'The Bold Type' Cast Reflects on Their Unbreakable 'Bond' Ahead of Series Finale: 'We Got So Lucky'

The women of The Bold Type are bidding adieu to the hit Freeform series, but they have no intention of calling it quits on their incredible friendship.

Viewers have followed stars Aisha Dee, Meghann Fahy and Katie Stevens as they spent five seasons portraying the ups and downs of life as millennial women trying to make a name for themselves at the fictional Scarlet magazine.

Ahead of the series finale later this month, the three actresses sat down with PEOPLE to discuss what it's like saying goodbye to their characters Kat, Sutton and Jane.

"It's definitely mixed emotions, but it sort of feels correct," says Fahy, 31. "We got to do five seasons, which is more than I think any of us were expecting or even hoping for. And the fact that we got to go into the final season knowing that it was the final season, really just sort of soaking it all up, is sort of more than I could have dreamed of."

"It feels like we've spent a long time with these characters and with these people as well, because there's literally hundreds of people behind the scenes that are the heartbeat of the show," adds Dee, 27. "It feels very emotional to say goodbye to all of that, but I'm just really grateful and I'm super excited to see what everyone does next, because I was surrounded by some really talented folks."

The dramedy built a slew of dedicated fans who fell for the special bond between the three lead women, and as Stevens, 28, tells it, the trio's real-life friendship was almost as immediate.

"Before going to shoot the pilot, we had one crazy fun night in New York, and I just remember initially feeling so automatically comfortable with them, like I could be myself, and that has stayed true," she says. "I think they know me better than most people, and I'm just so grateful. It's not always the case that you work with people and get along and form a bond like we have."

"I just think that we got so lucky, especially because the show really sort of depends on that relationship," Fahy continues. "I don't remember a moment where I was like, 'Oh, we're real friends now.' I just sort of felt that way from the beginning."

The ladies started their group chat shortly after they were all cast back in 2016 and it's still as active as ever — despite them never naming the conversation.

"I want to scroll all the way to the top of our group chat and be like, 'What did we used to talk about?' Because it just never really felt like I was interacting with strangers," Dee says, adding that she also regularly makes playlists for the group, including one called "It's A Wrap" made up of songs they all listened to while making the show.

All three found themselves growing alongside their characters, seeing their own friendships evolve off-screen and on-screen.

"Friendships change and they evolve, and there are certain ones that stick and they stick for a reason, because they grow together and learn from each other. And I feel like we were learning those things off of set, and kind of translating it on screen," says Stevens. "Even though our characters go through different things on the show, we're very much there for each other through everything off-screen, even more so than these girls on the show."

And while they can't say much about the series finale, they do hope viewers feel rewarded for the time they spent with the women of Scarlet.

"I think the ending is special," says Dee. "I hope that people are happy and that watching the show brings them the same joy and sense of comfort that it seems to have done for so long."

Fans will be delighted to know that the three costars spent their final day on set together, hanging out in their characters' beloved safe space — Scarlet magazine's fashion closet — without any of the cameras.

"We asked the producers if just the three of us could go up to the set and no one else was around," recalls Stevens. "We were sitting on that set and having this emotional moment with each other, and it just felt like one of the most beautiful ways that I could ever imagine to wrap everything up."

None of the ladies managed to snag anything from the closet, but they have all grabbed group photos from various other sets over the years, and each took home a Scarlet mug from the office, despite Fahy having since lost hers.

With the show coming to an end, they all have very different visions for where their characters will be in 10 years, with Stevens imagining, "I just want them to be happy, and maybe they're all on vacation somewhere, and they're successful and badass and have their s--- together."

Adds Fahy, "My new favorite image is that Sutton gets really tired of the fashion game and she moves to Pennsylvania and opens a little brunch restaurant, and has horses she rides and chickens that she feeds."

Meanwhile, Dee has a far more detailed vision for the women: "I like the idea that the girls each have a farm next to one another. They each have a couple acres, and so they drive the tractor over next door to see each other. They're still very much in each other's lives, but they've left the city because they realized that that life just wasn't for them. Sutton's got her chickens and her horses, I think Kat, à la Josephine Baker, will adopt 12 children and they will be her rainbow tribe, and then Jane runs the school that all the kids go to."

"I wanted us to be on vacation, and Aisha has us plowing fields," Stevens responds with a laugh as Dee jokingly promises to Dropbox a document featuring the full treatment to the group.

And while their time working together has come to a close, Stevens assures that this isn't the end of their real-life relationship — not even close.

"It was hard to be sad about not doing stuff with the three of us," she says. "Because there was no part of me that thought that the end of the show was the end of this, because it's not."

The final season of The Bold Type is airing Wednesdays at 10 p.m. ET on Freeform.