# Chapter 19: The Night Hannah Let Down Her Guard
Hello everyone, it’s me again! How are you all doing? Today I will continue to walk with you and review Chapter 19 of "The Deal: Off Campus"—a chapter that feels like a slow, delicious crack in Hannah’s carefully built walls. It begins with a campus that suddenly knows her name, moves through a tutoring victory that nearly ends in a kiss, and lands in a crowded bar where one tiny word—*sure*—changes everything. So settle in, because this chapter is full of trust, jealousy, piña coladas, and a promise that hits straight in the heart.
Hannah opens the chapter by realizing, with no small amount of horror, that Garrett was absolutely right. He really is an image booster. As she walks down the cobblestone path toward the Philosophy building, at least fifteen people call out to her. They smile. They wave. They say hi as if she’s been part of their world forever. It’s like stepping onto a strange new planet—a planet called Hannah, where everyone knows her and she knows almost no one. The attention twists her stomach into knots. She feels exposed, self-conscious, and more than a little overwhelmed. So she practically sprints to class and slides into her seat beside Nell, hoping to disappear.
But disappearing is not on the agenda. Nell immediately asks about Garrett Graham, because apparently Hannah cannot go a single second without being reminded of him. Hannah tries to play it cool, saying they just hang out sometimes. Then Nell nods toward Justin, who has just walked in and smiled at Hannah. Hannah smiles back, but before she can dwell on it, Tolbert enters and class begins.
Garrett is late, which is unusual. Hannah discreetly checks her phone and finds a message from him: he’s dealing with an emergency, cleaning up Logan’s mess, and will show up for the second half. Hannah takes copious notes for him. Her mind drifts to her upcoming dinner date with Justin, and that uneasy feeling returns. She’s nervous. Not because it’s dinner—but because Justin is a football player, and she worries about what he might expect. She firmly tells herself he isn’t the kind of guy who would pressure her. Still, the anxiety lingers.
At the break, Hannah heads outside to look for Garrett. Justin offers to grab her a coffee, and she declines. She admires him as he walks away—his body really is amazing—but she wishes she could read his personality better. That’s the whole point of dinner, she reminds herself. To get to know him.
Then Garrett finally arrives, cheeks flushed from the cold, hockey jacket zipped to the collar. He explains the emergency: Logan lost his fake ID, and they’re driving to Boston to meet a guy who makes them on the spot. He also mentions Dean’s birthday party at Malone’s. It’s on a Monday because Maxwell stole Dean’s thunder with a Saturday party, and because the team has no ice time on Tuesdays. Hannah points out that not being hungover would be easier. Garrett snickers and tells her he’s the designated driver tonight—stone-cold sober.
Then he disappears to speak with Tolbert about his midterm. When he comes back, his expression is pure sunshine. Hannah takes one look and knows. He passed. Not just passed—he got an A-minus. He raises the exam booklet over his head like Simba, and Hannah gasps. Before she knows it, Garrett pulls her into his arms and hugs the breath out of her. She throws her arms around his neck, and he lifts her off her feet, spinning her around until she’s dizzy. People stare, but she doesn’t care. His joy is contagious. When he sets her down, she snatches the paper and reads his A-minus-worthy words, her chest overflowing with pride. All those hours of tutoring feel like her victory too.
She tells him to keep the grade up. He asks her to promise to help him study for every quiz and outline every paper. She says their arrangement is over, but then, as always, she capitulates. She’ll help as a friend, when she has time. Garrett hugs her again and tells her he couldn’t have done it without her. His voice is husky. His gray eyes lock on her face. His head dips slightly, and for one nerve-wracking second, Hannah thinks he might kiss her.
She steps out of the embrace. “So I guess we are celebrating tonight,” she says lightly. Garrett asks if she’s still coming. She grumbles that she literally just said that. Relief flickers across his face.
Then he asks to run something by her. He looks serious. He asks if she trusts him. Wariness ripples through her, but when she answers, it’s with startling certainty. Of course she does. Even though she hasn’t known him long, she trusts him.
That’s when Garrett asks her to have a drink tonight. Hannah stiffens. She thinks he’s trying to get her drunk. But Garrett shakes his head, flustered, and explains he wants her to see that it’s okay to let down her guard sometimes. He promises to be more than her driver. He’ll be her bodyguard, her bartender, and most importantly, her friend. He promises to look out for her. He says he knows her friend had a bad experience with drinking in public, but he would never let that happen to her.
Hannah winces at the words “your friend.” A part of her wishes she had never used that old excuse, but she can’t regret it. Only her closest friends know what really happened to her. She trusts Garrett, but she isn’t ready to tell him about the rape. Still, his sincerity squeezes her heart. Her throat tightens. She exhales a wobbly breath and says she’ll think about it.
Then the chapter shifts to Garrett’s point of view, and the energy changes completely.
Malone’s is packed. Hockey players fill every inch of the tiny bar. It’s karaoke night, which means the place is loud, cramped, and chaotic. The whole team has shown up for Dean’s birthday bash. Garrett realizes that in a few months his fake ID will be useless. Once he turns twenty-one in January, he’ll finally have access to the trust his grandparents left him—one step closer to ridding himself of his old man.
Hannah arrives about twenty minutes after the guys. She took a cab because rehearsal ran late, and she went back to her dorm to shower and change. When Garrett sees her, he whole-heartedly supports that decision. She looks gorgeous in black leggings, high-heeled boots, and a ribbed T-shirt. Her trademark flash of color is a huge yellow hairclip with little blue stars. She greets Dean, and Garrett leans in to kiss her cheek. He would have loved to kiss her lips, but he’s pretty sure Hannah doesn’t consider this a date.
He asks about rehearsal. She says it was the usual—meaning shitty. Cass the Ass was acting like himself. Hannah won the argument about the bridge in the arrangement, but lost the second chorus. MJ decided her song required a choir for maximum effect, and they start rehearsing with them on Wednesday. Hannah is obviously pissed, so Garrett squeezes her arm and asks if she wants a drink.
She doesn’t answer at first. She just looks into his eyes, as if searching for something. Garrett holds his breath. He knows something important is about to happen. Hannah is either going to place her trust in his hands, or lock it up tight. And he wants her to trust him.
Finally, her voice is so soft he can’t hear her over the music. He asks what she said. She raises her voice and says, “Sure.”
With that one tiny word, Garrett’s heart inflates like a helium balloon. Hannah’s trust, meet Garrett’s hands. He fights to keep his happiness in check and leads her to the bar. She wants something tasty. He warns her not to order peach schnapps or something girly. She protests that she is a girl and suggests a piña colada. He sighs and agrees. At the counter, he orders her drink and then scrutinizes every move the bartender makes. Hannah watches too. With two of the most vigilant patrons on the planet monitoring the process, there is no doubt about the drug-free status of the glass he places in her hand.
She takes a tiny sip and smiles. “Mmmm. Yummy.” Garrett introduces her to some of the guys—Birdie, Simms, Logan, and Tucker. Logan and Tucker both hug her. Logan’s hug lasts a little too long. Garrett tells himself he’s being paranoid, but he’s already competing with Justin for Hannah’s affections, and the last thing he wants is his best friend throwing his hat in the ring. Except—is he competing? He still isn’t sure what he wants. Fine, he wants sex. He wants it very badly. But if she gives it to him, what then? Does he claim her as his girlfriend? Girlfriends are a distraction, and he can’t afford distractions. Two weeks ago, he was in danger of losing his place on the team. He needs to focus on grades and leading his team to another Frozen Four victory. Failure is not an option. But watching Hannah hook up with someone else? Not an option either. Rock, meet hard place.
Hannah announces the drink is so good and wants another. Garrett tells her to finish the first one. She drains it with impressive speed, licks her lips, and beams at him. He can’t fight his grin. He has a feeling Hannah is going to be a very interesting drunk.
He is absolutely right.
Three piña coladas later, Hannah is up on stage doing karaoke. Drunk girl karaoke. The only saving grace is that she’s a phenomenal singer. The entire bar goes wild. She belts out “Bad Romance,” and almost everyone sings along, including several wasted teammates. Garrett grins like an idiot. There’s nothing lewd about her performance. No coy almost-stripping, no suggestive dance moves. She throws her head back happily, cheeks flushed, eyes shining, and she’s so beautiful it makes his chest hurt. He wants to kiss her again. He wants to feel her lips on his. He wants to hear that throaty noise she made the first time he sucked on her tongue. And now he’s hard as a rock in the middle of a bar full of his friends.
Logan sidles up and shouts that she’s amazing. He’s grinning, but there’s an odd gleam in his eyes. Something that looks a lot like longing. Garrett is too distracted to come up with a smart response and just says she’s a music major.
When the song ends, thunderous applause erupts. Dean climbs on stage and whispers something in Hannah’s ear. He’s trying to persuade her to sing a duet, but he keeps touching her bare upper arm, and Hannah’s eyes flicker with unease. Garrett says that’s his cue to rescue her. He threads through the crowd and calls out, “Wellsy, get your sexy butt over here!” Her expression lights up when she spots him. She dives off the stage into his waiting arms, laughing as he spins her around. She exclaims that this is so much fun and they need to come here all the time.
Garrett studies her face, gauging her on his drunk scale. She’s sharp-eyed, not slurring or stumbling. He decides she’s about a five—tipsy but aware. And maybe it makes him arrogant, but he loves being the one who got her to this point. The one she trusted enough to take care of her so she could let go and have a good time.
With another brilliant smile, she takes his hand and drags him away from the dance floor. She has to pee, and he promised to be her bodyguard. That means waiting outside the door and standing guard. Her green eyes peer up at him, flickering with uncertainty. “You won’t let anything bad happen to me, will you, Garrett?”
A lump the size of Massachusetts lodges in his throat. He swallows hard and tries to speak past it.
“Never.”
Reader’s Impressions & Star Rating:
This chapter is a beautiful turning point. The dual point of view works perfectly here—Hannah’s growing awareness of Garrett’s care, and Garrett’s quiet terror at how much he wants her, not just physically, but emotionally. The bar scene is lively and funny, but underneath it all is a current of vulnerability. Hannah’s choice to say “sure” is small on the surface and enormous underneath. Garrett’s promise to be her bodyguard, bartender, and friend is exactly the kind of moment that makes this romance addictive. The karaoke scene is joyful, the jealousy from Logan and Dean adds tension, and the ending line lands like a heartbeat.
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Rating: 4.9 / 5 Stars
Next Chapter Prediction:
The next chapter will likely pick up right outside the bathroom, with Garrett keeping his promise while Hannah’s guard is down. We may see a more vulnerable conversation between them, perhaps Hannah revealing a little more about her past or Garrett admitting that he wants more than friendship. Justin’s upcoming dinner date will hover in the background, and Logan’s lingering look might become a bigger problem. There’s also a strong chance of a near-kiss or a real kiss now that Hannah is tipsy and trusting, but Garrett may hold back because he knows she isn’t fully sober. Expect tension, tenderness, and maybe a hungover morning that forces them both to face what happened at Malone’s.
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