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Callum Fox explains the secret meaning behind his ink…and it will shock you!
This time, I don’t use it.
“My grandpa had a telescope in his backyard,” I say. “He taught me the constellations when I was little. Orion was the first one I could always find. Three stars in a straight line. You can’t really mistake it.”
Bea stays quiet, tracing them while I talk.
“When we started touring, I’d wake up in hotel rooms and have no idea where I was. Different city. Different country. Different time zone. Sometimes I’d go outside and look for Orion’s Belt.”
“To work out where you were?”
“Not literally.” I smile into the dark. “It just helped. Everything else changed every night, but those three stars were still there. Same shape. Same place. It felt like a fixed point.”
Her hand stills against me.
“Then we played Tokyo,” I continue. “I went outside after the show and couldn’t find it. Too much light. Couldn’t see a single star.”
The memory presses against the back of my ribs.
“I’d had a bad night. Worse than I let anyone know. So the next morning, I found a tattoo artist and had him put it here.”
I cover her hand with mine.
“That way I wouldn’t need to look for it anymore.”
“Callum.”
“What?”
“That’s a beautiful reason.”
The sincerity in her voice makes me want to look away, even though the room is too dark for her to see my face.
“Thank you for telling me.”
She lowers her head and presses her lips to each star.
One.
Two.
Three.
I hold my breath through all of them.
This is where I’m supposed to make a joke.
Don’t tell my publicist, Doc. I’ve got a reputation.
The line is ready. Easy. Familiar.
I don’t say it.
“I don’t know how to do this,” I admit.
Bea lifts her head. “Do what?”
“This.” I gesture vaguely between us. “Being here with someone when there’s nothing to hide behind.”
