I think romance in fiction is really hard to do well because you somehow have to get across the fact that every romance is different, unique, and often doesn’t make too much sense except to the people involved.
A “realistic” romance can be realistic to the author but be filled with very idiotic choices that makes the reader find the romance not realistic at all
Similarly, an “ideal” romance might be written as perfect for the author and certain readers feel it’s the least romantic thing in the world.
This looks like a lose-lose but all I’m trying to say is that regardless of what you pick, to me, the most important aspect is getting across that this relationship is entirely between the two characters and difficult to get across to the reader. That’s why, to me, romances in stories often work when they aren’t the main plot as it lets the reader fill in the gaps of how that romance evolved.