Chapter: Echo of a Name

The days passed slowly after that encounter at Alejandra's apartment. Olivia couldn't get the image of the boy who looked so much like Tom out of her head. His face, his voice, even his scent... everything was too coincidental to ignore. Who was he? Why had he appeared just when she was trying to make peace with Tom's absence?

A week later, while walking across the university campus with her backpack slung over her shoulder, she saw him again.

He was standing at the entrance of the library, flipping through a book as he waited for something—or someone. He wore a different jacket, but his silhouette was unmistakable. Olivia froze for a few seconds, torn between continuing to walk or going up to him. This time, she didn't run from the feeling. She needed to know.

She approached with steady but cautious steps. He looked up just as she was about to speak.

"Hi," he said first, with that smile that twisted her stomach. "I saw you the other day. At the apartment. Are you a friend of the girl who opened the door?"

Olivia nodded slowly.

"Yeah... my name is Olivia."

"Matías," he replied, extending his hand. "I just moved nearby. I'm taking some elective classes at the university."

She shook his hand, still feeling disoriented.

"Sorry if this sounds strange," she said, "but... you look a lot like someone I knew. Someone important."

He lowered his gaze for a moment, as if those words had struck deeper than they should have.

"Was his name Tom?" he asked then, his voice softer. Almost guilty.

Olivia's heart skipped a beat.

"You knew him?"

Matías sighed.

"I didn't just know him... I was his friend. His best friend in high school. We lost touch when he moved away, but... I found out recently what happened. I came to this city for school, but also... because I wanted to understand what became of him. And why he never wrote back."

Olivia was speechless.

"I had no idea he had a friend named Matías," she whispered.

"We were like brothers," he said with a bittersweet smile. "We even used the same cologne. He gave it to me once, and I've worn it ever since."

Now everything made sense. The scent. The resemblance. The way she had felt the past had come to life.

"I loved him," said Olivia, lowering her gaze, her voice trembling.

Matías nodded with respect, his expression calm—like someone still mourning too.

"And he loved you. Maybe that's why... fate brought us together."

They stood in silence in front of the library. Two souls connected by the same name, by a shared absence, by an echo that had yet to fade.