Brendan entered his sister's club with a duffel bag on his shoulder. He was going be here for sometime…he had a feeling. The reason why he's come to England river was because he couldn't control the lust and the grip it got over him. Even though he had spent all his life denying and burying what he wanted, the last few months had been harder than ever as his wife became busier with her own personal life and Brendan found himself lonelier than ever.
The distractions had never bothered him much, he had his family to look after but the wee lad from his usual pub kept making eyes at him while he was in a business meeting. He had tried not to look but temptation has never been his strong suit so he'd brought the boy home with him. And unfortunately for him, Eileen had come home early from her Girl's night out.
He couldn't look at himself in the mirror after the big scene, just like every other time - he was disgusted by it all. And Eileen was someone you didn't want knowing your secrets. She was the kind of woman who would make a sly remark about things you didn't want coming out and that too in public - where everyone could hear. It was hard leaving his boys behind but it was harder living there with that bitch making inappropriate comments on the breakfast table. So he said goodbye to his kids and left.
Here was now, the small village that his sister had moved to a year ago. He had always loved Cheryl and she worshipped him. Plus, she had always hated Eileen. He should probably have listened to Cheryl when she asked him not to marry the woman. But he had loved her once, a long time ago. The only reason he stayed with her all these years was because of his boys but it was just impossible now with all the men she brought home.
She didn't even wait for him to leave, it was all out in the open now. For the past 7 months, she had been bringing home guys and fucking them in their bed. He knew and he made it clear that he did - he didn't want her to think of him a fool of course. But there wasn't much else he did about it. He had been a great father- had been told, always protective of his boys. But now it was time to live for himself. In Hollyoaks.
As he stood behind the bar polishing the beer glasses, he saw Cheryl yelling at someone to check if "Brendan was here", he let out a small chuckle. She turned around at the noise and he was expecting Cheryl to start yelling at him for making fun of her but instead she rushed toward the door and launched herself on someone. Ste twisted around the bar-top to check who it was that Cheryl had jumped on and that's when he saw him.
Cheryl had told him that it had been sometime since she and her brother had seen each other so he could understand the excitement. Everyone else looked on as Cheryl squeezed the hell out of the man with the sexiest moustache. Ste never thought moustaches were sexy, had never really given it a thought but this man was completely making him question his taste. Rhys cleared his throat somewhere close and it made Ste jump. He guiltily looked away from the siblings hanging onto each other for dear life.
Was this the "hot, sexy of a devil" brother Cheryl was talking about? Well, she sure gave a perfect description of the stranger. But there was something else that Cheryl had forgotten to mention. Brendan had a presence- he just had a presence. No other way to describe it. And he looked mysterious with his perfectly-fitting suit and his badass mustache. Rhys and Jackie had stopped what they were doing to look at the smoldering stranger. They were appreciating the fine specimen in front of them - Jackie admiring the man for his hotness and Rhys for his dangerous persona. But the stranger just looked blankly at them and then averted his gaze. Okay so he wasn't very social, Ste gathered.
As soon as Cheryl released him, she started talking - her Irish accent getting thicker than usual. She asked him how he was and he smiled at her in response," I'm great, sis. Ye?" in an even thicker Irish accent. Oh boy, Jackie had never found Irish accent flattering but just these four words out of this bad boy's mouth made her giggle like a school girl. Rhys was shooting her angry looks so she begrudgingly got back to work.
Cheryl led Brendan to her office and closed the door behind her. The room was tiny and brightly lit, he stood next to the door taking it all in. Cheryl settled on the sofa opposite him and pulled at his sleeve. As much as he loved Ireland and his boys, he'd missed Cheryl terribly ever since she decided to move to England. Now, that he had her so close, he couldn't help but hug her once again.
After all the hugging and the tears and yelling were out of the way, they both sat there in silence till Brendan asked her if she was okay with him staying over at hers till he got a place of her own. She huffed and hit him in the arm,
"Oh nonsense, you're staying with me."
And he agreed, of course he did, as if he had a choice. They sat in that tiny office for a while chatting about life here in Hollyoaks. Cheryl wanted to know why he'd left Eileen but he couldn't bring himself to tell her about his indiscretion so he lied that Eileen had cheated on him. Which wasn't really a lie because she had cheated on him last year, he'd just forgiven her then and stated for the sake of their children.
Cheryl had never been fond of Eileen and the moment the words 'she cheated' were out of his mouth, Cheryl began cursing like she used to back when they were kids and she didn't get her way. Out of all the things they'd talked about, her cursing like a sailor was what brought tears to his eyes. But he had never been one to be emotional so they were gone before Cheryl could catch on.
After discussing about him wanting to buy the club off Cheryl and his reasons for leaving home, they broke up the secret party and Cheryl thought it a good idea to introduce Brendan to the staff. It was rude really, how she didn't do it earlier but she always did kind of forget the world when Brendan was around. Well, no harm done.
She walked out of the office with her brother in tow and clapped her hands to get everyone's attention.
"Listen up you's, this is Brendan me older brother. He's now half-owner of Chez-Chez. Bren, this is Jackie and Rhys."
They both gave big smiles after hearing the word 'owner'. Brendan just gave a slight nod in their general direction. So, he wasn't very social. Confirmed. Oh wait, he just smiled – like his dog was dying but he did smile neverthless. Not so bad.
Cheryl had always sounded very proud of her club and Brendan could see why she was so fond of this place. It wasn't exactly a high-end club but at least it was hers and now theirs. The two people he'd just been introduced to – Jackie and Rhys – smiled at him and he could see their judging eyes studying him but Brendan had never really been very bothered by what people thought of him.
He just nodded at them in acknowledgment but when Cheryl elbowed him, he smiled. He's never been one to hide behind polite smiles but maybe that would have to change now that he owns a club. Or maybe, it won't and he'll just be the scary one who people don't talk to.
There was a sound of footsteps coming from the stairs while he was thinking about this new life of his, he caught himself looking in that direction and that's how he made his entry into the club and into Brendan's life - Stephen Hay, ladies and gentleman.
A 20-something kid fumbling with the zipper on his Chez-Chez jumper walked up the stairs and toward the bar. Without looking up he said," Hey Chez, sorry I'm late coming back from the break, had to walk Leah home."
And then he looked up.
His deep blue eyes dancing over all the familiar faces and then zeroing in on the stranger's grey ones. He stopped playing with his zipper and pouted. Yes, pouted. Brendan tilted his head to the side and his eyes bore into those of the young lad. They had obviously not been introduced yet and both were sizing the other up.
The very next moment Brendan moved towards the newest addition to the group. He glided smoothly and stopped right in front of the stranger. No one moved and then in an instant Brendan pushed him against the pillar behind him with a single hand to his chest. The look on the boy's face was a mix of surprise and anticipation.
Brendan moved slowly and stepped closer, his body perfectly aligned to the boy's- chest to chest. He could hear the boy's heart thumping or was it his own? Doesn't matter, he said to himself. And with that he moved his face closer, his mustache touching the boy's face who tried to jerk back probably from the tickling of the mustache or maybe from feeling a stranger's breath on his lips. But he was caught between the pillar behind him and the hot stranger. They were both staring straight into each other's eyes without blinking.
And then Cheryl's crisp voice echoed through the air,
"It's okay, Ste. Oh this is Brendan, my brother, and he's half-owner now. Bren, this is Ste. He works behind the bar."
That brought two people back to their senses. Brendan turned around without giving the lad the slightest bit of recognition and he in turn wrinkled up his nose and got behind the bar to start off his job.
While everyone else was left baffled by the radio-silence between the two men, Brendan walked back to the office without turning around and Ste didn't look up from the glass he was polishing.