What to say when he flirts hard then matches your friend and tells you

He's either testing the waters to see if you'll react with jealousy, checking if you care enough to push back, or socially oblivious to how this lands. Some guys think mentioning they matched someone else creates scarcity and makes you try harder. Others are just clumsy and think transparency is always good.

The unprompted mention is what matters. If you'd asked him directly about it, that's one thing. Him volunteering it means he wanted to see what you'd do with that information. Don't give him the reaction he's angling for.

A good response acknowledges what he said without extending the conversation about it. You're not asking questions, not playing detective, and not acting like this changes anything. The move is to stay light, maybe slightly amused, and then redirect back to something about him and you if the conversation feels worth continuing.

You're also setting a boundary here without saying it out loud. If he's matching multiple people and making it your business, you're signaling that you're not the type to stick around for that game. Keep it short enough that it doesn't feel like you're overreacting to what he said.

Send your reply and then stop. Don't follow up immediately. Let him respond and see if he doubles down on the weirdness or if he recalibrates and gets back to actual conversation with you.

If he doesn't reply within a day or two, you have your answer about where his head is. If he replies with something that re-engages with you directly and stops the side commentary, that's a sign he got the message. If he keeps doing the same thing, you're dealing with someone who enjoys the chaos more than the actual connection.