How I Been

Part 4.5

Three chapters in one night?! Oh y'all won. Working on another chapter will drop soon.

What's your favorite color? Mine is Pink!

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Jamal waited all day until he got a text from Hector letting him know he could call. The moment he received that text, he hit the FaceTime button with lightning speed.

"Ima be wrong if I drop a first-day-out freestyle?" Hector asked as soon as the call connected. Jamal squealed, unapologetically, because for Fucks sake, he's already pregnant.

"You are not dropping any mother-fucking freestyle," Jamal laughed, rubbing his belly. He admired his lover, the sadness that lingered on his face for the past six months no longer present. The radiating confidence, the smugness that made him fall in love with the taller man, now back and stronger than ever.

"See, look at you already messing up my dreams. Is this how you're doing me?" Hector faked sadness, the smile still bright and growing on his face. "Two weeks, two weeks and I get to hold you again! And lord, I hope by then our babies are out too," Hector sighed.

"See, now that I think about it, they should be the ones releasing the freestyle for real," Hector stated suddenly getting serious. Jamal couldn't help but laugh.

"You're actually so annoying," Jamal laughed, snorting. "I can't wait to see you; first thing we're doing is going to the barber shop—you look a mess," Jamal teased, knowing damn well nothing about the man on the other end of the phone looked a mess. Hector scoffed, feigning to be offended.

"Now all of a sudden I'm ugly? You're gonna be the first name in my diss track," Hector sulked, moving the blanket out of the lower bunk where he's been sleeping for the past five months. He pulled Jamal's old stress ball out from under the pillow and started rolling it on his abs.

"You're finna make me famous, name-dropping me," Jamal continued teasing. Hector looked into the camera, a goofy smile still on his face.

"Baby, I was so nervous. I couldn't even see you; I knew you were there on Zoom because they said it, but they didn't put you on the screen. I went up there and said what was in my chest; I didn't even go on script. I was hoping they would feel my emotions, and boy, did they. That room was dead silent!" Hector debriefed.

"They kept telling me congratulations; I know they finna put your ass on the news soon because why were they acting like they ain't never heard of a man pregnant with triplets like Deon Jones don't exist," Hector ranted.

Deon Jones was a good example because he's also a man that had triplets. He was rich, though; he had no complications and had around-the-clock care, so maybe he wasn't such a good example, the more Hector thought about it.

"I'm proud of you. And you up there calling me your husband?! You ain't even asked me yet. This just like when you were out telling Damien I'm your boyfriend and you ain't even asked. What if I say no?" Jamal teased, trying to change the subject.

"Imagine you saying no to me. Boy, I'm not playing with you," Hector stated, rolling his eyes. Jamal laughed, feeling feet punching his stomach. The babies must be entertained too. It's been a while since Hector has been this carefree.

"Whatever that means," Jamal stated, still giggling. "You done woke the babies up; they're playing stomp the yard on my bladder—this shit is not for the weak," Jamal continued laughing.

"Mmm, go lemme watch you pee," Hector teased, rolling the stress ball in his hands.

"Oh, you nasty freaky fuck," Jamal scoffed, still amused. Hector shrugged, not fazed by his lover's words. Because yes indeed, he was a nasty freaky fuck. Jamal was just lucky they were in prison, and he was new to any form of sexual interactions because Hector could have shown him so much.

Jamal got up off the hospital bed and wobbled to the bathroom. "I'm putting you on the counter so you don't see me," Jamal said as he pulled his hospital pants down to relieve his bladder.

"You're doing all this like we weren't in a 4 by 4 together and I ain't see you pee and take a shit many times. Who are you fooling?" Hector asked.

"Oh my God, bro, you're so disgusting," Jamal scoffed as he relieved himself. The patter of the urine and Hector's laughter felt somehow soothing.

"Now all of a sudden it's disgusting," Hector continued to tease. Jamal rolled his eyes and finished using the restroom. He flushed the toilet, washed his hands, and picked his phone back up again. He held the phone up as if taking a selfie.

"Take pictures of me, bae," he said, smiling into the phone camera. Hector smiled, taking screenshots of the FaceTime screen as Jamal changed poses. Jamal's face was rounder now, his nose a little bigger but not too big. His lips plump and full, his hair also grew—it was now in almost a low taper. A small beard. He looked radiant. Hector couldn't wait to have him in his arms again.

"You're so fucking cute," Hector cooed.

"Well, thank you, baby daddy," Jamal smiled back, walking back into his room and laying down.

"You're welcome, pretty baby," Hector sighed. Boy, was he in love.

"Baby, that specialist could be in any time now, and we haven't even decided on names yet," Jamal brought up.

"We just had a lot on our plate. Let's come up with two names; I think we should do six, and whichever one you end up picking when you see the babies, I'll support," Hector said. It was smart—only picking six names they absolutely love so no matter what combination of children they get, they'll have names for them.

"I'm still standing strong on Zamari and Mercari for boy names. And I like Chenoa and Kaia for girl names," Hector shared. Jamal actually loved those names as well. He opened his notepad app and wrote those names down.

"I love them. I want to add Riley and Shawn for unisex kind of names, and we're all set," Jamal added.

"Yeah, I actually fuck with those," Hector hummed.

"Two more weeks!" Hector groaned. "Two more weeks and we're finna be playing house!"

"Yeah," Jamal dreamily agreed.

"I'm finna look for a new place. I don't want you nowhere near that man, and I don't want to risk getting sent back in if I do something I'll regret," Hector shared, and Jamal couldn't agree more.

"Yeah, baby, I agree. It's going to be hard with newborns and moving, but it's definitely worth it. He's psychotic. I damn near want to write a police report on him, but I don't have any proof," Jamal quipped.

"Ima make it work, trust me. Get some sleep, though, baby; I'll speak to you tomorrow, okay?" Hector reassured.

"Okay, goodnight, baby daddy. I love you so much," Jamal pecked his phone screen.

"I love you more," Hector disclosed, kissing the screen as well before hanging up.

They acted like lovesick teenagers, but that's what it felt like once you found your soulmate. Nothing compares to that feeling.