After Emma helps Sarah through the lice disaster, Sarah reappears with blue-and-purple hair and a much better attitude, leaving Justin grateful and curious about what Emma said to her. Justin turns the night into an impromptu backyard date with pizza, wine, music, and games, and later Emma proposes a mock experiment to prove she could survive a zombie apocalypse. Outside near Neil's house, Justin plays the zombie while Emma runs for safety.

Emma makes a strong start, but she loses both sandals and drops her phone in the grass, allowing Justin to catch her beside the garage. The chase turns into intense flirtation as Justin holds Emma, bites her neck in character, and challenges her to kiss him first if she truly wants him rather than just wanting to complete their curse-breaking arrangement. Emma finally kisses Justin, and the attraction between them is immediate and overwhelming; both of them recognize how strong their physical chemistry is and begin moving toward sex.

The mood breaks when Emma asks whether Justin is okay with casual sex. Justin instantly realizes that he is far more emotionally invested than Emma is, and he pulls away hurt. Emma says she likes Justin and feels the connection too, but she is leaving in a few weeks and cannot meet him where he is; when Justin asks directly, Emma's silence confirms that his responsibility for the kids is part of why she will not stay. Justin ends the conversation knowing that Emma wants him but not enough to choose a future with him.

Their painful standoff is interrupted when Amber erupts in the driveway, screaming at Neil and throwing his medical award at his car. Justin rushes over because he fears Neil is about to hit her, but Neil instead grabs Amber and comforts her while she breaks down sobbing. Emma leads her mother inside, and Neil, exhausted, tells Justin that he is trying to be a better version of himself than he once was. Left alone, Justin cleans up the broken glass, retrieves Emma's shoes and phone, and calls Maddy.

When Maddy arrives by boat, Justin asks whether he has any real chance with Emma. Maddy says the issue is not truly the kids, because Emma would have found another reason to leave; in Maddy's view, Emma is unable to fall in love in the way Justin wants, and she will leave when the summer ends. Justin hears the warning clearly, but he cannot stop hoping anyway.