Cell Phone || Marco Reus

Chapter 1: Old Phone, New Phone

She can’t even utter a word when the thing happens. Her mouth parts, but only a shocked gasp comes out. What the heck just happened? One moment she still had her phone in her hand, as she was taking pictures of the pretty light reflections on the water, and a second later the phone was gone… A splash in the water indicates that the phone falls into the river.

Sara-Maria dumbfoundedly looks at the water underneath. How? How did it happen?

“God, I’m sorry,” A guy next to her says. Sara-Maria blinks and shifts her gaze to him. He’s a tall guy that’s probably around her age, his eyes look worried. Now she remembers what happened. She was taking photographs of the water and then someone bumped into her, making her drop her phone in the water. “I was talking to Marcel. I should’ve paid more attention,” he says again. She just notices there’s another guy with him; a little shorter and has darker hair.

The shock of losing her phone still makes it hard for her to find a word to say. She merely looks at the tall guy, who’s now looking really guilty.

“I’m going to get you a new phone, of course,” he says with a soft tone, smiling apologetically. “Please, don’t cry.”

“I’m not crying,” she finally finds her voice again. “I’m just, well, shocked.” Her phone… May it rest in peace.

The tall guy nods. “Of course you are. Again, I’m really sorry.”

Sara-Maria eyes him. He looks really sorry, and she’s certain he didn’t do it on purpose. And… he said he’ll replace her phone with a new one, so it should be all right. Although she doubts they can find the same model, since her phone is quite ancient, but she loves—correction, loved it a lot.

And she loses her pictures… contact numbers… messages… games… No, no, no, she must not cry.

“It’s okay,” she says, forcing a smile, hoping it will make the guy feel less guilty. But he looks somehow familiar. Have they met before?

The tall guy exchanges a look with the dark haired guy, where the latter lightly shrugs. “I’m Marco, by the way. This is Marcel,” he says, nodding at his friend, who smiles at her.

“Sara-Maria,” she replies. But the more she looks at Marco, the more she is sure that she has seen him before. Where, though? Is he an actor?

“So, do you live here?” Marco asks. She nods. She’s actually from Saarbrücken but has been living in Dortmund for about two years. “Cool. Then you must know Cyberport in Thier Galerie. What do you say about meeting me there tomorrow?”

Of course she knows; she’s working in McPaper, at the same mall. “Okay.”

“What time suits you best?” he asks again.

“Is six o’clock okay?” She can go there straight after work, since she’ll be on the morning shift tomorrow.

Marco nods, a smile is still on his lips. “Sure. I’ll see you tomorrow then.”

“Bye,” says Marcel.

“Bye.”

Marco looks at her one more time before he, too, says goodbye and then both guys walk away. Sara-Maria watches them until they disappear into a corner. She looks back at the water before her. Well, until she gets a new phone, she’s a phoneless person. That sounds sad.

She adjusts her glasses, takes a deep breath and begins to walk to the bus stop. Definitely no more photographing water for her.

~*~

It only occurs to her who Marco is when she sees him again (in the light) the next day. He’s already waiting for her in the shop, looking really good in a black coat and a pair of dark jeans. He smiles when he sees her.