know wherever you will be, so too shall i be | garrett graham
Home really is where the heart is, he realizes as he finally looks at you—not from the tiny screen on his phone, not from the photos you send him throughout the days, not from the video calls you sneak in during your free time—as you stand right in front of him.
contents — hurt/comfort, long-distance relationship, garrett’s relationship as told through hannah’s pov, hannah and logan bcs they had a great chemistry in the show <3, essentially a series rewrite but not really heehee, idk anything ab how away games work and how unis in the us work bcs i have never stepped foot in any part of the country, there’s not much of allie (i too am disappointed)
word count — 4.3k | title — you’ll be safe here by rico blanco
request — garrett graham with a long distance gf. they’ve been dating since freshman year and are LOCKED in, but it’s a fairly private relationship. one night g gets drunk and starts crying because he misses her, so dean calls her and flies her out to surprise garrett
gabby says — i hope this is what you had in mind, lovely anon 🫶🏼 even though i kinda strayed from the original request </3
gabby also says — ok so i am back-ish?? i mean i didn’t take a real break but i’m like out of my slump now <3 i’d still take things slower now to avoid burning myself out so i’m going to start working through the requests but at a much slower pace <3 tysm everyone for understanding and i hope you all like this one!
off campus masterlist
The first time Hannah Wells saw Garrett Graham anywhere other than Malone’s was in the boys’ locker room while she was cleaning. He was sitting on the bench with his phone in hand, a soft, not very Garrett-like smile on his face. A woman’s voice—your voice—drifted from the phone’s speakers, speaking animatedly about something Hannah could not fully understand.
“I miss you,” Garrett suddenly spoke, and you stopped talking. “I can’t wait to see you, baby.”
“I miss you too, honey,” you said softly. “Just a few more months away, Gare.”
“Why do you have to be on the other side of the country when you could be right here in Briar with me?” His voice was light and airy as he laughed, but his eyes held an unmistakable longing.
“I’m sorry, baby, I would stay with you if I could,” you said. “But you know how my dad is. He wants me here just until I graduate college, and then I’m off to wherever I want after graduation.”
“I know, baby.” He sighed, running a hand through his damp hair. “And I respect your parents’ decisions. That doesn’t mean I can’t spend every second missing my girl.”
“You miss me? I wouldn’t have known if it weren’t for the hundreds of messages and voicemails you send me every day.” Your tone dripped with sarcasm, but Hannah noticed there was no real heat behind your words—only affection for your (presumably) boyfriend.
He laughed softly, the sound far from the sarcastic, arrogant laugh he had on the ice. The sound then was genuine—a very brief glimpse of who Garrett Graham is behind closed doors. “I’ll see you soon, baby,” he said, his voice quiet and intimate. “I’ll be counting the days until I see you again. I love you. Please take care of yourself.”
“I love you too, GG.” Your voice turned sharper—stricter. “You take care of yourself, or I’ll have Tuck dragging your ass into the kitchen to shove real food into your mouth.”
Hannah almost laughed at that because *now she can definitely see Garrett being bossed around by a headstrong woman. It might not seem like it at first glance, but the more she heard them, the more she believed it.
“Baby,” he groaned. “The last time he did that, I gained at least three pounds. Coach Jensen was on my ass the whole week.”
“So don’t even think of skipping meals this time.” You laughed freely. “I really have to go now, babe, I have my first class in ten minutes. Bye-bye, love you.”
“I love you more.”
“Not possible!” You said before the phone clicked as you hung up, leaving Garrett sitting there with a lovesick smile on his face.
Hannah saw the man’s face harden, the tension returning to him with full force. She watched as he stared at his dark screen, as if replaying the brief memory of your face and your melodic voice. She watched as Garrett stared at the dark screen for several moments before his eyes lifted to where she stood.
“Can I help you?” He asked, his voice devoid of the warmth he had with you, but not unkind. His facial expression was tense, a far cry from the soft, fond look he had earlier. It wasn’t that Garrett Graham had an attitude—it was just that no one had ever seen him that soft.
Hannah jumped and blinked a few times. “Oh, sorry, I…” She gestured vaguely around the locker room. “I didn’t mean to eavesdrop. I was just waiting for you to finish so I can… clean up.”
Garrett’s face slackened in slight surprise, and he nodded, standing from the bench and slinging his large duffle bag over his shoulder. “Sorry, lost track of time.”
Hannah watched Garrett leave—his tense frame, his hunched shoulders, and lowered head were significantly different from the man in front of you just minutes prior.
Huh, Hannah thought. She did not even know Garrett had a girlfriend in the first place, but it totally made sense—for her, at least.
—
The next time Hannah saw Garrett was in their philosophy class as their professor returned their papers.
“Perfect. Another D,” Dexter said beside Hannah, turning to her expectantly after looking through their own paper. “So… how’d you do?”
Hannah looked at her paper, shook her head hesitantly, and said, “Not good.”
“Girl.” Dexter looked somewhat apprehensive because *Hannah Wells—not doing well? The girl was quite literally a music prodigy and a smart cookie in general, but then again, Hannah was known to be humble—too humble. “Really?”
“Yeah, I wrote it in like an hour, so…” She left the rest of her sentence unsaid.
She heard him before she saw him.
“Fucking hell, you aced it?”
Garrett Graham was a fucking loudmouth, and if Hannah did not know before, she definitely did then.
“I knew it,” Dexter said from beside her. “Show me.”
“Do you mind?” Her brows furrowed as she turned to look at him.
“What?” He smirked—that annoying, cocky smirk he always had. “Only you get to eavesdrop on conversations you shouldn’t?”
Garrett was still grinning by the time Hannah turned back around with a deep sigh and a roll of her eyes.
After that, Garrett had found Hannah in front of the building.
“Mona!” He called out from a few feet away. “Mona,” He said again once he was right behind Hannah.
“Uh, who’s… who’s Mona?” Hannah asked her friends.
“I think… you.” Dexter raised their eyebrows, taking a slight step back.
“I… I’m not Mona,” Hannah said, almost awkwardly.
“It is an M though, right?”
“Not even close.”
“Sorry about that.” Garrett grimaced. “I’m not… very good with names.”
“What do you want, Garrett Graham? Petals to walk on? Maybe another fancy gym that costs thousands of dollars even though the theater department is literally falling apart.” Allie rolled her eyes from beside Hannah, who turned to her with a sympathetic smile.
Meanwhile, the hockey captain had an amused smirk on his face.
“You guys are late for scene study.” Hannah grinned. “Go, I’ll see you at dinner.”
“Bye, Mona.” Dexter teased with a grin, wiggling their fingers in a wave as they practically pulled Allie with them.
“Could you please, with a sugar on top, help me study, so I don’t fail spectacularly?” Garrett immediately asked as soon as Hannah turned back to him.
“Didn’t know you had manners in you, but no,” she said as quickly as possible, starting to walk away from Garrett—and hopefully from the conversation.
“Come on, do me a solid,” Garrett, like the annoying little shit he was, followed after her. “I mean, for feminism?”
That pulled a laugh from Hannah. “Now, what are you actually on, Garrett Graham?”
“I’m serious,” Garrett said, “I have to ace the oral presentation, or I can’t play.”
“Believe it or not, I have priorities that have nothing to do with hockey,” Hannah said with a chuckle. “Find another tutor, dude.”
“Look…” He started, but realized he hadn’t even gotten her name yet. “Sorry, what did you say your name was?”
“I didn’t,” she deadpanned. “But it’s Hannah Wells—not even close to Mona.”
“I mean, it kinda is,” he mumbled, before shaking his head. “Look, it’s really important that I play this next game.” He was literally about to get to his knees and beg if that was what it would take for Hannah to agree. “We are playing against UCLA in two weeks, but that’s not what’s important. Hear me out, but my girlfriend lives halfway across the country, and… drumroll please…” He actually paused, to which Hannah raised an eyebrow. “She studies at UCLA. That’s why I really, really need to play.”
“I still hardly see how that is my problem?” Hannah backtracked immediately. “I’m sorry, it’s just I already am holding three jobs down right now, and I really, really can’t afford another job. You’re a good guy, Garrett, I’m sure you can find another tutor.”
“Okay, uh…” He rubbed his forehead briefly before his face literally lit up. “I can pay you.”
“I think that’s what having a job entails.”
“No, I mean, I can pay you however much you need,” he said, “Just name your price, Wellsy.”
“Wellsy?”
“That’s literally not what’s important.”
Hannah mulled his words over, and she would be lying if she said his offer was not tempting, but she didn’t know him, and she didn’t know how far he would be willing to go. “If I, hypothetically, agree, how long and how often would our sessions be?” She asked.
“Hypothetically, would 2 hours work for you?”
“It would,” she said slowly, “And if I, hypothetically, ask for fifty dollars per hour?”
“Then I would hypothetically agree.”
“Dude, seriously?” She turned to him, wide-eyed. “Do you know how much the minimum wage is?”
“Yeah,” he easily said, “But the whole point of this is that you are not to be paid the minimum wage, Wellsy.”
“Then…” She sighed deeply before reluctantly nodding. “Then I guess it’s a deal.”
—
Hannah found herself standing by the hockey house’s front door, her fist raised as she knocked—almost pounding on the wood to make sure she was heard over the game blaring from the speakers.
“Turn that down for a moment!” She heard someone yell from inside, his voice sounding closer as he walked over. Soon enough, the door swung open, revealing Logan.
“Hannah, hey! Didn’t expect to see you here.” Logan greeted Hannah with a twinkle in his eyes Hannah could not quite understand.
“Hey.” She waved, the gesture a little awkward and shy. “Uh, is Garrett here?”
“Garrett?” Logan’s brows furrowed before it dawned on him, a wide smile spreading across his face. “You’re his tutor!” He opened the door wider to let the girl in. “Come in. Is it okay for you to wait in the dining room while I call him down?”
“Yeah, for sure.” Hannah waved him off politely. She wandered through the house, looking around their shared space—which was surprisingly neat for a bunch of college athletes—until she found an unoccupied space on the farthest side of the dining table.
“Hey, Wellsy.” She heard Garrett greet as he descended the stairs and walked into the dining room. He was looking down at his phone, but looked up briefly to turn to the guys. “Can we have two hours of peace and quiet? Just two hours, guys.”
“Yeah, for sure.” Birdie put the controller down and turned the television off.
“Yeah, no, I gotta get started on dinner too.” Tucker rose from the couch. “All of you, except G, are on dinner duties. Get up now—right now.” There was an immediate commotion, but Tucker heard none of it. “Dinner duties or no dinner.”
“Wow, now I know why the house is tidy,” Hannah said as Garrett took a seat across from her, placing his phone face down on the table. “He runs a strict program here.”
“He really does.” Garrett laughed, eyeing her notes with a bit of interest. “Take it away then, Wellsy.”
As Hannah began talking, Garrett slowly lost what little interest he had at the beginning. He jumped every time his phone pinged on the table, his face lighting up slightly as he immediately picked his phone up, only to be disappointed every time.
She spoke when he picked his phone back up for the third time. “You know, I’d really appreciate it if you paid more attention,” she said, but not unkindly. “I don’t think you’d pass the oral presentation—and the class—if you don’t even try to understand what this is all about. Garrett, you told me you needed this, so please take this a bit more seriously.”
“You’re right, I’m sorry.” Garrett sighed, turning his phone to do not disturb. “Sorry. Can you backtrack?”
Two hours had passed quickly after that, and Hannah had been packing her stuff when Garrett’s phone rang. She watched as tension quickly left his body.
“Sorry, I have to take this,” he said quickly and picked up without waiting for her to respond—not that she minded. They were already done.
“Hi, GG!” Your voice came from the phone speaker soon, and Hannah couldn’t help but take a subtle peek into Garrett’s phone screen. “Sorry, I just got off my last class. It was hell, but anyway, how are you, honey?”
“I’m alright, baby.” He smiled softly—the same smile he had in the locker room, and the one he had when he was talking about her just the day prior.
Enthusiastic greetings and your name echoed behind Garrett as the guys scrambled towards their friend.
“Hi, guys!” You said as your boyfriend turned the camera over to the rowdy bunch. “Oh my God, you reek of testosterone, and it reaches me all the way over here.”
“Hey! Garrett’s tutor is here with us!” Dean spoke up from behind Logan. “And she’s a woman, so that essentially cancels out the testosterone.”
Your eyebrows raised in surprise and excitement. “She’s there? Please, I need to see her!”
Garrett laughed, looking at Hannah. He turned the camera over towards her when she nodded, and watched as your face softened.
“Hi, oh my God! Finally, another woman!” You grinned, introducing yourself to Hannah. “I’m this doofus’ girlfriend, unfortunately.”
“Hey!”
“Hi!” Hannah laughed, her heart warming every second she talked to you. She honestly did not expect you to be this warm and welcoming, especially since you had a bit of a mean girl vibe at first glance. “Hannah Wells. I’m Garret’s tutor, unfortunately.”
“I am starting to regret this, just so you know,” Garrett grumbled behind the phone.
“Oh, that is unfortunate.” You giggled when your boyfriend turned the phone back to his face. “Baby, I am proud of you, and I’m glad you’re getting the help you need.”
“Babe, I have a tutor, not a therapist.”
You ignored his words. “But it is unfortunate for Hannah because you are as stubborn as a mule.”
“You are so lucky I love you.”
Hannah ended up staying for another hour before you finally ended the call, borderline threatening your boyfriend to drop her off up to her dorm room or else.
But Garrett had other plans, unbeknownst to her.
“So, uh, Wellsy,” he said. “My ride’s actually not in good shape right now, so I probably can’t drop you off, but Logan here can.”
Logan looked at Garrett with wide eyes behind Hannah, to which he responded with a knowing grin.
“Oh, is that okay? I actually have my bike, so I can just, you know, bike,” Hannah said, trying to look at Logan without blushing.
“No, it’s late, I’ll drop you off,” Logan said with a charming smile. “Your bike will most probably fit in the truck, so…”
“Oh, that is so nice of you. Thank you!”
Meanwhile, Garrett was cheekily sending you a message.
Garrett: So
You: So?
Garrett: I didn’t drop Hannah off
You: ?
Garrett: Pls hear me out
You: I am listening…
Garrett: Logan likes her, like like her…
You: Okay…
Garrett: So I asked him to drop her off.
Garrett: You know, so they bond. 🙂↕️
You: You scheming dick 😟
You: I love it. Let me know what Logan says after 🤭
—
Hannah buckled her seatbelt in, waiting for Logan to enter his truck after strapping her bicycle in the pickup.
“Sorry for the wait,” Logan said as soon as he opened the door, quickly buckling in and turning the engine on.
“Oh, no.” Hannah waved him off. “I should be thanking you for the ride.”
“It’s nothing.” Logan started driving. “It’s late and dark out. Bare minimum, really.”
Hannah only smiled in response, and there was a few minutes of silence, only the sound of the radio filling the slightly awkward air between them.
“So…” Hannah began.
“So…” Logan repeated.
“Garrett and his girlfriend…”
“Oh, them?” Logan grinned. “As far as I know, they’re childhood sweethearts. Her family moved to Boston when they were around six and left in the second semester freshman year due to her dad’s relocation at work. They’re thick as thieves, I’m telling you. When they were together, they were inseparable and they were both menaces. There was no peace with those two around. If you think Dean is bad, you should see them together.”
“That’s… actually really sweet.” Hannah smiled wistfully as she imagined you and Garrett together.
“It really is.”
They soon arrived in front of Hannah’s dorm building.
“Well, this is me,” she said, unbuckling her seatbelt. “Thanks again for the ride.”
“Yeah, no worries.” Logan, too, unfastened his seatbelt and exited the car to help Hannah with her bicycle.
Once the bike was chained safely onto the pole, they both stood there awkwardly.
“Uh…” Hannah gestured to the main entrance. “I’m gonna go in. Thank you so much again for giving me a ride. Drive safely on your way back. Message me when you get home?”
“Thanks, but, uh…” Logan put his hands in his pocket, not knowing what to do with them. “I don’t have your number.”
“Oh!” She chuckled awkwardly. “Sorry, I can… give it to you now.”
“Yeah, sure.” He handed her his phone, and she quickly typed her number in before handing the phone back to him.
“Here. Thanks again.”
“Anytime.”
Hannah smiled and slowly walked toward the building, waving at Logan shyly as he stood there with an almost dopey grin on his face.
—
It had been about two months since Hannah had tutored Garrett. He was able to ace his oral presentation in their philosophy class, and was ultimately permitted to play against UCLA.
From what Hannah had heard from Logan, you had watched the game wearing Garrett’s jersey, despite being a UCLA student, which had caused a bit of commotion with your friends.
You and Garrett were able to spend a few days together before they had to essentially pry your boyfriend off you.
It had been two and a half months since then, and now, here they all are at Malone’s. Hannah is serving their table, Garrett is drinking his sorrows away a few days away from Thanksgiving, and the guys are there for emotional support.
From what Hannah had heard from Garrett himself as he very loudly (and drunkenly) announced to practically the whole diner, he was supposed to be flying to California to spend Thanksgiving and the rest of the break with you and your family. Unfortunately, his dad had required him to spend at least Thanksgiving with him in Boston, only for his world-class asshole of a father to cancel at the very last minute.
Garrett, having canceled his flight ticket to California during one of the busiest times of the year, had to wait another three weeks for the next available flight because all flights were booked. On top of that, you hadn’t been responding to any of his calls and texts in the last few hours, which felt like a lifetime for a heartbroken man.
Hannah watches as a tear falls from Garrett’s eye after prolonged hours in the diner and a drink too many. Soon, more tears are streaming down his face as he sobs and hiccups.
“Fuck, I miss her so much, man.” He says to no one in particular. “Honestly, fuck my dad, and fuck the airlines and the planes. I will build my own fucking plane if I could.” He is hiccuping in between his words, while his friends look like they don’t know whether to laugh or sympathize with their friend.
“Call her,” Tucker mouths to Dean over Garrett’s shoulder.
“She’s fucking unreachable, dude!” Dean whisper-yells in a slight panic, not loud enough for Garrett to hear over his own heartbreak. “I’ve been trying for hours!”
“Well, try again!”
“What am I, a miracle worker?”
“Considering that a miracle is what we need right now, yes.”
“Choke.”
“Stop fucking talking!” Garrett interrupts with a sob—very out of character for the cold, untouchable captain of the hockey team. “My girl is across the world and I’m alone… I’m so lonely… I miss her… I miss my baby…”
“Dude, it’ll just be three weeks.” Logan tries to soothe his crying friend. “Time will pass quickly, I promise you.”
“Three. Weeks.” Garrett’s words slur together as he speaks. “Three whole weeks, Loge. I can’t wait that long. I will die. I will literally die.”
“No, you won’t, G, you’re being dramatic.”
“Fuck you, Dean. Try being away from your girl for your whole university life.”
“…Okay, fair.”
Another hour passes, and they finally manage to drag Garrett out of Malone’s with a (slightly empty) promise of having you on the phone by the time they get home, to which he easily agrees.
But Hannah, having clocked out of her shift just in time to come with the guys to the hockey house, takes the wheel after Garrett threatens to jump out of the moving car if he had to spend another second without you.
Hannah does not know whether to laugh at Garrett or to cry with him as he continues babbling and slurring in the backseat. The man she is seeing is significantly different than the hockey captain the rest of the world sees, but it somehow makes sense to her that he gets to this point of distress when it comes to you.
About fifteen minutes pass quickly before Hannah finally pulls over and kills the engine, while Logan and Dean try to drag a very uncooperative, very uncoordinated man into the house.
They are halfway through the front door when Tucker comes to a halt—an actual, sudden stop that causes Garrett’s head to bump into his back.
Hannah instinctively scans the room trying to find the reason why Tucker froze, and that is when she spots the unfamiliar pair of shoes in the rack, two large suitcases beside stairs, an unrecognizable coat draped on the backrest of the couch.
Dean and Logan, completely focused on Garrett, do not immediately notice the slight changes around the house, but Hannah and Tucker do.
“Fuck, man, warn a guy next time—” Dean’s words are cut off abruptly when he finally sees the reason for Tucker’s sudden pause. “Holy fuck.”
Hannah’s jaw drops as her eyes land on you lounging on the sofa, the wide smile on your face faltering when you see the state your boyfriend is in.
“Oh God, what happened?” You stand from the couch to rush over, your hands immediately finding your boyfriend’s face. “Baby, what happened to you?”
Garrett looks up, his bleary, unfocused eyes staring through you, and he drunkenly laughs. “Shit, I miss her so much I’m hallucinating.”
You fight back a smile at his words.
The guys and Hannah exchange quick pleasantries with you as you let them drag Garrett into his room with a promise to spend more time with you once your boyfriend has had his time.
You hug each of them swiftly. “I have some stuff for you in the pink luggage.”
“You are a lifesaver.”
“We literally love you.”
“You are amazing,” Hannah suddenly says, which makes you stop. “Even more amazing in real life. I hope you know that I adore you already, and I hope to get to know you more.”
“Babe, I love you, and please. I would love to know the person who saved my boyfriend’s career.” You grin, giving her a quick hug before entering Garrett’s bedroom.
Soon enough, it’s just you and your drunk boyfriend in his room. He is lying on his back, spread out like a starfish, and you snap a quick photo before moving.
You wet a washcloth with warm water and gently wipe him clean when he starts groaning and trying to push your hands off him weakly.
“Stop it, I have a girlfriend,” he mumbles, barely able to roll over. “She’s the only one I want. I love her and I miss her so much.” He almost starts crying right then and there.
“I’m sorry,” you say with a grin. “I’m sorry, I won’t touch you again, but can you please move over? Can you leave a space for when your girlfriend comes?”
“Mkay,” is all he murmurs as he rolls over to his own side on the bed, before promptly falling asleep.
You tidy up swiftly and crawl into bed with him, exhaustion taking over just as quickly.
—
Garrett regains consciousness slowly, but the pounding in his head quickly makes itself known. He winces slightly as the memories rush through his head with them ending right before his friends had dragged him home.
He raises a hand in an attempt to rub his eyes free of sleep, only to realize that his whole arm is pinned on the bed. He slowly turns to look, and his eyes immediately land on a mop of hair—your hair—and he feels the air leaving his lungs when he realizes that you are lying right there, on his bed, with him. You are not sleeping on your own bed across the country in California, but right here in Hastings.
A smile spreads across his face, his hangover completely forgotten as he leans down to wake you with gentle kisses on your skin.
He does not stop until you wake up, and he definitely does not—cannot—keep his hands off you—not when you shower together, not when you leave his bedroom and make your way downstairs, not when you walk into the kitchen, not when you talk with your friends, and definitely not when you spend the entire break with him.
Home really is where the heart is, he realizes as he finally looks at you—not from the tiny screen on his phone, not from the photos you send him throughout the days, not from the video calls you sneak in during your free time—as you stand right in front of him.
