radar love // baby driver

pt. 6

Now Playing: Crazy Little Thing Called Love by Queen

Work was surprisingly slow that day, but the customers didn't seem to stop shuffling in. It was one group after another. A bunch of teenagers would come in, and as soon as they finished their meals, another group would enter. Many families decided to stop for breakfast as well, and of course, this pleased the head chef. It wasn't anything for Sara to get excited over, though. To her, that meant more tables to clean and plates to wash. She actually couldn't wait until her shift was over. The diner's phone began to ring while Sara served a family of four their beverages. She glanced back to see if Eric would answer it. He eventually did after two rings, yet as soon as he picked up the phone, he was already annoyed.

"Sara!" His voice echoed throughout the busy diner. Her eyes widened once she made her way towards him, but not before excusing herself from the family she was serving. "What is it?" Sara questioned, but the phone was already being pushed into her hands. "It's for you. Make it quick." Eric snapped, making it pretty obvious that he was frustrated. Was he ever not in a bad mood? With a roll of the eyes, Sara spoke into the phone. "Bo's Diner, what will you have?" She asked, attempting to salvage the situation. Considering how poorly Eric had greeted the person on the other end of the line, she assumed they were already unsatisfied with their service.

"Hey, it's Baby." His voice was deeper over the phone, and for a second she almost didn't recognize that it was him. "It's so good to hear from you." She said in a hushed tone, worried that her boss would overhear and judge from afar. She was also aware that her words probably seemed a little too forward, albeit she couldn't help but worry about him. Whatever kind of work he was in, it wasn't safe. "I quit." He stated, and Sara furrowed her eyebrows at this. "Your job?" She inquired, and while she was almost certain that's what he was referring to, she wanted to confirm. "Yeah, I'm not driving anymore." Baby seemed happy about this, and if he was happy, then so was Sara.

This thing called love, I just can't handle it.
This thing called love, I must get 'round to it.

Before she could say anything else, the diner's bell rang, indicating that a customer was waiting for her at the front. "Listen, I've gotta go." She said, her back still turned towards the customer. "Wait, when do you get off?" He asked, impatience evident in his words. She was glad that he wanted to see her again, and so soon for that matter. "Uhm... ten minutes." She replied, and that's when the front bell rang again. She wanted to tell Eric to handle it, however she knew that he wouldn't. "I'll pick you up." Baby stated, yet he seemed unsure of himself. Did he want that to be a statement or a question? "I'll see you then, Baby." Sara concluded, quickly hanging up the phone before turning to face the awaiting customer.

She saw an older man, dressed in a clean suit with glasses resting on his face. He definitely had the appearance of some sort of classy businessman. "Sorry about the wait, sir. What can I help you with today?" Sara spoke, finding that his eyes were fixated on her name badge. "Sara, is it?" He spoke up, eyebrows raised as he stared directly at her. She was mentally preparing herself for when he'd voice some sort of complaint about the restaurant. Usually when people were unsatisfied with their service, they'd come up to Sara and talk her ear off. Then, if they had the nerve, they'd ask for a full refund too.

However, that complaint never came from the man. Instead, he extended his hand over the counter. "I'm Doc." Wait, Baby knew this guy, right? He was Baby's boss or something. Nothing about this introduction seemed accidental. "Sara – uhm, y-you already know that." She nervously stumbled over her words, clearly growing more anxious with each second that passed between them. Why was he here? Did Darling or Buddy mention her? Did Baby mention her? The questions only seemed to be piling up. She shook his hand once before swiftly retreating. "So, what can I help you with?"

I gotta be cool. Relax, get hip.
Get on my track's.
Take a back seat, hitch-hike, and take a long ride on my motor bike.

An old tune played in the background – Queen, was it? Sara was pretty sure of it. "It's my business to know everything about everyone I work with." He paused for a moment, his eyes scanning the diner. What, or who, was he looking for? "I just wanted to introduce myself is all. You're a friend of Baby's, and Baby is a friend of mine." He seemed to be satisfied with ending on that note, but Sara wasn't. "You came in here today to introduce yourself? You sure you don't want a pancake or nothin'?" Sara asked in the most sarcastic voice she could muster. To be frank, she was tired of Baby's co-workers. This made the older man chuckle.

"You're cute. Let's keep it that way." He pointed in her direction, turning around as he made his way towards the exit. Sara's narrowed eyes followed him until he left the building, and when he did, she finally exhaled. She had been trying to keep her composure throughout the entire interaction, when really she was confused as hell. Why did Baby have such nosy co-workers? Why were they all so damn intimidating? As fate would have it, he entered the diner then. He accidentally bumped into someone, mumbling an apology under his breath as he walked towards the counter.

Sara was happy to see him, however she knew it didn't show. Baby seemed to notice this, and immediately stood up straighter. "What's wrong?" He was genuinely concerned now. Sara shook her head as she tried to gather her thoughts. There were so many questions she needed to ask - so many things that didn't make any sense to her. "Doc left like, two minutes ago." She told him, and his expression shifted to one of shock. His hands formed into fists and his jaw tightened. Now he was beginning to grow angry. "Baby, please tell me what is going on here. Why did your boss, or whoever he is, just walk into the place I work to introduce himself?"

Baby walked around the counter top, grabbing her hand as he tugged her towards the door. Sara's shift was already over, so she didn't feel the need to bid Eric farewell. Once she was outside, Baby released her hand and let his fall to his side. "He's making sure that you don't know anything." Sara tried to understand what he was getting at, and despite her efforts, she failed. "Darling mentioned your name when we were doing a job earlier. That's how Doc knew who you were and where to find you." Sara scoffed, crossing her arms as she thought back to last night with Darling and Buddy.

"What happened, Baby?" He looked at her sadly, and Sara instantly knew that a part of him was still closed off to her. Her questions would remain unanswered. "It doesn't matter now. Like I said, I quit. I gave Doc what he wanted, one last job, and now I'm out." Sara sighed heavily, and before she could respond, Baby had already closed the distance between them. His larger frame hovered over her much smaller one, and that's when he wrapped his arms around her. He was warm and safe. Safe, she realized, is what she wanted for Baby. She wanted him to be safe.