Justin picks up his younger brother Alex from summer school and lets Alex drive home so Alex can log behind-the-wheel hours. After a nervous but successful practice drive and a stop for McDonald’s, Justin brings Alex back to their mother’s house, where their mother Christine, little sister Chelsea, and family friend Leigh are in the kitchen. The family conversation is light on the surface, with jokes about Leigh’s dating life and Justin’s dog Brad, but Justin is carrying heavier worries.

As Justin listens to Christine talk about cleaning houses for extra money, he thinks about the real reason her life has changed: she is about to go to prison. Because of that, Justin will soon give up his apartment, move back home, and take custody of Alex, Sarah, and Chelsea so their lives are not disrupted even more after losing their father and now effectively losing their mother. The prospect overwhelms him, and he leaves the kitchen abruptly when Christine asks him to bring food to Sarah.

Upstairs, Justin tries to connect with Sarah, but she is withdrawn, irritated, and barely speaks to him. Her mood makes Justin realize how much emotional labor is ahead of him, especially because Alex and Chelsea seem easier to manage than Sarah. After leaving, Justin worries that the older children will need therapy and feels exhausted by the growing list of responsibilities he is about to inherit.

Later, back at his apartment, Justin tries to take practical steps by exercising, meal-prepping, researching family counseling, and sending emails. When Emma texts him, he immediately calls her, and their conversation becomes the one bright spot in his day. Wanting their plan to be systematic, Justin says they need a controlled experiment and begins building a spreadsheet to define the "baseline" conditions that have been common in their past cursed relationships.

Together, Justin and Emma agree on the apparent rules: at least four dates over a month, each lasting roughly three hours or more, regular daily contact, and at least one kiss initiated by Justin. They also establish that sex is not required, which keeps the arrangement within both of their comfort zones. Although Justin frames the exchange analytically, the conversation lingers after the logistics are settled, showing their growing ease and interest in each other; before ending the call, Justin tells Emma he made something for her and sends over his draft.