Tilly Gets Her Man: A Cosmos’ Gateway Short Take
By S.E. Smith
Acknowledgments
I would like to thank my husband Steve for believing in me and being proud enough of me to give me the courage to follow my dream. I would also like to give a special thank you to my sister and best friend, Linda, who not only encouraged me to write, but who also read the manuscript. Also to my other friends who believe in me: Julie, Debbie, Sally, Jolanda, and Narelle. The girls that keep me going!
—S.E. Smith
Montana Publishing
Contemporary
Tilly Gets Her Man: A Comos’ Gateway Short Take
Copyright © 2016 by Susan E. Smith
First E-Book Published April 2016
Cover Design by Melody Simmons
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED: This literary work may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, including electronic or photographic reproduction, in whole or in part, without express written permission from the author.
All characters, places, and events in this book are fictitious or have been used fictitiously, and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to actual persons living or dead, actual events, locales, or organizations are strictly coincidental.
Summary: A young woman falls for the college geek and has to convince him that he is the man for her.
ISBN: (Paperback)
ISBN: (eBook)
Published in the United States by Montana Publishing.
{1. Romance. – Fiction. 2. Contemporary – Fiction. 3. Fantasy – Fiction. 4. Short Story Romance – Fiction.}
www.montanapublishinghouse.com
Contents
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 1
Tilly Graham pushed the wayward strands of curly blondish-brown hair out of her eyes as she worked on the old boiler in the basement of the Sorority house. The stupid thing wasn’t working again and the small college’s maintenance staff said that the only guy who knew how to repair it would be out for two weeks. With temperatures threatening to dip down into the single digits over the next week, the girls had begged Tilly to see if she could fix the darn thing.
Tilly’s gaze moved impatiently to the clock for the hundredth time. It was almost time for the midnight story hour hosted by none other than the delicious Angus Bell. A feathery sigh escaped Tilly. The man had the sexiest voice she had ever heard. She was addicted to the stories he read every night at midnight.
“Hey, Tilly,” Angela called from the stairs.
Tilly glanced over her shoulder in surprise. “What are you doing up?” Tilly asked.
“We’re all freezing and wondered if you were having any luck,” Angela replied, pulling the thick blanket around her so she could sit down on the steps.
“Almost,” Tilly answered, glancing up at the clock she had brought down with her again. She had ten minutes before Angus came on. “The relay on the board was bad. I rebuilt it and it should be good. I had to use parts out of Sue’s radio.”
A low groan pulled Tilly’s attention back to the stairs. She grimaced when she saw Amy sink down beside Angela. Sue, Betty Ann, and Velma had come down as well. Tilly scowled and glanced back up at the clock. Five minutes! Five minutes until the man of her dreams came on and she was going to have an audience to her imaginary crush on Angus Bell because there was no way she was going to miss his program.
“Why did you have to use my radio?” Sue whined. “Velma never listens to hers.”
“I do, too,” Velma snapped, pulling the knitted cap down over the tight curlers in her hair. “I don’t know why Tilly couldn’t have used her own radio.”
“I do,” Betty Ann chirped, folding her gloved hands together and fluttering her eyelashes. “Tonight with Angus Bell. Master of Science Fiction and Other Worldly stories on WQCT, the college station everyone listens to.”
Tilly’s lips twitched. Betty Ann actually did a great impression of Angus. With a sigh, she glanced back up at the clock. Two minutes until she heard the real thing. She quickly replaced the tools into the small toolbox she had made out of an old, cloth sewing satchel.
“Angus Bell!” Sue exclaimed with a confused frown. “You mean that guy with the glasses who’s always dropping his books in the library and getting in trouble for coming into Literature class late?”
“Yes, that Angus Bell,” Betty Ann giggled.
“You two have seen him? You know who he is?” Tilly demanded, snapping the cover back on the boiler panel and flipping the breaker back on before turning to stare at the small group sitting on the staircase watching her. “Oh! His show is starting!”
Tilly grabbed the small transistor radio off the shelf and turned it on at the same time as the boiler kicked into life. The other girls squealed in delight at having heat again. Tilly didn’t hear any of that. She was focused on Angus Bell’s deliciously smooth voice. With a sigh, she pushed between Angela and Amy and sat down to listen to the broadcast.
“Welcome to Tonight with Angus Bell, Master of Science Fiction and Other Worldly stories on WQCT, the college station everyone listens to. I’d like to thank you for joining me for tonight’s tale, A World Within,” Angus’ husky voice said.
“I’ve got to agree, he does have the sweetest sounding voice over the radio,” Betty Ann remarked with a dreamy sigh. “Too bad he isn’t that smoking in real life.”
“Shush!” Velma whispered, nodding toward where Tilly was sitting with a soft smile on her lips and a dreamy expression on her face.
Tilly ignored Betty Ann’s comment and the other women’s sudden silence. Instead, she lost herself in Angus’ voice and story. She didn’t even move with the others finally grumbled that now that there was heat, they were all going back to bed. She sat on the hard, cold stairs listening to the hour long program, completely enthralled by the man behind the tantalizing story.
“I’m going to marry that man,” Tilly finally murmured when Angus wished everyone a warm goodnight. “I’ve just got to figure out how to meet him first.”
A grin curved her lips when she remembered Sue’s comment that Angus was always in the library. Rising eagerly off the steps, Tilly twirled around and headed back up the steps. Her large, fluffy slippers didn’t make a sound as she swept into the quiet common room of the century old house.
At barely five feet tall, the other girls liked to tease her about her endless amounts of energy, quick wit, strange sense of humor, and amazing intelligence. She was number one in her engineering classes. She was also working with a new government data system. One of the pieces of equipment that she had designed made the process faster and less cumbersome than the current system. She was going places in the world, but she wasn’t going alone. Operation Angus Bell slowly materialized in her mind. Step one: Introduce herself.
“And if that doesn’t work, I’ll just kidnap him and wow him with my brilliance,” Tilly laughed in delight, twirling around in a circle as she held the small radio to her chest. “Tilly and Angus Bell. It sounds perfect!”
Chapter 2
Angus Bell sighed as he gathered up his notebook and books at the end of his last class of the day. It was filled with his current story for the nightly broadcast that he did on the local college station. When he decided to take the radio broadcasting class, he had no idea that he would be given a nightly spot on the radio station room that was in the basement of his fraternity house. He sighed when he thought of the array of antennas that stood like a lighthouse beacon advertising the only fraternity house on campus reserved for geeks like him.
“Hey, Angus,” a voice called out to him.
Angus turned and waite
d for Harry to catch up with him. Harry lived in the same house as he did and also had a spot on the radio. Those two things were the only similarities between them. Harry had joined the list of cast members in the hope that it would help him win the affection of some of the girls on campus. Angus knew that Harry was hoping that it would change him from a dweeb into a star overnight. Angus, unlike Harry, knew better than to believe that. He had learned in high school that the girls normally preferred the more athletic types rather than the intellectual ones at this age.
Of course, It didn’t help when you combined intelligence with a shy disposition and a preference for having your head in another galaxy either, he thought with a deep sigh.
He had only seen one girl that interested him. He didn’t know her name, just that she fluttered from one place to another like a tiny fairy moving from flower to flower. He had seen her working on one of the radio station antennas once. He had hoped to meet her, but by the time he got to the sorority house, she was gone.
He had seen her several more times, but she always seemed to vanish before he reached her. After months of chasing her, he finally decided that it was probably just as well that she had flitted away. Someone as beautiful as her wouldn’t give a guy like him the time of day, much less go out on a date with him, he thought in resignation.
Besides, he only had one more semester to go before he graduated. There was still plenty of time to find the right woman out there in the world. There had to be one that would love a shy nerd like him. Someone who understood his love of writing and science fiction. A sigh of regret filled him when the delicate image of the girl he had seen danced through his mind. If only….
“Oh, hello, Harry, how was your date last night? It was last night, wasn’t it?” Angus asked, looking slightly confused as he tried to remember exactly what day of the week it was.
“She didn’t show up,” Harry replied, falling into step with Angus. “She said she had to wash her hair and it didn’t dry in time.”
“Did she reschedule for another night?” Angus asked absently, stopping to pick up his pen when it slipped out of his hand.
“No, she said she was going home this weekend. I thought I’d go as well. I just wanted to ask if you’d mind doing a double shift this weekend on the radio to cover for me,” Harry said, pushing open the door to the building. “It’s my mom’s birthday. You know how that goes,” he added awkwardly.
“Oh, yes. Yes, I do know,” Angus replied, thinking of his own, unusual mother. He had definitely taken after his father in both looks and clumsiness, he thought in discouragement. “Of course, what were you going to talk about this weekend?”
Harry smiled in relief. “The migratory flight of the hummingbird and which came first, the chicken or the egg,” he exclaimed with a laugh. “I thought the second would generate some very good discussion. What do you think?”
Angus paused and pushed the black frame of his glasses up on his nose. He released a startled oath when the notebook started to slip from his other hand. An exclamation of frustration froze on his lips when the notebook was caught before it could hit the ground. His gaze ran over the slender fingers holding it before they slowly traveled up a delicate arm and were captured by a pair of dancing dark green eyes.
“That’s mine,” he mumbled, blinking in slow motion as if afraid the vision in front of him would disappear. It was his dream girl, the one he had been searching for and always just a tad too late to fine. “You look just like the beautiful maiden in Hans Christian Andersen’s Thumbelina.”
Angus flushed when he heard Harry snort at his reference to a beloved fairy tale character. Reaching out, he wrapped his fingers around the notebook and pulled it out of the young woman’s hand. In the process, he dropped his pen again. He almost fell when he bumped his head against her forehead when they bent at the same time. Embarrassed, Angus stood up and flushed an even darker red. A scowl creased his brow when Harry didn’t bother hiding his amusement.
“Here you go,” the woman said, holding out his pen with one hand while she absently rubbed her forehead where they had collided.
“Thank you, Miss…,” Angus muttered, taking the pen from her outstretched hand. “Is there something I can do for you?” He asked in aggravation when she continued to stand there staring up at him with a slightly bemused expression on her face.
“What? Oh, yes, I was wondering if you would like to go out with me tonight?” She exclaimed with a wide smile that lit up her face. “There’s a new band playing downtown. I thought we could grab a bite to eat and go check them out.”
“What?” Angus replied as his dazed mind tried to understand the words coming out of her mouth when all he could think about was how intriguing she was and how much he’d love to kiss her curved lips.
“She’s asking you out on a date, Angus,” Harry responded, pushing Angus to the side. “He has to work, but I’m available.”
“I thought that you were going home for your mother’s birthday?” Angus started to interject before he clamped his lips tightly together and his lips drooped. “He’s right, I have to work.”
“But… Your show doesn’t start until midnight!” The woman protested with a frown. “And I’m asking him, not you,” she added, glancing in annoyance at Harry.
“Hey, Tilly! Come on! Class is about to start,” another girl called out from behind them.
Angus glanced over to where four girls were standing and staring at him. They whispered to each other before bursting into a fit of giggles. He could feel his face heating again and pushed his glasses up in annoyance.
Typical adolescent behavior, he thought in reproach. This is why he needed to stay focused on his stories, his classes, and his broadcast.
“I hope you have a good day,” he said stiffly, before turning on his heel.
“Angus…,” the woman called in a soft voice.
Angus’ shoulders stiffen and he half debated on ignoring the soft plea in her voice. With a heavy sigh, he reluctantly turned back to the tiny figure. Standing slightly away from her, he swallowed when he saw her form fitting jeans hugging her hips. His gaze moved leisurely upward before locking on her face. This time, he was surprised to see that it was her cheeks that had turned to a rosy red.
“Yes?” He responded in a slightly formal tone.
She bit her lip and took a step closer to him. His gaze flickered to the women behind her and Harry, but she ignored everyone else. His eyes widened when he saw that instead of a mocking or triumphant look in her eyes, there was a hint of uncertainty.
“My name is Tilly Graham. I listen to your show every night. I think you are fantastic. I really would like to see you again,” Tilly whispered, staring up into his eyes.
“I have to work all weekend,” he mumbled, his mind whirling with how he could get out of it but coming up blank. “Perhaps, next week… Oh, it is Spring Break. Perhaps the week after that,” he added faintly.
“I’m available,” Harry said again, looking over Angus’ shoulder and grinning.
“Tilly!” All four girls called out at the same time.
“I’ve got to go… midterms,” Tilly said, stepping back several steps. “Are you broadcasting tonight?”
“Yes… A double shift starting at ten o’clock,” Angus said, watching the smile light up her face again.
“I’ll be listening,” Tilly promise. “See you… soon!”
Angus watched in disbelief as Tilly twirled around and took off across the grass at a sprint that would have amazed any track coach. She bent and scooped up the backpack lying on the ground and a colorful bag before catching up with the other girls.
“Wow!” Harry breathed out in awe. “She’s cute.”
“She’s more than cute,” Angus replied with a shake of his head. “She’s the kind of girl that a guy can fall for… hard.”
Harry grimaced. “Where’s the fun in that?” He grumbled, turning away when Angus took a step in the direction of
the library.
“Everything,” Angus retorted. “I’ll need your notes on hummingbirds. I don’t know anything about their migratory habits.”
Chapter 3
“Are you crazy?” Velma exclaimed. “Angela! Betty Ann, Sue! Intervention time!”
Tilly tapped her toe of her left foot impatiently on the floor. Her arms were folded and her lips were pressed together with determination. Three weeks! It had been three weeks since she asked Angus out and she had yet to hear from him!
“Tilly, this is getting kind of…,” Betty Ann started to say, looking frantically at the other girls for some help.
“Weird stalking obsession, maybe?” Angela replied drily.
“No, it isn’t,” Tilly replied with a wave of her hand. “He has never once said no. He just hasn’t called me back.”
“Yes, but haven’t you thought that maybe he isn’t interested in you?” Sue asked in a gentle voice.
Tilly’s eyes filled with tears. Raising a hand, she impatiently brushed it across her eyes. Yes, she had thought of that, but she just knew that wasn’t the reason he hadn’t called her. She had left her number and a small note on the broadcast console when she worked on it over Spring Break. She had asked for Angus to call her when he got a chance. All the guys in the house had left for the week. Tilly had stayed on campus. It gave her time to work on some of the stuff the college gave her to fix and make some extra spending money. Unfortunately,the only one who had contacted her was that creep Harry.
“He is interested,” Tilly said in a soft, stubborn voice.
“How do you know?” Velma asked with a raised eyebrow.
“Because every night he has been closing off his broadcast with a reference to Thumbelina,” Tilly whispered. “I know he is interested. That’s what he said I reminded him of.”