Sounds like OP should: Practice enforcing boundaries: If what you really want is to get to work, then there's nothing rude in signalling likewise (e.g. by turn

Sounds like OP should: Practice enforcing boundaries: If what you really want is to get to work, then there's nothing rude in signalling likewise (e.g. by turning back to your laptop) or saying so directly. What is rude is people who ignore such cues and continue to try talking to you. Listen to intuition: If something/someone feels slightly off (even if you can't articulate precisely what/how), then feel free to distance yourself immediately. You can later ruminate on why at your own convenience. Recognize you don't need to justify feeling disinterest in or even active dislike of someone on sight. They might even be perfectly good people but if you're not drawn to engage, then that's your prerogative. You certainly don't need to prove or disprove their decency/motives by continuing to engage.