Honey, Hold Me Tight || Completed ✅

18) A Rough Path

Keit's eyes remain wide in disbelief as his friends pick him up from the floor, his uniform now smudged with rice and curry stains, icy-cold water droplets dripping down his face. There is pin drop silence in the whole canteen as all the students watch in horror and some even in amazement the scene playing out in front of them.

Dean keeps his eyes fixed on Keit as he stands straight and his friends are fussing over him. He steps closer to the younger guy and grabs him by the collar with one hand and passes the plate on his other to Stephanie who looks like she's watching her favorite scene of a movie play out live in front of her.

Dean tugs Keit towards himself harshly and looks at him with so much anger in his eyes that it makes Keit cower in his hold.

"You have a very bad habit of running into people. One-time humiliation is not enough for you, huh?" Dean shakes Keit roughly, now holding his collar in both his hands. The murderous vibes emitting from Dean made everyone just watch him bully the poor junior. Keit whimpers looking at Dean's eyes blazing with fire but the tight hold the senior doesn't seem to be released any time soon.

"If you even walk blindly and run into me again, I won't be this good. You got it?" Keit stares at him in confusion and fear. Why is Dean doing this? He never thought that Dean will treat him this way even for the sake of the act. But now, looking at Dean glowering at him Keit cannot even tell whether it is an act or real anger. Dean's eyes held no softness like before. There was no reassurance in his body language.

"I asked, you got it?" Dean yells at Keit's face making him nod his head frantically.

"Y- yes. I got it. I- I'm sorry." Keit says in a wobbly voice which makes Stephanie scoff and she mutters under her breath such a weakling.

"Whoa man! I didn't know you'll show your demon side in the public." Came a voice which is well engraved in Keit's memory. All eyes move into the direction of the voice and they see Archie walking towards the scene with a grin on his face, looking very pleased with what he is looking at. Beside him walks Jude and Jake with confused expression and behind them is Ohm who is looking so worried he might faint.

"Need to teach him a lesson or he might get used to making mistakes without the fear of any retaliation." Dean gives Keit a dirty look and pushes him away roughly making the younger's heart break. Archie stands beside Dean and pats his back appreciatively. "I'm glad your taking good care of your juniors. Though now I think I'm falling behind in that area." Archie smirks and gives a sideway glance to Theo who is now wiping away Keit's stained shirt by a paper napkin which he picked up from a random table.

"What is happening here?" comes a loud booming voice as the head of the department of CSE walks towards them. Mrs. Vasundhara Nayar, a 49 years old woman, is well respected and one of the big names that made Scientia University what it is today. She randomly decides to take the round of the building and whoever is caught doing any wrong deed is the unluckiest person in the planet.

The grey colored blazer and trouser with a light blue colored shirt gives her a proper business woman look.

A shiver runs down everyone's spine when they see her approaching the boys who were just bullying the poor junior. Even Archie's hands become clammy because of nervousness. He is not from their faculty but that doesn't mean she will spare him.

Dean speaks up confidently "Nothing ma'am. We were just helping this junior who tripped and fell." He walks closer to Keit, snatching the napkin from Theo and bends to wipe away the rice sticking on his trouser.

The professor looks up at Keit who is trying hard to keep his tears at bay and raises he eyebrow in question to which Keit nods. He can never rat out Dean. Never.