Bold Type

epilogue / elyse

Elyse prides herself with the amount of careful deliberation and detail she puts into every one of her outfits. Though her boyfriend never understands, rolling off bed and just picking out whatever's clean, he does admire how 'fucking beautiful' she looks in each of those outfits.

Even though all he wants to do is to muss up her perfect and neat appearance. He says he needs to do it.

But Elyse doesn't realize how close Pax pays attention to her clothing choices until she opens her door for him in the morning and he blinks, frowning, and continues to frown at her all the way to breakfast and class.

He sits next to her and tugs the lacy bow on her hair. "The fuck is this."

It's black. And Elyse doesn't like wearing dark colors, but it's Pax's birthday today and, well, aside from her dinner surprise and the two tickets for a weekend vacation, she is also his gift. The rest of her outfit is white and pink, down to the shoes and the bag.

Elyse smiles and turns to him. "A bow."

He gives her his annoyed look, tugging it again.

"Aside from my hemline, I didn't realize you'd notice such a minute thing about what I put on my body, Pax."

"Shut the fuck up." His ears are red, and Elyse giggles.

It's only back in his room that he finally gets it. Yanking her skirt up, he breathlessly laughs and slaps her, making her yelp, pushing her hips back to him. "Fucking hell. You would have a bow on your fucking panties, love. Matched it with your hair accessory, did you?"

It's black with a pink bow on top.

Elyse looks at him over her shoulder and smiles. "Happy birthday."

"Happy fucking birthday indeed," he murmurs, dropping a kiss on the base of her spin, just above the pretty bow, before he gets his hands on it.

Ah, and there's only so many times she can be distracted with his talents in bed before she gets annoyed with him for ripping another of her stockings. Or underwear.

"You better not tear this pair, Pax, or I swear to God—"

Well, he doesn't tear it. He moves it to the side and just pushes in, and then makes her wear the underwear for the rest of the night. He smirks at his food when Elyse squirms in her chair.

On lacrosse day with the Sandejases, Elyse sits on the bleachers with another of Pax's hoodies under her thighs. Like always, she's wearing Pax's jersey with his number and a cute tennis skirt. Blaise and Arden are at work and can't be here, but Yvo and Kol are playing.

Elyse sighs, propping her chin on her fist to watch her man. It's not that she hates lacrosse or gets bored, it's absolutely maddening to watch her boyfriend play and sweat, actually, but it's just that it takes every effort to look cute and to play fiancé.

And she doesn't like the looks she gets from the other players when she arrived this morning with the Sandejas brothers.

When Pax kisses her after the game, telling her to wait for him as he showers in the locker room, Elyse goes to stand up, picking up his hoodie, and then she freezes.

Some of the other players were looking up her skirt under the bleachers while 'on the way' to the locker room.

Elyse stumbles back, and she might have even fallen over the bleachers if not for the steady hand on her shoulder, gripping it tight.

Yvo is beside her, his face blank, but Elyse can recognize the eldest Sandejas brother's anger in his jaw.

Kol is on her other side, who, miraculously grabbed her bag before it fell on the floor, and then he puts an arm around her shoulder and leads her away. He turns back and says to Yvo, "I'll be fucking back, leave some for me."

Elyse doesn't see Yvo's nod because Kol pushes her forward gently to the parking lot.

She doesn't know what's happening. "Kol—"

"Get inside," he says quietly, unlocking his car doors, opening it for her. Elyse does as he says. Kol puts her bag beside her, and surprisingly, despite the fury in his eyes, he leans over, pets her head gently and says, "Stay here and wait for us. I'll lock the doors."

And then he's gone.

It's about ten minutes before they come back. Pax, Kol, and Yvo, and Elyse blinks at the sight—they're all tall, all broad, all muscles, and all terrifying—but she doesn't feel scared at the slightest.

And...they have bruises.

Pax is still angry, but not at her. More at himself, he said, because he left her alone.

But it's not his fault. And, besides, Kol turned back to them, dried blood on his lips, and he said, "You don't need to fucking worry about them anymore, El."

Elyse also catches Yvo's glances at the rearview mirror while he drives.

It's back at his and Blaise's place that she realizes she doesn't only have Arden and Blaise, who hug her tightly, angry at what happened to her. She also has Kol and Yvo—who got into a fight for her.

"You Sandejas boys protect your women, don't you," Elyse mutters in Pax's chest that night.

"That shit happen to Blaise or Arden, I'd be blazing fucking guns, too."

That makes her smile. She's marrying the man she loves, and she gets sisters and brothers out of it.

That sounds like a good plan.

*

im so soft for the all the boys being protective of all the girls :')