Chapter 18

This chapter is the longest thus far. While little time actually passes, there is still much that needs describing. Everything so far has been leading our three main characters to this particular moment in time. A climax, if you will. Both literary and literally.

“I ... I can’t believe we just did that!” Cassandra managed to say between gasps. Her orgasm managed to clear her mind from the fog of lust but she was still enjoying the afterglow too much to put any real thought into it. “That was...”

“Amazing!” Rapunzel finished for her.

“I was going to say crazy.”

“What? No. Well, maybe a little. But it felt so ... perfect!” Rapunzel said as she shakily got up and sat on the bench between her two lovers. Her legs were still trembling from one of the most powerful orgasms she’d ever had. She looked at Eugene, then at Cassandra, her heart and mind filled with love for these two wonderful people. As she looked back and forth between them a thought entered her mind. At first she almost laughed at the idea, it was so outrageous even compared to what had just taken place, but the more she thought about it the more she began to think that maybe, just maybe, it could actually work.

Eugene noticed how she kept glancing at him and then at Cassandra. “What are you thinking about, love?” he asked.

Rapunzel blushed. “I just thought of something actually crazy,” she said. At first she wasn’t sure if she really wanted to give voice to the idea, but after an encouraging nod from both Eugene and Cassandra she decided to tell them. “You know how I was just saying I didn’t like having to split my time between you two? What ... what if I just ... didn’t? What if I didn’t have to split my time because ... because the three of us were together?”

“What, you mean like what we just did?” Eugene asked. He certainly wouldn’t say no to a repeat as that was perhaps the most erotic experience he’d ever had. Watching Rapunzel eat out Cassandra while he was balls deep inside of her was definitely something he could get used to.

Rapunzel shook her head, her blush deepening. “Not quite. While yes, we were together. We weren’t really TOGETHER, together. It was just two pairs with a little overlap. There was you and me, and me and Cass. I was thinking more like you and me AND Cass.”

At her words Cassandra and Eugene looked at each other in surprise. As their eyes met each of them blushed nearly as deeply as Rapunzel. Eugene was the first to find his voice. “Hold on. Sunshine, are you suggesting that Cassandra and I...?”

Rapunzel took his hand in hers. “You and I are lovers,” she said to him, then looked to Cassandra and held her hand as well. “And you and I are lovers.” Then to the both of them she said, “So there’s just one more side to this little triangle that needs to be completed.” To emphasise her point, she then brought her two hands together, pulling on the other two until she had their hands together and removed her own.

Other than some incidental contact while on vacation, neither Eugene or Cassandra had even so much as touched the other while they were naked, and whatever teasing or flirting that had gone on between them only happened because of the explicit knowledge that it would never progress further. But what Rapunzel was suggesting was different. Genuine. Both of them gazed down at their joined hands, then up into each other’s face, blushing further.

“I, uh...”

“Um...”

Both parties were truly at a loss for words. Perhaps it was simply because of shock, but neither pulled their hand away, nor did they voice any objection to Rapunzel’s suggestion for several very long seconds. Then, as if whatever spell that was over them finally broke, Cassandra and Eugene looked away from each other and pulled their hands back, each of them suddenly feeling uncharacteristically shy.

“You don’t need to say anything now,” Rapunzel said, knowing it was a rather radical idea. “But promise me you’ll think about it. I know you two aren’t in love with each other like I am with you, but I also know the potential is there for so much more. I’m certain that if you two were to, you know, that you’d both really enjoy it.”

Cassandra looked back and forth between Rapunzel and Eugene. “I ... I need time to think about this,” she said, getting up to her feet.

“Of course,” Rapunzel replied. She handed Cassandra her towel and gave her a gentle kiss on her cheek. “Take as much time as you need. Just know that our door is always open to you, whenever you’re ready.”

The married couple waited several minutes before exiting the sauna themselves, to give Cassandra a chance to get dressed in private. Rather than get dressed themselves, they simply moved over to the tub and filled it with water that wasn’t very hot, which would help them cool off from the heat of the sauna.

Slipping into the comparatively cool water, Eugene couldn’t hold back any longer. “Are you serious, Rapunzel? You want me to have sex with Cassandra?” he asked, still in bewilderment.

“I am, and yes,” she said, settling into his lap. Almost out of habit, Eugene wrapped his arms around her without even thinking about it. Rapunzel sighed in contentment. “I love you and I love Cassandra,” she continued, “and I want to share what I have with you both. You’re an amazing lover-”

“Why thank you,” Eugene interrupted, smiling.

Rapunzel smiled as well. “And Cassandra has said on multiple occasions that she thinks you’re sexy.”

“She did?” Eugene asked in surprise.

“Well ... she never said that specifically, but from what she has said and how she looked at you when we were on vacation I know she finds you attractive. Physically, at least. Personality-wise, you two are oil and water. But if I can continue with the analogy, if we combine those things with the right ingredients, we could make something wonderful.”

Eugene was curious as to where Rapunzel was going with this. “Oh really? And what, pray-tell, would those other ingredients be?”

“If you were oil, and Cass water, then I could be the flour. Get it?” she half joked. Eugene chuckled slightly. It was cute when Rapunzel tried to be funny. Rapunzel continued, “And love could be the eggs. I know you two aren’t IN love with each other, but you do love each other.”

“Yes, I care very much for Cassandra,” Eugene admitted, “but it’s more like she’s an annoying little sister, rather than a lover, and I imagine she feels the same about me.”

“But love is still there. Then we have time as our baking powder. Time for the relationship between you two to ‘rise’. And lastly we need sugar. Lots and lots of sugar!”

“And what is sugar supposed to be?” Eugene asked, though he was fairly certain of the answer.

“Hmm,” Rapunzel grinned. “Why don’t you take a guess?” Rather than wait for him to actually do so, she ground her hips against his crotch.

Despite their earlier activities, Eugene was already beginning to respond to Rapunzel’s actions. His member stiffened from her grinding and he let out a soft moan of desire. “If we’re baking a cake here, Sunshine, aren’t we still missing a few ingredients?” he said.

“You’re right. We still need butter and milk. Now where oh where could we find something as soft and smooth as butter?” Rapunzel purred. She took a hand and guided him to her entrance. “Oh look, I think I found an appropriate substitute. Wouldn’t you agree?” She lowered herself onto him, letting out a sigh of contentment.

Eugene let out his own sigh. “So soft,” he agreed, feeling the velvety softness of Rapunzel’s vagina wrap itself around his shaft. “So smooth.” Their conversation, added to the stimulation Rapunzel was providing, had him already feeling the tinglings of another climax.

Rapunzel managed to rotate so that she was facing Eugene. “If we keep this up I think I know where we can find some milk,” she teased.

“That’s more like cream than milk,” Eugene pointed out.

“Close enough.”

Eugene was loving what his wife was doing, but he was having difficulty maintaining his calm. “What ... what about the flavour?” he managed to ask.

“I was thinking Neapolitan.” Rapunzel then pointed to herself. “Vanilla.” Then she ran her fingers through Eugene’s goatee. “Chocolate.” She lowered her hand but continued to grind against him. “And Cass is definitely strawberry.”

Eugene groaned, nearing his climax. “I love strawberries.”

“I know.” Rapunzel said. Her voice was low and seductive as she continued to ride her husband. “I love them too. I could eat strawberries all ... day ... long. Wouldn’t it be great if we could eat strawberries together?” Eugene groaned again. “Especially if they were covered in cream.”

A vision of Rapunzel eating out Cassandra after Eugene himself had flooded the raven-haired beauty with cum filled his mind. It was too much. He pulled Rapunzel tight and exploded inside her.

“Ah, there’s the milk,” Rapunzel sighed, feeling Eugene cum.

“God, Rapunzel! When did you get so ... kinky? Not that I mind, of course,” Eugene said with a grin. He held her even closer and planted soft kisses all over her face.

“Probably around the same time I learned how fun it was to do to Cassandra what you do to me.” Rapunzel dismounted from Eugene and sat down next to him, wrapping one of his arms around her. “Now, if we can get back to what I was saying before our little ... distraction?”

Eugene kissed the top of Rapunzel’s head. “You can distract me like that any time, my love.”

“As I was saying ... you’re an excellent lover and I’d love for Cassandra to be able to experience that too. And Cassandra is a beautiful and loving woman and I want you to know the joy of making her orgasm.”

“So you’d really be okay with me having sex with another woman?” Eugene asked.

“I think I’ve come to understand your reasoning for letting me be with Cass a little better. I want her to be as happy as she can be, and if that means sharing you with her then I’m okay with that. More than okay, actually.”

“Care to explain?”

“When she confessed to me, Cass mentioned that she’s attracted to men but that I’m kind of an exception to the rule. If what she and I have is going to be a permanent thing, and I really think we both want it to be, I don’t want her going her whole life without knowing the pleasures a man can give.” Rapunzel put emphasis on her words by stroking Eugene’s shaft. “I can’t think of anyone better than you to give her the things that I, a fellow woman, simply can’t.”

Eugene sighed with contentment under the touch of his wife. After a moment he said, “Well I don’t know how to say this without sounding like a pig or that I’m being unfaithful, but you’ve convinced me, Rapunzel. If Cassandra says yes, then I will gladly give her the full ‘Eugene Fitzherbert’ experience.”

Rapunzel smiled and gave him a long, loving kiss. “Wonderful.”

Cassandra remained scarce for the remainder of the day, and for much of the next. She skipped out on helping Rapunzel with the translations as there was no way she’d be able to concentrate on her work. There was a lot to think about and she didn’t want the princess or Eugene ... distracting her. Her initial reaction was to reject Rapunzel’s suggestion. After all, it was just plain crazy to think that Cassandra and Eugene could become lovers; they were just too different. He was very much the laissez-faire type of person while she was ordered and thoughtful. The chaos he brought with him always ruined whatever plans she made, though admittedly that wasn’t always a bad thing since without the crazy ideas Eugene brought with him Cassandra never would have had the chance to confess her feelings for Rapunzel.

Granted, their relationship had certainly changed since the first time they met. Cassandra remembered barely being able to tolerate the loud, brash, buffoon of an ex-thief. But their antagonism and hostility slowly made way for more cordial behaviour and what used to be genuine insults morphed into sarcastic teasing. Cassandra still couldn’t place a finger on when that shift happened, but she had to admit that it was a lot more fun to banter with Eugene than it was to simply insult him, although the insults still held their charm.

Without really thinking about where she was going Cassandra eventually found herself standing outside of Rapunzel’s bedroom. She blushed when she realised where she was, her thoughts drifting to what could be waiting for her beyond those doors. Visions of Rapunzel, Eugene, and herself all naked and tangled up together on that large bed in throes of passion caused her breath to quicken and she had to shake her head to try and banish the thoughts. As arousing as the idea was, she still wasn’t convinced that she could bring herself to do those sorts of things with Eugene, of all people.

A voice suddenly broke the silence. “Cass?”

Cassandra jumped at the sound and turned around. Right behind her were Rapunzel and Eugene. Clearly she was so lost in thought that she hadn’t heard their approach. Rapunzel was the one who had spoken and had an expression that seemed to be excited, nervous, curious, and expectant all at once. Eugene, similar to when they had last parted, still seemed to be uncharacteristically shy, and looked away from Cassandra when their eyes met. For some reason, his shyness seemed to make the situation even more awkward.

“Raps! I, um, I didn’t see you there,” Cassandra said, trying her best to act as casual as possible. And failing utterly.

“Eugene and I were just about to head to our room for the night,” Rapunzel pointed out.

“Oh! Is it ... is it that time already?” Cassandra asked. How long had she been standing there, lost in her thoughts?

There was a long pause before anyone said something. “Would ... would you like to come in?” Rapunzel asked tentatively. Though not stated explicitly, the intent hidden behind the question was obvious.

Cassandra blushed again. Her eyes went wide as she looked back and forth between Rapunzel and Eugene. Fear and nervousness were quite prominent, yet she couldn’t dismiss there was a hint of something else hiding just below the surface.

Rapunzel saw the nervousness on her friend’s face and relented, understanding that Cassandra was not actually there for what she was hoping for. “Just to talk,” she said, amending her earlier question. “Not to ... you know.”

Cassandra gulped. She gave a brief glance at Eugene, then at Rapunzel, before looking somewhere off to the side. “If ... if it’s just to talk, then maybe I could join you for a little while.”

Rapunzel’s face lit up at Cassandra’s answer, then she quickly walked past her friend and opened the door to her room. Eugene followed her and walked inside, making a conscious effort to not look Cassandra in the eye as he passed. Cassandra herself was still rooted to her spot on the floor.

Rapunzel held out a hand to her and smiled. The lady-in-waiting took a deep breath to try and calm herself. It didn’t really work. “Just to talk,” she repeated, more to herself than to anyone else. Then she took Rapunzel’s hand and allowed herself to be led inside.

Once past the threshold, Rapunzel closed the door behind them and led Cassandra over to the sitting area where there were several large soft lounging chairs arranged in a semicircle. “Please, make yourself comfortable Cass,” she said. “Would you mind if Eugene and I slip into something a little more ... casual?” She and her husband were still in their ‘work clothes’, for lack of a better term, and while comfortable enough to spend the day in, they weren’t ideal for relaxing in.

“Not at all, Princess,” Cassandra answered, a little more stiff than she intended. Her nerves were still clearly getting the better of her. “I’m the one imposing on you, so please don’t feel you have to change your routine on my account.”

Rapunzel smiled at her friend before slipping behind the privacy screen to change. If Cassandra knew that her normal routine was to get naked at this point in the evening, then she might not have worded things quite the same. Instead, she slipped into a familiar blue silk nightgown that was light enough to be barely felt yet thick enough in the right places to preserve her modesty. Not that she had any reason to hide her body from Cassandra, but considering the situation, walking around naked in front of the other woman probably would be in poor taste.

Eugene also undressed from his captain-of-the-guard uniform and put on some simple cotton slacks and shirt, again something that was comfy and wouldn’t draw any attention. While it took practically no time for him to change, he waited for Rapunzel to finish before the two of them emerged from behind the screen and joined their guest, sitting on a couch that Cassandra was quite familiar with, as she had laid on it for Rapunzel’s nude painting of her.

The three adults sat in an awkward silence for some time, and whenever one of them was nearly ready to say something they caught the eye of one of the others and got cold feet, and glanced away. Eventually Rapunzel could bear it no longer and fought through the awkwardness. “So Cass, shall I assume you haven’t come to a decision about our offer yet?” she suddenly blurted out.

Cassandra and Eugene both blushed. “Wow,” Cassandra said, “we’re really just jumping right into it, huh?”

“You know Raps,” Eugene said to Cass. “She’s not really one for half measures.”

“No kidding. But to answer your question, Rapunzel, no, I haven’t.”

“How come?” the princess asked.

“How come?” Cassandra repeated. “Really? It’s been, like, a day. You think it’s easy to decide to become lovers with someone who at one point you couldn’t bear to be in the same room with? No offence, Eugene.”

“None taken. We all know the feeling was mutual.”

Rapunzel smiled. “So what I’m hearing,” she said, “is that it’s not a matter of IF you’ll say yes, but how much time you need until you DO say yes.”

Cassandra’s eyes went wide. She quickly looked at Eugene then back at Rapunzel. “That’s not it at all!” she protested. But as she thought about it, was Rapunzel actually wrong? The whole idea of Cassandra and Eugene having sex was preposterous, so why hadn’t she already said no? Even now she just couldn’t bring herself to outright reject Rapunzel’s proposal. Was there something holding her back? What was she waiting for?

Rapunzel could see the wheels turning in Cassandra’s head. “Perhaps talking about sex right away is rushing things,” she admitted. “After all, Eugene and I were a couple for years before I accepted his proposal, and it wasn’t until our wedding night that we finally ... became one.”

“But what a night it was,” Eugene added, trying to break some of the tension with a little light-hearted humour.

Rapunzel smiled at her husband and held his hand, lacing their fingers together. “For you two to go from nothing to full on lovers in only a single day is maybe being a bit presumptuous.”

“Maybe,” Cassandra agreed. She tried to ignore how Rapunzel acted as though her having sex with Eugene at some point was already a foregone conclusion.

“So to help you come to a decision, one way or the other,” Rapunzel said, though it was clear to them all what kind of decision she was expecting, “perhaps we can try out something simple, and go from there.”

“What do you mean, ‘something simple’?” Cassandra asked.

Rapunzel turned to her husband. “Let me take the lead on this one, okay?” She spoke quietly but loud enough for Cassandra to hear. Eugene just nodded, trying his hardest to not look as nervous as Cassandra felt, though it was clear that the only one with any sense of calm about this whole thing was the princess. Rapunzel then shifted over to the far end of the couch and, looking back at Cassandra with a smile, tapped the now open space with her hand.

Cassandra stared at the area between Rapunzel and Eugene, her heart hammering in her chest. Who would have thought such a simple, innocent request as sitting down next to someone could cause so much anxiety? She had to clench her hands into fists to keep them from trembling. Still, she left her seat and stiffly sat down on the couch, pointedly not looking at Eugene the entire time.

Rapunzel smiled, empathetic to Cassandra’s plight. “Let’s start with something easy, okay? Something we’ve already done before. We’ll just hold hands.” Immediately Cassandra grabbed Rapunzel’s hand in a vice-like grip. Rapunzel gave a little giggle. “Not quite what I meant, Cass.”

Cassandra’s grip lessened slightly. “Sorry,” she said. “I’m just really...” She wanted to say terrified, but that wasn’t really the right word for how she was feeling. She wasn’t even sure what she was feeling, so there was absolutely no way for her to articulate it.

“Nervous?” Rapunzel suggested. She adjusted her hand in Cassandra’s so that their fingers laced together. “Don’t worry, Cass. We’re just testing the waters here, seeing where your lines are. We might try and push those lines a bit, but we won’t do anything you’re too uncomfortable with. Like on the island, just say the word and we’ll stop.”

Cassandra didn’t say anything but gave a slight nod in response. Rapunzel then held up her other hand to Eugene, who took hold of it and intertwined their fingers, just like how Rapunzel and Cassandra were holding hands. Catching Cassandra’s attention, Rapunzel looked down at Cass’s free hand, then back to her face, raising an eyebrow. Eugene noticed as well and held out his other hand to Cassandra. Cass took the hint, sighed, and grasped Eugene’s hand in hers.

“Nuh-uh,” Rapunzel gently said, shaking her head. She pulled up her and Eugene’s joined hands in front of Cassandra’s face. “Like this.”

Of course Cassandra knew that was what Rapunzel wanted. She sighed again and began to slip her fingers in between Eugene’s. “Ah!” she suddenly yelled and yanked her hand away. Eugene had curled up a couple of his fingers and tickled her palm.

“What’s wrong?” Rapunzel asked.

“Fitzherbert tried to tickle my hand,” Cassandra said.

Eugene gave a little chuckle. “Judging by your reaction, Cass, I’d say I did more than just try.” Cassandra shot him a look. “You’re taking all this way too seriously. I was just trying to ease the tension.” Cassandra kept glaring at him. “Okay, I promise not to do it again.”

Cassandra didn’t want to admit it, but Eugene’s actions did help. At least a little. She brought her hand back to his, but watched his fingers closely just to make sure he kept his promise, which he did. It felt very strange to lace fingers with Eugene, but it wasn’t as bad as she thought it would be. Perhaps it was because Rapunzel was holding her other hand that made holding Eugene’s actually somewhat bearable, if even pleasant.

They stayed in their little triangle of hand-holding for nearly a minute, not feeling the need to talk, but just absorbed the feeling of holding hands with two different people at the same time. Eventually Rapunzel let go of both Cassandra and Eugene, and Cassandra took that as a sign that she could let go of Eugene’s hand as well.

“That wasn’t so hard, now was it?” Rapunzel asked.

“I guess not,” Cassandra admitted, though she still had the thought of wiping her hand on her dress.

Rapunzel leaned in and hugged Cassandra. “Thanks for being willing to try,” she said. Cassandra happily returned the embrace.

“You don’t mind if I show my thanks as well, do you?” Eugene asked as he watched the two women hug.

“Depends on what you mean,” Cassandra replied, a little sceptical.

“Just this,” Eugene said and joined in on the hug, pressing his chest against Cassandra’s back and wrapping his arms around her stomach.

Cassandra stiffened at Eugene’s touch, but relaxed when it was clear that’s all he was going to do. The three of them had group hugs before but it was always Rapunzel who was in the middle, save for that one time when they were drugged with a potion that inverted their personalities and Cassandra had done the hugging, so it was quite a different experience for her to be the centre of attention. Like the hand-holding, it was strange, but certainly not unpleasant, to be held like this, literally surrounded by people who cared for and loved her more than anyone else in the world.

After the hug went on for some time, Rapunzel said, “You know what, Cass? You’re still way too stiff. I think it would do you a world of good to get another of Eugene’s world-renowned massages, and as a bonus I’ll help too!”

“Uh...” Cassandra hesitated. She definitely wouldn’t mind a massage, but considering that she had always gotten them while naked or nearly naked, combined with the current situation, she was worried that undressing for even a legitimate reason might send the wrong message.

“You can keep your clothes on, of course,” Rapunzel added. “And we’ll stay right here on the couch. Probably best to avoid the bed for now, right?”

“Right,” Cassandra agreed.

With her primary worries taken care of, Cassandra allowed herself to be massaged by the other two. Rapunzel had them reposition themselves, with Eugene seated behind Cassandra, and her practically sitting in his lap so he had easy access to her shoulders, while Rapunzel herself knelt on the floor so she could massage the other woman’s legs. It didn’t take long before Cassandra was relaxing under the hands of the others and sighing in pleasure. She barely even noticed when Rapunzel took off her shoes and stockings so she could rub her bare feet.

She did notice, though, when Rapunzel unexpectedly but tenderly kissed her lower calf. As much as she loved it, she was about to sit up and protest when Eugene, who noticed her begin to tense up again, whispered into her ear.

“Relax, Cass. This only goes as far as you want it to. There’s no need to stop if your only worry is about what might happen next. Just enjoy the moment for what it is. And if you don’t like what does come next, then you can tell us to stop.”

Rapunzel kissed Cassandra’s other calf, and Cass relaxed back into Eugene’s arms. After his words of encouragement, there was no way she was going to tell Rapunzel to stop what she was doing, not when it felt so good. Eugene did miracles to her back while Rapunzel continued to massage and kiss her legs, and soon Cassandra was moaning in delight. She then felt a feathery kiss on her neck. Then another, and another. They felt so nice that she didn’t even question their source until she remembered that Rapunzel was still working on her legs.

Eugene was kissing her! Cassandra was letting Eugene kiss her!

Almost as if he sensed her realisation, Eugene stopped. “Too much?” he asked in a gentle whisper.

Cassandra didn’t trust herself to speak, so instead she said nothing, closed her eyes, and turned her head away from his. Intentional or not, this gave Eugene even easier access to her neck and so he took it as a sign of consent and resumed his soft kisses along her smooth skin.

“Enjoying yourselves?” Rapunzel asked.

Cassandra had failed to notice that the princess had stopped kissing her thighs and stood up, leaning in so that her face was mere inches away. “Raps,” she said, almost in a pleading voice, “Eugene ... he’s ... he’s...”

Rapunzel smiled. “Feel’s good, doesn’t it?” She then leaned in and kissed Cassandra on the lips.

Having Rapunzel kiss her was like triggering a release valve and suddenly Cassandra felt she could finally express all the feelings she was holding back. She moaned into Rapunzel’s mouth and kissed back with passion, wrapping her arms around the princess. When gentle hands began squeezing her breasts she couldn’t help but groan and wiggle in Eugene’s lap. She even thrust her chest forward to try and increase the pressure from the hands.

“God, Rapunzel, I love the way you touch me,” she said between kisses.

Rapunzel let out a little chuckle. “You’re crediting the wrong person.”

Again, Cassandra opened her eyes wide. True enough, Rapunzel was using her hands to support herself as she leaned over the couch. The hands that were doing those wonderful things to Cassandra’s breasts belonged to Eugene, who was still feathering the occasional kiss on her neck.

“Sorry, Cass,” he said, although it was clear he wasn’t sorry at all, “I just couldn’t help myself. It’s only natural when in a position like this that the man reaches around and gives pleasure to his partner.”

“And when did we become partners?” Cassandra asked.

Eugene noticed that Cassandra had yet to remove his hands from her chest or ask him to stop. “When you and Rapunzel became lovers, of course,” he said. “Now the job falls on both of us to make Rapunzel the happiest woman in the world.”

“And so far you’re doing a great job of it,” Rapunzel said. “Now, scoot over Cass. I’d like to kiss my husband now.”

Cassandra slipped over to Eugene’s side as Rapunzel climbed onto his lap. Naturally Eugene had to let go of Cassandra as she moved out of his grasp, but Rapunzel was there almost immediately to fill the void. She straddled him and then kissed him with a love and passion that still made Cassandra envious. For a moment the couple lost themselves in each other, but they didn’t ignore Cassandra for long.