True to Beetee's word, Wiress began her first Saturday of the Spring semester of her junior year. She would only be there on Saturdays since she was taking a full load at school. She walked briskly to I-Squared which was a small shed near the factories. She adjusted her backpack filled with books and manuals before knocking on the door. She smiled and shook Beetee's hand when he opened the door. "Welcome in, Wiress." Beetee said smiling.
"Thanks for offering this internship." Wiress said smiling. Beetee showed her to the worktable and watched as she spread out her books on the surface. She blushed hearing him chuckle. "I – um – I didn't know – which reference materials I would need."
"That's quite all right. You're a smart young lady. You'll figure it out." Beetee said hoping the blush wasn't creeping up his face as well. He explained the project he was working on. They were soon at their tables sketching and talking about the project.
"Mr. Tesla?" Wiress asked two hours later.
"Yes, Miss Carpenter?" For reasons unexplained, Wiress felt herself blushing whenever Beetee looked at her with a playful smile on his face. "You know you can call me Beetee."
"I think we need to use three inch gears in the mechanism here." Wiress showed him the drawing she had drafted.
"Yes. You're right." Beetee said. He went back to his drawing pad and erased his drawing for the third time.
"I – do you have to start over again?" Wiress asked worriedly.
"No, I'm just stuck on a part." Beetee sighed and put his pencil down. He grabbed his calculator off the table and did some calculations and wrote them down on a notepad. He then drew a question-mark underneath. "His ally said that District 7 needed some way to improve the wood lamination process." he said to himself. He sighed. Wiress came around to the other side of the table and looked at his face. He had a familiar far-off expression in his eyes.
"You – You invent in their memory, don't you." Wiress asked softly talking about the previous tributes from District Three. She pulled up a chair and sat on the left side of Beetee at the square worktable. Beetee slowly nodded. He put his chin in his hand and drummed his fingers on his left hand on the pad. "I – " Wiress paused. "I was sad for a bit. After the ceremony last month."
"I'm sure you were." Beetee said softly. "I'm sure you were." He looked at his drawing and blinked back tears remembering his tributes.
"Should we – should we walk around?" Wiress suggested timidly. "It helps me think sometimes."
"Sure." Beetee said. He stood up and grabbed his coat. Wiress put on her sweater and they began walking down the street. The January wind was picking up and Wiress shivered as they rounded the corner. Beetee took off his coat and draped it over her shoulders.
"Aren't you cold?" Wiress asked concerned.
"No." Beetee said through chattering teeth. They walked around the block in silence. Beetee refused two more offers for his coat back. They came back to I-Squared. "Thanks. That walk really did help."
"You're welcome." Wiress said after hanging his coat on a hook. She noticed Beetee's hands were nearly blue from the cold. Logically she knew that he could warm them by the heater near his worktable, but she found herself grasping them and rubbing them between her hands. Beetee smiled and grasped both of her hands once the feeling returned to his fingers. Suddenly they were both aware that they were holding hands with their fingers entwined. Stammering their thanks to each other while blushing madly, they pulled apart and went back to their drawings. Beetee insisted she wear an extra coat he had around his shop when she walked home at the end of the day.