It always seemed, to me at least, that Tifa wanted the relationship more than Cloud, who was always off thinking of his own problems.
There was a scene in FF7 where the two sat together beneath the Highwind... of this we only get part of their conversation as the night turned to early morning, but Tifa wants him to stay "a little longer" and he seems uneasy.
In Advent Children, Cloud looks to have taken this even further. Perhaps there is a possibility of a relationship, but during the film, Cloud seems to use his guilty feelings and insecurities to shield himself from others. He doesn't want others to even know he's sick, let alone how he feels about Tifa. So he speaks in broad generalizations, covering the scope of his fears (losing family, friends, and everyone else) without having to admit the details.
Also, at the end of FF7, Tifa sort of embraces Cloud as they hang onto the cliff's edge, as she get's close to him, Cloud brings up Aerith, and it almost looks like Tifa kinda resigns herself a bit to the situation. Then, when they are sitting together, they are again interrupted wondering where the others are, who are on another ledge waving. Just more stuff to think about. |