You and Mat had been best friends since you were kids, so it was natural that, over time, you developed a crush on him. Meaning you were hurt when he’d flirt with every girl from Cairhien to Tar Valon but you pretended not to care.

But all that flipped on its head when you indulged in some meaningless flirting with a stranger at a tavern. Mat saw it, stormed out without a word.

You saw him leave and chased after him, entered his room and found him pacing, jaw clenched, eyes burning with something you couldn’t quite name.

"Why did you storm out?" you asked, breathless.

He looked at you like you’d just asked him why the sky was blue. "Because I couldn’t stand there watching him touch you like that."

"Are you... jealous?" you ask, searching his face.

"I'm not jealous," he says too quickly, too flatly.

You step closer, narrowing your eyes. "Then why did you look like you wanted to throw that poor man off a cliff?"

Mat scoffs, standing his ground. "Because he had no idea who he was messing with. You're not just some tavern girl."

"And what am I?" you whisper, voice soft now.