What does it mean when a guy calls you "dear"?

Anonymous
Guys have called me bae and cutie before. But never dear. I've known this guy for a couple weeks and I met him at this camp. We became pretty close and I sent him a happy birthday message on snapchat and he responded "thank you" right away. I didn't respond so he sent me another message that said "my dear". Is this common for a guy to say that to a girl? And no, he is not gay nor a player.
What does it mean when a guy calls you "dear"?
3 Opinion