In Taylor Swift’s “august,” the boy is James.
James is one point of the fictional love triangle spread across three Folklore songs. “Cardigan” presents Betty’s perspective, “Betty” presents James’s perspective, and “august” follows the unnamed girl who has a summer relationship with him.
The narrator’s romance with James is temporary because his feelings and established relationship remain connected to Betty. When summer ends, James returns to Betty, leaving the “august” narrator with memories of a relationship she hoped might become permanent.
Some listeners mistakenly call the narrator Augustine or Augusta. Swift said she imagined possible names for the character but did not give her a definitive name in the song. James, by contrast, is explicitly named in “Betty” and is the male character whose actions connect all three songs.