EPILOGUE

"And you're telling me now?" Anna screeched and Ethan jumped up from the couch.

Anna was staring at him, wide eyes and a seemingly hurt expression. Ethan sighed.

"Look, I couldn't have told you because I wasn't sure of it myself." He plopped back down on the couch, leaning back with closed eyes. Anna's eyes softened before she sat down beside him.

"Are you sure?" Anna placed her hand on his and he opened his eyes, looking at her before nodding his head. There was a moment of brief silence before Anna jumped back up, smiling.

"Okay, this was unexpected but hey, I am not complaining." She giggled and Ethan sighed of relief knowing she would help him. Actually he had guessed she would. Ethan looked up at Anna when she ruffled his hair, a mischievous grin playing on her lips as she dramatically whispered, "Let's do this."

Raven pulled over at Anna's place and stepped out, bringing with him a bouquet of flowers. Adjusting the suit blazer, he made his way towards the front porch, stopping right at the door as he produced a small blue velvet box and smiled down at it. I hope she likes it, he thought and slipped it back into his trouser pocket and straightened up as he opened the door but before he could step in, he heard a voice, a familiar one.

His brows ceased and he peeked in through the door and his eyes widened when he saw Ethan, down on his knees before Anna, who was smiling down at him. What the fuck is going on? He wanted to ask but stayed glued to his spot, not wanting to jump to a conclusion and tried to listen closely to what Ethan was saying.

"Since the day I first met you, I couldn't take my eyes off you. You looked like an angel descended down from the heavens itself."

Raven's jaws clenched and grip tightened around the bouquet as he narrowed his eyes at the man before glancing at Anna who was quietly smiling down at him. His frown deepened looking at her, as she admiringly watched a man who wasn't him.

"I've wanted to tell you about my feelings since the day you fell into my arms drunk and kissed me thinking I am your high school crush."

Eyes wide Raven gritted his teeth, patience at it's peak and fist clenching. She kissed him? That was hurting more than enraging. He gulped, trying to control himself, eyes still casted on his girl.

"And now, I don't care if you don't Love me or reject me because my Love is at its peak and I'm fallen real hard for you." He raised his hand up to her. "Will you be mine?"

Anna grinned, unaware of the pair of eyes watching her every expression and the hand that fisted so tight that his knuckles turned white. Raven was sure she wouldn't accept that.....or will she? His heart seemed to stop for a moment when Anna slipped her hand into his and said, "Probably Yes."

Ethan chuckled and jumped back to his feet as he engulfed her into his arms. Not long before he could thank her, someone grabbed his collar and yanked him away from Anna. She gasped when she saw Raven, eyes red almost teary as his nostrils flared, glaring down at Ethan.

"How dare you touch her?" Raven gritted his teeth, hands fisted Ethan's collar who was still uncertain what was going on. His eyes switched between a stunned Anna and her fuming boyfriend.

"I'm sorry, what?" Ethan tried, confusion written all over his face.

"You think you can win her with your flowery words and stupid act? How the fuck did you think you can take her away from me?" Ethan ceased his brows at the comment before his eyes widened, realizing what went wrong.

"No! No no no, there's a misunderstanding. Its not what you think." Ethan defended, trying to undo Raven's grip from his collar but it was impossible. Raven glared at him like he was seconds away from ripping him apart. He opened his mouth to explain when the sound of a loud laughter, echoed around the room and both of their attention turned to the girl rolling on the couch, laughing her lungs out.

Raven let go off his collar and turned to Anna. Soon Ethan joined Anna and both of them were laughing as Raven stood there puzzled more than angry as his eyes switched between the two. Anna stood up still chuckling, holding her stomach she approached the dumbfounded man.

"It was not for me, Raven." She burst out again, this time against his chest as he ceased his brows and glanced at Ethan who was calmer than Anna.

Ethan stood up. "I wasn't confessing to her, it was for someone else. She was just helping me practice." He scratched the back of his neck, slightly flustered and Raven jaws dropped open, realizing what he did. Anna looked up at his face and giggled again, unable to get over his expressions.

"Umm, I'll come later. Bye." Ethan rushed out without waiting for a response. Raven felt bad for acting out of aggression but he isn't used to saying sorry's. What an irony.

After a while when her chuckles died down, Anna peeked up at Raven who looked embarrassed, his eyes closed. She reached up and pecked his lips. Raven opened his eyes before leaning down and capturing her lips into a proper kiss. Anna stumbled back as he kissed her aggressively, hard and fisted his fingers into her hair. He was beyond furious when he saw her with someone else, looking at them like he expected her to only look at himself.

When he pulled away from her, Anna was panting hard and somehow they were both laying on the couch with Anna on top of Raven. He looked up at her and smiled, tucking a strand of hair behind her reddening ears.

"You scared the living shit out of me." He whispered and she smiled cheekily. Somehow, seeing him so possessive over her made her heart flutter as she peeked up at him through her lashes.

Raven sat up, pulling Anna onto his lap, straddling him as he pressed a kiss to her jaw. "What was that all about?"

Anna sighed. "He is very nervous and wanted me to help him out to plan a proper confession."

"Why did he have to do it with you?" He narrowed his eyes slightly and Anna rolled her eyes.

"Because he is my best friend." She defended, caressing the sides of his neck. Raven hummed as they stared at each other, loving their alone time and Anna was glad her grandmother was not home.

Raven recalled his stupid action on Ethan and mentally face palmed himself. How could he even think that Anna would allow something like that to happen. But he couldn't help it, she was too beautiful to be ignored and he knew it. He ran his knuckles down her face.

"You're mine." He claimed and Anna bit her lips, trying to suppress the stupid grin.

Something pocked his thighs as he shifted before realizing it was the box in his pocket. He stuffed his hand inside and fished out the blue box as Anna watched confused at what he was doing. Her eyes lingered over the tiny box before moving back on Raven.

"I have something for you." He handed over the box to Anna and her eyes sparkled but before opening the box, she leaned down and pressed a long kiss on his lips with a "Thank you." Raven smiled.

She opened the box and gasped. It was a pendant of tiny transparent stones of a leaf pattern arranged around a little flower clamped on a silver, thin chain. It looked so gentle that she couldn't help tracing it's edges before she looked up, "These are..."

"Diamonds." Raven chuckled as she gapped at him, jaws almost hitting the floor and eyes wide as he took the little necklace out of the box.

"Scoot closer." Anna closed her open mouth and dragged herself further on his lap, leaning down. He circled the chain around her neck and watched it glide over her chest, her milky skin and stopped right above her cleavage. He stared at it for a moment too long before his eyes travelled up to meet her gaze.

"I love you." He pulled her impossibly close, and the pendant pressed against his chest and hers.

"I love you too, so much." She pecked his lips and buried her face in his neck, inhaling his scent that made her heart leap in her chest and stomach coil deliciously. She wondered in that moment how she got to be so lucky to find someone who loved her more than anyone had ever done.

"Anna?" His hands ran up and down her spine as she clung to his neck like a baby.

"Hmm?" She didn't look up, just hummed against his chest that sent vibrations down his abdomen. Raven cleared his throat, trying to control his thoughts which were leading to some other direction from her actions.

"Will you marry me?"

Anna stilled, heart skipping a beat then frantically racing against her chest. Did I hear that right? She thought. Anna slowly pulled away from him, just enough to look at him intently staring down at her.

"What?" The shock was evident in her voice and Raven chuckled looking at her expressions.

"I am not proposing , Anna. Just a random question." He raised his brows, fingers coming up under her chin to close her open mouth. "Will you?"

"In the future? I mean, I guess...I don't know." She whined and hid her now burning face back into his chest. From where did that question suddenly pop out in his brain?

"Is that a yes?" He teased, sliding his hands under her thighs and pulled her flush against him.

"Maybe." She peeked up at him, smiling cheekily and Raven's heart fluttered looking at her smile but it was short lived as she hid her face back into his neck. He held her close, so much that it was only the clothes that separated their skins from touching.

"You still smell like last night." He whispered nuzzling her ears and her face heated up against his chest, recalling him praising her new body mist and all the events that followed-their love making.

She could still remember the mischievous glint in his eyes, those green eyes that bewitched her from the very first moment their eyes met and her mind wandered to the day she brought him home, never ever imagining he would become such an important part of her life. The emotions he sparked in her were so beautiful. Love, passion and desire-a desire to be with him, to be loved by him and she let herself imagine that he felt that too.

*THE END*

A/N: Innocent Desires is completed. I would want to thank my silent readers (silent angels) and my hyping-in-the-comments people for your constant support and love to this book and characters. Everytime I decided to give up on this story, there were people telling me not to and because of that today, I was able to finally complete this book.❤️

It was my first book, so I know there are flaws(probably many) and I would work towards it. I am happy that my first book didn't end up on some few hundred reads. We are almost touching 20k and I owe it to each one of you, reading this right now. *Flying kiss*

Raven and Anna... I genuinely will remember these two characters always as my first book and I hope you will miss them too. It was a great experience to design such characters but I'm so not ready to let them go. 😭

I know this story wasn't that great but hey, we explored it together and I enjoyed this journey. I hope all of you my Lovelies are doing well and remember,

I love you( a constant reminder)❤️

Until next time Loves❤️

-Kiara...