When Clifton and Matt met, Matt was living in a shoebox above a supermarket and hating his job; Clifton was contemplating moving back to Texas to live with his mom. Although they each loved NYC in their own way, they both had fantasies of leaving for greener pastures. They met in person on January 23, 2019 at Sisters in Brooklyn after a brief courtship on OkCupid and (unbeknownst to one of them) SCRUFF. They bonded over a love of Kacey Musgraves, cute cats and dogs, and good cocktails. Clifton introduced Matt to the joys of live theater—including analyzing the set—and Matt introduced Clifton to the joys of professional massages. The death of Clifton’s mom in December of 2019 brought them much closer together emotionally, and COVID brought them closer together physically as they escaped NYC to live in Clifton’s mom’s house in La Porte, Texas, with his sister, Emily. After going through so much together, they figured they could surmount any challenge as a couple. They decided to move in together in October 2020. In December 2020, they adopted a cat, Hank, who is missing a tail and is slightly homophobic but they love him nonetheless. In July 2021, Clifton proposed to Matt on a beach in Holbox, Mexico, at sunset, while a restaurant full of patrons looked on and cheered. Matt said “Yes!” and then a solo saxophonist serenaded the two with the Bee Gees song “How Deep Is Your Love?” In 2022, with Clifton’s love and support, Matt was inspired to return to graduate school—a longtime unfulfilled dream. They bought a house together in Tempe, AZ, and are loving their new desert lifestyle. Hank doesn’t seem to mind either.