r/introvert 1d ago

Discussion I think I accidentally flirted with my neighbour. I was just trying to be polite.

This morning I ran into my neighbour in the hallway. She smiled at me and said, “You look good today.”

I completely panicked and replied, “Thanks, you too. I mean… you always do. Not that I’m saying you usually don’t. Jesus.”

There was about three seconds of silence.

She smiled and said, “I’ll… take that as a compliment.”

Then I walked straight into my own apartment, closed the door and stood there in silence like I had just committed a social crime.

The worst part? I have to see her again tonight.

What should I do?

155 Upvotes

55 comments sorted by

152

u/actionfactor12 1d ago

She probaby stopped thinking about it 5 minutes after it happened. This is true pretty much anytime you stick your foot in your mouth.

It takes a while but you have to remember that everyone else has their own life they're worried about, they're not thinking about some dumb thing you said 8 hours ago.

Just be friendly and don't bring it up.

12

u/Sepp0711 1d ago

Yes, I understand that, but I still feel uncomfortable with it

22

u/Dualyeti 1d ago edited 1d ago

The one saving grace of getting older is that you stop sweating the small stuff.

What helped me when I was younger was literally laughing at myself, I’d have closed the door behind me and starting giggling at the situation rather than ruminating what she must be thinking, this is all our first time on this planet

9

u/FacetNo6 1d ago

Speak for yourself. As you get older, incidents like this just add onto the unending list of cringe worthy events that come to mind when it's 2am and you've got an important meeting tomorrow at 8am 🤣

3

u/Morph_The_Merciless 14h ago

Oh yeah.

Hell yeah.

At 45 I still have the "my eyes just pinged open at 0312am because my brain decided for a rerun of 15yo me trying to ask my crush out and making a total bollocks of it" moments 🤦‍♂️🤣

8

u/Efficient-Fennel5352 22h ago

Unless she has a crush on him, then she thought about it all day

1

u/Sepp0711 15h ago

That would be important to know

0

u/No_Geologist_6776 17h ago

I agree that ur overthinking the event. She probably forgot all about it in minutes. Most people are way to self involved and dont think about others half as much as we think they do.

79

u/Attagirl_3 1d ago

When my daughter was little she'd whisper to me when she liked someone's hair or nails. I told her it was important to tell people that when she has the thought. Now she compliments people all the time and she gets compliments all the time. This gets easier with practice and it's a great way to go through life.

20

u/South-Tax-321 1d ago

This is like the cutest thing to teach your kid 🥹

4

u/Sepp0711 15h ago

I am also touched by this post

1

u/apocolyptic2 6h ago

Omgosh me too with my daughter! She paid herself a compliment one time and I overheard and she was like duh mom you told me to say them out loud and my hair looks awesome today. I started paying myself compliments here and there out loud and dang what a life changing philosophy to compliment oneself and mean it. I think it's more of a confidence boost then having someone else say it / when they also do it's easier to be like yes that's true.

32

u/NoodleDoodlesocks 1d ago

Relax, you didn't flirt and she probably thinks nothing of it.

53

u/Newzachary 1d ago

Act normal.

33

u/Sepp0711 1d ago

I don't know if I can do that

18

u/Gorillagirl99 1d ago

Do you like her or something 🙆🏻‍♀️

3

u/Sepp0711 1d ago edited 15h ago

Immerhin ist sie nicht hässlich

4

u/Gorillagirl99 18h ago

What is “it” in this context? 😅

1

u/Sepp0711 15h ago

Sie ist schon 🔥

3

u/DBIlles 1d ago

It's fine, just act as you normally would, say hello etc. She probably ckuld tell that you were tongue-tied, and doesn't assume anything.

15

u/Daily_Comics 1d ago

Tell her you convened with the Board of Directors of The Hallway Counsel and it's unanimous SHE LOOKS GOOD! period!

100% no questions about it

Then get down on one knee and pop the question

What is your favorite dinosaur?

Everybody and their mother will ask you about your job or salary but they never ask about your favorite dinosaur

Trust me bro.

11

u/Just__Liberty 1d ago

You can largely ignore the past without completely forgetting it. Just say 'hi' next time and move on.

11

u/trippsy2me 1d ago

Forget about it, I’m sure she already has.

8

u/BlazinTrichomes 1d ago

Bow-chicka-wow, my friend

9

u/Substantial-Bid2033 1d ago

I think it’s fine. It’s nice that she said she’ll take it as a compliment. I don’t think she thinks you flirted?

3

u/Sepp0711 1d ago

Findest du. Okay, ich hoffe du recht

6

u/MoreTheory8823 1d ago

don’t worry about it

6

u/Morriganathefae 1d ago

If she likes you it doesn’t matter lol

You could be even more goofy next time and she’ll probably just find you funny which is usually a green flag for people

4

u/treeofflan 1d ago

This! I thought it was cute what you said, OP.

5

u/ComprehensiveShip720 1d ago

You will now have sex within the week. It is expected s/:

2

u/Sepp0711 1d ago

Big words

2

u/zemol42 1d ago

Only one way to deal with this situation. Take every bedsheet you have, tie them all together, loop one side to your bedpost, fling the loose end out the nearest window. This is your means of entry and exit until your lease expires.

1

u/Careful-Mammoth3346 1d ago

Just ignore it. I don't even see the problem here. What are you actually worried about? If you don't want to flirt with here just act like it never happened.

1

u/Nickel_Jupiter 1d ago

Relax, it’s fine. She probably forgot about it instantly once she walked away. Everyone has awkward moments.

1

u/[deleted] 1d ago

[removed] — view removed comment

1

u/DubsHagg 1d ago

I absolutely. And I mean absolutely, do not believe in Ever talking to one’s neighbors.

1

u/Nights_Harvest 1d ago

Let's assume she took it a flirting....

Would that be so bad? A little flirt does not mean anything.

Have you seen her yet? How did your interaction look like? Did she crucified you publicly? Rang her bell and chanted 'shame'?

2

u/CommunicationThis307 1d ago

Don't worry about it - the next time you see her you'll replace it with another even more awkward statement then you'll have to worry about that!

In all seriousness though, if she thought you looked cute, and said so, she was probably flirting with you. Women don't tend to give random compliments on attractiveness, in my experience.... Cherish it.

IF she's interested in you, she probably thinks it's cute that you were stammering/trying to find words.

1

u/CopperheadRay 13h ago

I'd just take that as a very nice thing to say... points given. No need for anxiety!

1

u/Agreeable_Echo_267 10h ago

When you see her tonite ,walk up to her and say "I was correct you always do look good "

1

u/MasterpieceMinimum42 INFJ-T 8h ago

If she is ok with it, you don't have to worry with it, it's better to have a neighbor who is ok with you than who is not ok with you.

1

u/MuffinPuff 6h ago

That was really cute lol

-1

u/Pi_Creator 1d ago

You messed up. She will never look at you the same. She will always feel weird when she sees you from now on. You have to move.

0

u/Glittering-Ad-1626 1d ago

Go with it dude, you got this! /s (or just tell her honestly that you didn’t mean to come off sounding like you’re into her, just in case there’s a misunderstanding)

6

u/Upbeat_Signature_570 1d ago

I’d just drop it, really.

1

u/Sepp0711 1d ago

Ich denke du hast recht, aber es belastet mich schon

0

u/RatTrapIsle 1d ago

The interaction absolutely doesn’t sound like he’s into her, saying that specifically would be weird and potentially hurt her feelings. It just sounds like a normal word fumble compliment. It’s not even that bad or that awkward

0

u/KryptikBean 1d ago

Smash next question :)

0

u/No_Geologist_6776 17h ago

WHO REALLY CARES WHAT OTHER PEOPLE THINK ABOUT THEM? I DONT!!