"Why are you running?" asked Nkechi.
"I need to show you something," replied Aisha.
Aisha held Nkechi by the hand and took her to the office she just left and Efe followed behind, slowly.
They got to the door and Aisha tried to open it and found out it was locked. She kept trying hard but it didn't open.
As she kept at it, the manager was making his way up the shop on the escalator, with more customers and he approached them from behind quietly and told them the office was locked and asked why they were trying to get in. He pointed toward the shop to show the customers where it was and they walked there.
The manager was back again from the shop and Aisha was still anxious to get it opened she asked whose office it was and the manager told her it belonged to the CEO of the company.
"This is his office," said Aisha to Nkechi.
"I know he just said that it's the CEO's office," responded Nkechi.
"I know, I know. But this is HIS office," said Aisha again, with a more serious look.
Nkechi stood there looking at her to try to figure out what she was talking about and it clicked and she too began to turn the doorknob to try to open the door and Aisha joined in again.
Efe and the manager just watched on and weren't sure of what to do or what was going on. When they both realised that the girls weren't stopping any time soon, they stepped in and stopped them.
"How did you know it's his office, you've never seen him before?" whispered Nkechi.
"I saw a note on his table talking about what you said to me yesterday," Aisha whispered back.
"I have no idea what you both are whispering about but we have to go if we need to get a bicycle for you," said Efe.
Both Aisha and Nkechi were reluctant to move their feet and just leaned on the door and Efe had to drag them and grab them out of the building.
As they rode on to go look for another bicycle, they were all quiet in the car, Efe felt they embarrassed him and they felt embarrassed themselves too.
Suddenly, Nkechi said she doesn't want to get the bicycle anymore, that she'd use the one she had and just managed it. Aisha was in support too because she knew Nkechi only said that so she'd go home and Aisha would tell her about everything. She didn't want Efe knowing about it and found the best way to get him out of the equation.
"But your competition is in two days, you should get a proper bicycle," said Efe.
"I know, but I feel exhausted already knowing the prices of sports bicycles are way more than I saved up for. I have to make do with what I have," she lied.
"Aisha, do something. Talk her out of this nonsense," said Efe.
"It's not nonsense and frankly, I can't tell her what to do, it's her decision. Just take us home, thank you," replied Aisha.
Efe felt there was something more to it, he looked stern and solemn and spoke no further. He changed his course of route and took them back home, they came down and they thanked him for the day and said their goodbyes.
They stood for a while until he had driven off and they sat down in front of the house and started their gist. Aisha told her everything about the note and how she realised it was talking about her, making emphasis on the part she fell into the swimming pool without realising. She went further to talk about the parts where his phone fell from his hands while on a call and that he'd like to see her someday.
Nkechi heard everything, she ran into the house, took her bicycle and rode off in the direction of the gym, hoping she'd see him there again by chance or faith, or whatever sign the earth had aligned for her.
She arrived at the gym, threw her bicycle outside and ran inside in search of him. Standing in front of the door, she used her eyes to search, she still had a perfect picture of him in her head and would recognise him even if he were turning his back.
It was getting longer, almost five minutes standing and he wasn't amongst those in the gym, so she decided to pay for a session, for a day and pass the time while she hoped he'd come in before she'd be done.
"Good afternoon, how much for a daily session?" asked Nkechi, to one of the gym instructors.
"Good afternoon. It's a thousand and five hundred Naira for a day," he replied.
"But, are you going to work out dressed like this?" he continued.
Nkechi looked at herself and she was still putting on the gown she wore out to look for a bicycle for the competition and to top it up, she wasn't with her purse or with any money. Even if she was properly dressed to work out, how would she have paid? She wasn't with her phone either and had no way to make a transfer or call her friend Aisha to bring her stuff for her.
Tears were almost leaving her eyes as she stepped out of the gym. When she got outside, she sat on the staircase to try to hold back her tears and it was hard to stop. She bent and buried her head in between her thighs and let the tears drop.
"Why am I so emotional? After all, I don't know him, we saw just once," she encouraged herself.
Nkechi picked herself up, walked to her bicycle and mounted it. She got to the swimming pool, stood there and let out a soft smile and then she came down from the bicycle and walked closer to the pool.
"Hey, pool girl," a voice called from behind.