Ryan's only ever sought to use Hughie to further his own ends. He decided that when he went back into the Other House he would latch on to Hughie for a 'story' angle. When they went into the house together he ignored him.
Hughie gets huge cheers one eviction night:
"OMG Hughie I love you!!"
But he could never maintain that farce because he'd constantly snipe and gripe about him. When Natalie was slagging Hughie off to Lateysha, Ryan sat there on the bed and said NOTHING.
He spend the rest of the time in the house struggling to prevent the mask slipping. Occasionally remembering there were cameras and going for the 'OMG Hughie I love you!!' routine.
His performance in the task room was frankly embarrassing, as is the whole tattoo thing. It just seems far, far too desperate to be real. It's like watching a fame-hungry X Factor contestant (he was once, I know) beg for a place in the next round, rather than someone actually in love with someone. For his part I think Hughie is a bit naive, at least at the beginning but I think he's began to see through that all Ryan was looking for is a showmance.