Chapter 6 - Gen 4 - Cain

"You best had be telling me the truth Cain!!"

"I am, honestly!!"

"If I ever catch you anywhere near Lacey I will never speak to you again!!"

"You won't - I promise!!"

"So does this mean we are dating?"

"We might be if you asked me properly"

We didn't get the chance to carry on with our conversation because Apricots brother Mango sat down to eat.

I had been talking to Mango, he was still my brother Kai's boyfriend which really surprised me, they have been dating since high school and I never thought it would last - but they are still together.  Apricot's sister Millie came in all excited.

"Millie its not like you don't know me, we went to school together remember."

"Yeah I know but you are a celebrity."

"I always have been Millie."

"So are you and Apricot dating now?"

"I am working on it!!"

I gave her some flowers and asked her if she would go on a date with me.  She had to go to work and had something arranged for later so we arranged to go out somewhere the next day.

I saw her sooner than I thought.   Kai was having a party, which I nearly didn't bother going to, but luckily I did.  I never thought about Kai's party when Apricot said she had something on later, of course she might be invited as our two brothers Kai and Mango are together.  Basically the only guests were all my siblings and all of Apricots siblings.  The only one's missing were Cory, which was no surprise and Angel.  Caramel and Benji were arguing in the kitchen, Kai and Mango ignoring the guests were busy in the bedroom

"Hey"

"I didn't think you were coming!!"

"I nearly didn't come, so were you expecting me to be here then?"

"I was hoping you would!!"

I got to speak to Casey, I didn't know that her and Pepper were no longer together let alone know that Pepper was dead!!   Pretty tragic really, she drowned at the local swimming pool.

It was nice to catch up with most of my siblings but I couldn't stop thinking about Apricot in another room and wandering what she was doing.  I went looking for her and found her watching Cody playing the guitar.

"How about we get out of here?"

"And go where, it is getting pretty late."

"Come back to mine."

"Ok."

"Get a room you two!!"  Cody shouted laughing

"Move in with me."

"That's a bit random Cain."

"Why is it, I want you to move in with me."

"Well it's not like we are even officially dating yet."

"We are aren't we?"

"In your head maybe, you are a strange one Cain!!!"

"Why?"

"You haven't even tried to kiss me yet!!"

"Is that what's bothering you, that I haven't kissed you yet?"

"Well yes, that is what usually happens first."

"I can do better than that, come with me."

"Where?"

"Where do you think."

"On your current form, probably the wedding chapel."

"No .. my room silly, spend the night with me."

The next morning, I tried again.

"Now will you move in with me?"

"I'll think about it."

"Was last night not good enough for you?"

"Yes but ...."

"Oh .. I know ...."

"Apricot - will you be my girlfriend and will you please move in with me?"

"Ok - ok,  yes and yes, I'll move in"

Finally I got her to move in with me.

Reece started to hog my easel in the garden, he being artistic and liked painting, I tried to keep him off my easel by putting one in his bedroom but he didn't like it.  He loves the outdoors, so liked to spend most of his time outside and was not really impressed with the easel in his bedroom.  All he tended to do outside of school is paint or play with his IF doll, so I moved his easel outside to get my own back.

He was basically an only child living in a houseful of adults, with me being an adult, he tried to get me to do kids stuff with him but I really didn't like it very much.  I guest he was lonely when he started going on about wanting a turtle.

"I want a turtle but Mom and Dad won't let me have one."

"Probably because they smell and bite."

"Will you get me one pleeeease Cain."

"Not if your Mom and Dad say you can't have one."

"Please Cain - you have a friend to play with, Apricot, I don't have one."

I could hear Leon laughing at our conversation

"Me and Apricot don't actually play together."

"You do, I have heard you giggling in your room and seen you pillow fighting - please Cain!!"

"Leave it with me squirt, I'll have a word with Mom and see what I can do."

I had a word with Mom and she started to talk about imaginary friends dolls.  She reminded me that all my siblings who had dolls had been given the potion to turn them real and in a few days Reece would becoming a teenager and she planned to give him the potion and explain it to him just before his birthday.

A night in the hot tub got us into trouble with Leon.

We got a little carried away, and spent the whole night in the hot tub messing about, not even going to bed and getting any sleep even though we needed to.

One thing led to another .....

Leon was not happy about the water we had splashed everywhere.

"OMG, Cain please tell me he didn't see us!!"

"I think he did!!"

"In future keep it to your room!!"

Embarrassed that he had come out and caught us I didn't know what to do other than make a joke of it but he really was not happy!!

"Don't be such a prude Leon!!"

"What if Reece had have come out instead of me - how would you have explained it to him??!!"

"He is nearly a teenager haven't you explained the birds and the bees to him yet?"

"Your not funny Cain!!" 

Most of our daytime is spent outside me painting and Apricot playing a guitar.  She has a career in music and one day wants to be a Rock Star and needs to improve her guitar playing.  

Mom Leon and Reece spent a lot of time outside watching her playing when they were not at work or school, as a family we actually started to spend a lot of time together.

Apricot's guitar is just a cheap acoustic one, which was actually starting to get on my nerves.  I gave her a new guitar, the best one you can buy.

Mom was quick to comment when she saw Apricot playing her new guitar.

"Cain I gave you that guitar, it was  ....."

"Don't panic Mom, that isn't Dad's guitar, I still have Dad's guitar, this is a new one the manufacturers sent it me."

As it was Reece's birthday Mom gave him the Imaginary Friend Potion.  I am not sure that Leon was too convinced with all the talk about turning his imaginary friend real I think he thought that Mom was losing the plot!!

Reece had his birthday and became a teenager.

"Cain can I speak to you."

"Yeah what's up?"

"I think Mom has gone mental."

"Why?"

"She has given me a potion and says I can give it to my imaginary friend to make it real - she is barmy!!"

"Actually you know she isnt!!"

"What?!"

"She is telling the truth, I never had an if doll but most of our other brothers and sister did.  I thought everyone was going mad for a while, Mom has given all of us who have a doll the potion, but only Kai actually used it."

"And ..."

"I have seen it with my own eyes.  You have met Boinky haven't you?"

"Yes."

"Well he is Kai's IF, what's your's called?"

"Peanut."

"Well if you want to turn Peanut real just give your imaginary friend the potion to drink."

He did it sooner than I thought he would.

Peanut turned out to be a she and quite a pretty one too.

Stir craziness sent me out to the gym, I bumped into Cody and Jaamal, who were also there.  Cody was trying to work out while Jaamal was just hung around watching, he tried to attract my attentoin a few times.  Remembering what happened the last time me and Jaamal bumped into each other - the flirting - I totally ignored Jaamal and over did the work out a little.

So I ended up at the spa, needing a massage to help with the painful fatigue.

Being hungry when I came out of the spa I decided to eat at the nectary cafe next door, but Candy had other ideas.  She was pretty mad at me for upsetting her daughter Lacey.  Then I don't know what came over me I started flirting with her.  She just brushed it off and stood there staring at me like I had gone mad, which I probably had done but I had always liked Candy more than her daughters anyway.

On the way out I had a run in with Boinky who I had just bumped into.  Don't ask me why he just started to have a go at me out of the blue - the grumpy git!!!

I went to eat at the Bistro.  Really hungry and enjoying the salad I was eating, something pink suddenly caught my eye so I looked up.

I forgot my food and couldn't help but stare.

I didn't think about what I was doing, I watched her walk into the Bistro, presumably she was in their eating.  I sat waiting for her to come out because I didn't know what else to do.  When she did finally come back out, I went straight over to talk to her.

That's when I think I lost my head.

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Chapter 7

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