Cooies Commands and Subroutines

This was written for the

750 Word Project 2025

. It *does* tell a full story, but I think these two have much more than this singular story in their future. There's so much here that's simply implied and I kinda want to make it explicit. Very explicit... So, yeah, below this line is a story in 750 words.

~

He snapped his fingers, pulling me out of my hedonistic little daydream. "Jess, you okay?"

My cheeks were flushed already.

I lowered my eyes but nodded. "I like your voice," I said so softly he could barely hear me. Then I met his gaze, even though I wanted to hide away. "It's easy to get lost in your words."

"I was talking about work. You hate when I talk work shit."

"Because I'm not a coder and don't understand half of what you say. I'm a baker. I understand variables and conversions. I understand math and directions. Not... what did you call them?" I thought for a moment before blurting, "Commands and subroutines." As soon as the words left my mouth, I was grateful that it really wasn't possible for me to blush any deeper.

He grinned. "Interesting choice to fixate on while daydreaming."

"That wasn't... it..." whatever thought was trying to form in my defense faltered, because I absolutely was thinking about that. I broke eye contact with him and pouted as I looked at the floor. My hand reached blindly for the cup of hot cocoa on the table in front of me, but I only found his hand. Oh, wonderful. I was wrong. I

could

, in fact, blush deeper.

To my surprise, he took my hand in his and tugged, causing me to look up, reluctantly, but I still did it.

"Tell me about it." His words were simple enough, but I bit my lip and rolled my eyes.

"I brought you cookies..." I admit, it was a pathetic attempt to change the subject, but he perked up and seemed momentarily distracted.

"FRESH?" Okay, his excitement was palpable. And a bit extreme.

I nodded. "I made the caramel last night and the cookies just before I came to the airport."

He looked toward my bag and I smiled, distraction accomplished. "They might still be warm," I added.

It was his turn to blush as I pulled the simple black box from my bag. Not as large as the ones he was used to, but it held half a dozen neatly stacked cookies. He wiped drool from the corner of his mouth and I grinned. Okay, maybe he hadn't been lying about how much he liked them.

I slid the box across the table and he opened it, "Oh, they are

fresh.

" He pulled one out and broke it in half, the puddle of caramel pulling apart in a long string. Then he took a bite and he smiled.

And I smiled.

It was oddly encouraging to watch someone enjoy something you've made. Every doubt I'd ever had about my baking skills simply vanished in that moment. I watched him quietly chew the cookie and smile like he had some cherished memory come to mind from the taste. "How are they even better?" he asked.

"Because they're fresh. For years you've been getting three day old cookies by the time they get to you. I literally pulled these out of the oven maybe forty-five minutes ago, tops."

"Okay, now tell me about where your dirty little mind went when I said commands and subroutines."

I pouted.

Fuck.

He laughed. "No, I didn't forget." He waved half of his cookie at me as he said it.

I started to reach over to take the box, but he pulled it away with a grin. I looked around. So many people bustling about. I fidgeted and he watched, his smug grin didn't fade.

"I don't... it's not like..."

He moved his chair over closer to me and leaned down. "Whisper it to me."

I'd told him so much already over the years, but in person it was different. I put my hand on the back of his neck and lifted myself to his ear. "I think it's obvious what I was thinking and you're an asshole for trying to embarrass me over it "

He turned, his cheek pressed against mine, as he whispered, "You can tell me tonight if this is too public."

I whimpered as he pulled away. He took another bite of cookie and I lifted toward him, my lips close to his ear while my cheeks burned with heat. "Tonight I can just show you," I whispered as my hand caressed his upper thigh.

He coughed, nearly choking on his cookie as his cheeks reddened. "You... Umm. We're just friends, right?

I shrugged, a small smile on my face. "Friendships come with benefits like cookies, commands, and subroutines."