radar love // baby driver

pt. 7

Now Playing: Be My Baby by The Ronettes

As each day rolled into the next, Sara became more confident in the fact that whatever business Baby was apart of before, it wasn't coming back to haunt him. She grew paranoid at work, often finding herself watching the door for Doc, Buddy or Darling to show up. None of them did. She knew that she was probably being a tad ridiculous about the matter, yet could one really blame her? Not too long after the incident with Doc at the diner, Sara mustered up enough courage to ask Baby one last question about it all.

On their way home, parked right in front of her complex, the brunette asked him why he couldn't tell her what happened with his job. With very little hesitation, Baby revealed that it was to keep her safe. She had thought about that while scrubbing dishes and disinfecting tables the next day, and finally came to the conclusion that it was better not to push it. Sara had no idea what sort of job Baby had been working before, only that it involved driving and seemingly dangerous people. Regardless, there was no point in worrying any longer. Like he said, it was over now. He was out.

Since he quit his other job, Baby had told Sara that his father insisted he get employed elsewhere. He still needed an income, and he was a skillful driver, so Joseph decided for him: delivering pizzas for Goodfella's. Baby disagreed with the idea, but confessed that he couldn't say no once he saw how much joy it brought Joe. Tonight, Baby and Sara were taking a break from serving grumpy people caffeine and pizza delivery. She received a call from the male a few hours prior, telling her that he'd booked a reservation for the two of them at Bacchanalia. He told her that it was the finest wining and dining of all the wines and dines in town.

Of course, Sara agreed and then proceeded to panic as soon as she hung up. What was she suppose to wear? Something fancy and different than her usual waitress attire. She shuffled through her drawers and hangers, hoping to find anything that looked somewhat acceptable for a restaurant with a fancy name. Perhaps she really wasn't nervous about clothing, but more so on the fact that this was their first real date. It wasn't another day of serving him coffee, or sitting at a booth in Goodfella's with ex-coworkers of his. It was just them, and they had the whole night together to do what they wanted. She eventually picked out a dress - it was a bright yellow and knee-length.

Because of work, Sara usually kept her hair up in a loose ponytail. Tonight, she decided to keep it down for a change. It cascaded down her back at she inspected her outfit in the mirror, and while she was still unsure if it was suitable for the place they were going, Sara didn't have many other options when it came to dresses. The abrupt sound of a car horn interrupted her thoughts. She quickly ran across her room to grab her purse before heading for the door. She was in a rush, yet she couldn't move as fast as she wanted due to the high heels she wore. Should've chose the boots.

She made her way out of the apartment excitedly, nearly tripping over herself as a result. Sara was expecting to be greeted with Baby's signature red Subaru. Instead, a purple retro-looking car took its place. Baby was leaning against the vehicle, dressed in a tuxedo and black formal shoes. A wide smile found its way onto her face as she inched closer to him. "You look beautiful." He spoke, and those words alone caused Sara to turn away nervously. Clearing her throat, her curious eyes scanned the car once again. Baby seemed to notice this and laughed.

"It's a 1986 Chevrolet Caprice." He announced, removing his weight off the car as he opened the passenger door for her. "It's very fancy," She paused, gathering enough courage to make eye contact now. "Like you." Baby's laughter was louder this time, and very, very contagious. Wait, did she seriously just compare him to a car? God, Sara! "I mean, you look nice. Much better than this car." She was trying to recover from her previous words, albeit gave up as she slid into the Caprice. Her face was surely flushed with embarrassment by now.

Baby entered the vehicle from the driver's side, keys already in place as the engine came to life. He had both hands on the wheel, yet made no effort to actually drive the car just yet. "I meant it, by the way." He spoke, and Sara couldn't help but feel lost. "You really do look beautiful." She looked at him, and just like that, all the nervousness that she felt had suddenly disappeared. Whatever this thing was between them, it was unlike anything that Sara ever felt before. "Thank you." She managed to squeak out, and with a grin, Baby began to drive towards Bacchanalia.

The night we met, I knew I needed you so.
And if I had the chance, I'd never let you go.

The drive to the restaurant was quiet, aside from the song playing over the speakers. It was an older song. Surprisingly enough, Sara wasn't familiar with it. It had the word 'Baby' in it, which caused laughter to spill from her mouth. This seemed to catch the attention of the boy next to her. "What is it?" He asked, semi-concerned and partially amused. "It's just your name. You have all the songs." She explained, and Baby simply nodded his head in response. "Yeah..." He trailed off, exhaling before continuing on with his sentence. "I like when you say it, though."

Sara turned in her seat just a bit to look at Baby. "When I say Baby?" She questioned, once again earning a nod from him. "You say it differently than everyone else does." She thought about his words, even though she already knew what he was talking about. Sara probably pronounced his name with affection, almost making it seem like she's calling him by the pet name itself. They pulled up to Bacchanalia, the car coming to a stop once he found a parking spot. Within just a few minutes, they were already sitting down in the dimly lit restaurant.

It certainly exceeded all her expectations so far, but one glance at the prices on the menu and Sara's mouth was agape. How on Earth could Baby afford a night out to a place like this? She was aware that delivering pizzas for Goodfella's wasn't nearly enough cash, although he did have a job before this one. "So, why did you move to Atlanta?" Baby inquired, taking a sip of his drink. "Well, my mom really wanted me to go. My parents live in Los Angeles, but my father's been sick for a while. He's not getting better any time soon. In fact, he probably only has a little time left." She rambled, mindlessly staring down at the table. "She didn't want me to see him like that."

A silence fell upon the two of them, and Sara almost regretted saying any of this and ruining the mood. "I'm sorry." Baby's voice was low and full of sincerity. "Joe's looked out for me ever since my parents passed. Now he's getting old and I'm just looking out for him." She mimicked Baby's actions from earlier and took a sip from the glass placed in front of her. "He seems really sweet." The waiter came over to their table, setting down their plates. "Enjoy!" He cheerfully announced, leaving the two of them to eat their tortellini.

With a fork already in her food, Sara was interrupted as the waiter made his way back towards them. "A kind gentleman took care of your bill for tonight." He clasped his hands together before taking off yet again. She put the utensil down then, looking at Baby with furrowed eyebrows. "Baby?" She tried to gain his attention, but to no avail. "I'll be right back, okay?" All traces of content seem to have left him as confusion and panic took over. She watched as he exited the restaurant, leaving Sara alone with her thoughts.

Authors note: I just wanted to thank everyone for all the votes and feedback! I seriously appreciate everything that you've all said. I'm so, so, SO glad that people enjoy this story. It really motivates me to keep going with it. :) Thank you guys!