I believe Hope told Rafe she was afraid to lose their friendship. But I didn't see her deny when Rafe told her they were already more than friends. And I must be one of the few, if not the only one, but I actually like Hope and Rafe together.
I think it's great that it started with friendship and is developing into something more romantic. It's not too fast (well, considering this is a soap where now the couples jump into bed after saying "hello"), it's somewhat tastefully done, Rafe is a great guy, and Hope... Well, Hope wasn't quite herself, but now, she's getting better I think.
I do not approve her killing Stefano and Rafe helping her, but I can understand it. Heck, it was like Stefano himself wanted her to do it. Not excusing anything, but it's believable, and I don't feel sorry for Stefano, nor do I feel sorry for Andre for paying for the crime. I mean, how many crimes did the Dimeras commit without ever paying ? Sweet justice ? Maybe...
Anyway, all this to say, I do like Hope and Rafe together. I just wish Ciara would be more in the mix, like she was before. She loved Rafe, spent time with him, now, unfortunately, not so much. But maybe that will change. Plus, and again, I may be the only one, but I actually like that Bo gave his blessing to Rafe before dying. Love between Hope and Rafe ? Why not ? It beats Rafe with Sami (and I know that's just me, because I despised the character of Sami, sorry), Rafe with Kate
, Rafe with boring... see, I can't even recall her name... Ah, snoozefest Jordan, there it is ! As for Nicole, there was potential there, but I'm still holding out hope that Jack will come back and be paired with her.
Call me a dreamer...