I don’t think we’re actually aware of just how much Azriel has been pining for Elain. In his BC he says he’s been looking at her present every night for a YEAR. That means thinking about her daily, imagining her/them together, searching her out, trying to touch her even for a second, making up trivialities to be able to talk to her, listening to her plans patiently, seeing her in every plant, in every color, in every person, in every sound…. For a year. And the feeling grows the more time you spend with the other person. But they want to convince you they’re not romantic.