# Chapter 20: The Dance, The Ex, and The Tears
Hello everyone, it's me again! How are you all doing? I hope you're ready for another emotional rollercoaster because today I'm walking with you through Chapter 20 of "The Deal: Off Campus." Let me tell you, this chapter has everything—laughter, tension, heartbreak, and a moment so tender it'll make your chest ache. So grab a cozy blanket and let's dive in together!
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The chapter opens with Hannah at the bar with Garrett and his hockey buddies, and to her own surprise, she's actually having the time of her life. She's crammed into a booth next to Garrett, engaged in a passionate debate with Tucker and Simms about—wait for it—screen time for children. It's such a random, mundane topic, but these guys have surprisingly strong and articulate opinions about it.
Tucker insists kids should be outside riding bikes and catching frogs rather than glued to screens. Hannah agrees about the outdoor play but draws the line at frogs, declaring them "slimy and gross." This sparks a hilarious round of banter, with Tucker teasing that licking the right frog might get you high. Hannah shoots back that she's "pro-licking" as long as it's something tasty, causing an eruption of hoots from the guys—and a flare of heat in Garrett's eyes that doesn't go unnoticed.
I absolutely love this scene because it shows Hannah letting her guard down and just being one of the guys. She's laughing, joking, and genuinely enjoying herself, which is a huge deal for someone with her history. And the fact that she notices Garrett's reaction to her innuendo? Delicious foreshadowing, my friends.
The bar itself is chaotic. A grumpy local with a bushy red beard has commandeered the jukebox, playing Black Sabbath on repeat until everyone is ready to scream. The night flows with hockey debates and beer, and then something shifts. Lynyrd Skynyrd's "Tuesday's Gone" starts playing, and Garrett stiffens beside Hannah. Without explanation, he pulls her up and leads her to the empty dance floor.
Now, here's where my heart started melting. Garrett doesn't grind against her or try anything inappropriate. Instead, he dances the way her parents used to dance—his hand on her hip, her hand in his, his cheek pressed gently against hers. His stubble scratches her face, his woody aftershave fills her lungs, and Hannah feels goose bumps rise on her bare arms. She's overwhelmed by sensations she tries to blame on the alcohol, but deep down, she knows it's something more.
Every brush of his cheek, every puff of his breath against her jaw, sends shivers through her. She rubs her thumb across his palm, and his breath hitches. The tension between them is palpable, electric, and achingly tender.
When the song ends, Hannah notices sadness radiating from Garrett. She presses him, and he finally reveals the truth—the song was his mother's favorite. They played it at her funeral. He says he had to either dance to it or bawl his eyes out. And then he walks away before she can respond, leaving her with a constricted throat and a desperate need to go after him.
But before she can chase him down, she literally runs into her past. Her ex-boyfriend Devon is there, holding hands with his new girlfriend, a tall, gorgeous redhead named Emily. The encounter is painfully awkward. Devon's band broke up, Emily is sweet and supportive, and Hannah feels herself shrinking in their presence. When Emily refers to her as "someone else," it cuts deep—a reminder that she's been relegated to a stranger in the life of someone she once loved.
Devon makes a comment about how Hannah "always worked better alone," and even though she knows it's likely innocent, it triggers all her insecurities about her inability to be intimate, about the rape that stole her ability to experience pleasure normally. She flees to the bathroom corridor, fighting back tears.
And then Garrett finds her.
He emerges from the men's room and immediately sees through her lies. He cups her chin, wipes her tears, and demands to know what's wrong. When she admits she ran into her ex, he's startled but gentle. But Hannah spirals, voicing her deepest fears—that Emily is gorgeous and probably has amazing orgasms, that Hannah herself is broken beyond repair. She confesses the thing she's been holding inside: the rape didn't just steal her virginity; it stole her ability to have sex and feel pleasure like a "normal" woman.
This moment is raw and devastating. Garrett doesn't understand everything, but he doesn't dismiss her either. He's alarmed, concerned, and clearly out of his depth, but he's there. He's present.
But Hannah isn't ready to be vulnerable. She shoves his hands away, insists she's being stupid, and demands another drink. The chapter ends with her bulldozing past him toward the bar, leaving him standing there, probably reeling from everything she just revealed.
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## Reader's Impressions & Star Rating
Oh my goodness, where do I even begin? This chapter hit me like a freight train. The way Hannah's night swings from joyful to heartbreaking is masterfully written. I was laughing at the frog jokes one minute and fighting back tears the next. The dance scene with Garrett is one of the most beautifully tender moments I've read—it's not about passion or lust in that moment; it's about two people connecting soul-deep, even if neither of them fully understands it yet.
And can we talk about Garrett? He's been so attentive all night—guarding her drinks, waiting outside the bathroom, making sure she feels safe. He's showing her through actions, not just words, that he's someone she can trust. But then the scene with Devon and Emily, and Hannah's spiral... it's raw, real, and absolutely gut-wrenching. Her confession about the rape and how it affected her ability to experience pleasure is the kind of honesty that makes this book so powerful. It's not just a romance; it's a story about healing, trust, and learning to be vulnerable again.
**Rating: 4.8 / 5 Stars**
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## Next Chapter Prediction
Based on this cliffhanger, I predict the next chapter will pick up with Garrett chasing after Hannah at the bar. He's not the type to just let her walk away, especially after hearing her admit something so painful. I think we're going to see Garrett trying to comfort her in his own awkward, well-meaning way, and Hannah will struggle between pushing him away and letting him in. This might be the turning point where their "just friends" agreement starts to crumble under the weight of real feelings. And let's not forget—she has a date with Justin Kohl coming up. How will that play into everything? Will Garrett's protective instincts kick into overdrive? I can't wait to find out!
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