HYSTERIA

FIFTY - COME SAIL AWAY

COME SAIL AWAY - STYX

"So climb aboard, we'll search for tomorrow on every shore and I'll try, oh Lord I'll try, to carry on."

ONE AND A HALF YEARS LATER

ARIEL CALLAWAY

This California sunshine is contagious. The sun is brighter and warmer, and my heart feels lighter and happier.

As soon as I landed here, it was like a weight was lifted from my shoulders. However, the change wasn't instant. I struggled a lot at first, I didn't have anyone or anything stopping me, and I was still battling with a lot of inner conflict. I knew it for a while, that I had to quit with the bad habits, before it became out of my control; and I've now been sober for a year and seven months.

I sought refuge at the beach, I still do, no matter the weather or the time of year. The cold winter days are my favorite though. The bitter air burning my cheeks, the chill stinging my skin, and the slight ache I get in my ears from the cold wind; it all helped me feel, kept me grounded– present. Something I struggled with in Nashville.

I didn't have a safe place in Nashville. Always surrounded by such chaotic nightlife, working in a bar that brought more chaos... I didn't have anywhere to go. The peace of the mountains were hours away, it was like I set myself up for disaster moving there. But then I think about all of the friendships I wouldn't have if I didn't move.

June has only been out here a few times since I moved, it's been hard now that her and Niall are wedding planning. They moved to New York within the last year, and with You Are Home opening, I haven't had time to make it over there yet. They're still living in a very quaint apartment, so they are in no rush to have me, in fact they urge me not to come until they have a bigger place.

Opening You Are Home was definitely a change for me. I had way too many ideas going into it and I was way over my head. So, I started simple; just a little cafe... But it didn't stand out to me. I didn't want people coming in for a coffee and a biscuit and then leaving, I wanted to give them a reason to stay, a reason to want to come back. And with music being such a big part of my life, I thought I'd spend a little extra and put up a small stage in the back. It's really just a raised platform, but surrounding it on the walls are various records. All different genres, but all of them my favorites.

A lot of my life, I felt like I didn't have a voice, so to give people that opportunity, a community to feel seen– I grabbed it and ran. I have no regrets, it's the best thing I've ever done, and going to work every day truly brings me so much joy.

"Are you ready yet?" Lena's voice breaks through my thoughts, her playful tone pulling me back to the present. I smile, knowing she's been counting down the days to the music festival. She's your quintessential West Coast girl—effortlessly cool, with sun-kissed skin and a carefree spirit that feels like a breath of fresh air. We met right here in Venice Beach, and she's been my anchor in this new life I've built.

One of the largest music festivals in the country, Lena has been going for years, but this is the first time that I'll be joining her. She secured the tickets before the lineup was even announced, making the release all the more exciting. I remember sitting on the small couch in our apartment, looking at the photo with all of the artist's names, and I saw his in large, bold letters.

Harry Styles.

Seeing his name sent a wave of emotions through me, but I kept my cool. Lena doesn't know about him, or much of anything about my past in Nashville– it's easier that way, and it's all irrelevant now that I'm here.