In Taylor Swift’s Folklore love triangle, James returns to Betty after the summer described in “august.”
“august” is told from the perspective of an unnamed girl who has a brief romance with James. She hopes the relationship might become permanent, but James is already connected to Betty and eventually reconciles with her.
The story continues across three songs. “Cardigan” presents Betty’s perspective, while “Betty” presents James’s perspective as he seeks reconciliation. “august” therefore represents the viewpoint of the person who experiences the romance as a temporary, ultimately unclaimed relationship.
Swift sometimes referred to the narrator in her imagination as Augusta or Augustine, but neither name is used as the character’s official identity in the song. That distinction makes Betty the single canonical answer when asking whom James returns to.