Yeah, I've had aesthetic attraction plus platonic bonds get mistranslated as sexual and romantic interest in people before. I just kind of assumed this is what everyone else was talking about. I always knew I didn't want a traditional romantic relationship by any stretch (and I cynically argued for many years in my youth that romantic love isn't real) but I also though that I should give it a try just to learn from the experience. It turns out it's hard to get into something you're not emotionally inclined towards, so I had to learn the hard way (fucking up a couple of friendships) that it's just not for me.