Every single time they both went home all that everyone asked and wondered about was the thought of whether or not he and Mat had found respective partners out in the city. At first it had just been the usual offenders that had even pestered Rand's father but then it had extended outward towards those that he never expected to hear it from. That included his own father. He looked at Rand expectantly as the years drew on and on and that was beginning to grow frustrating. Especially after Perrin had gotten married the conversation of it had only gotten worse. He ought to teach Perrin a lesson for making it harder on the rest of them. But then Egwene had come home with a fiancee' and everything had become even more burdensome.
It was during one of those slow nights in the city that Rand and Mat had come up with a plan over far too many drinks. They had decided that the two of them should just declare that they were in the throes of a deep relationship with one another and marriage was on the horizon. Whether that was a shock or not, Rand wasn't sure, but he knew that it would ease the barrage of questions that they were constantly attempting to field. That was good enough for the both of them. Rand was glad that they had decided on it completely before heading back home for a Spring weekend.
He had been attempting to read the room as Mat reached over to take up Rand's hand and they had announced it to the room full of both their families. Rand had wanted to laugh, actually laugh, but he had managed to keep that in check. They were rather convincing, he was sure, and the looks on everyone's faces had been worth the performance completely. They had left the two of them alone now and Rand waited until they were far enough from the door before he turned to look at Mat, letting out a small laugh.
"Do you think that they believed us?" He asked once he had dropped his hand from Mat's, looking out towards the door that was closed. "It does seem that they were utterly speechless. Have we ever gotten that kind of response before?" Probably not. It was something unheard of here: silence in The Two Rivers. What a bloody thought! - @luckhissoul