Sweater Weather - 2020
The cool autumn breeze slipped through the slightly cracked window of Daniel Parker’s car, ruffling his hair. He reached to adjust it out of habit but paused, catching Valerie humming softly beside him. She was curled up in the passenger seat, her legs tucked beneath her in one of his old sweaters. Of course, it wasn’t her sweater—it was his. She’d stolen it weeks ago, claiming it “looked better on her.” It didn’t. But he wasn’t going to argue when she looked like that.
The car’s speakers played softly in the background, the familiar chords of Sweater Weather setting a mellow rhythm to the drive. It was one of those moments that felt too perfect for someone like him. He didn’t deserve this. He knew that. But he wasn’t going to argue. Nope. For once, Daniel Parker wasn’t going to argue with the universe. He was happy. He wanted this.
“And all I am is a man,
I want the world in my hands…”
“Did you put this on again, Parker?” Valerie teased, her voice warm with feigned exasperation.
“I get it, it’s your anthem. Congratulations, you’re a walking cliché.”
“First of all, I didn’t put it on. It’s called shuffle, darling. But if the universe insists on playing the greatest song ever made, who am I to argue?” He shot her a smirk, but his attention lingered on her a beat too long. Her chestnut hair almost glowed in the faint light of the passing street lamps, and she had that effortless way of pulling focus, like everything else could just…stop.
“Head in the clouds, but my gravity’s centered,
Touch my neck, and I’ll touch yours…”
She caught him staring and raised an eyebrow. “Eyes on the road, Daniel.”
“Don’t flatter yourself. I’m barely looking,” he countered, turning back to the road as his hand casually found hers. He intertwined their fingers like it was second nature. Her hands, unsurprisingly, were freezing.
“For God’s sake, Val. Are you even human? Your hands are always cold.”
“Oh, sorry. Next time, I’ll warm them up on your oversized ego. Should do the trick.”
Daniel scoffed, though he couldn’t fight the smile tugging at his lips. He squeezed her hand gently, letting his thumb graze over her knuckles as her laughter filled the car.
“'Cause it’s too cold
For you here, and now
So let me hold
Both your hands in the holes of my sweater…”
She pulled his hand closer, wrapping it in the sleeves of his own sweater like a makeshift cocoon. “There. Problem solved. No take-backs.”
“Oh no,” Daniel deadpanned, “trapped in your ice-cold clutches forever. However will I cope?”
“You won’t.” Her words were playful, but the way she leaned in—the way her eyes softened just slightly—made his heart do that stupid thing it always did around her. Before he could fire back with another sarcastic quip, her lips brushed against his, soft and lingering, stealing every coherent thought from his mind.
“Sometimes the silence guides a mind,
To move to a place so far away…”
The car swerved ever so slightly, and Valerie pulled back, laughing. “I really don’t want to die because you can’t multitask, Parker.”
“If you didn’t want me distracted, maybe don’t kiss me while I’m driving,” he muttered, though his grin betrayed him.
“The goosebumps start to raise,
The minute that my left hand meets your waist…”
She smirked, sliding closer in her seat until her head rested against his shoulder. The smell of her vanilla perfume filled the air, and Daniel had to remind himself not to lean down and bury his face in her hair.
“You’re insufferable, you know that?”
“Mmm, and yet, you’re still here. Curious.”
He sighed dramatically, resting his chin briefly on the top of her head. “Well, maybe I’m a masochist. Or maybe I just can’t resist a girl who steals all my sweaters and sings off-key to one of my favorite songs.”
She gasped, feigning offense. “Excuse me? Off-key? I sound amazing.”
“You sound like a dying cat, but sure. Let’s go with amazing.”
“You’re lucky I’m too comfortable to slap you right now,” she murmured, though the smile in her voice gave her away.
“Inside this place is warm,
Outside it starts to pour…”
The rain started lightly at first, a gentle tap-tap against the windshield, but it quickly turned into a steady downpour. Valerie sat up, her hands pressed against the glass as she stared at the rain-streaked world outside.
“Do you want me to pull over?”
She turned to him, her expression soft. “Yeah. Let’s stop for a bit.”
Daniel pulled off onto a quiet stretch of road, parking beneath a cluster of trees that offered little protection from the rain. Valerie unbuckled her seatbelt and turned to face him, her legs tucked beneath her.
“It’s too cold for you here,” she teased, mimicking the song as she reached for his hands again.
“Hilarious,” he muttered, but he let her pull him closer anyway.
Her voice softened. “You know, sometimes it feels like we’re in our own little bubble. Just us. No Parker drama. No schedules. No…world.”
He didn’t say anything for a moment, his brown eyes searching hers. Then, with his usual smirk: “Well, of course, darling. Who wouldn’t want to be trapped in a car with Daniel Parker?”
She rolled her eyes, but the way her hand found its way to his cheek said more than words could.
“'Cause it’s too cold
For you here and now
So let me hold
Both your hands in the holes of my sweater…”
Daniel leaned in, his forehead resting gently against hers. The rain drummed steadily against the car, but all he could hear was the sound of her breathing. His fingers brushed a stray strand of hair from her face, and for once, he let himself stay silent.
Because in that moment—just her, the rain, and the way her smile lit up the dim space around them—Daniel Parker didn’t need to say anything at all.
@CerealKiller - I wrote this one such a long time ago lololol fixed it up now