Well, that's also what we ask the cleriths who come here; where, in the game, the REAL Cloud shows anything that could be romantic - aside from when she died, because of course that had to be poignant.
I've yet got to be convinced about that. Yes, he cared about her - of course he did! Everyone cared about her too. So, to me, that's a moot point. In his actions, I don't think the ZCloud was prone to show any romantic interest towards any of the girls - they said so, that ZCloud was wise to none of them, even if they both harbored romantic feelings for him.
To you, it seems obvious because you played the game that way. You could also be a total jerk to Aerith, ignore Tifa, be sweet to Tifa, etc. The ZCloud is basically the player having fun, that is. However, you cannot play with his feelings anymore when you begin Disc 2 (when he suddenly goes "your actions were all what mattered to me, Tifa"). And that Cloud is totally gaga over Tifa (I mean, come on! You could make him STEAL her PANTIES!). So, where did you see that this Cloud held any romantic feelings for Aerith? That is my question, beyond what the creators can say - what made you think that he fell in love in 15 mere days?
BTW, I have to say, I did read ALL the posts in this thread before joining. It was lulz-worthy, I tell you. XD