How can I know what's next and when?? :mad:

So my boyfriend and I have been together for almost a year now. He is 35, and I am 25. He has no previous baggage (no ex wife, no kids). He broke up with his last gf of 4 years because he didn't see himself marrying her.
From what I know he never asked her to move in, but she was there with all her stuff all the time as if she was living there.
Anyway.... I still live with my parents and he owns his house, but has 2 roommates to make it easier on him to pay the mortgage.
I stay at his place maybe 5 out of 7 days. He says he is miserable when I don't sleep over and loves coming home to me, waking up next to me. Wellll.. I like staying with him too, but I do have a home and I always feel like I am missing something that I need at his house after a couple of days.
He's said in the past that once he refinances that house, he will buy his "final" house, where he won't have roommates and expects me to move in. (whenever that is!)
His friend got married without moving in with the girl first and she ended up being a control freak, they are on a verge of a divorce, so he asked me what my thoughts on moving in together before marriage were. I said it's fine, as long as I will be marrying the guy. (Whenever he asks me hypothetical questions, It is mostly never direct, no "When we get married.. or move in together", makes me feel like he asks it as a general question.
So I guess what I'm confused about is WHAT'S his DEAL? he doesn't really communicate to me about what's in his head about future plan, even thought it feels like he is cooking something up in there. I am afraid to ask him. Is there a subtle way to know or tell or speed it up a little? I don't need him to act now, I just want to know what to expect :/

He sounds scared of commitment. I think you should ask him directly what his long-term goals for your relationship are.

But he does say that he's been looking for me his whole life, that he just didn't wanna settle before and that by next year his business should pick up, and he should be financially stable for a fam. Also been telling his friends that i'm the one since we pretty much started dating and the other day he randomly said "So my friend asked me if we were engaged yet" instead of getting more info out of him, I played it cool and changed the subject like an idiot. Now i'm kicking myself for it.

Then ask him what his plans are, in terms of actual months/years. It's a legitimate question, you shouldn't feel so afraid of asking.

You can always pick up the conversation about his friend:
"So what did you tell to that friend of yours?"
"Which friend?"
"The one that asked you if we're engaged yet..."

but that to me is pushing it and I like it when he initiates those major conversations. It took him 2 months to tell me he loves me, because he was scared I might not have felt the same way and also wanted perfect timing. It's frustrating to me