No good raomance bwteen the main characters of the show starts, blooms, and kicks in during the span of only 2-3 episodes.
That's just rushed.
If you use that viewpoint, then how can one enjoy anime? The staff "makes" the characters do things in accordance with the characters' feelings, presonality, situation, etc.
Errr, no Rukia has never said anything about liking Ichigo.
I can say that with certainty as I just got done watching Bleach from beginning to end (current episode) just the other day.