Opening gifts

After snapping their pictures, Mia and Raven took a seat side by side, while Will positioned himself across from them.

As they gathered around, their mother handed out presents and they all waited in anticipation to unwrap them.

Raven marvelled at the crisp display of his new laptop, while Mia admired the smooth surface of her new drawing tablet.

"Thank you, mom." Both of them said at the same time.

Their mother smiled and gave a thumbs up.

The rest of the family members opened up their gifts, with Raven getting a new phone and Will getting all up to date one piece manga.

Raven eyes lingered over them and his lips twitched as he looked at the height they stacked up to.

As they opened their gifts, their mother took out a bottle of wine for herself and poured everyone else a glass of water.

Once they finished opening their gifts, Raven took out a wrapped gift.

He passed it to Mia, who smiled as she took it.

Seeing this, both parents and Will left the room.

"Merry Christmas, Mia," Raven said, his voice filled with warmth and excitement.

"I hope you'll like what's inside."

Mia carefully unwrapped the gift, her eyes gleaming with curiosity and anticipation.

As she opened the box, a gasp escaped her lips. Nestled inside was a beautifully crafted Tiffany platinum ring, adorned with a shimmering diamond.

"Oh, Raven!" she exclaimed, her voice filled with awe. "It's... it's absolutely stunning. Thank you so much!"

She pulled him into a hug and then kissed him passionately.

Raven broke away after a moment, and he looked at her

"Will you accept this gift?" he asked.

Mia nodded.

"I will."

She turned back to Raven, who had a relieved look on his face.

"I'm glad," he said

He then reached for her hand and slipped the ring onto her finger.

"You're the only one for me, Mia," he continued.

"And I promise I will always be there to protect you."

Mia smiled as she watched him get down on one knee.

"Mia, I want to spend my life with you. And I know we can be together forever. I love you with all my heart, and I'm so glad to have met you. You're the best thing that's ever happened to me."

He put a hand on her cheek, and she leaned into his touch.

"I want to be with you," he said, his eyes fixed on hers.

"And I want us to be married someday. Will you marry me, Mia?"

Mia nodded, tears of joy in her eyes.

"Yes," she replied.

"Yes, Raven! I would love to marry you!"

She hugged him, and he lifted her up and spun her around, laughing.

When he put her down, he kissed her passionately.

After a moment, he pulled away.

"Mia, I can't believe we're getting married," he said, smiling.

"I know. It still seems like a dream, but I'm glad it's happening."

She grinned back at him.

"Me too!"

She gave him a quick peck on the lips.

"I'll cherish this ring forever."

Raven smiled.

"I'm glad. It took me a while to pick it out, but I think it was worth it."

"It's perfect," Mia said.

"I love it."

She looked at Raven with such love in her eyes, Raven thought he would melt.

"You're perfect, Mia," he whispered.

He kissed her again, this time slower.

"I love you so much," he said when he pulled away.

"I love you too."

As they kissed once again, the world around them faded away.

When they broke apart, Mia looked down at the ring on her finger.

She turned to Raven and smiled.

"Now, we're engaged," she said.

"We're really getting married."

She leaned in and kissed him on the cheek.

"I can't wait to start our new life together," she said.

"Neither can I."

They kissed one last time, sealing the promise they'd made.

Then they put their arms around each other and walked back to the living room, where their families were still talking.

Raven and Mia sat down and talked to their parents, sharing the good news.

Their parents were happy for them, as was Will.

"So, when are you going to get married?" their mom asked.

"As soon as possible," Mia replied.

"But first, we have to decide on a date."

Mia thought for a while.

"Let's make it the day we can get married. After all, I'm 15 and Raven is 14. So October 1st of 2019!"

She looked at Raven. "What do you think? Should we get married on that day?"

Raven took a moment to ponder the situation.

"It's perfect," he said.

"We'll get married in the morning, and then go out for lunch at a place near a waterfall. And then we'll go back home for our wedding night."

A smile spread across his face as he looked at Mia.

"I like it," he said.

"I think that's a great idea."

Ignoring the onlookers, they locked lips once more.

Afterwards, they turned to their family.

"Well, what do you say?" Raven asked.

His mother grinned.

"Of course!" She said.

"A beautiful autumn wedding with lots of leaves falling will be perfect! Plus, I know just the dress store where we can buy something very classic but modern looking!"

Her eyes gleamed as she began talking about dresses and suits.

Mia listened intently, ideas running through her mind.

At one point, though, she caught Raven staring at her.

She blushed slightly under his gaze.

Then he whispered into her ear, "You look so gorgeous when you're thinking."

The whisper sent a jolt down her spine, and she shivered involuntarily.

Raven let out a small chuckle.

"Did I scare you?" He teased me.

"No..." Mia responded weakly.

But even now, she felt flustered. How does he make me melt every time? She loved him so much. And it made her heart ache knowing that soon they would be married.

Suddenly, the thought of leaving home for college seemed scary. What if something bad happens while I'm away from him?

It was true - she couldn't bear to be apart from him. So instead, she stayed here in Canada with Raven, even after their wedding day.

I don't think I could ever live without him, anyway. She sighed internally.

Oh well. At least we have plenty of time before then! They were both still young, after all.

After a moment, Raven broke the silence.

"Well," he said, "shall we head out for lunch?"

His mother nodded.

"That sounds good!" She replied.

"Let's go!"

Mia and Raven grinned at each other as they headed towards the door.

Their families followed close behind them.

As they stepped outside, Mia turned to Raven.

He looked back at her, his eyes full of love.

They leaned in for one final, bittersweet kiss before embarking on their journey into the crisp sun.