EastEnders’ Callum Highway and Johnny Carter’s burgeoning romance hots up next week – do they have a future together?

The pair are struggling to fight their forbidden attraction, and even though Johnny’s ex Felix is now off the scene, Callum is still a married man…

There’s been a frisson between the copper and the lawyer ever since Ben got sent down. At the height of mum Linda’s alcoholism, vulnerable Johnny tried to kiss Callum when he misinterpreted his mate’s support.

Callum rejected his advances, insisting he was still committed to his incarcerated husband. But with Ben in prison for over a year now, lonely Callum is increasingly drawn to Johnny, who this week betrayed boyfriend Felix.

Following their surprising kiss, Felix has now left Walford, which has Cindy seething as she’s now short-staffed at The Albert.

Fuming that she’s been left in the lurch, Cindy gives Callum a piece of her mind – with unexpected repercussions.

“Cindy is having a go at Callum for kissing Johnny,” reveals our source. “However, Lexi has heard every word of their conversation, and she now knows Callum cheated on her dad.”

With Cindy having put her foot in it, Callum springs into damage limitation mode to reassure his stepdaughter that he still loves Ben.

But is this true, or is Callum secretly fed up with being on his own? And with some distance between him and Ben, does he have a new perspective on their relationship?

Callum eventually decides the right thing to do is stay loyal to Ben, if only for Lexi’s sake, so he seeks out Johnny and tells him they can only be friends. But their chemistry takes over again, and they end up taking things further.

“The next morning, Callum wakes up full of regret,” our insider says, “and he can’t believe he’s spent the night with Johnny. He is wracked with guilt – how could he do this to Ben?’

As he insists to Johnny it can never happen again, is Callum kidding himself? Or is it time to move on from Ben and seize this chance of happiness?