AN: This story was inspired by You Don't See Me by SafteySuit, which I highly recommend, though it kind of took on a life of it's own. I would love reviews; good or bad just let me know what you think. I have no beta so all errors are my own.
You Don't See Me
Rachel moved to Tree Hill during his junior year of high school and somewhere between Lucas using her to make Brooke jealous and the middle of the basketball season they'd become best friends. She was different than everyone thought she was. It was Rachel stood by him when things crashed and burned with Brooke and she's the one that picked him up when he drank away his feelings over Peyton moving away to be with Jake.
After graduation everyone went off to college, or to follow there dreams but Lucas stayed behind to help him mom run the café. They texted a couple times a week, skyped sometimes, he wrote her two letters but that was really it. It shouldn't have been as big of a shock as it was when he got her wedding invitation in the mail.
You are cordially invited to witness the union of:
Chris Keller & Rachel Gatina
Saturday, May 5th, 5 PM
Union Church, Tree Hill NC
He tossed the invitation on the table, his head pounding. He manages to pull his phone out and send her a congratulations text before he throws it across the room. He'd come to terms with the fact that he had feelings about her about 2 seconds after she had left for California, he'd even bought a plane ticket and planned on telling her when he found out about her and Keller. She was happy with him, and he wasn't going to mess it up.
May rolls around before he even knows what hit him. She's back in town and he knows it but he hasn't gone to see her or even RSVP for the wedding so when the 5th comes and he's pulling on his dress slacks and straightening his tie he has no idea what he's doing. He's not sure if he can sit back and watch the girl he loves marry somebody else but the idea of not going somehow seems even worse.
When he pulls up to the church he's surprised to see a bunch of their classmates standing outside talking aimlessly. He walks up slowly and his friends all looked up at him with matching expressions of shock on their faces.
"We didn't think you'd actually show up today." Brooke said, "We had a bet going."
"Yeah, which reminds me, pay up." Skillz said, holding his hand out to the girl. "I told you he wouldn't let her go through with it."
"What are you guys talking about?" Lucas asked.
"You're here to tell her you're in love with her, aren't you?" Brooke asked.
A beat of silence passed between the group before Lucas spoke up. "She's happy with him." He said simply, "I can't mess that up for her, it's her wedding day."
"She wants to see you." Brooke said, after pulling him away from the rest of the group. "Last night at drinks she said if I saw you to bring you inside."
"I can't, Brooke."
"Do it for her." The girl responded, "You guys were friends once and she doesn't understand why someone she thought was one of her best friends doesn't want to be at her wedding."
Lucas sighed, following Brooke into the church and down the hallway, bracing himself. He swallowed as Brooke knocked on the door, pushing the blond through it before he had a chance to run away before quickly excusing herself.
His breathe caught in his throat at the sight of her in that dress, she looked perfect, the way he always knew she would, but in his dreams he saw her coming down the isle not in a crowded dressing room a half an hour before she was supposed to be marrying another man.
"Rach," he said after a moment, "You look beautiful."
She just smiled, her eyes shining with tears. "Are you gonna come over here and give me a hug or what?"
He walked over to her easily, pulling the girl into him and just taking it all in.
"You make the perfect bride, Rach. Keller's a lucky guy."
"I'm so happy that you came." She said against his chest.
He pulled away before he did something stupid, the girl looking up at him with sad eyes.
"It could have been you, you know." She said quietly after a minute, not making eye contact with the boy. "It could have been us."
He nodded at that, his hand moving her chin and forcing her to look at him. "I'll always love you, Rachel. I always have." He leans up and brushes her lips over hers right as there's a knock on the door an unfamiliar voice telling her that it was almost time.
"Go, be happy. I'll see you later, OK?"
She didn't say anything and he left the room quickly before he lost his nerve.
This wasn't some kind of fairy tale; he couldn't wreck a marriage over his own selfish wants. Maybe they would have been everything he ever dreamed of, maybe they would have been more. He would always love her, but he had to let her go, even if it meant he had to die a little inside.