Why does he call me babe?

Anonymous
I have a friend, and I've noticed that he calls me babe now. I think he started a few weeks ago. It started around the time I told him he was my fake boyfriend. (Joke with my friends.) We have a class together and he sits right behind me. We talk all the time in there and to get my attention, he would usually just call me by my name. I started noticing though that he would call me babe. Like I would be facing the front of the class, and then I'd hear someone calling me "babe, babe. pssst, babe turn around."

At first I wouldn't turn around because I wasn't even sure if I was the one he was calling. I never asked him why he does that because I don't wanna make it into a big deal if it doesn't mean anything. A couple days ago though, in class, he had asked me out. I wasn't sure if he was being serious or joking, so I didn't give an answer. He texted me that night though and told me he was being serious and that he liked me a lot. I told him I had liked him too, and I hoped that meant we could be together. He told me though that he wasn't sure we should be a couple because of how nervous he thinks he'd be with me.

I told him he didn't need to be nervous in front of me, I just want him to be himself with me. Well we didn't talk about the situation much after that. When we tried to the next morning, he said he had to go and he would text me later. He did, but never brought the conversation back up about us. When he texts me though, he'll say "hey babe, what are you doing?" or he's going to sleep and I tell him good night, he'll say "hahaha g'night babe".

When he does that though, it just confuses me. Does he mean anything by it when he calls me that? Does he just mean it in a friendly way? Does he plan on us ever being a couple? I have no idea what's going on between us...
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He also tends to call me his love, if that matters any...
Why does he call me babe?
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