Anyone who enjoys the dating scene and has lived in the same city for a decent amount of time is destined to experience the awkward feeling that comes along with running into an ex. This can be a bazillion times more uncomfortable when it happens while you’re on a date with someone else.

When this happens you’re stuck wondering if you should ignore the person, say hi pretending they’re just a friend or be honest about the weird encounter. In most situations, I would say honesty is the best policy, but if it’s a first date that could be a tough call. You don’t want your new interest thinking you’ve got exes all over town, but you also don’t want to lie. It could bite you in the butt down the road!

Feel out your date! If it’s going well and you see date 2, 3 or more in the future, handling it properly is essential. Choosing to play the friend card puts you at risk at a later date, so if you see this new relationship blossoming into something bigger don’t do this. It will be kind of tough to explain why lying from the start seemed appropriate!

Now, if you take the honest route, you need to tread with caution. Don’t ogle over them and forget about your present company. Keep it short and sweet, and once they leave do not go into a tangent about your history with the ex. That’s still a major dating no-no! Your new interest will likely respect your maturity for being civil with the former boo, without feeling threatened or annoyed.

If you ignore the ex, you risk them approaching you and creating an unbelievably unpleasant situation. You don’t want to come off as someone who is hiding something. The only time this is an adequate solution is if you know the person will not cause a scene. Maybe you only dated the person for a month, making it such a distant memory that it isn’t worth saying a peep!

Photo Source: SXC