Confusion | Erik Durm + Marco Reus

Erik's POV

Because Mats told me to, I arrived in training half an hour early instead my usual one or two minutes before call time. I had to wake up an hour earlier than usual and I was just thankful I didn't fall asleep while driving.

As I trudged to the benches where I saw Mats sitting, I saw Sven, Marco, and Ciro playing a game of Monkey in the Middle (Sven was monkey).

"Oi, Erik!" Sven waved at me. "You're early! Wanna join?"

"I have to speak with him," Mats turned down the offer for me. "He wouldn't come this early if nobody told him to."

That was true.

Marco looked at me, then at Mats, Mats nodding at him.

Marco and I were usually great friends, but ever since I've started dating Emma it seemed like he was gonna try screw my life up at any moment. Emma told me it was just jealousy, but I could sense something more than friendship between them and I didn't want to lose Emma to him. I've been trying to put up an act so if Marco ever got any ideas he'd know just who he was dealing with.

But he was acting differently to me too, as if he was trying to cancel out my act with him and I'd know just who I was dealing with. If this was about Emma, then he only has himself to blame. He set us up.

"What's up, Mats?" I asked, sitting down beside him on the benches.

"What's up between you and Marco?" he asked, tearing his eyes away from the boys' Monkey in the Middle game.

"Nothing," I said.

"Come on, Erik," he sighed, "I don't think your convincing yourself or anybody else with that answer. Seriously, bro."

"Is this really serious?" I asked.

"It's completely not serious, Erik," he said sarcastically.

"I don't know," I said.

"Think."

I shrugged.

"Ever since you've started going out with Emma," Mats said. "There's been tension between you two. We need to fix this before you guys take it to the field."

"I'm mature enough to leave problems off the field alone," I said.

He looked at me with an expression that said, Bro, you're not fooling anybody.

OK, I was never too good at handling my problems.

"How do you plan to do that?" I asked dumbly.

"Well," Mats said, exasperated. "Maybe if I knew what you think of the situation I'd have a freaking idea, Durm."

I didn't think anybody liked seeing Mats mad, so I decided to think.

"Fine," I said silently, quickly glancing at Marco before looking back at Mats. "I just feel like he's gonna take her away. There's something between them--"

"They're best friends," he said, "what do you expect?"

"It's the way he calls her 'liebe' and how they look at each other," I said. "It's annoying because whenever he's around I'm not fully convinced that she likes me."

Mats covered his face. "You guys should talk. You, Marco, and Emma."

"That'll be some awkward shit," I sighed.

"'Awkward shit' is better than problems on the field," he said, "you need to sort this out."

"Yeah, I get it," I said.