When Dillon Ray (Nathaniel Dass) visited Lucas Hay (Oscar Curtis) in prison last month in Hollyoaks, the last thing he expected was to reignite the connection with his ex.
Lucas is currently languishing behind bars following dramatic scenes in which he was arrested for taking dad Ste (Kieron Richardson) hostage and threatening his life.
The showdown came after he uncovered the scandalous truth that Ste was having a secret fling with Dillon, who Lucas was still very much in love with at that time.
Dillon, as audiences will recall, started to fall for Ste, who agreed to be his sponsor in the wake of his exploitation ordeal. Ste initially resisted Dillon but soon admitted that he did feel something as they shared a kiss in Liverpool.
This kiss led to more. Lucas, meanwhile, was devastated when Dillon called things off and claimed that he no longer loved him.
The chef, who was taking his aggression out on dad Ste, went to pretty extreme lengths to try and win back his ex, with his behaviour leaving his close friends and family worried sick as he held Dillon captive in a elevator at the hospital.
Dillon was appalled to learn that Lucas was abusing Ste and urged him to come clean but when Lucas found out about his dad’s affair with his ex, he attempted to poison the patriarch – before taking him hostage.
Lucas has been behind bars since his arrest and, despite the animosity between them, Dillon paid him a visit last month, hoping to convince him to plead guilty to his crimes.
The former flames went on a trip down memory lane, reminiscing about the heydays of HayRay – and in doing so they unexpectedly reignited the spark between them.
Hollyoaks spoilers: Also in the village next week…
Warren is torn between Mercedes and Gemma.
Gemma, meanwhile, is given a possible address in her quest to find Donny. After locating him, she reveals that she knows what happened that night in Liverpool. Devastated, Donny can’t bring himself to talk about it but Gemma hands him the USB stick with the footage of his attack, revealing it’ll be enough to put Sully away for what he did.
Misbah overhears Gemma discussing her worry for Donny and claims he’s only got himself to blame. Gemma snaps back, with Misbah and Warren subsequently putting the pieces together and realising what happened to Donny.
Dodger has his chance to expose Sully, who turns the tables. As his hearing gets underway, Dodger attempts to clear his name and bravely reveals that Sully’s associate Griff raped him.Later, new evidence sends shockwaves at the hearing.
Elsewhere, Vicky is feeling insecure and goes out for a run but she suffers a panic attack when Prince accidentally startles her. Sienna, meanwhile, visits Cleo and reveals the truth. Mercedes thanks Leela for stepping up for the McQueens and Diane learns that Tony is staying another night at a golf retreat with brother Dom.
Lucas agreed to contemplate a guilty plea if Dillon kept coming to see him and, despite his apprehension, it turns out that he did what was asked of him, with new spoilers confirming they’ve kept in touch ever since.
Next week, Dillon’s mood is improved and Vicky Grant (Anya Lawrence) is quick to detect that there is more to this than meets the eye. Wanting to know what the catalyst to his newfound happiness is – not to mention why he’s been absent on a number of days without explanation – she proceeds to quiz him on the matter.
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Reluctantly, Dillon reveals that he’s been visiting Lucas.
And another visit is on the cards for later in the week, with new pictures shared with Metro previewing the scenes to come as Dillon returns to the prison, much to Lucas’ delight.
As can be seen in the snaps, Lucas is overjoyed by Dillon’s visit – and Dillon seemingly enjoys his former flame’s company too. The topic of conversation turns to Ste and Rex Gallagher’s (Jonny Labey) engagement, which Dillon is nervous about.
But to his shock, Lucas is unexpectedly calm about the whole thing. Has his time to reflect on his behaviour helped him see things more clearly?
That remains to be seen but the atmosphere between Dillon and Lucas has certainly mended, that’s for sure. But while they’re officially back in each other’s lives now – is there still hope for an actual reunion?
‘I mean, it’s Hollyoaks!,’ said Lucas star Oscar Curtis last month when I put the question to him. ‘There’s always a way back somehow. Dillon and Lucas have such a strong connection, it’s almost flammable at times!’.
Last we saw Lucas, he was taken aback to learn that James Nightingale (Gregory Finnegan) was still alive. Despite contemplating to do as Dillon asked and plead guilty, James urged him to reconsider and instead enter a not guilty plea, agreeing to represent him if he did so.
The verdict on what Lucas decides remains under wraps, but one can’t help but wonder if his decision will harm the progress made between he and Dillon? Or will he do as Dillon asks and plead guilty?
Hollyoaks streams Mondays to Wednesdays from 6am on Channel 4’s streaming platform, or catch episodes on TV at 7pm on E4.
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