I agree that's it's not good. Though I wouldn't say it's an afterthought but more of a reworked aspect of the game that just ended up being very poorly reworked and most likely rushed.
Because the original idea of the Dreamer during Early Access was quite sensual and flirtatious in nature, so Larian most likely always intended for the Dreamer to be a romance option (otherwise their customization and flirtation would serve no purpose). But with full release they just went a completely opposite direction while still trying to hold onto some original ideas.
By doing so the Guardian ended up not being flirtatious at all, yet... one thing that I personally cannot wrap my head around is why in the Nine Hells is our Guardian in their underwear during the first scene in ACT II. Like I truly do not understand why since the scene is not flirtatious, sexual nor romantic in nature nor is the character either... yet they're just there casually in their underwear while stating how the Absolute is bombarding them with psychic energy. So... WHY ARE YOU IN YOUR DAMN UNDERWEAR THEN!?
But yes, I wish there was an actual solid romance as I really loved the potential of having an Illithid partner and seeing where it goes, which is unfortunately nowhere. All these reworks and rewrites just killed so many interesting aspects of the story. #Disappointed
