This story includes, then main male character Nathaniel Harper, the main female character Amrita Mehta. #Charecter introduction#

Nathaniel (Nate)'s Family.

Father- Brandon Scott Harper (former General, retired)

Mother- Lata Harper, (Lata Rathore, she studied in US and married Brandon) Nurse, Retired.

Brother- Randall (Rand) Harper, A former lieutenant in US fell in love with his wife Aana Alberto (A former Sergeant) and they both immigrated to India and live in Daman. They have a 5 year old son Mendel Harper.

Brandon and Lata stayed in US until he retired and moved in with their elder son.

Amrita's Family.

Father- Rajan Mehta, Retired Airforce MWO. Now a professor.

Mother- Neha Mehta, a homemaker.

Brother- Abhishek Mehta, doing BHMS

They live in Mumbai, in a apartment. Just opposite to the apartment Nate moves into.

Story starts with Nate, who moved into a new apartment the day before, came out wearing a crisp formal attire, holding his bag in one hand and papers files in another.

Just then, the door of the apartment opposite to his opened and a girl wearing a kurta over dark blue jeans comes out while checking her watch.

He approaches his neighbor with a warm smile, "Hi, I'm Nate Harper. It's a pleasure to meet you." His tone friendly and genuine.

"Hello! You're the one who moved opposite to us right? You do have a lot of stuff!" Said Amrita.

He chuckles softly at her remark, running a hand through his short hair. "Yeah, that's me. And yes, it seems like I might have overdid the moving boxes a bit," he admits with a wry smile. "But it's all part of the process, right?"

"Yeah Yeah, Do ask for help if needed. I've a gym freak brother at home." She glances at his hands, 'No free hand for a Shake I guess' She thought. "Um.. Going down right? I'll help you with the lift." She strides to the lift and presses the button.

Nate nods gratefully, shifting the heavy file to free up a hand. "That's awfully kind of you. Yes, I'm heading down," As they wait for the lift, he takes a moment to look her over curiously, but not in a rude way. "I appreciate the offer. I haven't seen anyone other than the security at the gate since I moved in. Your name?"

"Ah! It's Amrita. Amrita Mehta. Hello!" Saying so she offered for a shake as she noticed his free hand.

He smiles at Amrita's gesture, feeling at ease with her friendly nature. He accepts her hand in a firm, friendly grip

"Nice to meet you, Amrita Mehta," he says with a warm smile. "Your name suits you. It means fearless and determined, right?"

'Flirting Already?' She thought as she chuckled softly, "Thank you! Yeah I guess.." She recognizes a logo on his papers. 'He works in the near by hospital. So he moved here for work.' she thought. "You're...A Surgeon?"

Nate chuckles at her correct observation as they got into the lift. "Keen eye you have there. Yes, I'm a cardiologist," As he glances down at the papers she was referring to, he adds. "The name of the hospital I work with must have given it away. Yes, I moved here for work, been working at this same hospital for the last 3 years after moving to India."

"That's a challenging field" She said as she closed the lift gate and presses for ground floor. "Working here for 3 years, huh. Must like this place. Why did you decide to move to India?"

Nate nods in agreement with her observation about his career choice. "It is quite challenging, but I've always found it fulfilling," As they descend in the lift he responds to her question. He leaned back against the lift wall and nodded in response to her comment, a hint of reflection in his voice. "I moved to India because I was looking for a change. The US is an incredible country, but it just didn't feel quite right anymore," As the elevator comes to a stop, and the gate opens he gestures for her to exit first, waiting for her response.

As she steps out of the elevator, Amrita turns to him.

"Change, huh? That's quite a courageous decision." She says, her eyes studying him with a mix of curiosity and admiration. "Leaving something familiar and comfortable to start anew in a new place."

Nate follows her out of the elevator, feeling her steady gaze on him.

"Courageous, or perhaps just a bit impulsive," he says with a wry smile, a hint of self-deprecating humor in his tone. "But sometimes you gotta take a chance, you know?" As they start walking toward the exit, he glances at her with a quizzical expression. " What about you? Do you live here with your family?"

Amrita smiles at his self-deprecating humor, appreciating his candidness.

"A bit of both, I guess." She replies, shrugging lightly. "And as for me, yeah, I live here with my parents and my brother Abhishek. You might have seen him at the gym a few times, if you also go there." She points toward the gate, where her brother can be seen stretching in front of the gym.

Nate follows her gesture and sees Abhishek stretching at the gym.

He turns back to her, looking slightly amused and impressed. "He's your brother? I've seen him at the gym a few times. Impressive stamina that guy has."

Amrita chuckles softly at his observation about her brother.

"Yeah, my brother has always been the active type, even when we were younger. Always involved in some physical activity or the other." She says, shaking her head slightly with mock annoyance. "It's a miracle he manages to have a life outside of gym."

Nate laughs, appreciating her lighthearted banter about her brother.

"Seems like the gym is his life," he joked, amused by how well she describes her brother. He glances back at the gym, then back at her.

"But you seem quite different, I bet," he says, cocking an eyebrow slightly. "I mean, with a brother like that..."

Amrita nods, a smirk playing on her lips.

"Oh, you have no idea." She says, shaking her head. "Being his sister, I'm subjected to his exercise advice, dietary recommendations, and endless gym talk practically every day. It's like living with a personal trainer." She chuckles softly, running a hand through her hair. "But don't get me wrong, he's a good brother. Just a little too intense about health and fitness sometimes. he's doing BHMS now. Typical Medical Field. No offense."

Nate chuckled too, amused by her description of her brother.

"None taken, trust me," He says, holding up a hand in mock surrender. "I've got a brother too, and the constant competition over who's the better can get quite tiring. So I get it." As they walk toward the parking, he glances at her again. "So you're obviously not into the medical field, I take it? Or is health and fitness your thing too?"

Amrita shakes her head with a smile.

"Nah, I'm not into the medical field at all." She says, wrinkling her nose slightly. "Fitness, yes, but not in the same way as my brother. I prefer a more balanced approach to health, something that's not just about working out but also includes mindfulness, nature, and overall well-being."

Nate nods, intrigued by her approach to health and fitness.

"A more holistic approach, huh? Sounds interesting," He says, cocking his head slightly as he looked at her a bit more closely. "And how do you practice this mindfulness and well-being? Are you into some kind of meditation or yoga?"

Amrita nods, appreciating his interest in her lifestyle choice.

"Yes, exactly," She explains with enthusiasm. "I'm really into permaculture, it's like this approach to farming and living in harmony with nature. It's not just about growing food, but also creating sustainable ecosystems and fostering a connection with the natural world and it's Patterns."

Nate listens intently, his curiosity piqued by her passion for permaculture. He tilts his head to one side, impressed by her knowledge and conviction.

"That's fascinating," *he remarks, unable to hide the hint of admiration in his voice. "I've heard of permaculture, but I have to admit, I don't know much about it. What exactly does it entail?"

Amrita smiles warmly, glad to see his interest.

"Well, there's a lot to it, but essentially, permaculture is a design system that aims to create sustainable systems that are ecologically sound and socially responsible. It focuses on creating food forests, which are like multi-strata ecosystems that mimic natural forests, but also produces an array of food and other resources. The ultimate goal is to create self-sustaining systems that can support both humans and biodiversity."

Nate's eyebrows raise in surprise at the depth and complexity of permaculture.

"That does sound quite challenging. But incredibly interesting too."

He glanced at her once more, noting her passion for the subject.

"So you've been practicing this permaculture yourself?"

Amrita nods, her eyes lighting up with enthusiasm "Me and my friends did a Permaculture Design Certificate course in Hyderabad. I designed a terrace garden for a friend, Designed a small Land for a Client in Dadra. Now I came home to work on my next Project."

Nate's impressed by her accomplishments and her dedication to permaculture.

"A Certificate course, huh? Impressive. And designing a terrace garden and a small land project, that's impressive too."

He regards her with a curious smile as they continue walking.

"And what's this next project you're speaking of?"

"Design a Land for a Professor who lives here." She said.

Nate can't help but smirk slightly, amused by the coincidence. "A professor, huh?" He says, feigning ignorance for a moment. "Would the professor happen to live in the same building as us?"

Amrita chuckles softly, catching the slight hint in his voice. "As a matter of fact, yes, he does." She answers, a smile playing on her lips. "My Dad."

Nate's smirk turns into a genuine smile as he chuckles with amusement. "I should have known." He replies, shaking his head slightly.

"So, you're designing a permaculture land for your father, huh? That's quite convenient, isn't it?"

"Yeah, And now I'm heading towards it. I must finish this before a new project falls into my hands." She glances at him as he goes to his car. "I guess I stalled a busy surgeon."

Nate can't help but chuckle, appreciating her sense of responsibility and humor. "Don't worry, you didn't stall me for long." He reaches his car, but doesn't get in just yet. He turns towards her, a hint of curiosity in his eyes. "Say, if you don't mind... I'd love to learn more about permaculture from you sometime. I know next to nothing about it, but it sounds fascinating."

"I'm holding a PDC myself this May, If everything goes well. You may join for the introduction if you're free." She smiled.

Nate's eyes widen with surprise and excitement at her offer. "Really? That would be incredible! I'd love to join." He pauses for a moment, then adds with a bit of a cheeky grin, "Do I get a... What's it called... A student discount? Since I'm your neighbor and all."

"The Intro doesn't cost much. If you want a discount that's like joining for free." She smirked as she sat on her Activa.

Nate laughs heartily, appreciating her good humor. "Well, can't blame a guy for trying, right?" He leans against his car, enjoying the banter between them. "So, how about we trade. I'll learn about permaculture from you, and you learn... Well, I'll teach you about... Surgeries."

Amrita laughs too, enjoying the playful banter.

"A trade, huh? You teach me about surgeries, and I'll teach you about permaculture. It's a deal."

She grins, her eyes sparkling with mischief. "But you'd risk me trying to operate on you if I learned even the slightest bit about surgery."

Nate chuckles at her response, shaking his head slightly. "Oh, don't worry. Trust me, I prefer to keep you as my neighbor, not my surgeon," He glances at his watch and then looks back at her, realizing the time is slipping away. "Well, I'd better let you get to your project. But I'll definitely join that PDC in May."

Wishing for this conversation to not end yet, he adds, "And who knows, maybe we can grab a coffee sometime. Discuss permaculture or surgeries, whatever we prefer."

..