Smug social media postings are an integral part of any blossoming romance. But what do you do when you just want the likes and not the lovin’? You don’t win IG hearts with a dinner-for-one deal from M&S. Cosmopolitan's sex and relationship’s ed, Hannah Smothers, found herself in such a predicament. She writes: “Having a boyfriend, like having a dog or a houseplant, is so time-consuming. You have to take care of him, tend to his enduring thirst, spend time with him ... It's all so much. Too much, one could even argue if you're a Modern Woman With An Agenda, like me”. So Smothers embarked on an elaborate and well-constructed plan to convince her followers, friends and family included, that she had found love. Real love.

taking refuge with a new friend ?

A photo posted by hannah (@hannahsmo) on Jan 23, 2016 at 11:02am PST

“The key to this con is that it's a long one — you have to lay the groundwork early in order to really have followers believe you nabbed a doting boyfriend in time for the 14^th” she states. Posting nondescript would-be-date shots on her social medias, Smothers convinced everyone she had finally bagged a man. She enlisted the help of strangers, unbeknownst to them it would seem. Taking a sneaky shot on the subway she wrote: “The key to pulling off this move is to be sneaky with your camera and to be in a place with lots of people. What better place than a crowded subway car during rush hour? I simply placed my hand next to a man's on the rail, drew my phone in close, and snapped a pic. Boom, perfection".

?love on the L train? A photo posted by hannah (@hannahsmo) on Jan 29, 2016 at 4:54pm PST

Smothers told The Huffington Post that she "honestly just wanted to see if something like this would work." It did though the writer now fears she’s entered into a girl-who-cried-boyfriend enigma. "Next time I'm actually in a relationship, NO ONE WILL BELIEVE ME" she concluded. And none for Gretchen Wieners.

A photo posted by hannah (@hannahsmo) on Jan 31, 2016 at 11:06am PST