Welcome
@JT77fp !!!
@Graymouse I think to me even more so than Tifa at the bedside, it was the placement of everyone else noticeably NOT at the bedside, and that we got a pan of the room that showed us very clearly that it was only Tifa there. There are so many little things like that in the last few chapters and I really do think it is significant.
All 3 resolutions happen, one where Cloud acts jealous hearing about another guy hitting on Tifa, one where Cloud hugs Tifa, and one where Aerith tells him he can't fall in love with her, and even if he has it isn't real.
We then spend the remainder of the game getting only Cloti ship moments, and Cloud and Tifa standing together and taking leading roles in party leadership and helping out each other.
Even at Destiny's crossroads when everyone should just be focused on Aerith, we have this perfect moment where we could get some kind of heartfelt Clerith scene, but instead they have Cloud direct his attention over his shoulder to Tifa multiple times.
Then when fighting the whispers, we have whisper rubrum attack Tifa. Only Tifa. Why? Given how the love triangle was handled in chapters 10/11 (where if one girl got a moment with Cloud, so did the other), why not have BOTH Aerith and Tifa need to be saved by Cloud from the whisper rubrum? They are standing right next to each other, there is no good reason I can think of for why there is a scene here of Cloud only saving Tifa. Yet there is.
I mean I'm wearing full shipping goggles today (and also had some wine...) but to me these decisions to put C/T constantly together, to have the shipping moments go to them, to have Tifa at Cloud's bedside and saving him on the roof, and have Cloud saving just her, they mean something. If the Dev's wanted to keep it equal for both ships they had opportunity here to do so, they chose not too.