I thought he handled it pretty well

being manipulative is how you get things done.

Not going to deny that - I've been on the short of that stick before... but still manipulation is not being played here, he's just telling his girl that he misses her. I dont see much wrong with that

It is kinda manipulative thou, he’s playing the “I only see you once a week” and he’s clearly a little insecure about who she hangs with, it’s s misunderstanding, however if he’s wanting to talk about hanging out more and saying he wants to spend more time with her, he should have waited and did it in person, though text he seems ( In MY option) insecure and his language seems manipulative

I see what you mean.. hard to tell character from one string of messages though. He might play the emotional blackmail card often in which case I would see it as manipulation. Else wise I see regret and denial or a guy that's just missing his girl. Either way you're right on one thing - he should've manned up and done it in person. If he truly cared about the relationship I can think of 10 other ways to approach the situation to keep the spark alive