A date?

We went out tonight... just as friends..my best friend and I. I fell asleep after work and when he called we just went out for some drinks. Then he dropped me off and left to go meet the girl he's seeing. So, I texted him and he ended up calling me to tell me that he's really feeling me and doesn't know how to handle it right now so he has to just go home. But tomorrow he wants to take me out on a date... a real date. We've never done that before. We've gone for food and he's bought me lunch or breakfast or dinner... whatever. But we've never had an official date. What does this mean? We're going to go on a date and we'll probably end up sleeping together, then he's going to leave me for 9 months only to come back just in time for my wedding? I don't know. All I know is that I can't wait to be close to him again.