‘The only way to make this work is to use dark inks to reinstate the word “Forever” and to overwrite the word “Nought”. The simplest way to do this would be to reinstate the red heart as the background. If I do this, there’s no going back or changing your mind,’ Feenix warned. ‘Laser surgery to remove any new tattoo I give you won’t work and will be extremely painful into the bargain.’

‘I know what I’m doing,’ I tried to reassure her. ‘And I’m not going to change my mind.’

‘If you say so,’ she said as she got to work.

Forever, the word that it had taken five painful laser treatments over the years to try and eliminate, was reinstated. Nought was replaced with a new word written in the same cursive black ink, shadowed to look like the word was three-dimensional and bursting out of my heart. Feenix was a true craftswoman and I couldn’t fault her work when she’d finished.

Unexpectedly now, fingers trailed gently across my new tattoo. I smiled behind my raised T-shirt as Callie explored each letter with her fingertips, her touch making my skin tingle. She placed her palm over the tattoo, over my heart. I stepped back.

‘Can I pull my top down now?’ I asked, lowering it slightly.

Callie nodded, her hand falling to her side. ‘I can’t believe you did that. Your next girlfriend won’t be too happy with it.’

I shrugged. ‘Shall we go?’

Callie followed me towards the door. I glanced at her to find her studying me, total bewilderment on her face. The painful reintroduction of my tattoo was worth it just for that expression. Two simple words that had definitely given the woman beside me food for thought.

Callie Forever.

I’d barely set foot outside my apartment when my private mobile vibrated yet again. There were times when being a public servant, and therefore in theory always contactable, was a considerable pain in the arse. I took it out and tapped on the screen to read the newly delivered text message – from a number I did not recognize – in its entirety.