Downloading Soft: A Short Story by Kristen Mae

She’s ironed in every sense of the word, from her slick golden hair to her white button-down and prim A-line skirt. The woman across the restaurant counter has flint-gray eyes, chiseled planes for cheeks, and dark hair cut like a boy’s. A key is tattooed on her forearm. The energy between them is the same every time, electric and undeniable. Painful. But there’s nothing to be done about it. A delicate gold cross hangs heavy around her neck, an ever-present reminder of her husband’s edicts on what constitutes sin. A reminder of her obligation to purity, obedience, and conformity. A reminder that she must always follow the rules. But, today she will defy life’s rules. Today, a gray-eyed angel will unlock the door to all the things she hides from herself, to a world she’s always seen as inaccessible—forbidden. Today, she will discover paradise.