EastEnders tonight finally saw Mark and Lauren give in to their attraction. But while Lauren is convinced their passionate encounter is nothing more than a one-off, there could be a very different future ahead for the pair.
After all, Mark is supposedly heading back to Florida tomorrow. So is this really the end of their fling, or could he be sticking around in Walford?
Mark and Lauren started their affair in EastEnders tonight
Tonight’s episode saw Lauren confronting Mark after he returned to Walford. She assumed he was back to see her, but he revealed he had only returned for 24 hours and would be leaving for America the following day.
He asked if Lauren had changed her mind about them being together, and she confirmed that she hadn’t. However, she didn’t sound very convinced.
Later, the pair saw one another at Harvey’s birthday party. There was plenty of flirting going on, despite Peter and Louie also being at the bash.
However, when Louie let slip to Cindy that Lauren knew Max was having an affair with Priya, all hell broke loose.
Cindy confronted Lauren in front of everyone, shoving Harvey’s cake in her face as revenge. But Lauren didn’t take kindly to being humiliated and slapped Cindy.
However, instead of siding with his wife, Peter took Cindy’s side, and Lauren was mortified.
She raced out of the bar, only for Mark to follow, and it didn’t take long for her to sneak off to the boxing den with him to ‘talk’.
Once the pair were in the empty gym, there was little talking being done. Soon they were kissing passionately, and one thing led to another.
When is Mark leaving Walford?
It won’t be a surprise to fans that Mark isn’t moving back to Florida. Despite telling Lauren he wouldn’t be staying, something changes, and it looks like he ends up staying put.
Not only does he now have his fling with Lauren to keep him in Walford, but he was also seen in the New Year flashforward episode.
So if he does leave, it is unlikely to be before January.
What happens next?
Tensions remain high between Lauren and Peter after today’s showdown with Cindy at Harvey’s birthday party. Knowing he has some making up to do, Peter is determined to give Lauren the excitement she craves and vows to be more spontaneous.
Meanwhile, Lauren tells Mark that what they did can never happen again. But does she really mean it?
Later, as Mark prepares to leave Walford, Lauren finds herself torn. Is this the start of a full-blown affair for the pair?
EastEnders fans have their say about Mark and Lauren…
Fans were loving the Mark and Lauren scenes…
“So the Mark and Lauren scenes were quite hot, right?” said one fan on Reddit. Someone else added: “That all got rather steamy at the end!”
A third fan commented: “Can’t lie, the chemistry between Lauren and Mark is something else, and I’m totally here for it!”