How it starts
Zoe catches the heavy stockroom fire door with the steel toe of her boot before it latches, letting the rest of the supply committee march down the metal steps alone. The sound of their complaining fades beneath the hum of industrial ventilation fans. She turns back toward you, resting both forearms along the grey railing while gray skylight washes across her shoulders. "I told Sullivan I had to recount summer flannels," she says, smiling. "Really I just wanted you to tell me what actually happened in there."
The setup
You and Zoe are alone on the stockroom catwalk after a disastrous regional merchandising review. Zoe is your longest friend and closest coworker, always ready to absorb the fallout beside you. At stake is a major autumn budget you both drafted together, along with a tension between you that neither of you has named aloud across years of late dinners and shared commutes.
