The following article contains spoilers from an episode of Emmerdale that hasn’t aired on ITV1 yet, but can be viewed (time and time again if you’re a fan of the characters we’re about to mention) on ITVX.
Robert Sugden (Ryan Hawley) and Aaron Dingle (Danny Miller) have briefly reunited in Emmerdale, and it’s very possible they’re going to do it again in the future.
When Robert returned to the village earlier this year, he tried to stop Aaron’s wedding to his distant brother John Sugden (Oliver Farnworth). Outside, Robert admitted that he still had feelings for Aaron, and they shared a kiss.
Aaron felt that his future was with John though, which meant he had to put his connection with Robert to the back of his mind. As a result of this and not wanting to make John jealous, Aaron has tried to keep his distance, but that was impossible in today’s episode.
On Friday, John orchestrated a situation that made Robert shout at their nephew Harry. John had asked the young lad to play his toy drum around Robert, knowing the loud banging would trigger him.
The plan worked in John’s favour, because Robert snapped and scared the boy. John arrived right on time and hugged Harry, acting like the hero once more.
With Harry out of the room, John made a great effort to tell Robert that his behaviour is totally unpredictable.
John used this to his advantage again by telling Victoria Sugden (Isabel Hodgins) all about it. She confronted her brother in the latest instalment of the ITV soap, saying that she can no longer leave Harry alone with him.
Prior to this, John had handed Robert a business card for a therapist but as far as he was concerned, Robert was beyond help. John twisted the knife in further by calling Robert a waste of space so when Vic confronted him, her words made him spiral even more.
Unleashing his emotions, Robert completely trashed his bedroom. He ripped shirts up, smashed mugs, and very nearly hit Aaron with a vase, who had arrived after hearing the commotion outside.
Aaron managed to calm Robert down. A while later, he spoke about his time in prison and how he’s now accepted it has impacted him more than he realised.
Robert and Aaron, dubbed Robron by fans, kissed shortly after this conversation. They ended up in bed together, and neither of them really wanted to leave, basking in the glow and enjoying the quiet, safe environment.
As they chatted, Aaron missed a call from John, and failed to realise that he was outside the house. John was chatting to Vic, but neither of them entered due to other distractions.
Back in the bedroom, Aaron and Robert chatted. They concluded that thinking about the sex and their chemistry wasn’t the main priority now, because they are both living complicated lives.
But, unlike Charity Dingle (Emma Atkins) and Vanessa Woodfield (Michelle Hardwick), there was a little bit of hope.
‘God knows I’ve made you wait’, Robert said. ‘It’s my turn to be patient’.
Aaron put his hand on Robert’s shoulder. They didn’t really say much, but they didn’t need to. It’s obvious the connection they have still hasn’t dissipated.
But with John still lurking around, what’s next for the two of them?
Ryan Hawley, who plays Robert, recently reflected on his return and the drama that lies ahead in the Dales:
‘I’m genuinely excited about the year that we’ve got ahead. I think the show’s in a great place at the moment. I think the next year, the story arc that I’ve been told about I’m really excited about.
‘And Corrie-Dale, that’s what we’re calling the crossover, that’s going to be a great week for both shows.’