They are on opposite sides of the pitch, they can't pass to each other. They have to rely on crosses, which was what Ronaldo was doing all game against Juventus. I believe he crossed the ball three times to Bale in that match? Anyways, Ronaldo and Bale hardly ever exchange short passes because they are too far away. They didn't do it in 2013-14 so I don't understand why you have just noticed that.
While watching the match of Real Madrid vs Espanol, I realized that CR7 never passes to Gareth Bale which is really annoying. Also when Bale missed the shot, CR7 reacted more than anyone else. Now, I don't like CR7. We all should support for Gareth Bale.