This is an AU, all human, oneshot/songfic (can I use any more labels?) based on my very own guilty pleasure, Billy Joel's "Piano Man." Tell me what you think.
Disclaimer: The only way that I could own both "Piano Man" and Twilight is if I were simultaneously Stephenie Meyer and Billy Joel. Seeing that that is a scientific impossibility, it can be safely said that I don't own them.
Piano Man
In the heart of Seattle, there was a tiny bistro, tucked in between a book store and an insurance agency. Its store front was painted a dark blue, and the sign that hung over the small door was shaped as a crescent moon with the word Twilight written elegantly across it.
Twilight was a small, family owned restaurant that wasn't very well known. Those who did go, however, considered it the best place for a night of good food and nice atmosphere. The owners, Carlisle and his wife Esme, would often stop by and chat with the customers. They were so friendly, and never forgot a name or birthday, that the friendship alone would bring them back.
Their three children also worked there. The oldest, Emmett, tended the bar with his boisterous laughter and his never ending string of jokes and anecdotes. He sometimes took it into his head to guess the customer's favorite drink. If he was wrong, which was rare to the credit of his luck, he would insist on mixing them the drink anyways, saying that they would like this much better. Except for once, he was always right. The exception was how he met his wife, Rosalie Hale. He was sure that she would prefer a margarita, but no, she wanted a cosmo. She won the argument and he fell in love. After weeks of asking her out and getting shot down, she finally said yes, and discovered that she loved him just as much. They had a large, opulent wedding with all the elegance a bride could want. After they came back from their honeymoon in the Bahamas, they couldn't bear the thought of being away from each other, so Rose filled the opening for a waitress.
When another spot opened for a waiter (The last, Mike Newton, had let his hands wonder were they shouldn't on the newly married Rosalie Cullen, and he got not only pounded to oblivion by the murderous husband, but fired for sexual abuse.) Rosalie had told them that her brother was looking for work, and he was hired in a moment. Alice, Carlisle and Esme's second child and the maître d' of Twilight, found herself immediately smitten with Jasper's golden hair and charismatic smile. She told him that she was the woman of his dreams and he whole heartedly agreed; they got married three months later. It was a low key, but incredibly stylish, wedding, and the couple was still in their honeymoon phase; sneaking kisses and smiling uncontrollably for no reason.
The youngest of the Cullen's children, Edward, provided entertainment for the customers of Twilight. He played a large, black grand piano on the small raised platform in the corner. There was a spotlight that shined down on him, making his bronze hair seem like a halo around his Grecian face as he crooned the lyrics of songs he tinkered out on the ivory keys. He was so talented, and so handsome, that he could have easily been a concert pianist. But there was something keeping Edward at Twilight.
Her name was Bella Swan.
She applied to be the chef of the unknown bistro almost a year ago and made the best food you could imagine. Customers had developed the habit of ordering "whatever the chef wants" because she would make elaborate and unique recipes that no one had ever heard of, but were entirely mouth watering. She was over skilled for the tiny restaurant, but the kind owners let her have complete control of the kitchen. She only needed one assistant, Angela, who worked on the weekends, their busy days. That was good for her though, because it let her take care of her little baby during the week, while her husband was at the office.
The pianist and the cook's meeting was…well, a disaster. During a break, he went to the kitchen to introduce himself. Bella was so frazzled by his presence that she tripped and spilt spaghetti sauce all over his nice white shirt. No matter how hard he tried to convince her that he didn't mind, she couldn't stop blushing for a week.
Edward finally persuaded her that they should start over and she agreed to go to dinner with him. They found that they both had many similar interests, like their love for classical and alternative music, their appreciation for old, obscure movies, and an extensive array of books. The only real disagreement they had was what the best of Shakespeare's plays was; Edward thought Hamlet was unsurpassable and Bella stubbornly sided with Romeo and Juliet. They agreed to disagree, but when they saw the other reading what they thought was the more superior, they would mutter criticism about the follies and flaws of the characters.
The two took it slowly; over the course of the months, Edward nervously asked her to the movies, invited her to family trips to the beach, walked through silent museums with Bella by his side, and brought her to a special meadow he had found. During one of their lunch breaks, he stutteringly told Bella he loved her. When she excitedly returned his affections, he jumped to the microphone on his piano and joyously announced to everyone in Twilight that they were in love. The patrons clapped and wolf whistled, Emmett told everyone that drinks were on the house and not even Jasper could calm down Alice's excited jumping up and down.
Edward and Bella moved into a small apartment close to the bistro and walked hand in hand to work everyday. Being apart from each other seemed to be physically painful and they would often get lost in their own little world, having little discussions about nothing in particular or just sitting silently together, wrapped in the other's arms.
It was now a Wednesday, and that meant slow business for the little restaurant. Only a few patrons were eating at the tables; talking and joking amongst themselves, enjoying the slow sweet melody that the man at the piano was playing.
Having nothing to cook, Bella relaxed at an empty table and watched her boyfriend end his last song with a flourish, send a heart melting wink her way, then start another song. She looked around and noticed Alice at the maître d' podium, gesturing and whispering enthusiastically to Rosalie, who kept peeking glances at Bella over her shoulder. Bella was about to find out what they were talking about, probably another shopping trip, when a familiar melody made its way to her ears.
She looked over to the grand piano to see Edward, smiling rakishly at her, singing the beginning of one of her favorite songs, "Piano Man." He sang:
"It's nine o'clock on a Saturday
the regular crowd shuffles in.
There's an old man sitting next to me
making love to his tonic and gin
"He says, 'Son, can you play me a memory?
I'm not really sure how it goes,
but it's sad and it's sweet and I knew it complete
when I wore a younger man's clothes.'"
Bella closed her eyes and smiled lazily as she listened to Edward's silken voice weave its way through the song, going on to describe John at the bar, Paul the real estate novelist, and Davy, who would be in the navy his whole life. His voice rose through the notes effortlessly, in a way that would surely make Billy Joel jealous. All the customers set down their drinks and listened intently, thinking that this young man must be the Piano Man himself, brought to life to give them a few minutes enjoyment in a song.
Bella was waiting for Edward to go on singing, to tell them about the waitress practicing politics, or the stoned businessmen, but, instead, he sang something different. His emerald eyes sparkled and he didn't break eye contact with her as he continued in his heavenly voice:
"Now, Bella over there is a beautiful girl;
the prettiest that you'd ever see.
And I would be the happiest man alive
if she would just marry me."
His hands mechanically went through the bridge of the song as his heart fluttered wildly in his chest. Edward ignored the gasp from the crowd and stared openly at his confused love. He could see her mouth open and close several times, perhaps making a noise that couldn't be heard over the piano. What he sang seemed to sink in as a lovely blush turned her face red as a tomato. When the chorus came around for him to sing, he disregarded it, but continued playing. If he didn't have something to distract his hands, he was sure that he would rip out his hair in anxiety. The thirty two seconds that had passed felt like an eternity.
Nobody moved a muscle in Twilight when the cook stood up from her seat in the corner. Every breath was held and every pair of eyes was following her slow, stumbling way to the platform. They saw the joy erupt on the piano man's face as she nodded slowly, whispering the word "yes."
Edward practically jumped from the piano bench, making the music cut off abruptly. Bella threw her arms around his neck and whispered "I love you, Edward," over and over in his ear, creating a mantra of complete happiness. He kissed her deeply, not caring who was watching, and slid the engagement ring he had bought several days earlier onto her fourth finger.
Wild cheers broke out from the few diners and the Cullen family. Alice and Rosalie ran over to Bella's side, already making plans for the wedding and exclaiming over her beautiful ring. Bella looked over to Edward and matched his perfectly happy smile with one of her own. The love was tangible between the now fiancées, apparent to each and every person in the room. Their eyes shone and the smiles widened while they embraced each other again.
From outside, people would stop and wonder what was causing the uproar from within the little bistro. They would look through the window and see a tall young man with bronze hair holding a pale brunette in his arms, both looking like they would never let go. Perhaps they would wonder who the "Piano Man" was, and why the people inside were chanting his name.