Chapter 42: The Invitation

Elaine rushed to find Quasimodo as soon as the bells had rung. She had good news and was eager to share it.

"Quasimodo!" She called when she entered the belltower. "I have such good news for you!"

"What is it?" Quasimodo asked with curiosity.

"My uncle is having a special dinner for all the church workers!" Elaine announced. "And you're invited!"

"A special dinner?" Quasimodo repeated. "And I'm invited?!"

"Absolutely, you are!"

Quasimodo grinned like a little boy.

"This is amazing!" He exclaimed. "I've never been invited to anything special!"

"It will be great! Everyone will be so excited to meet you!"

Quasimodo suddenly became nervous.

"I guess there will be a lot of people..." He assumed.

"Quite a few, yes." Elaine confirmed.

"I'm afraid I'll make a fool of myself... I'm still getting used to being around people."

"What do you mean by that?"

Quasimodo remembered that Elaine didn't know much about his past. Maybe it was better to keep it that way for now. He liked that Elaine treated him like a normal person, so he was hesitant to let her find out just how abnormal his life had been, not being allowed to leave the belltower or meet anyone until just recently.

"I'm... Shy." Quasimodo said instead.

"I'm sure it will be just fine." Elaine reassured. "And I'll be there, so you can talk to me if you don't want to talk to anyone else. It will be fun!"

Quasimodo smiled.

"It does sound exciting." He admitted.

"We'll have a great time!" Elaine promised. "Let's talk more about it later. I have some chores to do. See you soon!"

Elaine left with a wave, which Quasimodo returned.

It was both thrilling and frightening to be invited to such an event. Quasimodo appreciated the archdeacon's invitation and looked forward to his first social gathering, but he did worry that he wouldn't know how to handle so many people. It was a good thing that Elaine would be there. She would make it easier for him.

It was late in the morning, and Claude still had not seen Esmeralda. He debated whether to knock on the door of the room she'd retreated to last night. On one hand, Claude could understand why Esmeralda may not be comfortable seeing him at this time. But on the other hand, her absence was becoming concerning. Claude worried that his friend was in emotional turmoil again, so he eventually decided to check on her.

He brought a plate of food, sure that she would be hungry by now, and knocked on the door. There was no response.

"Esmeralda," Claude called. "We don't need to talk if you don't want to, but I brought you something to eat."

He remembered something even more important: The item that had come in the mail. Claude was worried about the contents, but he knew it would be important for Esmeralda to see.

"And something came in the mail for you." He added.

There was a moment of silence, then an anxious "Come in..."

Claude entered. Esmeralda sat up in bed as he approached. She looked exhausted. Claude wondered how difficult it had been for her to sleep after last night's events.

He handed over the plate and the small square of paper. Esmeralda immediately started eating. She was naturally hungry at this point in the morning, as well as hesitant to acknowledge Claude or the mail. She was left anxious after finishing the food. Esmeralda was confident that she could read what was written on that paper, but she couldn't bring herself to. Instead, she handed it to Claude.

"Read it for me." She begged.

Claude felt sorry for her. He believed he knew what was contained in the message, and Esmeralda seemed to know too. Claude worried for her when he opened it, and worried even more when he saw that the writing was exactly what he expected.

"...You are invited to the wedding of Phoebus and Annette."

Esmeralda's expression was blank. It was hard to face the reality of this. She didn't want to believe that Phoebus was really getting married, or that she was expected to attend the wedding.

"Annette..." Esmeralda sighed. "So that's her name..."

Esmeralda regretted her words when she remembered that Claude was there. She looked at him and saw a compassionate, yet troubled look on his face. Esmeralda felt terrible. It wasn't right for her to complain in front of Claude about the loss of the man she wanted more than him. He didn't deserve that after last night.

"I'm sorry." Esmeralda apologized. "I shouldn't bother you with this."

"It's alright." Claude assured.

He looked back at the invitation.

"It says that you can bring a guest." He informed.

Esmeralda was speechless. Being allowed to bring someone was a good thing, as she would have a hard time handling this event alone. But she lacked options. The most obvious one was right in front of her, but how could she ask such a thing of him after last night? And still, choosing not to ask him would feel rude.

Claude saw that Esmeralda was struggling. He worried that she felt pressured to pick him as her guest, so he decided to take the pressure off.

"Quasimodo might be interested." Claude suggested. "Perhaps he is feeling better by now."

Esmeralda frowned. Claude was already nudging her in another direction. She supposed that he felt too hurt by her to let himself be an option. It was unfortunate.

"I'll ask him." Esmeralda said blankly, getting out of bed.

She left as quickly as she could, so that Claude didn't have time to question her mood.

Maybe this was for the best. Esmeralda was eager to see Quasimodo, and he would be a more welcome guest at Phoebus' wedding. Hopefully he would be up for it.

Quasimodo looked sadly at the two carvings in the corner of the table. He'd placed Esmeralda's and Frollo's figures together after learning of their friendship, far away from his own figure on the other side of the table.

He was still upset. His best friend, whom he was in love with, was friends with his mother's killer, whom he resented. Quasimodo felt lonelier than ever. Esmeralda had been such a light in his life, and even Frollo had been a long-time companion to him (albeit a cold one). Losing Frollo was necessary, since Quasimodo couldn't bear the sight of him. But now he felt that he was losing Esmeralda unnecessarily. Maybe she was content to be friends with both Quasimodo and Frollo, but Quasimodo wasn't content with that at all, even though he felt that he should be.

"Quasimodo!"

The bell ringer jumped at the sound. He knew the voice that called him. It was Esmeralda. What was she doing here?

He ran to the entrance to find her. They looked at each other awkwardly.

"...Hi." Esmeralda barely managed.

"Um... Hi." Quasimodo returned. "What brings you here?"

"I wanted to see if you were feeling any better." Esmeralda explained.

"Uh... Yes. I am."

It wasn't completely a lie. Quasimodo did feel better regarding the non-mutuality of his feelings for Esmeralda. But he certainly didn't feel fine, given that the knowledge of her and Frollo's friendship was troubling him.

"Can we talk for a bit?" Esmeralda requested.

"Yes... Of course." Quasimodo replied.

They went to sit at the table. Both tried to act casual, but the mood was undeniably awkward.

"How have you been?" Esmeralda inquired.

"Not too bad." Quasimodo replied. "I have a new friend. You've met her."

"Oh, yes, Elaine. I did meet her briefly."

"She comes up here a lot. I like her."

Esmeralda was glad to hear that Quasimodo had company. He deserved it.

"I'm glad you have a new friend." Esmeralda said gratefully.

Quasimodo wondered if Esmeralda would talk about her own friend if he asked.

"So, what about you?" He asked. "How have you been? Have you made any friends?"

Quasimodo realized too late that his wording was suspicious. Esmeralda looked at him uncomfortably.

"Why do you ask that?" She questioned.

Quasimodo sighed.

"I know you're friends with Frollo..." He said with difficulty.

Esmeralda's mouth dropped open. She hadn't expected this to come up. But somehow, Quasimodo knew about her friendship with Claude, and he wasn't happy about it by the looks of things.

"Who told you that?" Esmeralda asked.

"Elaine..." Quasimodo replied.

"Elaine? And where did she hear it?"

"She saw you hanging out with him. And she said he called you his friend..."

Esmeralda felt like an idiot. She'd been meeting Claude in public while he took breaks from the construction. Of course anyone could have walked by and noticed them, such as Elaine. And of course, Claude had called Esmeralda his friend in front of Elaine. It wouldn't have been odd for her to mention that to Quasimodo.

Quasimodo frowned at Esmeralda's gaping look.

"It's true, isn't it?" He asked.

Esmeralda collected herself with a deep breath.

"Yes, it's true." She admitted.

Quasimodo looked down at the table, unsure of what to say. He'd never imagined himself in this position with Esmeralda. She had been the person to first make him aware that Frollo was a bad man. Even a redeemed Frollo was an unexpected friend for her.

"Are you mad at me?" Esmeralda asked worriedly.

Quasimodo looked back at her with urgency.

"What?" He rushed. "Mad? No! I would never be!"

"You look like you're bothered by this..." Esmeralda observed.

Quasimodo didn't know what to say. He was bothered by this, but what would he accomplish by saying it? His discomfort wouldn't make the situation better.

"It's fine." Quasimodo insisted. "You can be friends with him if you want. It's not my problem."

Esmeralda saw right through him. It couldn't have been more obvious that Quasimodo was upset by this. Of course he was. He was far more angry with Claude than she could ever be. The man had killed his mother.

"Quasi..." Esmeralda said pleadingly. "I'm not disregarding anything he's done. Part of me is still mad about it, in fact..."

"Then why are you friends with him?" Quasimodo asked. "How did this happen?"

Esmeralda painfully remembered when Claude had first offered his friendship. It had been an awful night, but she fondly remembered how he'd seen her through it.

"He was there for me." She answered. "He let me cry on his shoulder when I was heartbroken over Phoebus. And when you needed space, he was there to keep me company. He's there for me whenever I need him... That's who he is now."

Quasimodo wouldn't have believed it if he didn't trust Esmeralda so much. He struggled to imagine Frollo as a source of support, even with the knowledge that he had changed his ways.

Perhaps it was a good thing. But that didn't make it easy to accept. Quasimodo tried to think about this positively, but the resentment he still felt made it difficult.

"Well... Good for you." He said artificially.

Esmeralda could hear the disappointment in her friend's voice. Although he tried to act like he didn't mind it, it was clear he was not happy about the friendship between her and Claude, and it wasn't within Esmeralda's ability to fix that.

"It was nice talking." Quasimodo said, getting up from the table. "But I have to go and dust the bells."

"Wait," Esmeralda interfered. "I wanted to ask you something."

She informed Quasimodo of the wedding and her need for a companion. But when she mentioned the date of the occasion, she received an unexpected response.

"Thanks for asking," Quasimodo replied. "But I have plans that day."

"Plans?" Esmeralda questioned.

She was bewildered by the idea of Quasimodo having plans. He never had plans. At least, not any that couldn't be carried out on any given day.

"There's a dinner party for the church workers." Quasimodo explained. "And... I really want to go."

Esmeralda was disappointed that she wouldn't have her friend to attend the wedding with, but she naturally approved of his plans. Quasimodo had lived for far too long without attention from people or much of anything to look forward to. If this event excited him, he deserved to go.

"That's great!" Esmeralda remarked, trying to hide her disappointment. "I hope you enjoy it..."

"Thanks... I will." Quasimodo promised before climbing up to the bells.

Esmeralda frowned. Quasimodo had never been this cold with her. He'd always been sweet and friendly. Esmeralda was hurt by the thought that her friendship with Claude, something that was so nice for her, was torture for Quasimodo. The worst part was that she couldn't do anything about this. She couldn't just stop seeing Claude, he was too important to her. Quasimodo was important to her too, but she wouldn't be able to see him with the same affection if she painfully gave up another relationship for his sake.

She got up from the table disappointedly. But before Esmeralda could leave, she saw something that made this day all the worse. On one end of the table, the wooden figures of herself and Claude were placed together, far away from Quasimodo's, which stood on the model cathedral alone.

At that, Esmeralda felt her eyes quiver. She left the belltower quickly.

Up by the bells, Quasimodo heard a faint sob. Instantly, he knew he'd made a mistake.

Claude didn't expect to see Esmeralda on his break, but she showed up at the usual time.

"How did it go with Quasimodo?" Claude inquired during their lunch.

Instead of answering that question directly, Esmeralda planned to ask a question of her own. She felt bad for asking it, but she hoped that her efforts would make this okay.

"Claude..." Esmeralda started. "Will you... Will you go to the wedding with me?"

Claude looked at her with surprise. He was about to question what had made this necessary, but Esmeralda kept talking.

"Quasimodo isn't interested." She explained. "And I can't go alone... I know you probably have hard feelings about me, but I'll do anything necessary to make it painless! I won't make you uncomfortable, all you'll need to do is be there. I'm sorry to ask this, and of course I understand if you refuse, but-"

"Esmeralda," Claude interrupted.

He looked at her with a calm and warm expression.

"You don't need to convince me." He assured. "If having me there will make you feel better, then of course I'll go."

Esmeralda was surprised. She'd expected resistance to this proposition.

"I thought you suggested Quasimodo because you didn't want me to ask you." She explained.

"No!" Claude denied. "I just thought you would prefer to go with him. I made that suggestion so that you wouldn't feel guilty for not asking me."

Esmeralda couldn't believe that she'd misinterpreted Claude's suggestion. She'd thought it was all because he was too hurt by her.

"I thought you were too upset about last night." Esmeralda explained. "That you didn't want to be around me..."

"I meant what I said before." Claude reminded. "What happened last night changes nothing about our friendship. At least, it changes nothing for me."

Esmeralda had an amazing realization. Claude wasn't in distress over her, and he wasn't going to distance himself from her. He was probably sad about how the previous night had ended, but that didn't make him any less happy to be her friend.

Esmeralda barely smiled.

"Then it changes nothing for me either." She returned.

Claude smiled back.

He couldn't say that he didn't feel awkward at all, but by no means would he change the way he treated Esmeralda. She was a blessing to him, so he would be whatever she wanted him to be. As long as she was willing to have him as a friend, he would be her friend. Her friendship alone was more than he deserved, so he would cherish it, even if there was more that he wanted.

"I have one question." Claude announced. "Will Phoebus be shocked to see me?"

"Well..." Esmeralda said ponderingly. "He said I could bring a guest, but he never said who. And he does know that you're someone I care about."

"He did ask me to look after you." Claude remembered. "And that is exactly what I'm doing."

"I'm not quite sure what he'll think." Esmeralda admitted. "But we can cross that bridge when we come to it."

"Very well then."

Esmeralda was relieved. She wouldn't have to face this difficult occasion alone.

"On another note," Claude said with some concern. "Might I ask what occurred when you spoke to Quasimodo? I didn't think he would decline your invitation."

Esmeralda made a quick decision. She would not tell Claude that Quasimodo knew of their friendship and was upset about it. Claude had enough to trouble him and already felt horrible about how much he'd hurt Quasimodo. There was no need for him to know this.

"He's busy." Esmeralda explained. "The archdeacon invited him to a dinner for all the church workers. He's looking forward to it."

"As he should." Claude approved. "He deserves it."

He thought sadly of the boy he'd raised. Hopefully, Esmeralda had been right when she'd theorized that Quasimodo would eventually want to talk to him again.

Esmeralda hoped that her own relationship with the bell ringer would be repaired.