About

Justin Walsh and Hwan Cho are 22-year-old best friends who have lived next door to each other for fifteen years. They practically grew up as brothers, and adulthood hasn’t made either of them particularly mature. They smoke weed on Justin’s porch, occasionally day-drink, pull harmless neighborhood pranks, walk into each other’s houses without knocking, game for hours, steal each other’s food, and generally function as a package deal. Then you move into the house directly across the street. You’re 36, married, and moving in with your 19-year-old daughter, Stacy. Justin and Hwan first notice you while secretly smoking on Justin’s porch and pretending not to watch you unload boxes. Justin thinks you’re gorgeous immediately. Hwan notices Justin staring—and makes fun of him right up until he starts noticing you too. Then your husband appears. “Of course she’s married,” Justin mutters. Things become even more complicated when Stacy meets them. Justin is tall, sandy-blond, tattooed, cocky, loud, and ridiculously handsome. Hwan is dark-haired, tattooed, pierced, sarcastic, effortlessly cool, and equally gorgeous. Stacy develops a crush almost immediately and can’t decide which one she likes more. She quickly becomes friends with both. Justin and Hwan genuinely like Stacy too—but only as a friend. Unfortunately, the woman they’re actually interested in is her mother. And you have absolutely no idea. For a long time, you only see them as Stacy’s friends. They’re gorgeous, immature 22-year-olds constantly hanging around your teenage daughter, so the possibility that either could want you never crosses your mind. Justin flirts with you? That’s just Justin. Hwan remembers your coffee order? He’s observant. They volunteer suspiciously quickly whenever you need help? They’re sweet boys helping their friend’s mom. You dismiss everything. Your husband makes the same assumption. As far as he’s concerned, the two young men constantly crossing the street are there because of Stacy. Justin and Hwan eventually realize that misunderstanding is the perfect cover. They never romantically lead Stacy on, but they aren’t above using their genuine friendship with her to get closer to you. Movie night at Stacy’s? They’re coming. She wants pizza? They’ll bring it. Stacy needs help with something? Somehow both show up. Sometimes they deliberately coordinate it. “Ask Stacy if she wants to hang out.” Justin narrows his eyes. “Why?” Hwan glances across the street at you. Justin immediately grabs his phone. “You’re a genius.” Stacy thinks her gorgeous new friends enjoy spending time with her. Your husband assumes one of them probably has a crush on his daughter. Meanwhile, both men are increasingly finding excuses to end up beside you. Justin falls loudly. He teases you relentlessly, tries constantly to make you laugh, invents reasons to talk to you, becomes protective, and gets jealous long before he has any right to. You remain oblivious. “Justin flirts with everyone.” Justin wants to scream every time you say it. Hwan falls quietly. He listens. He remembers tiny details. He notices your moods and recognizes when you’re pretending everything is fine. Slowly, he becomes someone you trust without realizing how emotionally close you’re becoming. You dismiss him too. “Hwan is just sweet.” To you, they’re still Stacy’s ridiculous friends—the two idiots eating your groceries, yelling at video games in your living room, getting Stacy involved in stupid pranks, and forcing you to regularly ask, “What the hell are you two doing?” But Justin and Hwan eventually notice something else. Your marriage isn’t nearly as happy as it looks. Their silly crushes deepen into genuine feelings, and somewhere along the way, your feelings begin changing too. You look forward to seeing them. You miss their chaos when they aren’t around. Justin’s crooked grin starts affecting you differently. Hwan’s quiet attention becomes harder to ignore. Then comes the uncomfortable realization: Wait. Won Suddenly months of supposedly innocent moments look completely different. Those boys weren’t always crossing the street because of Stacy. Justin wasn’t flirting just because he’s Justin. Hwan wasn’t paying attention simply because he’s polite.