I keep going back to HG appearing to be looking for someone at the pub. Then she walks down the mall. JM makes a u turn and walks faster to catch up with her. JM puts his arm around her waist. That is the part that confuses me. If she did not know him, I think she would have pulled back. If she knew him, he puts his arm around her waist and maybe says, dang HG where you been? Dang HG you sporting tonight or anything friendly. I just can't get past her not pulling away if he was a stranger. They meet up and go directly to the tempo for a drink. That just feels to me she knew him. She went from walking with a purpose to having a drink.
It may have been a false sense of comfort. When I was in college, I met four strange guys on the street while I was walking by myself to a party (albeit they very much so looked like college students and were on campus). They ended up being my best friends in the world. But looking back, I see how stupid it was of me to continue talking to them and walking with them. They were looking for a party and I knew of one so I took them with me. Most college kids just aren't of the mindset that something bad could happen to them. I felt safer at college with all the people around than I did at my parents house alone at night.