Esther in Sims 2 ( I never played 1) sims can call and "ask out on a date". Then on the right hand side was a "date meter". The level would rise with how romantic, good, fun, the date was. At the end of it you could even get a gift from your date or their relationship would increase. Also, really great dates would end up in the memories.
Anyone feel free to correct me if I'm wrong. It's been years since I've played Sims 2