My level of crazy was going through the roof. Ben was sure to start running quickly really soon. On top of showing up at his office with a ‘love-fern’ and matching plaid outfits, I had also left several voice messages and texts on his phone. To top it off, I had spent all day working on a little something to really freak him out.

Without waiting for him to call me back, I showed up at his apartment just after seven. He did not look so thrilled to see me when I came knocking on his door. Finally, he looked more annoyed than usual, I thought as I stormed in on a crazy mission.

“What’s up?” He asked, catching his eye roll before it happened.

“Well, after I dropped the love-fern off at your office it got me thinking…” I paused a moment to build the suspense, “…so I went to the digital print shop and had them take my face and your face to make this!” I took the giant photo album out from behind my back.

“And what’s that?” He asked, not knowing what to expect.

“It’s our family photo album!” I exclaimed and watched his face drop completely.

“What?” He looked absolutely terrified.

I had to suck back my laughter through my teeth. “Well, I called your mom to get some baby photos of you and of course I had mine and had the people at the shop simulate what our family would look like!”

“But we don’t have a family,” he began to rub his perfectly chiseled jawline in confusion.

“So you don’t want to see our children?” I started to cry uncontrollably over top the photo album.

He instantly came over to me apologizing, “No I’m sorry, Andy, don’t cry, I’m just confused that’s all.” He rubbed my back in hopes I would stop crying but I was obviously too deep into this show.

“That’s just fine Ben! If you don’t want to see our children, that’s just fine!” I bit my lip to stop from laughing.

“No, please show me,” he begged.

I sniffed back the tears dramatically and let the crying die down a little so I could open the album to show him the horrifying photos of what our family could potentially look like.

I flipped through to our simulated first child being born, to the second, to our first family vacation all the way through to their graduation. Ben nodded along, the whole time pretending to be interested and impressed with our fake family.

As I flipped through the book, even though I had made it as a stunt to scare Ben away, I was beginning to feel butterflies flap around in my tummy. I felt warm inside looking at the family I had always wanted.

By the time we finished the album I was fighting back real tears, not tears from sadness, but tears of joy that maybe one day I could actually have a family just like this one. This performance was backfiring slightly, making me more emotional than anything.

I looked up at Ben who was completely checked out from my stunt. I noticed him discretely check his wristwatch behind my head and I decided it was time to move onto something else.

“Do you have plans tonight, Benny Boo?” I asked after wrapping up with our family album. I wasn’t finished yet though. I still had more to throw in his direction.

He looked to the ceiling for a moment. “Umm, actually I do,” he said as he checked his wristwatch once again.

I knew it was game four of the series and that he was going to make an excuse to go hang with the boys and watch it. As much as I wanted to watch the game as well, I had work to accomplish. “Awe,” I played along, “where are you going?”

“I have to go to work of all things,” he sighed, slicking his dirty blond hair away from his face and shrugging at me in an obvious lie.

“That’s a shame,” I smirked inwardly, “because I have tickets.”

“Tickets!” His face lite up instantaneously. “Well, I mean, maybe I could shift something around.”

“Yes, I mean they are the best seats in the house. This is a once and a life time opportunity!” I lied, leading him on as if I had tickets to the Knicks game.

“I’ll call Tony, he can cover for me,” He lied. Pretending like he could get his ‘work thing’ covered last minute.

“Great.” I looked up at the clock, “Let’s go.”

I took Ben all the way to Madison Square Garden only to switch directions from the sports auditorium to the theatre where a Celine Dion concert was being featured for the weekend.

I made him endure four hours of Celine screeching her lovey dovey romance songs. The entire time I fake cried by his side, telling him how each song was my favorite, and I made him buy us matching T-shirts that read ‘My heart will go on’.

I’ve never in my life seen a man fake his own enjoyment so much. This had to be it, I thought, surely I have finally cracked him. To my dismay, at the end of the night he still asked to see me later on in the week. I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. I had to lose this alpha in ten days or my article would not be true to its headline and Lane would not be impressed enough to allow me more freedom with my writing.

The next day I got together with Michael and Jean to collaborate ideas on how to lose this guy once and for all. It was a hot, sunny day so we gathered together on the rooftop of my apartment building, sprawled out on tanning chairs to soak up the summer sunshine.

“I just don’t get it,” I whined as I rubbed lotion on my delicate, milky white skin. “This guy will not crack! I’ve tried absolutely everything.”

Michael tilted his sunglasses to look at me, “Have you been clingy? Needy? Obsessive?”

“All things Michael has mastered,” Jean joked, and received a smack in the arm from Michael.

“Yes guys! All those things and more, I need to get drastic.”

“Oh, ask him about all his ex-omegas,” Michael advised.

“Better yet, talk about all your ex-alphas,” Jean put in.

“Yes, yes that’s all good, but I don’t think it’s going to do the trick.” I lay back on the lawn chair and scuffled my short blond curls in frustration.

“Well when are you seeing him next?” Jean asked as he turned on his side, fully engaged in creating the next sabotaging move.

“Not for a couple days,” I pondered, “I have to finish my notes for Lane tonight, and tomorrow he has poker night with the boys. They do it once a month.”

Michael and Jean exchanged devious looks with one another. “Andy, that’s perfect, go crash poker night.”

“Yes, it’s perfect, boys night to an alpha is sacred, he’ll be furious.” They both chimed.

“Yeah, I guess you’re right. Poker night, here I come. He won’t know what hit him,” I smiled. This will have to be the final straw.