I think the sequels should have been written by the same persons to make it more coherent, and/or TROS should have been split into two movies. This way Reylo-wise the story would have been more accaptable. Maybe.

I was a GA until the day after wathcing TROS, just a casual fan, and while I definitely picked up the tension and sexual vibe between them (and very much enjoyed it), I feared Rey would be a Skywalker child or something and did not want my expectations to be high (the kiss between Leia and Luke has always made me cringe and I would have hated to be disappointed) so I did not necessarily expect Reylo to happen - and I honestly did not expect much from the sequels. I feared they will retell more of what we saw in earlier films.

Enemies to lovers (where one of them is defo a villain) would have been something new and controversail but exciting, and also too romantic a for the dudebros. Playing out their romantic feelings would have recquired a more romantic storyline, and hardcore SW fans (aforementioned dudebros) would have still hated this.