Fleeting Moments, Friends for Life: Lydia and Jordan

As an outsider looking in, it’s not always easy to tell when a friendship is the real deal. However, when talking with Lydia and Jordan, everything about them indicated as much. From the way the two laughed and played off of each other’s answers, fully comfortable in each other’s presence, it’s almost hard to believe that around this time last year the two were virtually strangers.

Before the Marriage Pact came to Santa Clara University, then-sophomore Child Studies and Religious Studies double major Lydia was already in the know — her best friend attended Stanford and had already shared plenty of stories about her matches in the previous years. When the SCU Marriage Pact Instagram followed Lydia, her friend encouraged her to fill it out.

Neuro and Bio double major Jordan filled out the questionnaire along with his friends, and both waited to be paired with the expectation that they were going to reach out to the person that would hopefully be their best match on campus.

Jordan: I think I always knew I was going to at least reach out and see what happens. It was fun, and I’m pretty extroverted…

Lydia: I definitely knew I was gonna reach out, I wanted to see if my match was going to be as crazy as my friend’s had been.

The night match announcements were sent, both Jordan and Lydia turned to the tried-and-true method of Instagram stalking to scope each other out, sending blitzes of messages to mutual friends to get a sense of just who the person they matched with was — especially considering their coveted compatibility percentile of 98%.

Jordan: I saw she was in Theta, and I have a lot of friends in Theta, so I texted all of them and was like, “Do you know her? Is she cool?”

Lydia: I was texting my boyfriend the same, and he was like, “Yeah!” We actually met because of my boyfriend.

Jordan: I was so shocked — I didn’t know they were dating! I met her boyfriend through another friend. They were at a party at our apartment and he’d said Lydia was coming over, and I was like, “Oh my god, actually?”

Lydia: He called me and said “your Marriage Pact is here,” and I really wanted to meet him in person!

Lydia and Jordan remembered clicking instantly, bonding over their shared love of clothes and designers. The two had even gone as far as planning their Burberry wedding. Alongside their original shared love of all things fashion, the two have found more things in common in their now-year-long friendship.

Jordan: I think we’re both very fun, extroverted, and we’ll do just about anything and everything. I think that’s a harder personality to come across, so when you find someone like that, it’s much easier to click.

Lydia: Yeah, we’re both pretty much down to do anything. I texted Jordan literally two hours before my sorority formal and was like, “So… I need a date…”

With personalities they view as “pretty much identical,” it’s no wonder the two now spend almost every Friday with each other. Lydia will even be coaching Jordan and their friends in some upcoming sorority dodgeball games.

Lydia: Jordan is super easy to talk to, and he always texts me back really fast. Like, I always know if something’s going on, I can text him, and I really appreciate that. And the fact that we just, like, clicked really instantly.

Jordan: I like her spontaneity. Like I said, that’s kinda hard to find, so when you find it, you always like talking to that person and having them in on your plans. Other than that, we both share the same morals and have very common beliefs.

Speaking of common beliefs, Lydia and Jordan were pretty step for step when I asked them to reminisce on a few Marriage Pact questions. On a scale of one to seven, one being never and seven being absolutely, I asked, there’s a place for revenge when someone has wronged me.

Lydia: … I’m gonna say two-

Jordan: I was gonna say a two! I feel like we’re both quick to forgive.

Lydia: Sometimes I’ll hold a grudge but end up like, “It’s not worth it anymore…”

Jordan: I can’t hold a grudge, I’m so bad at it.

When asked if it is more important to protect someone’s feelings than to tell them the truth:

Jordan: Oooh… It’s situational… I’d probably go three because… I’d say I’m a very sympathetic person, so I care about emotions…

Lydia: I’d go four. I’d want to protect them from feeling bad, but if they’re gonna find out, I might as well be the one to tell them.

Jordan: Yeah, like I’d spill the tea, but I’m not gonna intentionally hurt them.

And of course, I had to ask them my favorite question: would you rather be left at the altar or leave someone at the altar?

Lydia: Leave!

Jordan: I’d rather be left! Are you really leaving at the altar?

The two laugh for a moment, struck by their sudden, stark difference.

Lydia: Being left would be so embarrassing, and if I were to leave, I think people would understand…

Jordan: Yeah, if you have reasons, I can kinda see that. I think I’d be left because I wouldn’t want to leave someone, I’d feel bad… But if it’s not supposed to happen, it’s not supposed to happen.

Lydia: I feel like I’d be so indecisive that I’d just do the ceremony but not sign the legal documents. Like, sorry, we’re not actually married…