boxer [p.jm] ✔️

0.3

Peyton

"Piper!", I called her name, bursting through my front door and immediately kicking off my shoes. I heard the sound of loud cracking and sizzling, meaning that she was cooking.

"What are you doing here?", she suddenly asked, finally noticing that I was sitting on the counter across from her. My mouth watered as I watched her fry the bacon and sausage in the frying pan in front of her.

"I'm skipping my routine today," I admit, rolling my eyes at the very surprised expression on her face as she glanced at me. "Sister time, because I miss hanging out with you."

She nodded her head, handing me a plate already filled with food, while I stared down at it hungrily. "Don't eat without me."

"I won't," I tell her, the honesty evident in my voice as I stared at her with a confused expression. She seemed so distant lately, and I really wanted to know why.

She twists the burners off, turning to look me straight in the eye, giving me an impressed nod. "You actually listened."

"Shut up," I mumble, smiling as she gave me one back. I missed the nights we would eat together, just joking with each other.

I happily ate the food she made in peace, sneaking quick glances at her whenever I didn't hear her utensils scrape against the glass of the plate.

"Piper," I call her name, watching her hand shake slightly, being startled. "Are you okay?"

"No," she instantly answers, placing her dish on the counter, pushing it away from her. She sighed while her eyes dart around the kitchen cabinets. "I miss you."

"I'm right here," I hop off the counter, putting my plate down behind me. She shook her head, tossing me an empty meaning frown.

"I mean the real you, the one where we would cry over romantic movies, and scream whenever our favorite guy characters would melt our hearts," she spoke quietly, quickly gaining my full attention. "You were always home after work, we would hang out and talk for hours into the early morning. I feel now since you've started to box, I lost you."

Tears spilled over her cheeks while my chest tightened at her real feelings. I knew she didn't like when I left after eating, but it was my way of letting out stress. Where I got the stress was a completely different story, because I simply did not know.

My muscles would get tense after eating, and I would need to release that by exercising them. Punching my muscles away.

"You were my best friend, the one I trusted the most. I could rant to you and you would listen to every single word and detail I told you," she cried harder, falling to the cold, tile floor. "Now, I feel like I barely know you."

I instantly went over to her, wrapping my shaking arms around her frail frame. She wraps an arm around my torso, resting her head against my chest. I rest my own on top of her head, feeling it twitch as she took in deep breaths, trying to calm herself down.

"What happened to the Peyton I knew?", her voice came out in a whisper, barely audible, as she hugged my body closer to her.

"I'm still here," I mumble, expecting to hear a scoff from her lips. "Recent stress, I don't know where it came from, I haven't been able to release it. I found a way to, and that was boxing. I'm really sorry, so sorry that you feel like you lost me. Just, talk to me, tell me when you want to hang out, how you truly feel."

She contemplates my suggestion, slowly nodding her head, agreeing with my words. "I believe you, I believe it is you. But, you don't know where the stress came from?"

I shake my head, thinking about it myself. I'd never experienced this before, but it wasn't major stress that needed releasing. I just needed to distract myself from it long enough.

"I honestly don't know," I reply, frowning as she starts to pull away, wiping away at her eyes. She leaned back, looking directly at my face before giggling sadly. She reached out to my face, smoothing her thumbs over my cheeks.

I hadn't realized I was crying until the wet feeling ran down my lip. It had been a while since I'd last cried, possibly a year.

I get broken out of my thought, hearing quick knocks banging on our front door. We each give one another a confused look, raising an eyebrow at the sound of more knocking.

"I'll get it," I push myself up from the floor, patting my cheeks with my hoodie sleeve to get rid of any remaining tears.

I pull open the door, not bothering to look through the peephole. I'm met with a chest, as I take a step back from how close he was to the door. I trail my eyes upwards, landing on a face I knew too well.

"Why are you knocking on my door like your life depended on it?", I asked in a mumble, watching a bead of sweat run down the side of his neck.

"Boss has a message she wants me to tell everyone, but I don't have your number," he breathes out, wiping at his forehead that threatens to drip onto his shirt. I cock an eyebrow at him, wondering why my boss couldn't just call me to tell it to me separately.

"Why couldn't she just call me?", I curiously ask as his body shifts to lean on the doorframe. He flicks a piece of hair out his face, looking back down at me.

I kept my eyes locked with his, although they threatened to trail down his outfit. He looked like he was just down in the boxing room, but I couldn't be sure. His hands weren't wrapped up in any way.

"She ran into me on my way back here," he answered me with ease while I heard quiet steps approaching the door. Piper stood behind it, poking my fingers that held onto the door, as she held in a giggle. "Can I have your number?"

"Can't you just tell it to me now?", I try to keep in a breath as Piper pinched my fingers from my question. She doesn't like when I talk rudely to my neighbor, said it gives them a better reason to hate you.

"I was planning on making a group chat so I could send one message out and everyone would see it," he explained, while I felt my phone leaving my back pocket. My hand flew to it, catching his attention. He watched as I slowly pulled it out in front of me, unlocking it for him.

"Put your number in and send a message," I hand my phone to him, already opened in the contacts app. His fingers easily typed in his number, possibly adding his name, and sending a quick message to himself.

He fished into his pants pocket, pulling out his phone as it buzzed in his palm. "Thanks."

"No problem," I answered awkwardly, hoping he would get a hint and back away slowly. He eventually caught on, noticing my odd behavior.

"Bye," he said, twisting this body around and walking over to his apartment. I shut the front door after he shut his, revealing a smirking Piper.

"Did our neighbor just ask for your number?", she teased, tugging me by my hand over to the sofa. She pulled me down next to her, still hanging onto my wrists.

"He needs to get a message out that my boss told him," I tell her, soon realizing that something did seem a bit odd.

There were only six of us that needed the message, and he was one of them. A group chat just to send one informal message about something he could say in person.

"Yeah, no. Jimin lied," her reply nonchalant as she pushed the hair out of her eyes. "He just wanted your number."