MARIA POV
We had been sitting on the couch for what felt like hours, watching episode after episode of *The Big Bang Theory*. The room was filled with the familiar laughter track and the muffled crunching sound of Sam devouring cookie after cookie. I swear, I’d never seen anyone with such an insatiable sweet tooth. If he wasn’t careful, he’d be dealing with diabetes by the time he hit thirty.
I wasn’t really paying attention to the show anymore. I had caught myself checking the time more than once, wondering how much longer this awkward situation would go on. It had started off as a way to distract Val, but now it just felt like I was sitting next to a ticking emotional bomb. Val hadn’t said a word in ages, and I was starting to feel that strange tension creep up between us. The only noi
