In Taylor Swift’s “august” storyline, the narrator is involved with James.
The song is one part of a fictional love triangle on Folklore. “august” presents the perspective of an unnamed girl who has a summer romance with James, while “Cardigan” is associated with Betty’s perspective and “Betty” with James’s perspective.
James is already connected to Betty, so the relationship described in “august” is temporary and unresolved. When summer ends, James and Betty eventually reconcile, leaving the narrator to mourn a romance she had hoped might become something more.
Some listeners refer to the narrator as Augustine or Augusta, but Swift said she had not fixed a formal name for her. Therefore, Augustine is not the boy’s name; it is an informal label fans use for the unnamed narrator.