Micah was breathing hard by the time he was finished – which was stupid, he hadn’t even gotten up from his seat.

Tessa waited until Micah had a handle on his panting – had a handle on himself – before speaking. “Are you finished?”

Micah nodded.

“Good, because it’s my turn to talk now, and I need you to listen to me very closely.” She was still holding his hand and gave it an authoritative squeeze. “You did everything you possibly could for Nico. You talked to dozens of people. You literally filed for the same warrant you requested an hour ago, but the judge denied it – as he was bound to do with the lack of evidence you had to work with. You’re not omniscient; you’re human. It doesn’t matter what you were doing this weekend – there is nothing you could have done.”

Micah swallowed. “It hurts,” he admitted quietly.

“It hurts because you care. That’s a good thing. I wouldn’t change a goddamn thing about you. But you can’t internalize it. You can’t take others’ pain and make it your own. It doesn’t do anyone any good in the end, and it’ll burn you out faster than anything else about this job.”

“You’re right,” Micah said. And he knew she was. But that didn’t make it any easier to deal with. Although her easy understanding and staunch support did take away some of the burden of Nico’s death.

“I don’t like seeing you question yourself. You’re a good detective, Micah.”

A little of the doubt that had been looming over him since he’d gotten the news about Nico that morning drifted away. Feeling a bit lighter, Micah nodded, and maybe even meant it. “Thanks, Tessa.”

Tessa smiled, popping one of her fries into her mouth. “Also, you’re a secretive little fuck.”

Micah froze. “I-… what?” He jerked his hand out of Tessa’s grip.

“Don’t get me wrong,” she said, munching on another fry. “You’re allowed to have a life separate from work. I encourage it even. But not only have you gone out with Damon again, you’re meeting his family now? And you haven’t told me? What the hell, Micah? The last I knew, he thought you were a prostitute, and you were still denying the fact that he was fucking you up the ass?”

Micah’s face burned, and he threw a fry at Tessa. As good as the salty morsels were, it was a sacrifice he was willing to make. “He isn’t,” Micah hissed.

“Oh, so you’re fucking him up the ass?”

“No! Not that either!”

Tessa still didn’t look like she believed they weren’t screwing each other’s brains out. “Well, does he at least realize you’re not a hooker now?”

Micah opened and closed his mouth, floundering for a second. It immediately gave him away.