Issues Romancing Grimm

I thought with the new update that we'd finally have a way to romance the Grim Reaper. But no matter what I do (maxed out romance and friendship) the relationship will not progress. I can ask to be woohoo partners but that never ends well. I've checked our relationship status and it says, well, all of this (see attachments). It's confusing and doesn't make sense. It's like we're at a crossroads (pun intended) and there's no way to pick a path. I don't use cheats, at all. Surely there's a way to do this in 2024 without breaking my game? 

P.s. We exchanged numbers yet I still cannot text or call him or ask him to hang out or go on a date. He asked me out on a date 1 time, but left immediately to go reap a soul 🤷‍♀️