Good news for Hope — and Rafe, this week, when slimy Aiden announces he’s decided to leave town on Days of Our Lives.

“Obviously, it comes as a shock that Aiden is just suddenly packing up and leaving, because he’s been so duplicitous and devious this whole while,” says Galen Gering (Rafe). “Rafe’s initial reaction is that Aiden has some trick up his sleeve. So Rafe is a little leery and, to a certain degree, apprehensive that he’s leaving so quickly.”

One Last Date
Before he leaves, Aiden blackmails Hope into going on a date with him, still holding the fact that he knows she murdered Stefano over her head. But Aiden’s romantic evening doesn’t go as he planned. Hope confronts him about behaving the way Chase did with Ciara (Vivian Jovanni). Her words hit Aiden hard. He realizes he’s lost control and decides to back off. Then, he announces he’s leaving Salem to join Chase in Oregon and assures Hope she doesn’t have to worry about him any more.

Rafe’s thrilled that Aiden’s (Daniel Cosgrove) out of the picture but still worried. “This is a guy that neither he or Hope trusts,” points out Gering. “And you never want people you don’t trust carrying secrets around. Yet, they’re trying to be optimistic and trying to believe that everything is going to go away.”

An Impromptu Surprise
With Aiden out of the picture, Rafe surprises Hope (Kristian Alfonso) with an impromptu camping trip. “Hope’s talked to Rafe about wanting to get away from civilization, being away from everything,” recounts Gering, noting that that’s why he comes up with the idea. “It’s nice, and there are some funny moments in there.”

But what about romance? “Yeah, as I recall,” responds Gering. “It’s cool. It’s a good little color for them.”

Good Times Ahead
Moving forward, Gering promises there are good times ahead for Rafe and Hope. “You’ll see them dealing with family things, and there’s a lot of humor,” says Gering. “They’ll have fun and some conflict, but not major conflict. It will be in the little things that they experience in their daily lives that people can relate to. I think fans will have fun going on that ride with the characters.”

Gering’s grateful that fans have been so receptive to the Hope and Rafe pairing. “Certainly any time you’re putting yourself out there in any story, you hope for the best and want it to be received well,” he says. “I know that Kristian (Alfonso, Hope) and I work well together, and I enjoy working with her.”

He also thinks that the coupling “makes sense. The two characters are able to absorb something from one another,” Gering explains. “There’s something they both take from each other on this journey that they’re on. And I like that. I think that really helps them and makes their pairing believable and gets people rooting for them.”

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