'John'. Just 'John.'

Bobby licked his lips and took a deep breath, the words tumbling out of him quickly as he exhaled. "I'm engaged. Yeah, I know you didn't. That's because, uh...you know my roommate?" He closed his eyes as a new wariness entered his mother's voice when she replied. "Well...he's my fiancé now." He was quiet, waiting for a few seconds. When she didn't respond, he went on. "Mom? Are--" And then he got a response. "--Mom, I just wanted--" His jaw set as he listened. "I don't want to, mom. I love him. No, I'm not a child, and I do know--" He subconsciously shifted away from John, wrapping an arm around his stomach and hunching his shoulders as his mother's emotions shifted from anger to pain and bewilderment. "No, mom, it's nothing you did," he said quietly, wondering why he ever expected this call to go even slightly better than it was. "It's just who I am and who I love." He listened for another minute, then said, "I'm sorry, mom. I didn't mean--yeah, okay. I l--"

And then his phone was beeping in his ear, signalling the end of the call, and he let it fall from his hand onto the bed before leaning his elbows on his knees and burying his face in his hands.