Home and Away Spoilers – Is Ari falling back in love with Mia?
Coming up this week on Home and Away in Australia, Ari and Mac’s relationship heads toward rocky ground as he battles with his buried feelings for Mia…
When Mackenzie Booth (Emily Weir) entered into a relationship with Ari Parata (Rob Kipa-Williams) last year, she knew Ari’s past meant that he was something of a closed book. After spending ten years in prison following an armed robbery, Ari has been focused on moving forward with his life.
But what Mac never expected was some skeletons from Ari’s pre-incarceration past to come tumbling out of the closet, when his ‘stepdaughter’ Chloe Anderson (Sam Barrett) suddenly arrived in Summer Bay!
Ari had been in a relationship with Chloe’s mother Mia (Anna Samson) at the time of his imprisonment, and rather than subject her nine year old daughter to prison visits, Mia instead told Chloe that Ari didn’t want to see them, and moved away from the area. Chloe was devastated at the loss of her only father figure, and it wasn’t until she happened to bump into old friend Nikau (Kawakawa Fox-Reo) recently, whilst backpacking in New Zealand, that she finally found the opportunity to reunite with Ari.
If the surprise of Chloe’s arrival wasn’t enough, Mac then realised that there would a mother involved somewhere just to further complicate matters. Soon enough, Mia turned up at the Parata house looking for her daughter.
With Chloe insisting on sticking around Summer Bay, Mia has decided to do the same, and Mac has been forced to watch from the sidelines as Ari spent a lot of time reconnecting with his ex.
Realising that Mac was making herself scarce whenever Mia was around, Ari decided to try and talk things through with Mac. She admitted that whilst she felt selfish for feeling weird about Mia and Chloe’s reappearance in his life, she was feeling confused as to where she fits in. Things took a turn when Mac then casually questioned whether Ari was still in love with Mia, and he paused—Mac was expecting Ari to deny it!
Realising he needed to put his girlfriend first and reassure her of his commitment, Ari took Mac away to the city for a couple of days. It seemed to work and they were in bliss on their return, with Mac’s worries firmly put behind her.
However it wasn’t long before things came crashing down again, when Mia walked in on Ari and Mac in a clinch. On hearing Mia’s surprise, Ari couldn’t throw Mac off him quick enough as he jumped up from the sofa with a guilty look on his face.
Mac was less than impressed and was again forced to ask if she had anything to worry about, something which Ari again couldn’t deny without thinking about it first.
After eventually confessing to Mac that he was unsure about his feelings for Mia, Ari asked if she would be able to give him some space to work things out, to which she tearfully agreed.
As we rejoin the action this week, Ari and Mia begin spending more and more time together. The ex partners head to the beach for a morning swim, and as they frolic together in the water it’s clear that the chemistry they shared before Ari’s time in prison hasn’t gone away.
They later head to the diner for a post-swim breakfast, where Ari asks Mia why they can’t “just have fun like [they] used to”. Looking for a way to reconnect, he suggests that they could have one of their famous family barbecues.
With arrangements made, Mia heads to Salt to pick up some beer for the gathering, and then puts her foot in it by asking Mac what time she’ll be arriving at the house. Mac replies that it’s the first she’s heard of the barbecue!
Both Mia and Ari’s brother Tane (Ethan Browne) are surprised about Mac not being invited, and question Ari over it.
Mia pulls Ari to one side and asks whether her presence has anything to do with it, the last thing she wants to do is come between Ari and Mac.
“Mia is hoping she won’t get in the way of Ari’s new life or relationship,” Anna told TV Week. “She has no bad feelings towards Mac, despite it being a little strange for her.”
Ari responds by talking of their long history together, and explains that he had never forgotten about her.
Unfortunately, their conversation is overheard by Mac, who has decided to head to the house to try and talk things over with Ari, and she’s surprised by what she hears.
Rather than confront Ari there and then, she decides to make a quick exit before she’s spotted.
Could Ari and Mac’s relationship be coming to and end already?
Meanwhile, the presence of Chloe in Summer Bay has also caused tension between Nik and his girlfriend Bella (Courtney Miller). Although Bella knows that there’s no romantic feelings between Nik and Chloe, who regard each other as family, she has found it tough to find any alone time with Nik since his return from New Zealand.
Last week, Bella recruited Ryder (Lukas Radovich) to try and distract Chloe, despite the two of them having already had their disagreements after Chloe started working at Salt. When Chloe initially rebuffed Ryder’s attempt to spend time with her, Bella asked to speak to her outside and asked if she could give her and Nik some space. When Chloe refused, Bella finally snapped and called her a selfish cow, something which Nik overheard and blasted Bella for.
The two eventually sorted things out, and Chloe even agreed to spend some time with Ryder, but this week Bella finds herself asking Ryder for help again when she’s invited to the Parata barbecue. When Nik tells Bella that he’s looking forward to seeing Chloe, Bella ducks outside and phones Ryder, asking him to keep Chloe busy for the day!
Will Bella’s plan to keep Nik and Chloe apart be rumbled?
Here’s the full spoilers for next week’s Home and Away episodes in Australia:
Monday 1st March 2021 (Episode 7498)
Ari has a decision to make. Leah and Justin receive exciting news. Dean’s patience wears thin.
Tuesday 2nd March 2021 (Episode 7499)
Marilyn finds herself humiliated. Nikau is curious about Ryder and Chloe. Leah and Justin acquire Susie’s assistance.
Wednesday 3rd March 2021 (Episode 7500)
Tensions between Lewis and Christian grow. Susie and John organise a committee dinner. Chloe tries to apologise to Marilyn.
Thursday 4th March 2021 (Episodes 7501-7503) – Triple Episode
Alf and John choose radically different strategies to win the Surf Club election. Can Christian and Lewis find a way to work together?
Alf struggles with the idea he might lose the election. Jasmine and Lewis are sheepish following their kiss. Justin and Leah decide to take a big step forward together.
Dean makes an offer to Amber. Worried about appearances, Tane is honest with Ziggy. Alf’s new free time has put Martha in a tizz.