Basically, I have this really annoying little fucker in my life who everytime he spots me interacting with people, says this. I’ve interacted with him very few times, so he basically doesn’t even know me.
While I am a little introverted, no one likes this bs.
Embrace and extend.
Or in the conversational sense - agree and escalate to absurdity.
“I know, right? Its the craziest thing that we never talk. Not sure how that happens since we see each other all the time, totally weird. Hey, have you tried these chips? They’re fantastic” and walk them over to something new.
But say it completely genuinely, like you two are in on something together, like it really happens that way.
What you want is to be seen by everyone as being good natured about it, and just having fun. You’re also taking charge of the frame, and changing it.