Hello, I'm hoping for some advice. I'm not sure if I'm in the right topic so apologies if this would be better elsewhere.
I'm in a large group of people (predominantly women) who meet ad hoc for a hobby. Yesterday I met around 8 or 10 of the group, 4 or 5 of whom I hadn't seen for weeks, but whom I have a friendship with. We (the 5 or so friends) exchanged greetings, hugs and news before setting off for our activity. Another member of the group, a man, whom I see reasonably regularly at the meets hung on the periphery for a few minutes and then approached me with arms outstretched, saying "where's my hug, you've hugged everyone else" (I hadn't, I'd hugged my friends in the group, but there were also acquaintances that I didn't hug). I didn't want to hug him, I don't know him well, don't count him as a friend and have not made any indication that I'm seeking a friendship with him. I reluctantly and half- heartedly hugged him, because he put me in a position where declining would have required me to reject him in public. I was unprepared, and now feel annoyed at myself.
What I'd like to know is, what's the best way to deal with awkward situations like this? I wanted to have a personal boundary, but couldn't get over the social awkwardness of "making a scene". What words could I have used and what self talk do I need to employ to avoid future situations? TIA