Algorithm

Chapter 3

"And you won't have to." Reaching out to hold my brother's hand I smiled at him in a sort of reassuring way, letting him know that I was fine and I knew what I was doing. "I'm not going to be staying at Sascha's when I'm in Germany, the whole trip is about a job and not him."

"You promise me, you promise you aren't just making that excuse so you can see him?"

I nodded, continuing to smile. "I promise you Sven this is a job opportunity, not an excuse to go and see Sascha ok?" Eventually he nodded his head, smiling at me and somewhat to all of a sudden accept that. "Thank you." I nodded. "But I will see him he's the footballer's agent."

Sven narrowed his eyes, a little confused so it seemed. "Who is this footballer then?"

"Marco Reus, or at least I think that's his name." I laughed. "All I'm aware of is the fact that he plays for Borussia Dortmund, again I think, and plays for the German national team too."

To me ever since I mentioned the name Marco Reus, Sven seemed to have zoned out of all I was saying to him. His eyes were wide, and a look of excitement upon him. "Marco Reus...I-I mean, you're going to be working with THE Marco Reus?" To which I nodded at him, unsure.

"Uhm yeah, that is what I said." I laughed.

"Oh my god Sofie! I don't even think you realise how amazing this is!" I just looked confused at him, noticing how much of a fan girl he was becoming by the second. "I mean I know that you don't really follow football a lot but surely you must have heard about him just a little?"

"Honestly Sven, I haven't no." I shook my head. "But I don't understand why you're making such a big deal out of this. As far as I'm concerned he's just an overpaid footballer who kicks a football around a pitch for ninety minutes, honestly, I don't see all the uproar about him."

"Trust me, if you knew football like I did then you'd understand." He breathed out. "Reus is an amazing player, just watch some of his games and you'll see the fantastic things he can do with the ball on the pitch. It's mesmerizing, amazing, he's close to the best in my eyes."

Listening to Sven go on like this I couldn't help but roll my eyes, laughing at how much he in this moment was fantasising about this. "Well just like I said to you, he's an overpaid player in my opinion, and that's how I'll always feel." I shrugged, biting into my pitta bread then.

"If only you knew Sofie...then you'd understand." Sven laughed, leaning back slightly beside me on his chair. "What exactly does this project involve though, I mean what will you do?"

"I'll do exactly what I'm made to do in my job." I shrugged. "I'll speak to Marco Reus about what he wants to have on his website, then get it all set up for it be used by his fans too."

"So you'll be spending a lot of time with him, am I right?"

"Well I need to get as much information than is possible so yes." I laughed. "I'll be spending a lot of time with him, right up until the app is launched and ready to purchase I imagine."

"So uhm..." My brother paused for a second, playing with his fingers before looking back up at me again. "Do you think that maybe, you could get me an autograph while you're there?"

I raised an eyebrow at my brother, smirking in amused. "You really do like him, don't you?" I received a fast nod of the head in that moment, making me laugh. "Then fine, I'll try as hard as I can to get you an autograph while I'm there. But please, don't hold me to that Sven ok?"

"As long as you try as hard as you can, I'm not complaining." He laughed.

"Good, because with supposedly famous footballers and how arrogant they can be, I'm not sure if he'll agree to sign anything for free." I shrugged, not thinking too much into this all.

"I think you're going to be very surprised when you meet him Sofie, he's not what you might think he is." But I looked at my brother, completely unsure about this all. "I mean it, if you'd look at him in interviews he's one of the nicest men you could come across. He's so down to earth, humble, and normal taking in his job. I think you'll be surprised when you meet him."

"For all you know that's a show, you don't know him personally Sven."

"I know." He nodded. "But neither do you, and you're the one after all which always says to everyone else not to judge a book by it's cover." Damn, I wish he would stop remembering things I've said in the past. Those sorts of things always seem to get dragged back to me like this. "Just go there with a positive mind and see how it goes, I'm sure he won't be too bad."

"Maybe, but I doubt it." I shrugged, before sipping some orange juice.

Sven nodded his head at me and smiled, sitting forward and looking at me. "So when exactly are you leaving for this big trip then? I mean if it's soon, you should start packing soon."

"Yeah I'm going to start packing a little later tonight I think, because I could be going at any time from tomorrow to Friday." Sven widened his eyes as I spoke, it somewhat coming as a shock to him at how soon it was. "I know it's such short notice but it needs to be done, this is what my job entails after all. Upping and going whenever it is I'm needed be somebody."

"No I can understand that but I didn't realise it would be as soon as that." He laughed.

"Yeah me neither, I'm a little annoyed that it's so soon but it can't be helped." I shrugged.

Sven nodded his head and smiled at me, clasping his hand together before looking right at me in seriousness. "Before you go though you need to tell dad, I'm serious on that Sofie."

And just as my brother said those words to be, I immediately breathed out. The last thing at all which I want is to have to say goodbye to my father, I hate doing it, he is the worst sort of person to ever say goodbye to. It makes me not want to go where I am going, in fear that he will miss me too much, or I will miss him too much also. I mean there have been times when I was a few years younger that I called off a trip due to knowing my father wouldn't cope, as he would only have Sven here and not my mother, due to her passing away many years ago.

But this is an opportunity I can't miss, and I really hope my father will understand that.