It was possible with Gale upon launch, and was later patched out. Because unlike in the EA, it only took flirting with him during the weave scene for the game to start the romance.
That's not even the main issue.
The issue is that just SHOWING UP to the Weave scene or to the "starry sky" one defaults to flirting-mode-on unless you try hastily to avoid it.
It goes something like this:
Gale tells you he wants to meet you in his special place to talk, you show up with the idea in your head sounding something like "I'm not interested in getting the D., but no harm in listening what a friend may have to say" and before you know the cutscene starts and your character is soavely swaying hips, effeminately sitting at an intimate close distance from the wizard (even if in your mind you though you were playing an entirely different character, sucks to be you I guess), looking intensely in his eyes and ONLY THEN you are offered the option to proceed with making out passionately or saying something gratuitously aggressive like "Fuck off, loser" and leave the scene.
There isn't a version of it where you are two friends having a chat as two equals.
That's not gradual, that's not nuanced. Everyone who thinks "You can just refuse him and you won't have the sex scene" is missing the point by a fucking mile.
