It was a sweet ride up with the escalator, lovely paintings and pictures of the best cyclers around the world and Nkechi knew every one of them, even their names and the famous wins that made each of them living legends.
Each picture they pass by, she says the name of the athlete and the final he or she won. Aisha wasn't surprised about that, she knew her friend had always had that strong passion for the sport, but Efe on the other hand was super surprised and impressed as well. He began to find her more interesting. When they got to the last point where the escalator stopped, he quickly walked toward her and held her by the hand, making sure their fingers interlocked. Nkechi turned and had a look at him, but he didn't look back, he was focused on the road as they walked together.
"Awwnn... You guys would make a great couple," said Aisha.
She began to tease, and made both of them laugh. Nkechi blushed so hard that her cheeks turned red.
"You have a lovely laughter," whispered Efe, leaning over Nkechi's ear.
The simple compliment made Nkechi blush more.
"Well, thank you," replied Nkechi.
Efe smirked and held on tight to Nkechi's hands. And they kept walking ahead, while Aisha was behind.
They walked quite a distance, through the hallway to where they'd get to see the bikes for sale. The hall was massive and well decorated, it had a palace feel, after all, the name was 'bicycle palace'. It was so beautiful and so clean that they could see their reflections on the floor.
When they finally got to the room where the bicycles were displayed for sale, Nkechi stylishly freed herself from Efe's grip and went to look at possible bicycles she could buy while Efe went ahead to meet the salesperson and they exchanged greetings as he handed the note to him.
Efe watched him read the note and unfolded it to read the other hidden notes. It turned out that the note was folded and Efe didn't notice.
The salesperson read it to himself without telling Efe what it was, he just looked on. The note read 'Mr. Brume suggests you should give them the Specialized S-Works Tarmac SL7 bike since they are preparing for a competition. See to it that they get it.'
"I'll be right back," said the salesperson as he walked away, exiting through the back.
Aisha walked back to the hallway to take pictures because of how beautiful the place was.
"All the bicycles here are super expensive. Don't you know somewhere else that's fair on pricing?" asked Nkechi.
"I guess this is where my brother buys his from and that's why he recommended it for me," replied Efe.
"I don't have the money, even if they gave me a 50% discount," complained Nkechi.
"Have you seen anyone you like yet? At least we could start from there," Efe tried to assure her.
They both walked around the shop to look for good and less expensive bicycles, while they talked about random things.
The salesperson got back with the bicycle, it was way better than the rest in the shop, and more expensive also. He went further to explain that there are only 5 of them in the whole of the country.
"How much is it?" asked Nkechi.
"Three million, eight hundred and fifty-three thousand Naira and fifteen kobo," replied the sales.
"What?! Just for a bicycle? How can a bicycle cost so much?" Efe exclaimed.
Nkechi's mood felt weakened and she found the closest place to have her seat. She took out her phone and used the calculator to calculate 70% of the price the salesperson called.
"Can we leave, please? I'm sure we can find somewhere else to buy bicycles at cheaper prices," whispered Nkechi to Efe, as she saw the huge amount she couldn't afford to pay.
"What are the extra things for?" asked Efe.
"On the note, it was written 30% off, plus one. These are the plus ones. It comes with a helmet, hydration bottle, tire levers, spare tube, pump, multi-tool, seat bag, lights, and lock," the salesperson explained.
Aisha wasn't back yet, she was still in the hallway taking pictures and she wasn't contented yet, she made her way to the other room far opposite the bicycle shop. It was an office, well furnished as well. It was much more beautiful than the hallway and the reception room combined, so, she stayed there and continued taking her pictures.
The pictures taken were done in every corner of the office and when she was done, she decided to sit down on the seat.
On the desk were two small trophies, which she assumed were owned by the person whose office she was in and a book that was left open, and she took a look at it and read.
The book read, "Getting hit by love at the very first instance is weird, but magnificent. I saw the most beautiful girl today as I stepped out of the gym to make a call. My entire being was lost by her angelic look and the way she rode the bicycle so perfect I could already see that we'd have so much in common.
"I forgot completely that I was holding my phone and was on a call and I didn't realise when I let go of the phone and it fell off. I am sorry phone for damaging your screen, hahaha...
"Somehow, I think she felt what I felt because she kept on charmingly looking at me and lost focus of where she was riding to until she paddled right into the pool. Though we had a very little conversation, I wish I had gotten your name.
"Hey, pool girl, I hope to see you someday."
As soon as she read the little piece, she smiled and felt the love right off the book and for some uncanny reasons, she was left stunned, her mouth and eyes were wide open. She used her palm to cover her mouth and stood up gently like she was going to pull a joint if she stood up fast.
The unsudden realisation that she might know who the writer was describing in the book and she ran out of the office.