The Deal

Hannah meets her music major friends—Dexter, Megan, and Stella—at a campus coffeehouse. They tease her about Garrett, but Hannah insists that she and Garrett are just friends. As they chat, Hannah receives a text from Garrett and smiles as she reads it, drawing the attention of her friends. The attention prompts her to put her phone away and focus on Megan’s latest story instead. Megan tells them about seeing Cass and MJ on a date at a local Italian restaurant, which disappoints Hannah but doesn’t surprise her. She has now resigned herself to the fact that she’ll never win the argument about the duet. Unlike Hannah and Cass, Dexter and his showcase partner are working well together.

Hannah orders a drink at the counter and runs into Justin, who asks about her relationship with Garrett. Rather than reveal their fake-dating arrangement, Hannah tells Justin that they “hook up” but aren’t exclusive. During the conversation, Garrett calls Hannah multiple times, which visibly irritates Justin, but she declines his calls. Justin asks Hannah out to dinner next Sunday, and she agrees. He pays for her coffee before they part ways. Once Justin leaves, Hannah answers Garrett’s call. He informs her that the hockey team is going to Malone’s bar tomorrow for Dean’s birthday. Depending on his midterm grade, Garrett could either be celebrating or commiserating, and he wants Hannah to be there. When he pleads with her to join him, Hannah finally agrees despite her initial hesitation.

The next day, Hannah heads to ethics class. An acquaintance presses her about her “date” with Garrett over the weekend, but Hannah evades the question. During the lecture, Hannah’s anxiety grows, especially as she thinks about her upcoming date with Justin. It’s not butterflies she feels—it’s dread. She worries about the lie she told about her relationship with Garrett and is concerned that Justin will expect her to have sex when she is not ready to do so.

Midway through the class, Garrett arrives and requests his midterm back from Professor Tolbert. He proudly announces that he got an A-minus and hugs Hannah in celebration, thanking her and insisting that she continue to help him study. 

During a private conversation, Garrett asks if Hannah trusts him. Hannah says yes without hesitation. Garrett then asks her to have a drink at the bar later. He promises to be her designated driver, bodyguard, bartender, and friend. He knows that her friend had a bad experience with drinking in public, but he promises to never let that happen to her. Hannah flinches when Garrett mentions her fictitious “friend,” but she doesn’t admit that she was the one who was drugged. Instead, she simply promises to think about it.

That evening, Hannah shows up to the bar to meet Garrett and his friends. When he asks if she’d like a drink, she nervously agrees and orders a piña colada. When she quickly insists on a refill, Garrett acquiesces. Three piña coladas later, Hannah begins doing drunk karaoke. Garrett notices that Logan might have a crush on Hannah, but he is not concerned that Logan will act on those feelings.

After karaoke, Hannah sits with Garrett and his friends, who debate the impact of children’s access to technology. When Lynyrd Skynyrd’s “Tuesday’s Gone” plays, Garrett stiffens and asks her to dance. They dance alone, and Garrett reveals that the song reminds him of his late mother, as it was her favorite song and was played at her funeral.

When Garrett visits the restroom, Hannah’s ex-boyfriend Devon enters the bar with his new girlfriend, Emily, stirring up Hannah’s old insecurities. After they leave, Hannah retreats to the hallway, fighting tears. She worries that if she dates Justin, she might have the same issues with sex that she did with Devon. She wonders why she cannot have a normal sex life like a “normal woman.” When Garrett returns and notices her distress, Hannah babbles about how good Devon and Emily’s sex life probably is, confusing him. Internally, she feels hopeless about having a normal relationship, so she decides to get drunk to escape her spiraling thoughts.

The party shifts to Garrett’s house, and he keeps a close eye on an intoxicated Hannah. Eventually, he takes her upstairs, insisting that the party is over, and then gives her ibuprofen and water and offers her a T-shirt to sleep in. When Hannah mutters about something being broken but still able to have fun, Garrett is confused and alarmed, but she falls asleep before he can ask her what she means.

Garrett returns to the birthday celebration downstairs, drinks heavily, and eventually heads to bed. A drunken Hannah makes a move on him, and although he is tempted, Garrett stops her. He reminds her that she trusted him to look out for her and that refusing her advances tonight is how he is honoring that trust. Hannah, touched by his restraint, accepts this and goes to sleep.

Hannah wakes up in Garrett’s arms and realizes that she actually wants to be there. She thinks about last night and realizes that her sexual interest in Garrett was genuine despite her intoxication. She thinks about Devon, Justin, and her fears about sex and then decides to initiate a “test run” and have sex with Garrett, whom she trusts more than anyone right now. She believes that this might be exactly what she needs to work through her issues.

Hannah wakes Garrett with a kiss to the lips, surprising him, and asks him to have sex with her tonight. Garrett is confused, but when he presses her for a reason, she tries to evade the question and eventually becomes frustrated, telling him to forget that she even asked. With his encouragement, she admits that when she was 15, she was drugged and raped by a classmate while at a party. She explains that although she has put the incident behind her, she now cannot achieve an orgasm when she has sex. She thought that Garrett might be able to help her with that because she trusts him. Garrett insists that she is not broken and agrees to help her.

During a weight-training session with his hockey team, Garrett is preoccupied with thoughts about Hannah’s revelation and feels pressure to ensure that their night together is positive for her. Suddenly, Logan confronts him, frustrated that Garrett denied being interested in Hannah but has since changed his mind. Logan, who also likes Hannah, requests an exemption from the “bro code” if things don’t work out between Garrett and her. Garrett reluctantly agrees, confident that this will never happen.

Garrett then seeks advice from Birdie, a teammate known for his heart-to-heart talks with players. Without sharing Hannah’s personal details, Garrett asks about making a first-time sexual experience enjoyable for a partner. Birdie advises him to focus on making her comfortable, taking things slow, and prioritizing foreplay to ensure her pleasure.

Hannah is nervous as she drives to Garrett’s place after her diner shift. In his bedroom, she asks if she should undress right away, but Garrett suggests that they relax first. He gives her a T-shirt to change into and puts on an episode of Breaking Bad. As they watch, Garrett begins with gentle touches and kisses, gradually setting the mood. Hannah feels herself becoming aroused but is frustrated when she struggles to stay present. Each time she nears climax, she opens her eyes to see him watching her, and this causes her to tense up. Her mind flashes back to the rape, when her classmate Aaron violated her.

Garrett realizes that although Hannah trusts him, she may not feel safe enough to become fully vulnerable, so he suggests that they masturbate in front of each other instead, creating a space where they both show vulnerability but have no added pressure to perform. Though initially mortified by the suggestion, Hannah agrees to try.