Livin' The Dream

Joel will never forget climbing onto his bed, microphone in his hand, and singing his lungs off while his brother laughed and cheered him on. Years later, he remembers his first guitar, and how he played it all night long, how people gathered to listen to him. He remembers sitting on the tailgate of his truck, singing songs he wrote and pretending that he was in front of millions of people, performing those songs.
Now, he doesn't need to pretend. Now, he stands on stage every night and stares at those people he used to dream about. They know his lyrics by heart and come to all his shows, they even cry when they meet him. He doesn't need to remember this moment because he's living it, but for the first time ever, he no longer wants to remember it.
Every night, he walks off the stage holding his guitar, the cheering ends, and the music fades, but so does Joel. He's not happy anymore, can't stand his own dream, the one he worked so hard for, the same one that was starting to kill him slowly. His dream became a nightmare he's living, and now he's starting to dream of never getting on stage again. He misses the same ranch he left years ago. He debated on giving it up, but so much is at risk... this is his career, his life, his passion, right?
Then, one random night while he was once again debating saying fuck it and disappearing, a woman called to him, offering to pay for all his drinks if only he sits through this comedy show with her. She had no idea who he was, and he's always been a people pleaser.
He quickly realized she was everything he wasn't. She was happy. She was adventurous, creative, and even loving. And she made it look so damn easy. By the end of the few hours, she had him remembering a time where he was happy... and now he wants it back, and he wants her.