The Promises in Silence( BL)

Beginnings

At ten years old, Caleb was playing with the other children in the orphanage yard when a woman entered, holding a toddler tightly to her chest. She spoke briefly with Mother Charity, the matron, before placing the boy down and leaving without a backward glance. The toddler's wails echoed through the room, piercing and unrelenting. None of the staff or children could calm him.

Curious and slightly apprehensive, Caleb walked up to Mother Charity. "Can I help?" he asked, his voice steady despite his young age.

Mother Charity hesitated, then nodded. "Let's see if you can manage," she said, leading Caleb toward the crying boy.

As Caleb approached, he stopped in his tracks, his breath catching. The toddler—barely two years old—was the most beautiful child he had ever seen. His curls were a soft, golden blonde, and his wide eyes were an astonishing shade of ocean blue, unlike anything Caleb had ever encountered in his short life.

"Give her to me," Caleb said, his hands reaching out instinctively.

Mother Charity's gentle chuckle brought him back to reality. "Him," she corrected softly. "He's a boy."

Caleb felt his cheeks flush, but as soon as Mother Charity placed the toddler in his arms, the child's cries softened into quiet sniffles. The boy stared up at him with tear-filled eyes, his tiny hands clutching Caleb's shirt as though it were a lifeline.

In that moment, Caleb felt something shift inside him. He didn't understand it fully, but he knew one thing for certain: he would protect this boy with everything he had.

"What's his name?" Caleb asked, his voice barely above a whisper.

"Preston," Mother Charity replied.

Caleb smiled down at the boy in his arms. "Hi, Preston. Don't worry. I'll take care of you."

Preston stared at him, his blue eyes still glistening with tears but now filled with quiet curiosity. Caleb didn't know how or why, but from that moment on, Preston became his world.