A comparison can return later in a draft without repeating the same effect. To make the return useful, change the circumstances around it rather than merely inserting the phrase again.
Invent a simple comparison for a character’s first impression of a place. For example, a hallway might seem like a waiting room. Later, bring the character back after a decision that changes what waiting means to them.
Do not explain the changed meaning immediately. Write a concrete action in the second scene and see whether the earlier comparison now feels different beside it. Perhaps the character chooses a chair instead of pacing, or leaves before being called.
Check the distance between appearances
If the comparison returns too quickly, it may feel like accidental repetition. If it returns much later, the reader may need a small contextual cue. Read the surrounding passages rather than judging the repeated sentence alone.
Ask a test reader what they remembered when the comparison returned. They may recognise the image without recalling its exact wording, which can be enough for the connection to work.
Keep the repetition only if it contributes something the second scene could not do as clearly by itself. A recurring image should participate in the draft’s changing experience, not act as a decorative badge pasted onto unrelated moments.
Editorial illustration from this site’s image library; not documentary evidence of the example or object discussed.