Popular song expressing love for a specific young woman was actually unwelcome and unrequited

From October 2007:

“I wasn’t interested. I was dating somebody,”

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As for the non-relationship, the two kept in touch by e-mail and Higgenson brought DiCrescenzo a disk with the song when he finished it in 2004. “It was so beautifully written,” she says. “There was pressure to live up to this ideal. I didn’t know how to be polite but, you know, ditch him.”

And from ESPN 2013:

I couldn't believe he followed through! My brother Nick and I listened to it together in the basement -- probably not the romantic image Tom envisioned for my first listen. But we were blown away. My first thought: "Oh no! Did I lead Tom on?" I became anxious. I was with Will. I'm still with Will to this day. Tom and I had a friendly relationship and I wondered if he misconstrued my actions. He put so much effort into the song. I felt guilty, like, "I'm such a wench!" When my dad heard the lyrics "Oh what you do to me," he said, "Delilah, exactly what did you to do this guy?"

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Then it took off, eventually reaching No. 1 on the Billboard charts that July. That's when the questions came: Is this a true story? Does Delilah actually exist? I didn't want the spotlight. I was nervous that I'd let Tom's fans down. They'd be disappointed to hear I have a boyfriend. Every girl would want a song written about her, and they'd think I was ungrateful and rude to deny Tom.

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To be honest, the publicity was distracting me from my running, but at least it was good PR. It brought attention to my sport and let me talk about my running career. And I know Will was relieved. He'd been defending himself to his friends. They were like, "Aren't you two together?" I understood -- it seemed like I was two-timing Will. It was a relief for him to see me on national TV and say, "I'm with Will."

THR:

The Plain White T's No. 1 hit "Hey There Delilah" is being adapted into a scripted TV series.

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described as a contemporary fairy tale