12 Reasons Why Jordan And Layla From "All American" Are Meant To Be

"He stayed."

Jordan and Layla, or "Jordayla" if you are as much of a shipper as I am, brought back the thrilling feeling of the old classic slow burn. From friends to lovers, and almost 5 seasons later, these two proved once again, that the iconic Gillian Anderson quote, "the best relationships — the ones that last — are frequently the ones that are rooted in friendship" remains true 'til this day.

Warning: Major Spoilers Ahead

12. Throughout the seasons, in every little scene they've share, their chemistry has been undeniable.

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If you look back at the early seasons of All American you can count on one hand the number of scenes that Jordan and Layla shared alone. But that was never a problem, because the chemistry was always there. Every moment between them has been heartwarming and made fans question early on if there was something more between them.

11. They see strength in each other despite everyone else seeing them as fragile people.

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Throughout the entire series these have been the two characters who are always made to look as if they're made of out glass. Because of Layla's depression and loneliness, everyone around her sees her as too weak to handle the truth, so they lie. And when it comes to Jordan, everyone, especially his own family, always tries to shield him from the heartbreaks of life or football. For a long time his own father saw him as too fragile to handle the pressure and intensity that comes with becoming a professional football player. Despite it all, Jordan and Layla always look at each other as strong and resilient people. He's always pushed her to believe in her strength, either within her personal life or professional path, and she does the same with him, making him see himself as the talented and strong player that he is, even when he's lacked the confidence to do so.

10. They bring the best out in each other, especially their funnier sides.

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One thing that we can count on with these two is their ability to do deliver some really funny interactions. Either when teasing each other or trying to hide their relationship from the vortex, their dorky sides shine brighter than ever. Especially for Layla, this is a lighter, much-needed side to her character, that has been through so much in the past seasons. As for Jordan, he has always been a cute dork unintentionally — but now more than ever, around Layla, that side of him is accentuated.

9. It's been a long time since we had an epic, good-old slow burn romance on TV.

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Streaming platforms may have given us some really extraordinary shows and ships. But one thing that they often fail to deliver is a good-old slow burn that keeps us on the edge of our seat for years and years, collecting crumbs from our favorite imaginary couple every time that they share the same frame, even if just for five minutes.

Jordayla took almost five years to happen and the buildup throughout the years has been long anticipated. They went from just being in the same circle of friends, to brief, meaningful interactions, to having a strong friendship, to true love. Even if we didn’t have many scenes between them in the early seasons, the moments that they did share were impactful and reassuring of their undeniable chemistry and the depth of their connection. They always showed up for each other in key moments with the right words and comfort. And as those moments started to add up, all of their emotions simply magnified, maybe because deep down they were more alike than what met the eye. 

Jordan has always been the one that able to see beyond Layla’s walls and fears, and Layla has always been the one able to understand Jordan’s identity crises and struggles. Ultimately, that’s what love is supposed to be: the ability to be our truest selves around the other person, in the good, the bad, the beautiful, and the ugly. 

It’s been a blessing for shippers to be able to enjoy the little steps in the building of another epic TV couple. It’s been a while since we had one.

8. Because actions speak louder than words.

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Yeah, both Layla and Jordan have spoken their minds and hearts when it comes to making the other feel safe, understood, supported, and loved, but they've always gone the extra mile and make sure to be present in each others' lives. Jordan constantly shows up at Layla’s studio to either bring her food or when she’s too wrapped up around work. He not only gave her emotional support when it came to finding closure with Carrie, but also personally drove her to San Diego to make sure that she was not alone, facing one of the most difficult moments of her life. Let’s not forget how after he confessed his feelings she pushed him away, and he still made sure to check up on her because of the SWAT invasion situation. It also happened the other way around. Layla always found time to listen to Jordan’s struggles, and not only that, helped him move toward a path of acknowledgement and appreciation for his talent. She made sure to be on the frontline to support him in his games. 

Also, in a moment that stands out was in Season 4, she clearly was trying to manage her emotions after Jordan confessed his feelings, and she threw that aside to be there, hold his hand, and once again show him how much she believes in him.

7. All the epic romantic tropes.

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If there’s one thing that is going to define a ship's true strength is the amount of romantic tropes that the show is able to deliver to the audience, and Jordayla has been a constant win from day one.

Here’s a list of tropes they've encapsulated in the show so far: 

- "childhood friends to lovers"

- "best friends to lovers" 

- "best friend’s brother" 

- "boy falls first"

- "second love"

- "romantic dance"

- "forced proximity by being closed in the same space" 

- "everyone sees it except them"

- "denying their feelings"

- "road trip together"

- "epic first kiss"

- "secret dating"

- "parallels"

The truth is, Jordayla has been collecting all the great television tropes, as if the future of romance is depending on them.

6. They support each other to fight for their dreams.

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One thing about these two is that they are each other's biggest fans. Either by showing up in big moments or simply by being supportive in whatever decision that the other makes. When one is feeling down or lacking motivation, the other is right there in the corner with wise words, unconditional support, or simply a smile, making all the doubts simply disappear.

5. They don't lose themselves within the relationship.

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One thing that I noticed in Jordayla is how this relationship adds something to each person's own personality instead of becoming a personality trait for both characters together. The fact that they push each other to always believe in and find the best versions of themselves makes these characters more than just a good couple. 

Simone always questioned Jordan’s devotion to football and made sure to always point out how there’s more to life than football, and in the end she chose a university away from him because of the tennis program. She chose her tennis competition over going to prom with him, and that would be totally valid if she previously didn’t spend half of the time judging Jordan for that same devotion and passion toward football. Even with the Wade situation, she basically told Jordan to suck it up and learn from him. With Simone, in a way, Jordan lost bits of himself because he was slowly losing confidence in his talent and was accepting the idea of simply being Simone’s husband and planning his life around her dreams instead. 

With Layla, things were different from the start. She always has been right there to listen to his struggles in the path of fighting for his dream and has pushed him to the realization that he’s worth it, talented, and makes sure to remind him of everything that he's conquered along the way. Not only does she make him feel understood, but also is right there to hold his hand, even in the hard times, and stand by his side in whatever decision that he makes. She is his biggest fan. 

It also happens the other way around. We hear Layla say a lot about how she wants to be an independent producer and make it beyond her father’s legacy, and use that to justify not wanting to open her heart to love. Jordan is in fact her biggest fan, but the most important thing that he has done is give her the space to just be. He never gets too involved in her professional life. He lets her fight her own battles, and limits himself to just listening to her when she needs to, and cheering her up when needed. 

Every time Layla had been in a difficult situation in the past, Spencer, Olivia, and even her own father treated her as if things got too hard, she would break. Jordan, on the other hand, always made sure that she knew that in his eyes, she was one of the strongest people he's ever met, and that she could take on the entire world if she wanted to. And by not being overprotective and interfering in her battles, he makes her feel seen and heard, rather than weak and fragile.

4. They are able to be honest and vulnerable around each other.

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One of the hardest things to do as a human being is to come to the realization that we are far from perfect. That we have flaws and fears. Even harder is when we realize that the ones around us see those exact same things, so most of the time we hide it. Jordan and Layla, probably more than anyone on the show, suffered from that. They both had images to live up to. From Layla’s side, we have this image of Beverly’s perfect girl. Perfect student, perfect boyfriend, perfect life. Jordan was the same, adding his father’s legacy into the picture and a silenced competition with Spencer for validation as a football player. Being imperfect was a luxury that neither one of them could afford to have. But when they are together, they trust each other completely to not only show those vulnerabilities but also to embrace them. Even in their darkest hours, as long as they are in each other's presence, they are able to just completely fall apart if they need to, because they know the other was going to be right there holding on tight.

3. He became her fort.

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When you’re a kid you can barely understand life, let alone the metaphors of love, but we can’t deny how the pillow forts that Jordan used to build for Layla exist now within himself. Years later, after everything they went through, and the different paths they went on, eventually they found their way back to each other. Coming full circle, he is now her safe place, her refuge from the world, her place of happiness, and comfort. He is her fort now.

2. Despite wanting to be with Layla, Jordan also understands and respects Layla's need to take things slow.

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Let’s be real, as much as Jordayla shippers want them to be happily together and in love, there are in fact a lot of things that should be considered. As for me, I’m really happy that the writers didn’t make it as easy as we wanted to after their first kiss. I much more appreciate the way Jordan understands Layla’s fears and setbacks. For Layla, trusting someone, especially romantically, after everything that went down with Asher and Spencer is a big deal. And let’s not forget how confusing it must have been for her to assimilate these feelings for someone that for years and years she saw only as a friend. 

Jordan had also just gotten out of a longtime relationship with Simone, and all of these situations combined together was a lot for Layla to understand, especially when a couple of months ago she made it clear that she wasn't emotionally available to open her heart to love. Her only focus was being successful and independent, pushing everyone away. When it comes to love, Jordan has always been one to jump into his feelings right away without putting much thought into it, but when it came to Layla, everything is different, for the better. Despite knowing that she feels the same way as he does, Jordan also understands the importance that time and space was for Layla, so he gave her both without lacking in his role as her best friend. When Spencer said to Layla that he would wait for her until she was ready, he didn’t keep his promise, and Vegas was proof of that. But Jordan...Jordan did, and did it so beautifully, that made it easy for Layla to later on be the one giving the first steps forward in their relationship and become more open and vocal about what she feels for him. 

1. He stayed.

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We all know how much the fear of abandonment shaped Layla's path throughout the show, and understandably so. Her mom's death, her absent father, her and Olivia's back and forward friendship. Plus, Asher and Spencer both cheated on her and the shift in her behavior to protect herself and her mental health by putting up infinite walls was understandable. 

The thing about those walls is that they almost served as a test for her to understand who really wants to stay. And against all the odds, despite her attempts to push Jordan away, and despite going through a difficult year himself, Jordan stayed. He saw beyond those walls and never gave up on Layla. When it got hard, he was brutally honest with her, which made her feel like an equal instead of this fragile thing that could break. Jordan pushed her to face her demons, and to find closure with Carrie. 

Almost as important as being there for Layla was how much Jordan made Layla feel needed by looking for comfort in her and her words, by making her feel heard and appreciated. It was beautiful to see him stand by her side, but even more beautiful how he proved to her how much he wants her by his side, too.