Not from the novel, or anything I’ve finished, but a snippet of writing from a few weeks ago. It may end up somewhere, eventually.

The patio was small, and the day was humid, so the smoke lingered around him, and he had been breathing it in. His thoughts had slowed, and he knew that when he stood up the ground would feel uneven.

Riley was gone. She had left the day before and taken her things. She had cleaned up behind herself, closing drawers and folding the clothes she had knocked out of the dresser when taking out her own.

Jacob had not left the patio except to relieve himself and pour himself glasses of whiskey until it had run out. He slept in the Adirondack chair under the awning and lit the gel fuel burner to keep warm, though it was not a cold night. He had wrapped himself in a sleeping bag bought for a camping trip he’d never gone on.

He looked at his watch. If he had gone to work it would now be time to leave the office.

Jacob knew that Riley was not coming back, but he believed that when people left you should wait for them for a time commensurate with their tenure.