Her Royal Guard

chapter 5

"Is she okay"...
"Wake up Dara..."
"Can you hear me..."
Dara wondered why there was so much noise.  Surely this must have been hell because heaven would not have so much noise.
"Open your eyes chica. Or do you want this delicious man to kiss you again"? Sera's voice, she confirmed.
"Sundara can you hear me?"....
This voice was unknown, or was it.
"Open your eyes Nuri".
I'm starting to live that voice and that accent, Dara thought to herself. But what the hell did Nuri mean, she pondered.
Opening her eyes was harder than she had imagined. It felt like someone had glued them together but wasn't satisfied with the outcome so they decided to sew it as well.
The first thing she saw was a pair of intense blue violet eyes staring at her with concern.
"Chica! What happened? You know not to go in the water!" Sera exclaimed while frantically rubbing her hands, a habit she had whenever she got nervous or worried.
Dara tried to sit up, but the stranger who shall for now be named BlueEyes, Dara thought, was there helping her up.
"How did you fall into the water, Nuri?" Riahd asked. There were many who had blocked his view of what had happened. He assumed that Alex had pushed her, but he needed to hear her confirm it.
"Alex.... pushed". That was the most Dara could utter before being seized by a coughing fit.
"That puta! When I get my hands on him..." The rest of Sera's rant lapsed into Spanish as she stormed off towards where Alex stood with his friends.
"Stop her." Dara managed to whisper.  Her voice still sounded like an eighty year old smoker, but at least she could speak better now.
Dara that her rescuer was still holding her in his arms. With the others  gone she turned to look at him, wondering why he seemed so familiar.
"Thank you," she mumbled barely holding eye contact. "And for that other day too."
"You are welcome. I was walking towards the pool when I saw you fall in, I could not tell if it was accidental or if you pushed. I still thought it to be nothing... until I did not see you come up."
"You have saved me twice now, yet I do not even know your name." Dara said somewhat bravely. He seemed initially shocked that she didn't know his name but that was quickly masked.
"You truly do not know me?" He asked incredulously.
"No I don't.  Although you do look hot enough to be famous but I don't know you. Wait! I don't mean that I was checking you out in a creepy way or anything. Its just that i noticed how handsome you are and that your body was sexy as sin and..... Shit I was rambling. I'm sorry I do that sometimes when I'm nervous or anxious like right now. Once a guy was gonna rob me but I started rambling and I asked him about that stupid which came first thing, ya know. And I said the bird but he didn't believe me he believed it w-"
Dara looked down and saw a finger on her lips. Following the finger to the hand, to the arm, to the neck and finally to the face Dara looked up at the guy she was constantly embarrassing herself in front of.
"My name is Riahd," blue eyes said smiling at her.
"Umm, my name is uhh Dara. By the way, you called me something earlier, what does it mean?"
"You are asking about Nuri correct? " At her slight nod he continued,  "Nuri means.. well it means my light or fire."
"You call me your light?" Dara asked skeptically.
"No. For you, it is My Fire."
"Oh.. Why though?"
"Your hair. It is as if the ends were dipped in fire," he answered absentmindedly as he played with the ends of her hair.
She was about to respond when a guy came up to them, gave her a slight bow?- and whispered something to Riahd. He responded in what Dara new to be some Middle Eastern language. After their small conversation, blue eyes turned to Dara and, looking somewhat guilty, apologized for leaving her here by herself.
"Would it be too forward of me to ask for your number? We could maybe see each other again ."
Dara was uncertain but she decided to listen to that voice in her head that sounded strangely like Sera's.
"Give me your phone."
Dara quickly put her number in his phone and handed it back to him.
"I don't remember how to say your name.  Came you repeat it for me please?"
"Sure. Riahd. Rey-ad." He replied with a smile tugging the corner of his lips and giving indication that there are dimples present.
The stranger from before tapped Riahd on his shoulder. Riahd rolled hus eyes before standing and holding his hand out to help her up.
"It seems I have to go. It was a pleasure meeting you Sundara." With that he turned and left.