As the co-owner of Savage's Emporium, a dusty antique shop in the centre of Hollyoaks village, Dennis Savage decided to close a little earlier than usual in order to be on time for something rather important. The current love of his life, Blessing, was finally undergoing sex reassignment surgery and Dennis really could not afford to let her down once again by missing something important.
After locking the shop's shabby-looking door, Dennis whirled around only to bump into Ste. Ste was not only recovering from excessive drug use and being constantly in trouble for drug dealing, but he was also recovering from a stream of tragic relationships that had shaped a darker form of himself and this resulted in a slow deterioration of his faith in all forms of relationships. You can see it in his eyes. Ste's most recent failed relationship with a man named John Paul McQueen was unstable to say the least. Both men were sheltering hidden guilt. Ste, for his secret drug-use and John Paul because he had been raped. Their inability to bring their issues out in the open caused them to withdraw further into themselves. However, after Ste's drug use stopped, he was forced to try and sell his remaining cocaine. When his secret stash was found, John Paul left Ste and refused to believe that Ste had stopped using drugs and was simply trying to free himself of the evidence and of his debt.
The only man Ste ever truly loved was Brendan Brady. Along with their unconditional love for one another came the inevitable involvement in Brendan's drug dealing and domestic violence. Ste's drug use stemmed from this relationship and also as a coping mechanism after Brendan was arrested for several murders.
"Alright, Ste. Got your rent money yet? Let me guess, end o' the week again?" Dennis exhaled as he slipped the keys into his back pocket.
"What do you think? It's not like I ever have it on time. Can you stop pointing that out, actually? I know I'm a let-down with no money. I don't need reminding every single week." Recent events echoed in Ste's tone.
Dennis half-smiled in sympathy as a taxi pulled up across the street. Two figures spilled out of the back seats laughing and gazing around in amazement as they lugged their enormous suitcases from the boot. Their presence was so out-of-place that Ste and Dennis glared over at them. The man, was tall, dark-haired and appeared to be fresh out of college. He was wearing an overly-colourful t-shirt that would catch your attention from space. The woman was much shorter than her friend with flowing brunette hair and she was dressed a lot more casual.
"They must be lost…" Dennis muttered to Ste, who was still trying to work out what the deal was with the man's t-shirt. The pair looked around briefly and spotted Dennis. "Oh, hey, sorry!" The man waved from across the street. They began to march across the street, still giggling as their suitcases bounced on the cobblestone road.
"Erm, sorry, my name's Sunil. This is my friend, Danni. We're just passing through and were wondering if any of you knew if there's, like, a place we could stay temporarily. Like, a hotel or B'n'B?" Sunil panted. They both looked utterly exhausted but as if they had just been on a rollercoaster. "Er, not really, I'm afraid. There's flats over there you can rent…" Dennis pointed to the end of the street towards the small supermarket, Price Slice. "Well, we're not really looking for a flat… more like, just a room. We just need beds really! Something cheap!" Danni said with a small laugh.
"Well, hmm. I suppose you could rent the two rooms at mine seeing as this chap isn't going to be paying me any time soon!" Dennis nudged Ste on the shoulder, who was zoned out but now ticked off that Dennis had brought up his financial difficulties once again. "Is it, like, a house?" Danni asked. "Well, yeah. It's a bit of a mess but if you're just passing through… Actually, Ste, would you bring them over and sort them out? You have a key. Blessing's operation is in…" as Dennis looked down at his watch, his face lost colour and he gasped so hard that he almost left the ground. He bulldozed past Danni, who whispered "rude" and he began galloping out of sight, shouting, "she's going to kill me".
Sunil and Danni turned back to Ste and waited for him to say something. "Uh, right, c'mon then…" Ste muttered. Sunil wheeled his suitcase over Ste's foot as they began to move. "Ow! Will you watch what you're doing?!" Ste yelled. "Sorry, sorry! I know, these things are heavy!" Sunil replied. He and Danni began giggling as Ste lead the way.
Ste was a distance ahead of Sunil and Danni the entire journey to the house. This was not only because their suitcases were holding them back, but because Ste just didn't want to be around them. "He's a bit of alright, isn't he?" Danni whispered to Sunil, raising her eyebrows. "Yeah, until he opens his mouth! What's his problem?" Sunil said almost too loudly. "You almost crushed his top quality trainers!" Danni joked. "Yeah, I'll crush his face if he's not careful." Sunil, again, almost said too loudly. Danni noticed where Sunil's eyes were directed. "You're checking his arse out, aren't you?" Sunil clamped his hand over Danni's mouth and began hushing her, resulting in the pair giggling even more.
Sunil and Danni both knew as they approached the house that this was not going to be a glamorous, five-star weekend away. The small, rectangular lawn at the front was poorly kept and was being swallowed by a very messy shrub surrounding it. The paint on the window panes was peeling excessively and the walls were covered in cracks from which weeds had sprouted. The paint on the walls was also peeling and heavily weather-damaged. Each tile on the roof was ugly and some were slid out of place, coated in moss or broken in half. Ste swung the front door open and stood aside to let his new temporary housemates in. He gestured them to make their way inside with a look of slight disgust on his face.
The disgust could have been from his hidden opinions of these eccentric strangers or from the smell coming from the house as they stepped inside. Everything looked and smelled damp. Dust covered every surface, the wallpaper had begun to strip itself off, the couch had tears all over it and there were certain patches on the floor that your shoe would get stuck on. Danni looked at Sunil in a way that only they understood as best friends. Sunil knew she was signalling, "this is awful, but it's only for a few nights". Ste closed the door behind them and began making his way upstairs. "Well, c'mon then." he said impatiently. The pair began dragging their suitcases upstairs. "It'd be nice if he gave us a hand." Sunil strained as he followed behind. "I heard that." Ste shouted from the end of the hallway.
"Your name's Danni, yeah? Take that room." Ste pointed at the larger room beside the bathroom. Danni, who was clearly out of breath from carrying both of her stuffed suitcases up the stairs, strode into her room.
"And, eh, Neil, is it?"
"Sunil. 'Neil', but with a 'suh' before it."
"Yeah, right, you can take that room." Ste said before moping into his own room, almost slamming the door behind him. Sunil followed Danni into her room immediately. She was stood by the window and was sliding her shoes off. "It's a right state, isn't it? Ah, well… It's better than that place in Germany. Surprised we survived, to be honest." Sunil admitted. "Mm, I think we just need to get a few drinks down us and some fit lads around us and we'll be fine!" she winked. "Starting already, are we? At least let me get a good shirt on! You know, we should start a reality TV show where we show people how to look fab when travelling a lot." Sunil said as he began to walk around the room, examining the posters of a range of different boybands on the wall presumably left behind by former housemates. "Yeah, but look at how much stuff we carry around. Seriously, I wanted to accidentally-on-purpose leave one of these suitcases on the train and pretend to be gutted about it but I couldn't remember which one had my laptop in it and I didn't fancy the risk… I must start that review of that Welsh hotel, actually. What was is called again?" Danni asked as she began unzipping her suitcase and shuffling through her mountains of clothing.
That evening, Sunil bounced downstairs after unpacking to find Ste making tea by the sink. "Ooh, I'll have one if you're making one." Sunil teased. "Teabags are in that thing, cups are in that press, sugar is under that press and milk is in the fridge." Ste responded sternly without even looking up from his cup. "I didn't… actually want one… Is everything okay? You're really… like, rude." Sunil asked inquisitively. "Why do you want to know?" Ste said as he chucked his spoon into the sink, which was filled with plates and used teabags. "Well, you're my housemate now I guess so it's probably best if we get to know each other." Sunil sighed. "Yeah, no thanks. You two just continue having the time of your life." Ste grumbled under his breath as he began sipping his tea. He burned his mouth and began swearing in frustration.
Ste threw himself onto a chair at the kitchen table and rested his head on his hand. Sunil took a seat beside him and watched him as he rubbed his eyes and yawned. "Are you sure you don't want to tell me what's wrong? I'm not a psychologist or anything but you seem proper pissed off over something." Sunil asked. "Is it that obvious? It just pisses me off when people around me feel happy. I've got nothing to be happy about." Ste began in a low tone. "No job, my kids aren't allowed to see me, everyone around me either dies or leaves me, no money… I could've been in America right now with my own deli." Ste's sudden decision to open up surprised even himself and he withdrew back immediately. "You have kids? Are they in America?" Sunil asked. "No… their mum just doesn't want me to see them. I'm a terrible dad. I was supposed to move to America with my husband and set up a deli…" Ste looked blankly at his cup of tea. He began rubbing his face again and sighed deeply.
"What happened to that plan?" Sunil asked, still trying to make eye contact with Ste. "He died. Like I said, everyone around me either dies or leaves me." Ste seemed to be getting more and more uncomfortable talking about it. "I'm so sorry…" Sunil tried to hold his hand for comfort but Ste pulled his hand back immediately, knocking over his tea. He began swearing again and marched angrily upstairs as Danni made her way downstairs. "Is he alright?" she mouthed as she walked over to the table. "Don't think so…" Sunil replied as he began to clean up the mess and started to discuss everything Ste had just said.
Dennis returned home as it began to get dark and he appeared to be understandably worried. "You settlin' in alright?" he asked Danni, who was refusing to sit on the dusty, damp sofa and was instead, perched at the kitchen table. "Yeah, yeah. Are you sure it's okay for us to stay here? We don't know how long we'll be here…" Danni asked. "Yes, of course! As long as I get the money every Monday if possible, the more the merrier here! Not being rude but why exactly are you here in the first place? I mean, Hollyoaks isn't exactly paradise, is it?" Dennis replied. Sunil walked over from the living area to join the conversation. "We're actually best friends from school. We've known each other for like, ten years. We always said when we finished college and uni that we'd go and travel together." Danni explained.
"Oh, right. Where have you been then?" Dennis asked as he shuffled through some letters. Danni looked at Sunil to answer. "Pff, where haven't we been?! Our first trip was Scotland. We've been to New York, Munich, Rome, Madrid, Marseille, Bangladesh, Dubai… Ooh, Tunisia!" Danni and Sunil were almost reeling off memories to each other rather than place names. "Blimey, and now here!" Dennis laughed. "Yeah, we thought it'd be nice to see more of the UK instead of going to places that were like, really exotic." Danni explained. "How did you even afford that? Did you both go to uni? You seem quite young…" Dennis inquired. "We started saving when we first planned it and took out loans. And, we're strippers." Sunil said with a casual expression. Dennis was completely taken aback and looked at Danni in confusion. "Yeah, we've been stripping in clubs since we were like… 17… Good money." Danni nodded. "I-…I-… Strippers, did you say?!" Dennis exclaimed. "Nah, we're joking! Danni's a journalist and I used to be a radio presenter for Gaydio. We both worked a few different jobs over time though." Sunil chuckled. Dennis seemed relieved and took a seat at the table and grabbed the packet of biscuits there and began nibbling at one.
"Is Ste always like this?" Sunil asked in a hushed tone, pointing to the room above where Ste's bedroom was. "Pretty much. Can't really blame him, his life's a mess, if I'm honest." Dennis said as he chewed away at the biscuits. "He told Sunil he's not allowed to see his kids and his husband's dead. Is that true? Surely, he has rights to see them?" Danni asked with a slight hint of disbelief. "Oh, yeah! Is that all he told you? Poor guy's life is an ad for bad experiences. He can tell you himself though, I'm not the type to go 'round telling everyone's stories. It's very, very complicated. But, really, he's a good guy." Dennis straightened up as he spoke. "He just needs to surround himself with the right people and not make the same mistakes again."
The following morning, Danni knocked on Sunil's door to check if he was awake. She peeked in but he didn't seem to be there. She turned around and Sunil jumped out from behind her and whispered "boo!". Danni fell back into Sunil's door and onto the floor. The pair broke out in laughter but tried to stay quiet. "You twat!" Danni breathed as Sunil helped her up. They entered Sunil's room and closed the door so they could speak up a bit. "What's the plan for today then, bitch?" Danni asked as she looked around Sunil's room. "Ugh, I have no idea… I suppose we could just look around, get to know the place… go out for drinks later and really get to know the place!" Sunil suggested. "Alright, let's get dressed then! I'm hungry too so we'll find somewhere for breakfast." Danni said as she made her way to the door. "Will we not just eat here?" Sunil asked. "You can, but I'm not eating out-of-date bread at a sticky kitchen table or drinking tea out of a dirty mug." Danni smiled as she left the room.
Hollyoaks village didn't have a lot to offer, but Sunil and Danni were determined to make this stop as memorable as the rest. "Look," Danni pointed, "there's a pub. The Dog In The Pond… Check out that guy outside it sweeping the ground." Danni looked over to see if Sunil was looking but he was looking in the opposite direction. Following his eyeline, she found that he was looking at a warehouse-type building called The Loft. A flight of steel stairs took you to the entrance door on the top story. "D'ya reckon that's the nightclub or something?" Sunil asked as he noticed the name of the building was displayed in illuminated letters by the door.
"Yes, it is!" a voice from behind them answered.
Danni and Sunil spun around to see a very attractive woman standing before them. She was dressed in a spotlessly red blazer, a perfectly fitted black pencil-skirt and what appeared to be brand new black high heels.
"I'm the manager, Mercedes. Haven't seen you two around before. We're having an 80s night up there tonight. Gonna be there?" She grinned. "Yeah, sure!" they both answered simultaneously. "Great! See you there. First drink is on the house." Mercedes winked as she strutted off in the direction of the club. "Hm, that's alright… That's our plans for tonight sorted then!" Danni seemed thrilled. "Do we even have anything to wear for an 80s night?" Sunil gasped with sudden panic. "Not really, oh, who cares? They're hardly gonna kick us out if we show up looking fierce. I'm not leaving until I get my free drink, that's for sure." Danni replied as they began to walk again. "There's a place over there that serves food. We'll get something there and then head back to the house. I'm a bit gutted we actually travelled around the whole village in under twenty minutes."
They let themselves back in to the house with Denis' key that he had left on the table for them that morning before leaving to go to a hospital in London again to see Blessing. It was now one o'clock and Ste didn't seem to be out of bed. "Should I go and knock on his door or something?" Sunil asked Danni. "Nah, I'd leave it… Thought you wanted to smash his face in yesterday? Do you fancy him or something? It's only been a day, Sunil!" Danni began laughing. "Oh God, no! I just feel really bad for him, that's all. I mean, to not be able to see your kids and then for your husband to die… He's around the same age as us as well, imagine that happening to us!" Sunil said. "Pfft, I won't be having kids or getting married any time soon! You can bet on that!" Danni proudly promised. They both smiled and took a seat in the living room. "I reckon if we give this place a good clean, Dennis might discount our rent or even give us like a free week. Don't you think?" Danni looked over to Sunil, but he seemed to be lost in thought and looking really worried. Sunil realised he was just asked a question. "Erm, yeah." he replied, not really sure what he was agreeing with.
After picking up some frozen pizzas from Price Slice, Sunil came back to the house to find Ste curled up on the couch, chewing the lace on his hoodie as he watched TV absent-mindedly. Sunil quickly dropped the pizzas on the table and walked towards the sofa. "We got some pizzas, if you're hungry." Sunil said as he took a seat. "As long as there's no pineapple on them." Ste responded with little projection.
"Do you want tea or anything? Are you cold? You seem cold-"
"Oh, give it a rest!" Ste tutted.
"Stop talking to me as if I'm some orphan you just found on the street. You don't know me, I don't know you. Stop acting like you care about me." There was a long pause as Ste continued to stare at the TV. They both knew he wasn't really watching it, though.
"I just want to be nice, alright? You told me everything you told me yesterday and I feel bad. That's not my fault! We're going to be living together now for a while so you might as well be civil with me, at least!" Sunil sounded a little more serious than usual. Danni poked her head downstairs to see what was going on. She made a face as if she had just walked in on somebody getting fired from their job and retreated back to her room.
"Please, just talk to me… Tell me everything. I'll be gone in a few days. We'll never see each other again. Danni and I tell each other like, everything. That's why we can deal with it and still be the way we are. Talking about it is the first step to dealing with it. So, if you need to get stuff off your chest, I'm here." Sunil said gently. "Nah, it's alright, agony aunt… You wouldn't be able to handle it." Ste muttered. "If you're like this over what I told you yesterday, you won't want to hear the rest of it."
"It's not about what I want to hear, it's what I think you should say. You clearly haven't really spoken to anyone about it. If you bottle it up, you'll become depressed or end up on drugs or some horrible shit like that." Sunil said calmly. Ste looked slightly under pressure as he continued to chew on his hoodie lace. There was another noticeably long pause as Ste thought for a moment. Finally, he took the lace out of his mouth and let out a long sigh. "Have you ever been in love before?" Ste started. "Not yet." Sunil answered shortly. "Well, don't ever be. It messes you up, proper. You don't stop thinking about it." Ste took a deep breath and closed his eyes for a moment before continuing.
"The first man I ever loved, the only man I ever loved… Brendan… he-…" Ste began to struggle with his words. "He… he was everything to me. I was everything to him." Ste's lips began to quiver and his head dropped to his chest. "Was Brendan your husband?" Sunil asked, trying to get Ste to look up again. "No… Doug was my husband… I loved him too… It was different, though… Me and Doug could never last. I just needed him there… he really cared about me. It's a long story. I can't believe I'm talking about it with a stranger." Ste clearly didn't want to relive some of these moments but he sat up in confidence that he was going to push through it.
"Brendan's not dead, but he might as well be. I'll probably never see him again." He began to wipe his eyes with his sleeves. Sunil put his hand on his knee as Ste began to open up more and more. Before Sunil could even ask Ste anything else or to allow him to stop entirely, Ste carried on talking. "And then there's John Paul… that… that evil… he was my last hope, really… Everyone else had left me. Nobody trusted me or had any faith in me. Nobody else wanted to be there for me, but he… he made me believe he was there for me…" Ste's face was now beginning to stream and had turned a bright red colour in anger as he had sat up again. "What about your kids? Where are they?" Sunil felt horrible doing this to Ste, but he was finally talking. "They're with their mum… She's a lovely lady, really…" Ste began with a sort of smile. "They're my little angels… Of all the things I've done or messed up in my life, they are the two greatest things I've ever made… Leah and Lucas… They adore me." Ste had to stop once again to mop up some more tears. "It sounds like you really care about them." Sunil reassured him. "I do! With every bit of me!" Ste replied instantly, almost in defence. "Why won't their mother let you see them then?" Sunil asked. Ste looked at the ground and began shaking his head. "I have made too many mistakes and put them in danger too many times. They don't need me when I'm like this. It's not a case of me just not being allowed to see them, they're better off away from me for a while."
"What do you mean by mistakes, though?"
"Just, everything. My stupid mistakes cost me my job, my friends and my kids and I've got to live with that and sort myself out so I can see them again. I shouldn't be around them right now. Not only have I let them down, but I let myself down because I promised I was going to get better for them and I'm still a mess. I will get better, though." Ste gave one final sniff and wiped his eyes once more before curling up again.
Sunil and Ste sat in total silence as the TV murmured in the background. Ste was, again, pretending to watch it as Sunil stared at him, trying to take everything in. "I want to help you do it, I really do." Sunil said after a a few moments. "When me and Danni fight, I have nobody else to turn to. I'm distant with all of my family and I don't have any close friends other than her. Sometimes, I've needed help and I've turned it down and I regret it. Being alone is the worst. You don't have to be alone."
"You'll be gone in a few days. No point helping me out now. I'm a few years worth of work, trust me." Ste half-smiled.
"I could stay. Me and Danni. It would be nice if we just settled down for at least a few weeks or months. We could stay here. I could stay here, for you… It's not like we have a set plan. We're gypsies!" They both continued to sit in silence for another few moments. "We're actually going to go out tonight to The Loft for a few drinks and to check out the men. You should come. You don't have to go crazy or anything… Just, spend some time with me outside of here. We can get to know each other a bit more."
"Nah, I don't think so…" Ste said. "Oh, come on!" Sunil pleaded. "Even just for a few drinks? It's 80s night!" Sunil began to do a goofy dance to try and convince him.
"I would, but I don't think I can actually afford to go out for drinks any more." Ste said slowly with an edge of shame. "It's alright, I want to buy you a drink. Drink's on me." Sunil winked. "So, you'll come?"
Ste looked up, smiled and nodded.