Love Is In The Air For DAYS OF OUR LIVES's Hottest Couples
Close Encounters
When it comes to keeping star-crossed duos apart, DAYS OF OUR LIVES wrote the book. In fact, the following couples have logged nearly 10 years of estrangement between them. Judging from our mailbag, fans are almost at the breaking point. When will their favorite Salem couples get together? It may be sooner than you think....
CARRIE AND MIKE: FRIENDS IN LOVE
‘Wouldn't it be funny if Sami was right and Carrie does have all these hidden fantasies and desires for Mike?" chuckles Executive Producer Tom Langan.
From what we've seen so far, Sami isn't so far off the mark. Ever since Mike helped Carrie through the heartache of watching Austin commit to Sami, the two have teetered on the edge of becoming more than just friends. But despite Mike's last-ditch effort to stop her, Carrie married Austin. Where does that leave the dejected doc? "Carrie is still in a state of denial about any romantic feelings toward this guy," notes Langan. "It's very safe territory in terms of loving Mike as a friend." But those feelings will be put to the test now that Carrie is spearheading Mike's campaign to become chief-of-staff.
"She has set up a whole reason that's very legitimate for her to spend a lot of time with him," points out the exec. "His heart is breaking the more time he spends with her, the harder it is for him to forget her."
In the meantime, Langan says there are growing pains ahead for newlyweds Carrie and Austin. "Carrie still loves Austin very much, but keep in mind that without realizing it, Austin and Carrie's love was made stronger by Sami's machinations," he explains. "She made it so difficult for them to be together that when they finally had the chance to get married, they rushed into it without thinking. Who knows what would have happened if they had taken time to come down to earth? Maybe they would have postponed their wedding and gotten to know each other as people in love, not people in turmoil."
Not that Sam's though with her scheming. She will coerce Austin into resuming his boxing career, a move Carrie does not support. Naturally, Carrie will turn to Mike. "Her world is expanding professionally and emotionally," says Langan. "Their common passion of making Mike chief-of-staff conjures up the kinds of emotions that have a very long life, as opposed to sexual connections, which tend to be shorter. That's what happening to Carrie and Mike. They're being swept away, but they're being swept away with an excuse."
And before long, they may be swept away too far. Says Langan, "The reality is, Mike is a man in love, and he's not going to stand back forever. Things will happen that they both will regret."