At Dean’s birthday outing, Hannah discovers she is genuinely enjoying herself at the bar with Garrett, Tucker, and Simms. Their playful debate about children, television, frogs, and sexual innuendo makes Hannah realize the hockey players are more thoughtful and funny than she expected. Throughout the night, Garrett keeps his promise to stay close, guard her drinks, and make sure she feels safe, which allows Hannah to lower her defenses and trust him more than before.

When Lynyrd Skynyrd’s “Tuesday’s Gone” comes on, Garrett suddenly pulls Hannah onto the empty dance floor. The slow dance intensifies Hannah’s physical awareness of him, even as she tries to blame her reactions on alcohol because they have agreed to be only friends. After the song ends, Garrett admits the song was his mother’s favorite and that it played at her funeral. Instead of breaking down, Garrett chose to dance with Hannah, revealing both his grief and how much comfort he takes from being near her.

As Garrett heads to the bathroom, Hannah decides she should go after him and talk more, but she is stopped by an unexpected encounter with her ex-boyfriend Devon. Devon is there with his new girlfriend, Emily, and the awkward conversation reopens Hannah’s old insecurities. Hearing about Devon’s life and seeing him with someone else makes Hannah remember how deeply she loved him and how much their failed sexual relationship damaged her confidence.

After Devon and Emily leave, Hannah retreats toward the bathroom corridor and begins to cry. She tells herself she should be over Devon and reminds herself that she is interested in Justin, but the real trigger is her fear that the trauma of her rape permanently ruined her ability to have a normal sexual relationship. Garrett finds her, immediately assumes someone hurt her, and gently presses her to explain. When Hannah blurts out her bitterness and self-loathing, then insists on another drink, the chapter ends with her pushing past Garrett toward the bar, showing how shaken she is and how unresolved her trauma remains.