It's also probably okay to avoid an ex-date if you randomly spot them on the street and likely won't see them again. But, if you have mutual friends, work in the same industry, or have some other connection that means you'll be seeing them semi-frequently, then avoidance is not the answer. "Let's say you're both invited to the same wedding, obviously you have mutual friends. And so you never know when something like that might come up again," Martinez says. Why not try to keep the relationship friendly when you're going to have to hang out from time to time? "There's no reason to make an awkward situation more awkward," Martinez says. So, she suggests treating ex-dates like you would any other acquaintance . "If they didn't mistreat you, treat running into them just the same way you would any work colleague whose name you maybe don't even remember. You just say, 'Hey, how are you? Happy to see you.'" You're definitely not obligated to talk to them throughout the whole event. If you have nothing to talk about, just say hi and move on.