Mat Hayes

What do you do when you find yourself in an elevator, alone with your gym crush? With sweaty palms and pits, Joel has a moment of balls, takes the leap of faith and asks him out. Rafi, the gym crush, hesitates a second too long, shattering Joel, who is now desperate to escape an expected rejection. Then, the unthinkable happens—the elevator stops. Between floors. They are stuck. With their rescue delayed, the two men are left with two bottles of screw-top wine and an awkwardly long time to consider each other beyond their first assumptions. With his world stopped, can Joel figure out why he’s stuck? And not just in this elevator?

The story follows a gay man as he confronts the psychological trauma and homophobic conditioning inflicted by his strict religious upbringing. Through painful self-reckoning, he fights to overcome spiritual abuse, dismantle ingrained guilt, and reclaim his identity and mind.

The story follows a gay man as he confronts the psychological trauma and homophobic conditioning inflicted by his strict religious upbringing. Through painful self-reckoning, he fights to overcome spiritual abuse, dismantle ingrained guilt, and reclaim his identity and mind.

The story follows a gay man as he confronts the psychological trauma and homophobic conditioning inflicted by his strict religious upbringing. Through painful self-reckoning, he fights to overcome spiritual abuse, dismantle ingrained guilt, and reclaim his identity and mind.

The story follows a gay man as he confronts the psychological trauma and homophobic conditioning inflicted by his strict religious upbringing. Through painful self-reckoning, he fights to overcome spiritual abuse, dismantle ingrained guilt, and reclaim his identity and mind.