My novels originate from dreams. With barely an eye open, I wake up and start writing, so please forgive any punctuation or grammar mistakes. You are reading these words as they first came to me.

Dream Jerk Followed Me

Walking on the street in New York at night. I was looking for a particular place, relying on an address, but when I got there the building was empty. A guy comes by and grabs my butt and starts talking to me, but I slap at him hard across the face, and another guy takes me in his arms, pressing me into his body. I become enraged, struggling and hollering. I notice several people coming out of the building right next to the empty one. I want to ask them about the missing business I was looking for, but I don’t because these guys are pestering me. You’d think they would help me.

Somehow, I manage to get away and I take off toward home but they follow, still taunting me and grabbing at me. I yell and shove them away, but they only laugh. I pull out my phone and tell Siri to call Amy (my friend), but the AI isn’t responding, and I don’t want to stop walking to find her number.

I come across a person getting into their car, and I yell for help. It’s another girl, she stops and stares. I walk to her side of the car on the street, the guys remain on the sidewalk while I talk to her. I stall until I watch them leave. I tell her thanks and continue to a house party I’m supposed to meet my friends at. When I get there, everyone is in the living room mostly watching TV, but the party is still building in size.

I’m sitting on the couch, not sure why I’m there because my friends ditched me. One of the guys that was taunting me hops over the back of the couch and sits next to me, putting his arm around my shoulder. I roughly removed it and look to the person sitting next to me to complain about the intruder, but he’s leering at me with hungry eyes. I try to ignore them both. I could just get up, but I know he will follow so what’s the point—he followed me here, after all.

I turn to the guy and ask, “What is your name anyway?” He looks startled by my inquiry.

“BJ, but my friends call me Beej.” BJ was the last name I expected it to be, it’s so kind and gentle, innocuous, friendly even—everything he’s not.

“BJ?” I laugh.

“He looks taken aback. Yeah so?”

“Why are you here?”

“I wanted to see you.”

“Why so you can molest me some more?”

He gives me a wicked grin. “Yes.”

I start to get up. “Pig,” I snap at him.

He grabs my arm. “I’m sorry about all that. When Jace and I get together, we can be idiots.”

“You think?” I stare at him pointedly

“Anyway, I wanted to see you again, so I followed you.”

“Well, you saw me. Now leave.”

“Can’t. I want to know more about you.”

“Are you kidding me? You’ve got some balls coming here.” I stare at his green eyes, his full lips, and realize he’s attractive.

Then I wake up.