It took months for Days of Our Lives fans to finally see Rafe (Galen Gering) and Hope (Kristian Alfonso) give in to their sexual attraction for one another and start dating, and the pair's romance is sure to be very soap opera appropriate with a rocky path ahead.

In an exclusive interview with Enstars, Gering dished on some of the drama fans can expect to see in the coming weeks and months for the couple, who shared their first steamy kiss on-screen back in April, and have since dealt with an unexpected challenge caused by Aiden's (Daniel Cosgrove) return. He won't be the only issue hurdled in their path as other threats are waiting in the wings to disrupt them both.

Enstars: After months of unrequited love, fans finally saw Rafe make his move and give Hope one heck of a kiss, but she initially still turned him away! Will there ever be a happy relationship for these two?
Galen Gering: Without a doubt, they will enjoy some happiness. But for how long remains the question.

How was it filming that kiss? Did either you or Kristian have any hilarious reactions after it was done?There was some cheering on set and Mary Beth Evans [who portrays Kayla Brady] came running in saying she wanted to be, "kissed like that! That was hot!"

You had some really emotional scenes with Peter Reckell when Bo asked Rafe to look after Hope following his death. How much pressure did you feel doing those scenes with an iconic legacy character from the show?
Peter came to my dressing room and asked to run the scenes (which he'd never done) and I remember watching him while we ran then, thinking, "Wow, this guy's really in it!' He was so committed, even in those rehearsals, and it was then that it hit me how important those scenes were, And then I started to think, "I hope they go as well on set as they are in my room." I liked those scenes a lot. In fact, I wish we'd had more of them.

We watched Rafe keep his promise to Bo when he helped Hope cover up Stefano's murder, and even though he successfully framed Andre (Thaao Penghlis) for the crime, this storyline can't possibly be over, right? 
Without question. It's too big of a problem to just disappear and I'm quite sure there will be significant repercussions looming.

Will Rafe's past romances (i.e. Sami, Kate and Jordan) complicate any relationship with Hope?
Unfortunately, thus far, that hasn't been the case. I think it would be great to see some of that. I like when what's happened in a character's past continues to have repercussions in their lives. Even if it was some friendly teasing, I think the viewers like to see when the dots are connected.

Rafe' storyline regarding his family has grown exponentially since A. Martinez showed up as his father, Eduardo. Since his arrival, both Adriana (Alma Delfina) and Dario (Jordi Vilasuso) have come back to town. What's it like to build these new relationships and delve into new territory for a character, who, except for his sister, Gabi (Camila Banus), has mostly been a loner on the family front?
It's incredible and truly exciting, especially because they've brought in such great and talented people to play all these roles. I've had a blast with some of the family scenes we've done which have yet to air.

What big stories can we look forward to? What's coming down the pipeline for Rafe? Since the show tapes six months in advance, there has to be some good stuff coming up throughout the rest of this year!  
There's definitely some unique stuff coming down the pipeline in addition to some work I'm proud of and interested to see.

Hands down, your favorite storyline you've had thus far has been...?
The Rafe 2 character was a lot of fun to play. As an actor that was a great opportunity.

Soap Opera characters are generally pretty fit. What sort of workout regimen or diet do you follow to ensure that Rafe is always in top physical shape?
I'm an active outdoor person, so I'm generally pretty fit, but an ideal week would be spent playing beach volleyball, mountain biking, mixing in some yoga, a surf, a round or two of golf, snowboarding down something really steep, finished off with a tasty beverage.

Days of Our Lives airs Monday-Friday at 1 p.m. on NBC.

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