Our group consists of two couples. One player seems to like romance (which is just fine). This player's character flirted with her husband's character; he played up the fact that his character was not remotely interested. It made for great comedy, the two players handled all interactions, no issues.
In the next campaign, the same characters meet an NPC that romance-character begins flirting with. As a new GM, and as someone who is far more familiar with intrigue and killing (and not fictional romances), I am unsure how to proceed. Beyond that lack of experience and knowledge, I worry the character interactions may be uncomfortable for us in the real world, since my spouse is not the PC's player. We haven't had any issues with characters acting out-of-character, nor with players taking offense at character actions, but we are all still new at roleplaying in general. It should also be mentioned, this would be a PG or low PG-13 romance at most- none of us is comfortable roleplaying sex, not even the player who enjoys the romance interaction.
As the GM, how do I ensure the player, who seems to enjoy this sort of character interaction, has fun without being awkward myself and while avoiding the appearance of flirting with the player?
If you say "talk to the players" (or the one player in particular), I'd appreciate ideas on exactly what to say.
The problem is my skill as a GM. I'd much prefer to develop my own roleplaying skills instead of arbitrarily shutting down the PC's actions, though as a last resort I will (NPC leaves, or is already involved, or dies, etc).
If it matters, both are dwarves, one is a cleric and the other a fighter-type. The two characters will be traveling together for in-game months (real-time several game sessions) to accomplish a quest.
Best Answer
Separation of Player and Character
The biggest thing is to remember that just like the Players are not their Characters, you are not the NPCs. Keeping this straight helps eliminate many issues, but it sounds like you have a good feel for this, so lets look a bit deeper.
Give the Interaction Purpose
Idly chatting and flirting can be a struggle for some people, but giving the interaction a clear story purpose can help move things along. Maybe the NPC uses the characters personality to push the PC to take an extra risk or maybe even betray her group.
Use the Romance to Drive Action
Similar to the last point, use the characters desire to flirt to create interesting situations. Maybe a spouse shows up, or a rival NPC "flirter". If the PC has feelings for your NPC you can use that as a jumping point for all sorts of plot-y goodness.
Talk with Your Wife
It sounds like your wife is present at the game table. Talk with her outside of the session and see how she feels about it all. If she seems nervous or uncomfortable you could easily devise a signal or word that she can use to tell you that it might be going too far. I'm assuming you're all adults, so I'm sure she won't sabotage the game with overzealous use of the signal. Along the same vein, let all the players involved have a "safe word". Being open and up front about the desire to drive good story does wonders for player attitude.