Describes several elements of romance and physical connection that are not sex by their definition, but wanted in relation to a partner.
And even without any romance or physical connection, partnership goes waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay beyond friendship.
Think of a couple married 47 years, one which happens to have no sex, no more romance, and aren't into touch. They may well still be true partners -completely there for each other, having deep love for each other, prioritizing each other above anyone else, totally reliable to the other, sharing life's costs and trials and challenges and joys, buoying each other spiritually, strengthening each other intellectually, cocreating, perhaps coparenting. To me, that's what partnership is. Romance, touch, sex, monogamy are all just options, like air conditioning in a car :)
A bunch of people are just doing this from the start of their partnership, from youth, etc, instead of doing a bunch of other stuff with their person along the way.