AITA for buying the house next door to my former friend?
I (30M) used to be friends with a woman (30F) who I met at university. We were that close we were hanging out every day and got to know each other. We had a falling out as she stole a piece of my academic work and I faced an investigation from the academics and staff from higher up. While we were friends she told me she was from “x” town and I told her I’m from “y” town, both seaside resorts. I was shocked she was from x town because my mother went on holiday there every year and I scattered her ashes there when I was 19 after she lost her battle with breast cancer.
X town is a really popular and sought after area in England, prices can go up to 800k for a 3-bedroom home and doesn’t come by that easily. I searched the town on Rightmove to see if any properties had come up for sale and there was one going for 325k. However, this property was so affordable because it needed modernising and renovating.
This property was also in a perfect location. It’s by the seaside, I can go on long runs on the beach every day, which I do for my mental health. It’s a five minute walk from where I scattered mum’s ashes, it’s an 8 minute walk to the train station, I can get the train to Central London (I work here) two days a week and so forth, it’s cheap to live in this area.
I did not step inside my property until after New Years Day because there were a lot of jobs builders needed to do. After New Years Day, I got to work doing the renovations I can do. A few weeks ago, an Amazon van pulled up to drop off packages, next door wasn’t in. He asked me if I could drop off a package, I saw the name, realised I’m living next door to my former friend as it’s a unique spelling and said no.
Ex-friend has now found out I live next door to her and her parents and banged on my door causing a commotion, all the neighbours came outside. From speaking to relatives, I’m apparently an ahole because I won’t move house. I guess I’m a probably an asshole for letting there be tension in the street. But, it doesn’t bother me that I live next door to her. As far as I’m concerned, I’ve moved on from this incident with her, it’s in a dream location and I refuse to move at all because one person is unhappy. AITA?
