It could be as simple as having viewed each other's profiles and had a nose through answers to personality test questions. "Winks", virtual gifts, digital kisses... Some of these could have been exchanged. If it is something like Tinder, maybe you even swiped right on one another. It is possible that you chatted or sent messages as well. First dates could've happened, but then nothing afterwards...

The worst may have happened: the person in question may have simply "ghosted" you. So now that they are there, what do you do when you encounter an online flirt in real life?

Your Options for Escape or Avoiding Embarrassment

there are happily a number of different things that you can do to avoid such a horrific situation. Bear in mind, not all of them are exactly appropriate for polite society...+

• Run away. Run away very fast.
• Acknowledgment and an awkward "how are yah" nod.
• Simply avoid one another… Which doesn’t always work.
• Say a friendly hello and continue with your evening.
• Get up, stand on a chair and make the announcement known to the whole room that you and this person know one another from eHarmony.

The easiest option? We all know that it's pretty obvious: number 4 is one of the easiest, most mature ways of simply getting over the whole malarky.

Bumping into a person you may have interacted with online, whereby it didn't end particularly well, can be awwkard. Not getting a phone call returned, or the simple fact of you two losing interest in one another can lead to some rather strange meetings down the line. This is why it is important to stop acting like a teenager and realise that some things simple do not work out. That doesn't mean you have to be rude to one another!

Blogger Erika Ettin therefore tells us you should simply downplay it. We don't disagree: what on earth is the point of making a holy show of yourself? Yes, it can be awkward but we all need to wake up and smell the coffee. It’s a small world that we live in. You’re going to encounter people again whom you’d rather not. That’s life.

Source: thespec.com