Chapter 2
Meeting on the Ice Rink

The afternoon had a different feel to it, as if the air carried an unspoken promise. Matías walked through the mall with Verónica, his lifelong friend, the only person with whom he could be exactly who he was, without reservations or masks.

"Tonight’s pop and lights night," Verónica said with a knowing smile. "Maybe you'll find that guy again."

Matías didn’t say anything, but his heart skipped a beat. Since that first time at Fantasy Skate, his mind hadn’t stopped returning to the image of that skater. He didn’t know who he was, but he remembered every movement, every spin. He had dreamed of him more than once.

The rink sparkled under the reflections of a huge disco ball. The ice looked enchanted, and the music vibrating in the air made everything feel lighter, almost unreal. Young people glided hand in hand, others tried acrobatics amid laughter and shouts. Fantasy Skate was a party, but Matías could only think of one thing: Is he here?

They both strapped on their skates. Verónica, more daring, was the first to throw herself onto the ice. Matías followed with more caution. He was still clumsy, but he didn’t care. Because there, among the bodies moving as if dancing with the cold, he saw him.

He was in the center of the rink, spinning as if he were floating. His expression was serious, focused, but beautiful in its dedication. It was him. Without a doubt.

Verónica, without wasting any time, approached the skater.

"Your spins are incredible!" she said enthusiastically. "I’m Verónica, and you?"

"Pablo," he replied, shyly.

Matías arrived seconds later, holding his breath.

"Maty, let me introduce you to Pablo," she said with a smile that hid a thousand intentions.

Pablo extended his hand. Matías took it. The handshake was brief, but the contact was electric. Their eyes met, and for a moment, everything else disappeared. The ice, the music, the lights. It was just the two of them.

"Hi," Matías said, barely a whisper.

"Hi," Pablo repeated, his voice low and warm, as if he, too, felt invaded by something he couldn’t understand.

The words were few. There was no need for more. The connection was there, pulsing in the air like a silent melody. Verónica, perceptive, left them alone with some excuse. Pablo quickly said goodbye, returning to the group of skaters, but he turned his head occasionally, searching for Matías’ gaze. And Matías followed him with his eyes, as if he had encountered something sacred.

That night, Matías didn’t sleep. He relived every second of that meeting, every gesture, every glance. He didn’t know what would happen, but for the first time, he felt something true growing inside him. Something he couldn’t ignore.

And so, love — or something very close to it — had begun to write its story on the ice.