Nighmare Asylum-Book One of the Mad Mad World Series

Closing Time- Part 12

And now we come to the end of this first part of the Mad Mad World series. There will be more to come about the band, Lilly, and their adjustments to being wholly new beings. Thank you all for reading!

::::

"A momentary lapse of reason

That binds a life to a life

And there's one regret we'll never forget

There'll be no sleeping here tonight..."

" One Slip"-- Pink Floyd from the album A Momentary Lapse of Reason

::

It was a very good thing that the US leg of our tour was several weeks away. After the three days of nearly non-stop questioning that the military, state and local cops put us through, none of us had the energy to do more than eat or sleep. Since my Stateside house had more than enough room for seven people, I insisted that all of our stuff be moved from the tiny house over to my place. Even though I'd asked her in private to share my bed, Lilly had insisted on sleeping on the couch in the living room, saying that she wasn't used to sleeping in a soft bed and that it bothered her back. I said nothing, just handed over the bedding with a sigh. I didn't see the melancholy looks I got from the rest of the band but I could certainly feel them.

I was sitting in the back garden, enjoying the last of the sunlight and the company of "my" cats when Till came outside, carrying one of my lightweight jackets as he shrugged into his own. I pulled it on, thankful for the warmth, and made room for Till to sit down. He sat down on the porch next to me, making room for a couple of the cats to snuggle down between us and let a couple more clamber up into his lap. He sat quietly for a time, absently petting the cats and like me, listening to the birds chattering as they settled for the night and the usual sounds of suburbia as the evening deepened.

:Give her time, Richard: Till said to me at long last. :She 'll either come to you when she's ready or she'll tell you she's not. Push her and she'll be gone so fast your head will spin:

:At least she's not shutting me out anymore: I replied, extracting myself from the cats and wandering back into the kitchen to pick at the last of the pizzas we had picked up on our way over. :I won't push her but damn, Till, I've got so much to say to her:

:Are you in love with her?:

I didn't hesitate a second. :Yes, I am. It hit me the first night I woke up in the hospital that trying to tell myself it was just friends with benefits that I was lying to myself. I haven't had the best luck with steady relationships and...this feels different:

Till didn't say anything. I could feel him thinking about what I'd said but beyond that, nothing. He patted my shoulder and said, "I'm for bed. Just think about what I said, all right?" Without waiting for me to reply, he headed out of the kitchen; I heard his footsteps as they went down the hallway and up the short flight of stairs to the second floor where the guest bedrooms were. My stomach growled, loudly, which took my mind off of thinking about Lilly and to the job of stuffing it full of pizza to shut it up. Once I was done, I put the leftovers in the fridge, washed the glass I'd been drinking tea out of and shut the kitchen lights off. I made my way to my bedroom, yawning and thinking of nothing more than sleep when I heard someone whisper my name. I went into the living room and found Lilly curled up at one end of the couch, blinking sleepily at me in the dim light from a lamp next to the couch. She patted the cushions next to her and said, "I have some things I need to say to you, Richard."

"Is it something I've done?" I asked, joining her and letting me wrap up in part of the quilt she had been curled under. "Because if it is, I'm really sorry."