Has anyone noticed that in FF7 they never say ANYTHING about Tifa being secretly in love with Cloud. Maybe I just don't remember, but I don't think Tifa was every secretly in love with Cloud.
I figure it might be like this. Tifa knows that she and Cloud's memories don't match up. And the things she needs so desperately to tell him was that they were never "childhood" friends. I think that would be harder to tell someone that their memories aren't real than to tell them that you love them.
But hey, that's just me talking.

Tifa WAS in love with Cloud. Read between the lines. Because if never saying anything about love means that Tifa was not in love with Cloud...then Aerith was also not in love with Cloud and Cloud was not in love with Aerith.
There are just many things that are shown rather than told and love is one of them. Case point: FF8. Did any of the characters ever SAY "I love you"? No...but that doesn't make it anything less than a love story ;)
I believe Tifa loved Cloud...I just don't believe Cloud loved Tifa ^_^

Well, I'll disagree a teeny tiny bit. I don't really believe Tifa loved Cloud..., no not in the beginning. I believed...what's that word called...she was infauated with Cloud. (Mind my spelling error, I'm not good with english grammer) I mean, she wants a hero, not someone really to love. Maybe just someone to love her, to take that insecurity away, knowing that she is love. I just think that its later later later on that she realized that she loves Cloud after this happen and that. I just think it was quite too late.

I don't know. Its not like Tifa really openly says, "Cloud, we're not childhood friends." She admits that she doesn't know him that well but beyond that "we weren't friends", I always had a feeling that she led Cloud the wrong way...okay, more like misled him a bit.

Well, I think that Tifa only developed feelings for Cloud after he left to join SOLDIER. I mean, she never really knew him that well at all. I am sure that she fell in love with who she THOUGHT Cloud would become (a powerful and famous SOLDIER, like Sephiroth). But, I think that, later, she came to love Cloud for who he really was (a seriously messed up guy). :P

I think that Tifa was more in love with the thought of Cloud.
And about what aerithstrife said, Squall actually thought "I love you." But he never said it.

He did? I thought it was "I fell for you". Ah well, that's just the same ^_^

I agree,she was in love with the thought of "her hero"...at first. But as FFG said, she came to love the messed-up man too.