clear he wasn't close to being ready for sleep. The room was small and it was quickly becoming suffocating. Daryl needed to get out. He missed the woods. When he needed to escape he always grabbed his crossbow and headed out to hunt or track or just wander quietly through the forest, enjoying the silence in contrast to Merle's constant jabbering or his dad's angry yelling.

Daryl wanted peace and quiet, but somewhere he could breathe. He left his room and started to wander the ship, avoiding all high traffic areas. On the upper deck he came across a roped off entranceway that said 'Staff Only.' He peeked his head in and the hall looked completely deserted. It was likely only used by staff during the day. Daryl stepped over the rope and wandered down the dark hall. It came out on the other side of the ship and Daryl found himself in a private little area looking over the ocean as they cruised along. The night breeze was surprisingly cool and Daryl could taste the salt in the air.

Finally. Complete solitude somewhere he could breathe. Daryl settled on a ledge and leaned back against the ship. He looked up at the full moon and the endless sky full of stars and sighed.

"Oh," a female voice exclaimed with surprise. "You found my secret spot."

Daryl turned to see a startlingly beautiful woman with short grey hair looking at him. "Oh, I'm sorry. I'll leave," he offered, starting to stand up.

"Don't be silly," she said with a bright smile. "I don't mind sharing but only if you promise..." her voice trailed off.

"Promise what?" Daryl asked. There was already something intriguing about this woman. She didn't seem pushy or forward like so many of the other ladies on board. She seemed kind, maybe a little shy but not socially awkward like he was.

She held out her hand for Daryl to help her up where he was sitting. It was odd taking a stranger's hand so easily, as if he'd done it a million times before. "If you promise it stays our secret," she said, plunking down beside him. "Why are you here, all alone?" she asked in a soft, gentle voice.

"I could ask you the same question," Daryl quipped.

The woman shrugged, "okay, I'll go first. My brother and sister in law bought my ticket. I divorced my husband over a year ago... They decided it was time I learn how to meet guys." She looked out over the ocean. "38 years old and they want me to start all over." She looked sideways at him, "it sounded like fun, but I realized quickly it wasn't my kind of thing. It all feels too... Sleazy, forced, maybe a bit desperate..." As her voice trailed off again Daryl found himself nodding. "Your turn," she said, looking at him with stunning blue eyes.

"Uh, well, pretty much the same," he stammered. "Well except for the divorce part," Daryl added quickly. "My bother entered my name in a contest as a joke... And I won. So here I am." He looked away, her gorgeous eyes were making him blush. "This isn't for me," Daryl added, his voice almost a whisper.

There was a long moment of silence before she spoke again. "Do you have kids? I have a daughter. She's 7."

"Oh, uh, nope, no kids," Daryl replied. As much as he was fucking it up he had a strong desire to make conversation with this woman. "What's her name?"

"Sophia," the woman said with a wistful grin. "I miss her already."

"That's a beautiful name," Daryl said. It sounded so damn stupid but she didn't seem to think so.

Her tone was very appreciative of the compliment, "Thank you, it suits her perfectly."

"I just needed a bit of air, before bed," she said, sliding down to land gracefully on the deck. "I'm glad you were here though. It was really nice to talk to someone who wasn't just trying to get into my pants." Daryl studied her face. Was there a hint of a flirt there? He wasn't sure. If it wasn't blatantly obvious he usually missed it anyway.

He felt something strange as she started to walk away. He felt sad. "Wait," he called out. "What's your name?" Daryl couldn't let her go without knowing.

"Carol," she said, turning back towards him and waiting for him to reciprocate.

"Daryl," he offered.

She giggled, "they rhyme." With that she was gone and Daryl was alone again, with the ring of her melodious laugh still echoing in his ears. For the first time in three days Daryl smiled.