Brooks Nader Is Removing the Tattoo She Got With Gleb Savchenko

Brooks Nader’s taking some big steps -- she’s in the process of getting rid of that matching tattoo she got with "Dancing with the Stars" partner Gleb Savchenko after their brief fling.

We caught up with Brooks ... and she cleared things up, saying that pic of her kissing Gleb backstage, and their hot chemistry, doesn't mean they were officially dating. At the end of the day, they were just colleagues, and the tattoo was merely a lapse in her judgment.

Check out the clip ... 'cause you can totally feel Brooks' discomfort as she tried to convince us they were never really an official thing.

As for reuniting with Gleb on the "DWTS" dancefloor at the end of the month for the finale ... well, she’s definitely making her feelings known about that, too.

When asked if she'd ever hook up with Gleb again, Brooks delivers a seriously biting remark ... making it clear there was a whole lot more going on behind the scenes than we thought. Talk about awkward!